Trick Him Into Divorce, Then Flee With His Unknow Kid

Chapter 195: Chapter 195 The First Family Dinner

Facing the sight of father and daughter staring at each other, Rose felt as though her scalp were being torn apart. A chill suddenly shot up from the soles of her feet.

She fought desperately to suppress the urge to rush over and shut the door.

She dared not reveal the slightest hint.

She knew better than anyone just how perceptive and difficult Ryan was.

Ryan looked at the little girl standing before him, a flicker of emotion passing through his deep eyes.

It was Ariel who spoke first, her voice soft and gentle.

"Hello, Uncle."

The little girl was very polite. Her small face remained calm, displaying a composure far beyond her years.

Ryan stared at Ariel for a long moment before finally lifting his gaze to Rose behind her.

"How did Trevor’s daughter end up with you?"

His calm question betrayed none of his thoughts.

Rose had already walked over and taken Ariel’s hand.

"What brings you here?"

She didn’t answer him directly.

It was unusual.

This was the first time Ryan had visited since she moved out.

But then again, it made sense. If Ryan wanted to find her or learn anything about her, it wouldn’t be difficult. It wasn’t surprising that he had found his way to her apartment.

"May I come in?" Ryan wasn’t in a hurry to answer her question either.

Rose suppressed her uneasiness and resistance. She had nearly perfected the art of appearing composed.

"You’re already here. Isn’t it a little redundant to ask?"

She led Ariel into the apartment.

Ariel turned to look at Ryan as he walked in with his long strides.

Of course, she remembered this uncle.

He was Mike’s brother-in-law.

Back at kindergarten, she remembered Mike’s sister being unkind to her mother, while this uncle had seemed to turn a blind eye to it.

Then, at the entertainment venue last time, he had saved her mother again.

Ryan looked around the room, his gaze eventually settling on the dining table.

Several steaming dishes had already been set out, along with two plates.

His timing was perfect.

It was right at dinnertime.

Rose seated Ariel before turning toward him.

"Get to the point."

It seemed they could no longer interact normally. Even meeting and speaking now required a specific reason.

Rose didn’t invite him to sit down for a casual meal.

She simply wanted him gone as quickly as possible.

Ryan appeared not to notice her attitude. He placed the folder in his hand on the table.

"The buyout contract for the R&D team and the project. Take a look. If there aren’t any issues, sign it."

Rose’s gaze fell upon the documents.

A faint smile appeared at the corner of her lips.

There was a trace of sarcasm in it.

She had wondered why such a rare visitor had suddenly appeared.

So it was because of Samantha.

Worried that Samantha’s career and projects would be delayed, and even more concerned about securing her freedom, the esteemed President Knight had personally come to handle the matter, unwilling to wait even a moment.

No wonder she could sense the urgency in his visit.

After all, Ryan had never treated her with such importance before.

He rarely gave her matters a second thought.

The contrast was so sharp that the difference felt painfully obvious.

Now that she had finally climbed out of the abyss of her past love, she could see the truth of things from the perspective of an outsider.

Rose accepted the folder without much emotion.

"Since Mr. Knight came personally, I’ll naturally accommodate your devotion."

Ryan neither confirmed nor denied her words.

His dark eyes merely swept over her.

Rose paid no attention to his thoughts or his gaze. She sat down and carefully reviewed the contract.

Whenever Ryan handed her a contract, she never dared overlook a single word.

She examined it page by page.

Ariel sat quietly in her chair and looked at Ryan.

"Uncle, you can wait here. Would you like some water?"

Ryan listened to the sweet, soft "Uncle." Ariel was a polite child, but every time she called him that, the space between his brows twitched involuntarily.

He glanced at her.

Seeing how sensible she was, he answered formally.

"Yes, thank you."

Ariel immediately jumped down from her chair and ran to the refrigerator to get him a bottle of water.

Rose couldn’t help zoning out for a moment.

She lifted her eyes and looked at the scene before her.

As the only person who knew the truth, her emotions were deeply conflicted.

