Chapter 293: Chapter 293 A Dangerous Confidence
The memory of the previous night made Samantha’s entire body feel warm.
A wave of happiness washed over her, and she couldn’t stop smiling.
The reason she was so certain Ryan truly loved her was because of the way he treated her.
He had always cared for her.
He was even willing to restrain his natural desires as a man.
People often said that if you wanted to know whether a man truly loved a woman, there were two things to look for: whether he was willing to spend money on her, and whether he treasured and respected her enough to exercise self-control.
Samantha believed Ryan was one of the rare men capable of doing both.
Ryan lowered his gaze.
"I suppose so," he said casually. "I had a little too much to drink."
Samantha laughed softly.
"I thought we’d take things one step at a time."
"Who knew getting drunk would bring us even closer?"
Ryan leaned back lazily in his chair, one leg crossed over the other.
A faint smile tugged at the corners of his lips.
Seeing the opportunity, Samantha asked lightly, almost teasingly, "Now that things have reached this point... maybe we should start thinking about the future."
"For example..."
"Marriage?"
In her mind, she and Ryan had finally become inseparable.
Now she had even more confidence.
As the presumed daughter of the Taylor family, even Margaret would have little reason to object.
Everything seemed to be falling perfectly into place.
Ryan repeated thoughtfully, "Marriage?"
His response made Samantha’s heart skip.
For some reason, an uneasy feeling crept into her chest.
She hesitated.
"You... haven’t thought about it?"
Before Ryan could answer, several business associates approached to greet him.
He stood and immediately shifted his attention to work, discussing business with them.
Samantha slowly frowned.
His reaction had left her confused.
It was as though everything had suddenly become shrouded in fog.
*****
"Sam."
Daisy had just arrived from the airport.
She had deliberately chosen not to travel with Samantha so the younger woman could have private time with Ryan.
Lowering her voice, Daisy asked, "How did everything go?"
Samantha pushed aside her earlier doubts.
"It went smoothly."
Then, unable to hide her smile, she added, "We... didn’t use protection."
Delight flashed across Daisy’s face.
"A man doesn’t skip protection with a woman unless he’s already imagining a future with her."
"That means Mr. Knight already sees you as his future wife."
Samantha found those words reassuring.
Still, she smiled shyly.
"I think it also happened because of the medication yesterday."
"Everything moved so fast."
Daisy, however, sounded completely certain.
"If he’d been worried about the consequences, he would’ve had you take emergency contraception the moment you woke up."
"Mr. Knight is serious about you."
"Honestly, even without any help, if you made the first move, I doubt he’d refuse."
That was exactly what Daisy wanted.
First, stabilize Samantha’s position within the Taylor family.
Then use the Taylor family’s influence to secure a marriage into the Knight family as quickly as possible.
Once Samantha became Mrs. Knight...
Even if the truth eventually came to light...
Even if the Taylors discovered Samantha wasn’t really their daughter...
She would still have the Knight family behind her.
Ryan loved Samantha—not because she was supposedly the Taylor family’s heiress.
Her status wouldn’t change his feelings.
And as long as Samantha became Mrs. Knight, the Hill family would continue benefiting from the Knight family’s influence.
A smile spread across Samantha’s face.
Then she remembered Ryan’s indifferent response just moments ago.
Her smile faded again.
Daisy, still in high spirits, said, "I’m going to greet Mr. Taylor."
Samantha nodded.
*****
By now, guests from across the country were steadily arriving.
Besides Daisy, who had just come from the airport...
Samantha suddenly noticed two more members of the Knight family arriving.
Ethan.
And Nicholas Knight.
Ethan spotted Samantha almost immediately.
Narrowing his eyes, he walked over.
"So my brother really brought you to the Taylor family’s celebration."
Samantha let out a dismissive laugh.
Now that she believed her relationship with Ryan had reached a new level, she no longer feared Ethan.
"What does it have to do with you?"
She turned and walked away without another word.
There was a new confidence—even arrogance—in her stride.
It was something she had never shown before.
Watching her leave, Ethan let out a cold chuckle.
She’s putting on airs now?
*****
Rose stopped by the restroom during the reception.
As she walked past one of the garden pavilions, she noticed Daisy in the distance.
With an elegant smile, Daisy was approaching Derick, who was speaking with another guest.
The two exchanged a few words.
Rose slowed her steps almost unconsciously.
She had noticed it before.
During the previous gatherings between the two families...
Daisy had seemed unusually attentive toward Derick.
Seeing it again today only confirmed her suspicions.
Rose raised an eyebrow thoughtfully.
If people accused Victoria of trying to marry above her station...
Then Daisy’s motives...
...might not be entirely innocent, either.
Does Logan know about this?
Rose simply shrugged.
Just as she turned to leave, Daisy finished her conversation and walked toward her.
Derick hadn’t spoken with Daisy for long.
They had exchanged only polite greetings.
Even so, Daisy appeared to be in an exceptionally good mood.
The moment she noticed Rose, however, her smile faded.
She gave Rose a disdainful snort before walking away toward Samantha.
Rose couldn’t have cared less.
*****
After returning to Samantha’s side, Daisy’s expression became serious.
"If you’re going to play this role, you need to think like the person you’re pretending to be."
"You’re now Mrs. Taylor’s daughter."
"You know exactly what happened back then."
"You know how Victoria stole another woman’s husband."
"So you can’t be overly friendly toward her."
Samantha understood.
If she truly were Mrs. Taylor’s daughter, it would make perfect sense for her to resent the woman who had betrayed her mother and driven her into depression.
Still...
"In a family like the Taylors," Samantha said quietly, "it’s usually better not to interfere in other people’s business."
Then she looked curiously at Daisy.
"Mom... you don’t seem to like Victoria very much either."
Daisy frowned.
"That woman looks gentle and harmless, but she’s an expert at taking advantage of men’s sympathy."
"She’s the one who lured Mr. Taylor astray."
"She’s nowhere near as capable as I am."
"She was just a poor girl from a remote mountain town with nothing to her name."
"But she knew exactly how to play the helpless victim."
"Mrs. Taylor paid for her education, took her in, and treated her like family..."
"And in return, she betrayed her benefactor by sleeping with her husband."
"I’ve never been able to stand her."
After a brief pause, Daisy changed the subject.
"Victoria was sponsored by Mrs. Taylor all the way through high school."
"She practically grew up under Mrs. Taylor’s care."
"You could say she understands Mrs. Taylor better than almost anyone."
She glanced toward Rose.
"Rose is here today."
"If Victoria notices that Rose and started suspecting something..."
"...our entire plan could fall apart."
If Victoria sensed even the slightest inconsistency...
She could become a ticking time bomb.
Comments