Trick Him Into Divorce, Then Flee With His Unknow Kid

Chapter 115: Chapter 115 The Woman Behind the Name Aster

Almost without thinking, Rose pressed her lips together and shifted closer to the edge of the bed.

Ryan noticed the movement.

He calmly glanced at her back.

He didn’t react much; he simply closed his eyes and went to sleep.

There was no further movement.

The room fell silent.

Such was the nature of sleeping in the same bed while dreaming different dreams.

But Rose’s mind was racing. She knew she would have to tread carefully from now on. As long as Ariel’s legal status remained unresolved, she couldn’t rest easy.

Alas.

Divorce certificates issued through special channels couldn’t be reissued.

She couldn’t help furrowing her brow.

Buzz. Buzz. Buzz.

The vibration of a phone came from behind her as messages arrived one after another at irregular intervals.

Rose didn’t even need to open her eyes to know what was happening.

Samantha was undoubtedly suffering through the night.

After all, she had witnessed Rose and Ryan together that evening. Naturally, she would be "checking up" on them.

Behind her, Ryan reached for his phone.

Rose had no idea what he said to his girlfriend.

Soon, the notification sounds stopped.

As he shifted slightly in bed, Rose instinctively tightened her grip on the blanket.

Just then, a voice carrying the faintest hint of amusement drifted over.

"Go ahead and sleep. I won’t touch you."

Rose froze.

Then she understood.

This wasn’t a promise to her at all. It was simply another demonstration of his unwavering loyalty to Samantha—a principle he seemed determined to uphold as a devoted boyfriend.

He had probably said the exact same thing to Samantha moments earlier.

Otherwise, his phone wouldn’t have gone quiet so quickly.

At that point, Rose no longer paid attention to Ryan’s presence.

Her thoughts drifted back to Ariel, and eventually, she fell asleep.

*****

Early the next morning, Rose woke up promptly at seven.

She turned over.

Ryan was already gone.

He must have left some time earlier.

Perhaps he felt the same way she did—not particularly eager to share the same space—and had moved out of the master bedroom before dawn.

After finishing her morning routine, Rose headed downstairs.

Martha immediately came over to greet her, discreetly assessing her condition.

"Madam, did you sleep well last night?"

Rose understood exactly what she was asking.

"Not bad," she replied casually.

Now that she knew there were informants everywhere, she naturally wouldn’t let her true emotions show. Her top priority was keeping the Knight family’s matriarch firmly on her side.

Only then did Martha smile in satisfaction and invite her to breakfast.

Ryan had already finished eating.

He was straightening his suit when Rose looked over at the sound of movement.

Martha immediately seized the opportunity.

"Mr. Knight, why don’t you drive Madam to the office later?"

Ryan casually glanced at Rose.

He didn’t refuse.

Rose didn’t object, either.

A loving couple had to play their roles to the very end.

Besides, both she and Ryan had compelling reasons to finalize their divorce.

In a way, they were even... on the same side.

*****

They got into the car.

The vehicle glided smoothly out of the villa.

Rose and Ryan sat at opposite ends of the backseat. The distance between them wasn’t great, yet an invisible barrier seemed to separate them.

Ryan looked down at his phone. Between replying to messages, he glanced at Rose.

"The first installment of the investment for G.S. arrived today. When is your project scheduled to launch?"

Rose answered half-heartedly.

"Didn’t you say you’d provide the funding and stay out of everything else, Mr. Knight?"

"There’s a difference between asking and meddling," he replied.

"..."

Rose turned to look out the window.

"If you’re curious, go ask our CEO, Byrne. Why are you asking a nobody like me?"

Ryan leisurely studied her profile, his lips curling into a faint, unreadable smile.

"You’re right."

Silence settled between them once more.

It wasn’t as though they had much to talk about in the first place—or any desire to find a topic.

The car soon pulled up in front of the G.S. Building.

After stepping out, Rose leaned toward the open window.

"Mr. Knight, please go see Margaret when you get back. I want you to take this seriously and stop putting it off."

She was openly reminding—and urging—him.

Ryan looked at her.

Just as he was about to respond, his phone rang.

Rose glanced at the screen.

It was a video call from Samantha.

Ryan immediately answered and instructed the driver, "Let’s go."

Rose never received a response.

The Maybach pulled away.

The inseparable couple was already video chatting first thing in the morning.

Even for someone who had spent seven years as someone else’s wife, it was eye-opening.

So this was what dating looked like.

Compared to them, her seven years had been nothing but waiting—waiting for him to come home, waiting for him to love her back, waiting for a future that never came.

She turned away and headed upstairs.

*****

Caleb was well aware that Rose’s divorce hadn’t gone smoothly.

"On the surface, Margaret just have the divorce certificate," he said, tapping his fingers against the table. "But in reality, it’s a ticking time bomb. You’ve lost all control."

Even someone as calm-tempered as Caleb couldn’t hide his frustration.

The methods employed by powerful families were truly ruthless.

They were simply exploiting the fact that Rose lacked a powerful family to support her.

"Why not reveal that you’re Aster?" Caleb continued. "Dr. Nathan Hale’s sole successor. The prodigy the National Center for Biomedical Innovation recruited into its elite core program through a special exemption. If you continue winning awards, you could become a major figure in the field. Margaret would have no choice but to think twice."

Rose shook her head.

"The only reason I’m so desperate to secure the divorce certificate is Ariel. Revealing Aster’s identity might bring prestige, but it could also become a double-edged sword."

She paused.

"Aster carries too much history. Once people discover who I am, they’ll start digging deeper. The fact that I gave birth while using Aster’s identity is something I can’t hide from a powerful family that’s used to controlling everything."

As desperate as she was, she had no intention of taking unnecessary risks.

"We’ll play it safe for now. Ryan already promised he’d get it back for me. He may be cold and emotionally distant, but he never breaks his word."

Rose was certain of that.

Other than failing to fulfill his responsibilities as a husband, she couldn’t find fault with him in any other respect.

Caleb hesitated before finally nodding.

"We’ll just have to take it one step at a time."

He changed the subject.

"The approval conference begins the day after tomorrow. Once the drug receives approval, it can officially enter the market. We need to stay focused and secure that approval."

Rose was familiar with the conference.

Ordinarily, drug approvals weren’t accompanied by such grand events. However, this year marked the once-every-five-years Pharmaceutical Regulatory Conference. Senior officials would be attending, making it the most significant conference in years.

If her drug passed the review and the team received official recognition, G.S. would once again make headlines, building upon the success of that year’s Aetheris Medical AI.

"I’ve heard some insider news," Caleb said. "Apparently, Dr. Grace Morris will be serving as chair of the review panel."

Rose was stunned.

"Dr. Grace Morris?"

She was a Nobel Prize-winning scientist.

Now nearing eighty years old, she remained active on the front lines of research—a true national treasure and one of the country’s greatest scientific minds.

"You know her background, don’t you?" Caleb asked.

Rose looked puzzled.

"Background?"

Caleb shrugged.

"She’s the matriarch of the Taylor family—President James Taylor’s grandmother."