Trick Him Into Divorce, Then Flee With His Unknow Kid

Chapter 187: Chapter 187 Ninety Million Dollar Goodbye

The rain came down suddenly, pounding against the glass windows.

Rose simply gazed quietly into Ryan’s eyes, as if all the dampness outside had settled in her heart.

For a moment, she forgot to respond—or perhaps she no longer felt the need to express her feelings at all.

Ryan was determined to protect Samantha.

If Rose wanted to fire Samantha, Ryan would help Samantha leave New Hope.

If Rose said Samantha had no decision-making authority, Ryan would give that authority to her.

He would never allow the woman he loved to suffer even the slightest injustice.

And so, the one left to bear the consequences was always Rose.

After all, in Ryan’s heart and life, she was insignificant.

The office fell silent for several seconds.

The strange atmosphere was broken by Samantha’s sweet laughter.

Rose’s eyes flickered slightly as she returned to reality.

Samantha had already moved to sit beside Ryan, leaning toward him with her eyes fixed entirely on the man before her.

"Ryan, I’m actually fine. I know you’re worried about me."

Her smile was completely unguarded.

In her eyes, Rose had already lost.

So what if she’d secured New Hope?

The fact remained that Ryan’s heart belonged to Samantha.

Ryan’s eyes shifted slightly. Only then did he slowly look away from Rose and lean back in his chair.

"You can name your price."

The words were directed at Rose.

Rose wasn’t interested in Samantha’s project at all. It was merely a project that New Hope had helped push forward. She didn’t believe Samantha’s "Smart Therapy" system would make any significant impact on the industry, so naturally, she felt no reluctance about letting it go.

The moment she saw Ryan today, she had already known how this would end.

She had simply been waiting for a bargaining chip.

The reason she had been "arguing" with Samantha and the others was to secure a satisfactory outcome.

After all, Ryan would always pay any price for the woman he loved.

"Ninety million."

Rose named her price without hesitation.

"Ninety million for the buyout. From now on, neither Samantha nor her team will have anything to do with New Hope."

Samantha had received substantial support from New Hope during the early stages of the project.

More than twenty million dollars had already been spent on advertising, promotion, and related expenses.

In the smart healthcare industry, that was far from a small investment.

On top of that, New Hope had used all of its resources and platforms to support Samantha’s team.

At the very least, those costs had to be recovered.

Samantha frowned. "I know my team’s technology and core R&D capabilities are valuable, but Rose, people might accuse you of asking for an outrageous price."

Her team had originally been established as an independent entity.

Under a normal valuation, the buyout shouldn’t exceed twenty million.

Rose was practically extorting them.

Rose shot her a cold glance. "I’m asking my husband for money. What right do you have to interfere?"

Samantha’s expression darkened instantly.

She stared at Rose in disbelief.

She hated hearing Rose call herself Mrs. Knight.

And she hated even more hearing Rose casually refer to Ryan as her husband.

Rose didn’t deserve either title.

At the word "husband," Ryan looked up thoughtfully and met Rose’s mocking gaze.

It was as though she were silently asking:

What are you going to do about it?

Ryan knew she was doing it deliberately.

She was intentionally using the one thing Samantha cared about most to provoke her.

And she was provoking him as well.

Even Oliver frowned.

Why couldn’t Rose learn to avoid creating unnecessary conflict?

Even if their marriage was now public knowledge, did she really have to be so brazen?

He glanced at Samantha, who was visibly upset, then looked at Ryan.

To his surprise, Ryan didn’t seem annoyed in the slightest.

It was as though there was nothing wrong with Rose calling him her husband.

He didn’t deny it.

As if nothing unusual had happened, Ryan replied calmly, "Sure. Whatever you say."

Rose had expected some kind of reaction.

Even a slight frown would have proven her jab had landed.

Yet Ryan remained completely unaffected, as though he had silently acknowledged her words.

She couldn’t help frowning.

Suddenly, she felt bored.

"Ryan, ninety million is extortion."

Samantha bit her lip, her voice filled with resentment.

Her team and technology had value.

She wasn’t about to let Rose take advantage of the situation so easily.

Rose curled her lips slightly. "I think you’ve misunderstood something."

She enunciated each word clearly. "I’m asking for ninety million not because I think your project is worth that much, and certainly not because I believe you’re particularly talented."

"What I’m demanding is compensation for New Hope’s losses and resource investment."

"As for the value of your technology..."

She paused. "It’s less than one percent of that amount."

Rose remained calm throughout.

It was precisely that calmness that made her words cut even deeper.

Samantha’s expression darkened instantly.

Her tightly pressed lips turned pale with anger.

Was Rose saying her project was worthless?

Who did Rose think she was?

Oliver was stunned.

He already knew Rose had a sharp tongue, but even he was caught off guard.

Wasn’t she going too far?

She had secured the money, gained the advantage, dismissed Samantha’s work as worthless, and made it seem as though she had wanted to get rid of Samantha’s team all along.

Now she was still claiming the moral high ground.

Wasn’t she being a little too ruthless?

Standing off to the side, William was breaking out in a cold sweat.

This was truly a spectacle.

Only someone in his position would ever witness such a scene.

He hadn’t expected Rose to be so bold and assertive.

She had somehow turned what appeared to be a losing situation into a complete victory.

More importantly...

William cautiously glanced at Ryan.

Ryan remained entirely unfazed.

It was as though none of this surprised him in the slightest.

William couldn’t help feeling uneasy.

What exactly was going on here?

Rose suddenly stood and glanced at her watch.

"As for the ninety million..."

She paused before adding, "Consider it my blessing to the two of you."

"Since Mr. Knight is being so generous, I’d like to offer him a little extra good fortune."

"Nine nines—long-lasting and enduring."

"How auspicious."

Ryan’s dark eyes settled on her face.

His expression remained unreadable.

Rose didn’t look at him again. "Mr. William, please see them out."

She glanced at the chair Samantha had occupied. "And get rid of that chair. It’s filthy."

Without another word, Rose pushed open the office door and walked out.

Her departure was swift and decisive.

She had expected this outcome from the very beginning.

As it turned out, the harder she pushed Samantha, the more she benefited.

Rose understood better than anyone how generous Ryan could be toward Samantha.

Ninety million dollars.

An outrageous price.

Yet Ryan hadn’t even blinked.

He was willing to pay for Samantha’s freedom without hesitation.

Rose was extremely satisfied with today’s result.

Not only had she removed Samantha from New Hope in a perfectly legitimate manner, but she had also secured a buyout worth more than double the combined value of Samantha and her team.

Now that the parasite was gone, she could finally focus on New Hope’s future.

In fact, she had been planning for this from the moment she took over the company.

As for the public confrontation with Samantha a few days earlier, it would be impossible to say it had been entirely unintentional.

Fortunately, her gamble had paid off.

Ryan had stepped in.

And Rose had gotten exactly what she wanted.

As a businesswoman, she saw nothing wrong with playing her cards correctly.

Everything else was meaningless.

Only money was real.

Samantha took a deep breath.

She knew perfectly well that Rose was merely clinging to her pride.

The only reason she had demanded such an outrageous sum was because she didn’t want Samantha—and this highly profitable project—to leave.

What Rose hadn’t anticipated was that Ryan would be willing to pay any price.

That had been her miscalculation.