The Reclaimed Rose (Annalise and Steven) novel Chapter 802

Casper replied without hesitation, "Yes."

Gary hissed, "You're not coming back? Did Jessica say something to you again?"

Casper didn't understand why Gary would ask that, but he answered anyway. "No. She just asked me if I'd been with Ruby before we got together. I told her no. After we cleared up all the misunderstandings, she stopped talking to me.

"So don't worry. Jessica might love money, but she's got her pride. She's not going to cling to me like some desperate fool."

Gary still didn't believe him. "If that's the case, then why the sudden change of heart?"

Casper said, "Because I finally realized what's waiting for me if I go back."

Gary fell silent.

"Back then, you told me the company was going bankrupt and that I needed to come back and help fix things," Casper said, his voice tinged with bitterness.

He'd given so much for the family, yet his parents had never acknowledged his efforts. Of course, he couldn't help but feel resentful. "I even gave up my wife and my child to help you. And what did I get in return? Do you remember what you told me?"

Gary, of course, remembered. But he wasn't about to admit it.

"If I don't tell you, are you just going to sit back and watch the company go under? Do you even realize what your mother and I will have to endure if that happens? We'll go bankrupt! We'll lose the house! We won't even have a place to live! Is that what you want? Are you happy to see it come to that?"

Casper wasn't fazed when Gary averted his question. Instead, he replied calmly, "Do you think I should feel sorry for you? That I should make sure you live comfortably?"

Gary shot back, "Of course! We're your parents, not your enemies."

Casper couldn't help but laugh at the sheer audacity of words. "Then why didn't you worry about whether I had a place to live or money to spend when you kicked me out of the house back then?"