Trick Him Into Divorce, Then Flee With His Unknow Kid

Chapter 178: Chapter 178 Thirty Million for an Apology

Samantha’s expression darkened instantly.

Was she really supposed to bow and apologize to Rose?

As if Rose were worthy of that.

Ryan cast a thoughtful glance at Leo.

Whether openly or subtly, Leo’s attitude was clearly biased in Rose’s favor. If Rose had only met Leo through Caleb, then Leo’s affection for her seemed unusually strong.

Today’s events had left Samantha utterly humiliated.

She was unwilling to bow her head to Rose.

Biting her lip, she looked at Ryan.

Rose had always been beneath her since childhood. She refused to apologize to someone she considered defeated.

Besides, what had she done wrong?

Ryan didn’t love Rose. If anything, Rose should have been reflecting on herself.

"Dean Byrne, this isn’t really appropriate in front of so many people today. If you’re willing, I’d also like to make a modest contribution to the foundation—a donation of thirty million dollars."

Ryan glanced sideways at the carefully designed "Riri Care" sign in the distance. After a moment, he offered a compromise.

After all, today’s event was meant to raise funds.

Many critically ill children from underprivileged families were suffering greatly. Funding was essential.

It required the support of countless people.

Ideally, wealthy families would contribute generously, but in reality, most powerful families weren’t exactly known for their philanthropy.

Leo couldn’t help but glance at Ryan again.

Thirty million dollars.

That was certainly a generous amount.

Rose crossed her arms and let out a quiet, mocking laugh.

It seemed Samantha’s pride was worth a staggering thirty million dollars.

And how many children could that money save?

Rose shot Ryan an almost sarcastic look.

For some reason, the image of Ryan from more than a decade ago—the severely injured, quiet young man she had hidden in the attic—suddenly resurfaced in her mind.

They had spent twenty days together back then.

At the time, Rose had to taste countless herbal medicines. The concoctions were unbearably bitter.

Growing up in the countryside, milk candies were a luxury she could only occasionally buy when vendors came through town. Every time she drank a bowl of medicine, she rewarded herself with a single milk tablet.

Back then, Ryan refused to take his medicine.

His will to live had been alarmingly weak.

Rose assumed he hated the bitterness as much as she did.

Since she had to taste the medicine daily anyway, she would sit beside his bed and drink it with him.

She often grimaced from the bitterness herself.

Her milk tablets were precious, yet she couldn’t bear to keep them. She gave every last one to him.

She had even walked all the way into town late at night to buy an entire jar of milk candies and place it in his hands, coaxing him to take his medicine.

It wasn’t until the seventh day that Ryan finally spoke to her.

"If you need someone to taste medicine, I’ll do it for you."

The next two weeks became some of the happiest days of her life.

Every herbal remedy Dr. Nathan instructed her to take ended up being tested by Ryan first.

Back then, she had wondered in amazement:

How could someone drink something so bitter and not even change his expression?

For a time, she had even wished he could taste medicine for her for the rest of her life.

But dreams ended quickly.

Ryan left without saying goodbye.

Later, she found every milk candy she had given him neatly placed beside her bed.

She had counted them.

Only one was missing.

Ryan had eaten only one and left the rest for her.

Now, looking back, it all felt like a beautiful illusion.

And watching Ryan lavish care and attention on another woman only made her feel foolish.

Back then, she had mistaken small acts of kindness for something much deeper and had willingly handed over her tender heart.

"Fine."

Rose didn’t want to continue the discussion.

Pain wasn’t something that disappeared with a simple apology.

If she pushed further, all she would witness was Ryan moving mountains for Samantha.

There was no point competing.

Only then did Ryan slowly shift his gaze toward Rose.

His expression remained calm and unreadable.

Turning to Leo, Rose said, "Let’s leave it at that. Thirty million dollars can save hundreds of families. It’s worth it."

She had let it go.

Since she no longer cared about Ryan, there was no reason to demand explanations or apologies.

Rose stood and walked away.

Samantha finally let out a sigh of relief and looked at Ryan with gratitude.

"Ryan..."

Ryan said nothing.

A faint smile merely curved his lips.

*****

When Leo found Rose later, she was reviewing the foundation’s assistance records.

Some of the children hadn’t even reached their second birthday before being diagnosed with serious illnesses.

At an age when they should have been discovering the world, they instead spent their days in hospital beds surrounded by tubes and medical equipment.

