Trick Him Into Divorce, Then Flee With His Unknow Kid

Chapter 189: Chapter 189 The Difference Between Status and Strength

Rose wasn’t a student at NYU, nor was she attending as an honorary alumna. She was there in her capacity as an incoming associate professor.

Although the formal procedures had not yet been fully completed, she had been granted special permission to attend due to the nature of the event.

On such an important day for NYU, many industry leaders had been invited, including CEOs from major companies who had come to recruit talent.

Caleb would be there as well.

On the day of the event, Rose drove over with Caleb and headed straight to the NYU campus.

While checking his email, Caleb chuckled and said, “Once you officially join the faculty, will I need to make an appointment just to see you?”

Rose immediately caught the teasing tone.

“No problem,” she replied. “Given our relationship, I’ll pull some strings for you.”

Watching her seize the opportunity so naturally, Caleb shook his head and laughed.

After all, there had only been a handful of cases in NYU’s history where someone Rose’s age had been appointed associate professor by special exception. The significance of her achievement was undeniable.

Her future was so bright it was almost blinding.

As soon as they arrived, Leo’s assistant was already waiting to greet them.

The campus was unusually lively today, with a constant stream of visitors coming and going.

After entering the Great Hall, Rose spotted Leo speaking with several elderly gentlemen. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed her and waved her over.

Rose walked toward him.

“These gentlemen are all academicians from the National Academy of Medicine and Research,” Leo said. “Rose, come meet them.”

Rose was momentarily stunned after the introductions.

These were some of the nation’s most respected medical authorities—Leo’s colleagues—and he had introduced her to them so casually.

Under normal circumstances, meeting even one of them would have been extremely difficult.

She immediately put aside her usual relaxed demeanor and introduced herself with proper respect and professionalism.

One of the academicians, Adam Paul, looked Rose up and down before turning to Leo.

“So this is the little treasure you’re always talking about?”

Everyone present knew how much Leo doted on his junior colleague. He spoke about her constantly.

On top of that, rumors had already spread that she was about to become an associate professor through a special appointment. Her future looked exceptionally promising.

Leo snorted. “She’s not bad.”

He still had to maintain some dignity in front of Rose.

Caleb leaned over and whispered, “The old man’s putting on an act.”

Rose shot him a warning glance.

How could he joke around at a time like this?

Unfortunately, that single look did not go unnoticed.

A group approaching from behind happened to witness the entire exchange.

James was surprised.

The glance Rose gave Caleb wasn’t cold or sarcastic. Instead, it carried an unmistakable sense of trust and familiarity.

It was the kind of look reserved for someone very close—almost like the affection between siblings.

Oliver, however, frowned. “Is this Rose’s style? Flirting with anyone she meets?”

Today, he, James, and Samantha had all returned as honorary alumni.

However, neither he nor James had been in the same program as Samantha.

As he spoke, he glanced at Ryan.

Ryan had already withdrawn his gaze from that direction.

He appeared completely uninterested.

Samantha was secretly pleased by his reaction.

However, when she looked again at the influential figures surrounding Rose, her expression became serious.

“Dean Byrne introduced her to all of them. Isn’t he being a little too generous?”

Having worked in the industry for years, Samantha immediately recognized the people standing beside Leo.

They were among the most respected names in medicine.

Any one of them could fill pages of search results online.

Yet Leo had introduced Rose to them so casually.

Even Samantha herself had never had the opportunity to meet them.

James glanced thoughtfully at Rose and Caleb.

“Dean Byrne is probably the type of person who shares his resources freely with people he likes.”

“Exactly,” Oliver agreed. “If you become Dean Byrne’s student, all of this becomes yours.”

The tension in Samantha’s chest eased immediately.

That explanation sounded reasonable.

Still...

“President Byrne introduced Rose to his father,” Samantha said. “But doesn’t he ever stop to think? Why would President Byrne trust someone with average abilities who only spent a few years working in the ER? Connections can only take you so far.”

Oliver shrugged confidently.

Although they had been shocked at first, they had quickly concluded that Rose was simply good at building relationships.

Samantha covered her mouth and laughed softly.

“That’s true.”

When she had first seen Rose speaking with those people, she had been startled as well.

Now that she thought about it, it wasn’t particularly impressive.

“It doesn’t matter,” Samantha said, lifting her chin slightly. Her smile was warm and refined.

“If sweet talk alone guaranteed success, then what would be the point of talent and ability? Everyone might as well just take a course in emotional intelligence.”

Her words were clearly loaded with meaning.

Yet she hadn’t explicitly said anything offensive.

She simply didn’t believe those influential figures would actually remember Rose.

In the end, they would only remember her as “President Byrne’s son’s close friend.”

Rose lacked the qualifications to leave a lasting impression based on her own achievements.

Oliver immediately gave her a thumbs-up.

Ryan remained silent.

By then, many industry leaders had already approached him to exchange greetings.

After finishing her introductions, Rose was instructed to take her seat.

She hadn’t noticed the group standing nearby.

Caleb lowered his voice. “I just got word that Ryan is attending today as well. Kingswell is one of the most desirable destinations for NYU graduates, so he’s naturally one of the university’s VIP guests.”

Then he paused. “However, the university leadership already knows the two of you are married, so they arranged your seats together. Don’t worry—they won’t tell anyone why. Everyone will just assume it’s a coincidence.”

Rose stopped walking.

Bad news.

How was this anything but bad news?

She had only come to attend an event, and now she was expected to put on a performance of marital harmony with Ryan.

Ever since Ryan publicly revealed his marriage, most ordinary people remained unaware.

But anyone with sufficient status in the industry had long since heard the rumors surrounding the illustrious Mr. Knight.

There had been countless versions of the story circulating for years.

Now that Rose was about to become an associate professor through a special appointment, her background naturally attracted greater scrutiny.

That was why this arrangement had been made.

As a married couple, seating them together seemed perfectly reasonable to outsiders.

Caleb patted her shoulder. “I’m going to say hello to my professor. You can go catch up with your ex-husband.”

Ignoring Rose’s glare, he promptly fled.

Rose could only rub her forehead and head toward her assigned seat.

The moment she arrived, she saw her name card placed directly beside Ryan’s.

But before she could react, someone moved first.

A hand snatched Rose’s place card and tossed it onto a seat in the back row as though it were garbage.

Then the place card bearing Samantha’s name was taken from the back row and placed neatly beside Ryan’s.

The entire sequence happened in an instant.

Rose looked up.

Her eyes met Samantha’s.

Samantha had clearly seen her standing there.

And yet she had done it anyway.

Right in front of her.

As though it were the most natural thing in the world.