Trick Him Into Divorce, Then Flee With His Unknow Kid

Chapter 180: Chapter 180 Rose’s Countermove

Rose’s "clarification" spread rapidly.

Everyone who had been following the gossip from the beginning paid close attention. Screenshots circulated through countless group chats.

When Ryan saw the screenshots, he instinctively searched for Rose’s WhatsApp contact.

Nothing.

She had deleted him long ago.

Oliver was utterly stunned.

"Has Rose lost her mind? If she says something like this, how are you and Sam supposed to get married openly in the future?"

Sisters-in-law, cousins-in-law, younger sisters-in-law—these tangled family relationships only made things more complicated.

Wasn’t this a deliberate trap?

Such calculated scheming was simply ruthless.

Ryan studied the phrase sisters-in-law for a moment and raised an eyebrow.

Then he said calmly, "New Hope is going to be very busy these next few days."

He had also read the statement posted on New Hope’s official account.

Rose had skillfully tied everything together.

By clarifying the sister and sister-in-law relationships while bringing Aster into the picture, she had resolved New Hope’s public relations crisis from multiple angles.

The company was now in a completely different position.

Oliver still couldn’t believe it. "Ryan, didn’t you only ask Rose to clarify that Sam is her sister? Isn’t she taking things a little too far?"

Ryan took a sip of his drink, rose to his feet, and headed for the door.

His tone remained light and unconcerned. "She’s never been the type to follow instructions exactly. She always finds a way to turn the situation around."

If he asked her to acknowledge Samantha as her sister, Rose would naturally find a way to use that very fact against him.

Seeing that Ryan wasn’t shocked or angry, Oliver hurried after him.

"So what do we do now? What about Sam?"

Ryan didn’t even slow down. "Let nature take its course."

*****

The screenshots spread far and wide.

Naturally, they eventually reached Samantha.

She was spending the weekend resting at home.

The moment she saw them, her expression changed dramatically.

Even Daisy had heard the news.

One of the wealthy women she frequently played cards with approached her and said mockingly, "So your daughter isn’t marrying Mr. Knight, the chosen heir after all? She’s engaged to someone else in the Knight family? That doesn’t sound very promising. Compared to Rose, who’s destined to become the future matriarch, that’s quite a difference."

Daisy was so furious she nearly exploded.

She immediately went to find Samantha.

Samantha herself had been completely blindsided.

She never expected Rose to be so direct.

Now that everyone knew she had once been engaged to another member of the Knight family, and that Rose had publicly labeled her as a sister-in-law, everything had changed.

The Knight family would never tolerate having their reputation dragged through the mud.

Rose was determined to cut off every possible path.

Others might not know the truth, but Samantha certainly did.

She had already offended Isabella and the entire second branch of the family. There was no possibility of marrying into that side.

As for Ryan’s branch, things were even worse.

By publicly calling her a sister-in-law, Rose had effectively severed any possibility of a future relationship with Ryan.

Rose wasn’t just cutting off her future with Ryan.

She was cutting off her future with the entire Knight family.

"Bitch!"

Daisy cursed furiously. "She’s tying the Knight family’s hands and blocking your future at the same time."

The Knight family valued its reputation above all else.

Under these circumstances, they would never openly approve a marriage between Samantha and Ryan.

At best, Samantha might only ever remain a mistress.

Samantha’s eyes reddened with frustration.

Her original plan had been simple.

She wanted Rose to publicly acknowledge her as a sister.

That would have softened public criticism and reduced the stigma surrounding her.

Who could have imagined Rose would strike back so viciously?

She reached for her phone, intending to call Ryan.

Before she could dial, a friend from the industry sent her a message.

The crowds at New Hope today were overwhelming.

Several new partnerships had already been signed.

Samantha’s heart skipped a beat.

With a single move, Rose had gained both prestige and profit.

She had originally believed New Hope would struggle for years.

With Rose managing it, she had expected the company to gradually decline into irrelevance.

But now...

Her head felt dizzy.

She absolutely refused to be surpassed by someone she had looked down on her entire life—someone she had once driven into the countryside.

A few moments later, James sent her a message.

"What’s going on?"

He had clearly seen the statement as well.

Taking a deep breath, Samantha replied: "I got played. Rose really hates me."

Daisy noticed the message from James.

After some thought, she said, "At least Ryan’s friends are still on your side. Look at Oliver and James. Rose has never been particularly popular with them. If you maintain good relationships with James and the others, they’ll become valuable allies in the future."

Especially the Taylor family.

Their background was even more complicated, and Grace was the one holding everything together.

Daisy wasn’t worried about Oliver.

After all, he still felt indebted to Samantha for saving his grandfather.

As for James...

Something seemed to occur to her.

A strange look flashed through her eyes.

Even so, she emphasized, "Make sure you stay close to James."

Especially now, when relations with the Knight family were becoming increasingly strained.

Having additional allies would only strengthen her position.

Samantha sighed. "James treats me well enough, but Grace doesn’t seem to like me. It would be wonderful if I could earn Grace’s favor too, but that’s almost impossible unless I somehow help her find her granddaughter."

Daisy suddenly froze. "Her granddaughter?"

"The Taylor family’s heiress has been missing for more than twenty years. We were talking about it recently. Apparently, she was wearing a green jade pendant when she disappeared. But if even the Taylor family hasn’t been able to find her, what chance do I have?"

Daisy frowned.

She seemed to recall something. "What did the pendant look like?"

*****

Rose was indeed overwhelmed with work.

She had to monitor the progress of the experiments at G.S. while simultaneously managing New Hope.

Every day, William compiled new partnership proposals and called her with updates.

He sounded happier with each conversation.

Again and again, he praised her impressive connections and marveled that she had persuaded Aster to publicly support New Hope.

Naturally, the Knight family had also heard the news.

Calls began arriving one after another from the family estate.

Margaret was stunned.

She had originally assumed Rose was merely using personal favors to persuade Aster to let the patent dispute go.

She never imagined Aster would not only support New Hope but also help restore its reputation.

The development left the Knight family both shocked and eager to act.

A discarded piece had suddenly become valuable again.

No one could afford to ignore that.

Furthermore, although the family was displeased by Rose publicly referring to Samantha as her sister-in-law, they refrained from openly criticizing her.

"Tonight, Ryan will pick you up and bring you back to the family estate," Margaret said.

Her tone remained gentle, but her words left no room for refusal.

"It’s time for the monthly family dinner."

Rose understood immediately.

There was no avoiding this visit.

"I’ll drive myself."

After all, she and Ryan were barely on speaking terms these days.

Neither could stand the sight of the other.

There was no need to force an unnecessary ride together.

At that moment, Margaret had no interest in arguing.

She simply wanted Rose back at the estate as soon as possible.

So she agreed.

Rose delayed as long as she could.

Only at the very last minute did she finally get into her car and head toward the Knight family estate.