The sight made her heart ache.

Leo had devoted most of his life to medicine.

He had seen too much suffering and long since grown accustomed to it.

Still, he patted Rose’s shoulder.

"With enough funding, they’ll gradually recover."

Rose understood.

In fact, she felt the thirty million dollars had been worth it.

One apology from Samantha had translated into hope for countless children.

Leo understood exactly what she was thinking.

After a moment, he sighed.

"What about New Hope? Has everything been settled?"

He could easily imagine that things weren’t peaceful at New Hope during such a critical transition.

Rose set down the documents and shook her head.

"Not yet. There are still a lot of contracts and partnerships that need to be sorted out. News of Samantha’s patent issue is spreading. There’s no such thing as a secret in this industry, and plagiarism is a major taboo. A lot of our partners are taking a wait-and-see approach. As a result, a significant amount of funding hasn’t come through yet."

She paused. "New Hope’s production chain is complicated. Every stage requires substantial capital investment. When everyone delays payment, it creates a serious problem."

Many of those partnerships were worth hundreds of millions.

One delayed payment affected the next.

And now that she had agreed to protect Samantha, she couldn’t simply remove her from New Hope.

"Then the first priority is stabilizing the company’s reputation," Leo said. "This is a public relations battle."

On top of that, Samantha was still embroiled in the mistress scandal.

Any potential partner would naturally consider public opinion before making decisions.

Rose understood.

What she needed now was the right opportunity and an effective public relations strategy.

*****

Quite a few industry leaders attended the event that day.

Also present were several children who had fully recovered thanks to the foundation’s support.

Rose loved children and spent much of the event interacting with them.

One little girl bore a slight resemblance to Ariel—small, delicate, and petite.

Without hesitation, Rose pulled a few of her favorite milk candies from her bag.

The little girl shyly thanked her.

Rose smiled warmly.

Noticing the girl’s braid had come loose, she asked confidently, "Would you like me to fix your hair?"

After receiving permission, Rose immediately got to work.

She was remarkably skilled.

Years ago, when she wanted Ariel to have the prettiest hairstyles, she had spent countless hours watching tutorials and even bought a mannequin head to practice on, afraid her inexperience might accidentally hurt Ariel.

At that moment, Ryan walked over.

He happened to witness the scene.

Rose wasn’t an inflexible person.

She adapted easily to different situations.

Her voice softened noticeably around children, and she had a natural talent for making them smile.

Most impressive of all, she was exceptionally good at braiding hair.

Even though she had never raised a child of her own.

But...

Ryan’s eyes flickered slightly.

Ariel’s face suddenly surfaced in his mind.

Perhaps spending so much time with Ariel had allowed Rose to become so skilled.

Practice makes perfect.

Taking several long strides forward, Ryan stopped just behind her.

"Do you like children that much?"

The moment she heard his voice, Rose froze.

A faint frown appeared between her brows.

Without turning around, she replied, "That’s none of your business."

Ryan ignored her attitude. "If you like children so much, why have you never mentioned having a child during our seven years of marriage?"

Rose had never once said things like, "I want a child," or "Let’s try to start a family."

A flicker crossed Rose’s eyes.

Had she ever dared bring it up?

Right after they got married, Chairman Knight had secretly forced her to sign a divorce agreement.

Their marriage had always come with an expiration date.

Had Ariel not arrived unexpectedly, Rose likely never would have mentioned children herself.

But...

"You were the one who claimed you couldn’t have children," she replied. "Everyone in the Knight family says you have fertility issues. Why are you asking me?"

She didn’t expose him directly, but her meaning was clear.

The way he spoke made it sound as though having a child would have been effortless if he had wanted one.

Ryan watched as she secured a sunflower-shaped hair clip in the little girl’s hair.

For some reason, one corner of his lips lifted.

A faintly ambiguous smile appeared on his face.

Yet he said nothing.

Rose, however, felt some things needed to be made clear.

She turned to face him. "Besides, I would never allow my child to grow up in a cold, loveless home."

Ryan stared at her for a long moment.

His eyes remained calm and clear.

Time seemed to slow.

He never responded to her comment about a cold, loveless home.

Instead, he lowered his gaze to the little girl standing between them.

Reaching out, he gently patted her fluffy hair.

Then he spoke slowly. "Tell everyone that Samantha is your sister."

His eyes remained fixed on Rose. "There has never been a romantic relationship between Samantha and me."