Trick Him Into Divorce, Then Flee With His Unknow Kid

Chapter 186: Chapter 186 Buying Her Way Out

Ryan stood tall and composed before the office’s floor-to-ceiling windows.

It was a cloudy day, and the sky outside looked gloomy. Hearing a sound, he turned slightly and looked toward Rose.

Samantha was sitting in the chair beside him, tilting her head up coquettishly as she spoke to Ryan.

And that chair belonged to Rose.

Oliver had also come to join the spectacle today. Upon seeing Rose, a hint of mockery flashed in his eyes.

Rose could tell at a glance that something was going on.

Mr. William stood nearby with a grave expression. When he saw Rose approaching, he stepped forward hesitantly.

"President Bennett, would you mind speaking with Mr. Knight?"

Rose glanced at the chair Samantha had been sitting in.

"What’s the matter?"

Ryan had one hand tucked into his pocket. He didn’t rush to speak, appearing indifferent to Rose’s arrival.

Samantha, meanwhile, sat in the chair with her legs crossed and a smirk on her lips.

"I called you here to tell you something. I’ve decided to take my entire R&D team and our products and leave New Hope to strike out on my own."

Her tone was one of notification rather than discussion.

As though New Hope were a place she could come and go from as she pleased.

Rose certainly hadn’t expected this. It was utterly ridiculous.

What did Samantha think New Hope was?

An R&D team walking away with its products?

Did she think corporate law was merely decorative?

After taking full advantage of New Hope’s resources, did she really intend to leave and start her own company?

"Do I need to remind you?" Rose said coldly. "You can’t take the R&D products with you. I can consider the team’s future, but as long as the projects were developed at New Hope, they belong to New Hope—not to you personally, Samantha."

Rose was genuinely stunned.

Over the past months, Samantha had utilized countless resources, promotional campaigns, industry connections, and platform support provided by New Hope. Yet now she planned to betray the company and walk away with everything.

Samantha, however, remained completely unruffled.

In fact, she seemed quite pleased with herself.

"To be honest, we’ve already successfully completed our product prototype. I want the hard work of my team to reach greater heights and go even further, but our philosophies are fundamentally incompatible. I believe you’ll hinder the future development of my work. Rose, please don’t covet my achievements. Let’s part ways amicably."

She had kept the news secret.

The product had already passed preliminary testing, and the first prototype had been completed.

The robot could guide patients and assist doctors in operating rooms.

She didn’t want Rose to take advantage of the situation and reap the rewards of her team’s hard work.

Not to mention—

Rose had recently threatened to fire her.

Thinking of that, Samantha leaned back in her chair and smiled gracefully.

"I’m sorry, but I’m the one who wants to ’fire’ you."

So this was what she had been waiting for.

A few days ago, Rose had used the threat of dismissal to put Samantha in her place. Little did she expect Samantha to return so quickly, armed with even greater confidence.

Rose shot Ryan a contemptuous glance.

So he had come to support his beloved.

He wouldn’t allow Rose to fire Samantha, so now he was helping her turn the tables.

Oliver clapped his hands with a smile. "People with real talent have the confidence to speak boldly. Rose, just let Sam go. Don’t hold her back. It’ll show that you have vision and magnanimity."

Then he suddenly gasped dramatically. "You can’t possibly be keeping Sam here because, since she works at New Hope, Ryan has to come see her—and you’re hoping to use that as an excuse to see him too?"

The moment he said it, Samantha silently sneered.

If that were true, Rose would be utterly pathetic.

Ryan looked at Rose with calm composure.

His gaze was deep and unreadable, betraying no obvious emotion.

Faced with such an absurd accusation, Rose felt a wave of disgust.

She wasn’t about to accept the blame, but before she could speak, Ryan walked over and sat directly across from her.

"Let’s talk," he said, cutting her off. "Let’s resolve this properly."

It had been quite some time since Rose and Ryan had seen each other.

And now, once again, they were meeting because of Samantha.

How touching.

Such a busy man had personally come to support and protect her.

"Here is the contract from when the team was originally formed."

Ryan slid a stack of documents toward Rose. "It was established as an independent entity, so the process of withdrawing from New Hope won’t be particularly complicated, nor will it involve extensive legal disputes."

Rose glanced at the documents.

Ryan was reminding her that there was no point clinging to this matter.

She should be practical.

"I never cared about fame or wealth," Samantha added. "I came to New Hope because of Ryan in the first place. Since he’s stepping away from management, I don’t see any reason to continue wasting my time here."

As she spoke, she cast an affectionate glance at Ryan.

The tenderness in her expression was obvious to anyone.

It was a subtle display of their bond.

How sweet.

Rose felt like an extra in the background, forced to watch them showcase their affection.

Her expression remained indifferent.

"So you really think you’re the center of the universe? That every decision should revolve around you?" she said coolly. "If you want to leave, go ahead. Let’s take it to court and see what the judge says. You think you can walk away with a project that New Hope invested so much into building? Dream on."

There had been countless legal precedents involving situations like this.

What Samantha was attempting was nothing less than betrayal—taking advantage of company resources and then claiming the results as her own.

Samantha’s expression turned cold.

"You think you have any decision-making authority?" she asked.

Then she laughed lightly. "I know you care deeply about this project. After all, it brings considerable benefits to New Hope. But trying to seize it for yourself? Isn’t that biting off more than you can chew?"

Rose wasn’t stupid.

She understood the project’s value perfectly well.

Oliver frowned, remembering how Rose had once tried to leverage Samantha’s life-saving favor to the Brown family.

Just as expected.

Some people never change.

He snorted. "You don’t have to be so greedy."

Rose smiled.

Leaning back in her chair, she replied, "You’re overestimating yourselves. A project like Samantha’s? G.S. could produce something similar in no time. Don’t flatter yourselves."

She was telling the truth.

She didn’t care about Samantha’s product.

She had created similar concepts for fun during her student days.

What she cared about were New Hope’s interests and investments.

After all, New Hope had poured tremendous resources into the project.

Samantha’s lips tightened, and her gaze grew colder.

In her eyes, Rose was merely trying to save face.

Doesn’t care about the project?

Obviously, she’s trying to steal it while pretending otherwise.

Oliver was right.

She’s far too greedy.

"A buyout based on valuation—would that work?" Ryan cut directly to the heart of the issue.

Locking eyes with Rose, he said, "Let’s have the project professionally valued, and I’ll buy it out."

Rose’s expression went completely blank.

A surge of anger rose in her chest.

Ryan was determined to help Samantha leave New Hope.

He was willing to pay for the project himself so Samantha could take it away and start her own venture.

He was buying her freedom.

Rose remained silent.

For a moment, she was almost blinded by this once-in-a-lifetime devotion.

Ryan stared intently at her expression and asked calmly, "If I buy out the project for her, will she finally have the right to decide her own future?"