Father and daughter stood before each other as complete strangers.

She was the only one whose heart was pounding.

Ryan held the bottle lightly, seemingly wanting to say something to Ariel.

But Ariel had already returned to her chair, quietly waiting for Rose to finish her work so they could eat.

Rose reviewed the contract as quickly as possible, eager to send her guest away.

"There aren’t any major issues. I’ll sign it."

She took a pen from the drawer and swiftly signed her name.

Ryan watched her sign.

Rose capped the pen.

Out of courtesy, she asked, "Would you like to stay for dinner?"

She hadn’t said, "Dinner’s ready. Eat first and then leave."

Instead, she had given Ryan an opportunity to refuse.

At least it wouldn’t make her seem too immature.

Ryan ran a fingertip across the contract, lifted his gaze to her, and said coolly, "Then thank you."

Rose paused.

She looked at him again.

Ryan had already walked toward the dining table.

Rose: "..."

What was wrong with him?

She had assumed Ryan would rush the contract back to Samantha and would never play along with her polite formalities.

But the words had already been spoken.

Suppressing her frustration, Rose reluctantly went to the kitchen to get another set of cutlery.

As soon as she stepped inside, Ariel looked at him curiously.

"Are you two friends?"

Ryan casually glanced toward Rose’s retreating figure.

"You can interpret it however you like."

Ariel looked puzzled by his answer.

"But you two don’t seem very close."

She had heard this uncle claim that he was close to her mother, but she didn’t think so.

Friends weren’t this cold toward each other.

Not close.

Ryan offered no comment on the child’s observation.

Instead, he asked, "Why are you here?"

He knew Trevor had gone abroad.

And after the recent exposure of Ryan’s relationship with Rose, according to Oliver, Trevor should have cut ties with her by now.

Yet he had left his daughter entirely in Rose’s care.

That was absolute trust.

It was equivalent to handing his greatest weakness and most vulnerable side to Rose.

"Because we’re family. That’s why we’re together."

Ariel found the question rather strange.

Why couldn’t she stay with her mom?

Ryan slightly raised his eyes at the child’s answer.

But Ariel felt it was unfair that he was the only one asking questions.

She immediately turned the tables.

"Aren’t you supposed to be on a date with your girlfriend today? It’s the weekend."

Ryan didn’t deny her words.

"What makes you think she’s my girlfriend?"

Ariel tilted her head. "Mike told me you’re going to marry his sister. And I can tell you’re really nice to that lady—much nicer than you are to your ’friend.’"

The "friend," of course, referred to Rose.

Ryan’s eyes flickered slightly as an unreadable emotion crossed his face.

In the end, he didn’t argue.

Instead, he looked at the exquisitely beautiful little girl sitting before him with a trace of surprise.

She was remarkably intelligent.

Despite her young age, she already possessed her own opinions and judgments.

Perhaps even a little sharp.

He felt an indescribable fondness toward Ariel.

But she was Trevor’s daughter.

The thought caused Ryan’s eyes to narrow slightly.

When Rose returned, she quickly looked between the unfamiliar father and daughter.

Seeing that everything seemed peaceful, her racing heart finally settled.

At the same time, an indescribable feeling rose within her.

This was the first time in six years that the three of them had sat together and shared a meal as a family.

Ryan looked at Rose, his tone detached.

"Mr. Robinson seems very comfortable leaving his child in your care."

Rose answered calmly. "Yes. After all, the child likes me very much, so Mr. Robinson can’t break up with me just yet."

After all, ever since their relationship had been exposed, the assumption among those who knew Trevor had confessed his feelings to her was that he would inevitably cut ties with her.

In other words, because Trevor liked Rose, he trusted her completely, even using the child to strengthen their connection.

He didn’t even care about Rose’s relationship with Ryan.

Ryan said nothing.

Rose remained silent as well.

It was Ariel’s phone that finally broke the inexplicably tense atmosphere.

Only then did Ryan glance over.

A video call appeared on the screen.

Caller ID: Daddy.