The Reclaimed Rose (Annalise and Steven) novel Chapter 649

"Steven has no morals!"

…

As night fell, the story gained momentum online. Soon, everyone following the news became aware of the shocking events that had unfolded in Steven's household.

Zachary, who was accused of deliberately provoking Jessica with a phone call, swiftly presented evidence to clear his name. The proof came in the form of home surveillance footage from the past thirty days.

The video revealed that Zachary had locked his phone away in a small cabinet at home since last month. It had remained there, untouched, ever since.

This revelation exposed the allegations against Zachary coercing Jessica as a complete hoax. The public started chastising Steven.

"Good grief. Is Steven a dimwit?"

"How can someone be so gullible? He listens to every word his mistress says without a shred of doubt!"

"Exactly! It's bad enough to believe her, but to charge in and strike his son without even asking questions?"

"My heart broke watching that poor boy collapse to the ground!"

"Have you seen the medical report? The injuries are severe."

"And now there's footage of Steven being arrested. This story is undeniably true!"

As the criticisms mounted, so did the public's outrage. Everyone struggled to comprehend how an adult could harbor such vicious intent toward a child, let alone his own son.

Harry looked at Zachary, his eyes widening. "He really laid hands on you?"

Zachary nodded and replied, "How else do you think my face got so swollen?"

Harry's anger flared. Recently, Steven had severed ties with Zachary. By all accounts, they should be strangers now. What right did Steven have to strike Zachary?

Harry rose, fists clenched. "I'll go teach him a lesson right now!"

Bewildered, Steven asked, "Explain what?"

Realizing Steven was oblivious, the caller suppressed their anger and said, "Check the news online first."

Steven quickly scanned the web, finding his name plastered across headlines about abusing his son. He blurted, "I hit him because he was being vicious!"

The caller, a high-ranking executive at Pelham Group, retorted sarcastically, "You mean when he allegedly persuaded your mistress to abort?"

"Since you know about that, you shouldn't be taking Zachary's side!" Steven exclaimed.

The executive's voice dripped with disdain. "Zachary has provided evidence proving he didn't do that."

"What?" Steven asked, caught off guard.

The executive snapped, "He has no phone or smartwatch. He recently got a phone, but he locked it away. How could he possibly contact your mistress? How could he have said those things to her?"