The Reclaimed Rose (Annalise and Steven) novel Chapter 489

Rowena sat on the living room couch, her close friends gathered around her.

She took a slow sip of her coffee, then said, "I told you guys about what Chloe did the other day, right? You need to help me figure out how to get back at her. I swear, if I keep holding onto this anger, I'm going to lose it!"

"Chill. You don't have to do anything later. Just sit back and let us handle it," Jasmine Walker said quickly. "Once we post about what she did, everyone will start calling her out. We won't even have to do the dirty work ourselves."

Rowena's eyebrows shot up, clearly excited. "Really?"

"Totally," Jasmine said, her tone firm.

Just then, a knock came at the door. Rowena let out a breath of relief, then turned toward the door with a grin. "Looks like she's here."

Jasmine got up and went to open the door. Chloe stepped in, pausing for a second when she saw Jasmine.

Then, she walked over to Rowena with a smile. "Your friend's here?"

"She and I are heading out later," Rowena said, her tone relaxed. "She heard you and I are really good at keeping our daughters-in-law in check, so she wanted some advice."

Chloe tilted her head with pride. "Not to brag, but you're looking at the expert. No one's going to argue with that."

Even though she was disgusted, Jasmine forced a look of admiration. "Hurry up, tell me. How do you do it?"

"It's easy," Chloe said, not missing a beat. "For example, ask your daughter-in-law to get you water when you're thirsty at home. If she pours it too warm, just spill it on her and yell, 'What? Are you trying to burn me?'

"If it's too cold, accuse her of trying to get you sick. As long as you think on your feet, there's always something you can find to complain about." Chloe lifted her chin, clearly proud of herself.

Chloe was defensive. "Who told you that? He's doing just fine—"

"Don't tell me you haven't heard of it," Rowena said, pretending to be shocked. "He's been regretting the divorce. Every day, he begs Annalise to take him back.

"What if he finds out you pushed her away by treating her like that? Don't you think he'll blame you?"

"He'd never do that," Chloe said confidently. "Steven loves me more than anyone. He puts me before his wife!"

Jasmine couldn't hide her disgust anymore. "Really?"

"Absolutely," Chloe replied, unaware she was falling into Rowena's trap. "He's the same as always, even after the divorce. He only has one son, Zachary, but since I told him Zachary wasn't worth his time and that he should focus on Jessica's baby, he's been completely ignoring Zachary."