Chapter 303: Chapter 303 A Favor That Asked for Nothing
James stood motionless by the front door long after it had closed.
The quiet click of the lock echoed through the apartment.
For several seconds, neither man spoke.
Only after the fading sound of Ariel’s laughter disappeared into the hallway did James slowly turn around.
The apartment suddenly felt much larger than before.
Just moments ago, it had been overflowing with life.
Ariel had been running around the living room, her bright laughter filling every corner of the home.
Now, all that remained were the toys she’d forgotten to put away.
A stuffed rabbit lay on its side beneath the coffee table.
A coloring book sat open on the rug with several crayons scattered beside it.
The tiny pink shoes she had kicked off while playing were still sitting near the sofa.
The traces of a child’s happiness were everywhere.
Yet the little girl herself was already gone.
James walked back into the living room with a complicated expression.
He bent over, absentmindedly picking up one of the crayons before placing it neatly inside the coloring book.
After a long silence, he finally looked toward Ryan.
"It seems..."
He chose his words carefully.
"...Rose still doesn’t know what really happened today."
Ryan sat quietly on the sofa.
The white bandage around his arm was already beginning to show faint traces of blood beneath the fabric.
He casually adjusted the edge of the dressing as though the injury belonged to someone else.
"It doesn’t matter."
His voice was calm.
So calm that it almost sounded detached.
James frowned.
"I’m not talking about whether she owes you anything."
He leaned against the arm of another sofa.
"I’m saying she doesn’t even realize you were the one who pulled her out of danger."
Ryan reached for the glass of water on the table and took a slow sip before answering.
"I didn’t step in because I wanted her appreciation."
James gave a helpless smile.
"I know."
"You’ve never been someone who keeps score."
He paused before continuing.
"You never wanted her gratitude."
Another silence stretched between them.
James looked at Ryan for a long moment.
Ryan lowered his eyes.
His fingers slowly rotated the glass.
His expression remained unchanged.
After a while, Ryan finally spoke.
"Whether she knows or not doesn’t change anything."
James rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"What if Trevor never tells her?"
"What if he lets everyone believe he was the one who handled everything?"
"He doesn’t even have to lie."
"He only has to stay silent."
James shook his head.
"I’ve met Rose enough times to know she’s fair."
"If she knew you’d been injured protecting her..."
"I don’t believe she’d walk away without saying a single word."
Ryan gave a faint, almost imperceptible smile.
It carried no warmth.
"No."
He placed the glass back on the table.
"She already thanked the person she believed deserved it."
James looked confused.
Ryan’s eyes drifted toward the closed front door.
"That’s enough."
James stared at him.
Sometimes...
Ryan’s composure was the thing he admired most.
Other times...
It was the thing he hated most.
Because Ryan never admitted when he was hurting.
Instead, he buried every emotion beneath that cold, unreadable expression until even the people closest to him couldn’t tell what he was thinking.
Ryan reached into his jacket pocket.
He removed a cigarette case and slid one cigarette free.
Just as he lifted the lighter—
James suddenly spoke again.
"You know..."
Ryan paused.
"If fate had been a little kinder..."
James glanced toward the stuffed rabbit lying beneath the coffee table.
"...maybe the child running around this apartment today would’ve been yours."
The lighter stopped inches from the cigarette.
Ryan didn’t move.
He simply stared at the silver lighter in his hand.
For a brief moment...
Images flashed through his mind.
Rose smiling during the early days of their marriage.
The apartment they had once shared.
Then...
Everything disappeared.
Reality returned.
He silently put the lighter back into his pocket without lighting the cigarette.
Just then—
His phone vibrated across the coffee table.
Ryan glanced down.
The caller ID displayed one familiar name.
Samantha Hill.
James immediately noticed it.
His expression darkened.
Tomorrow...
The DNA report would finally arrive.
If Samantha truly proved to be his biological sister...
He can’t let her involve with Ryan any longer...
After all, it was not something to be proud off.
Ryan answered the call without leaving the room.
He didn’t bother avoiding James.
A cheerful voice came from the speaker.
"Ryan?"
"I’ve been trying to reach you."
"Were you in a meeting?"
Ryan leaned back against the sofa.
"I had something to take care of."
His tone remained as steady as ever.
Samantha couldn’t detect the slightest change.
She laughed lightly.
"I was beginning to think you were deliberately avoiding me."
She waited for him to deny it.
He didn’t.
The silence forced her to continue.
"So..."
"When are we flying back to New York?"
"I checked the schedule."
"There are still evening flights."
Ryan answered without hesitation.
"You should head back first."
"I’ve already changed my reservation."
For a second...
Samantha thought she had misheard.
"You changed your flight?"
"And you didn’t tell me?"
Ryan’s voice remained calm.
"Our schedules don’t have to be the same."
Something tightened inside Samantha’s chest.
Until today...
Ryan had never spoken to her this way.
Not cold.
Not angry.
Simply...
Distant.
She forced herself to smile despite the growing unease.
"That’s okay."
"I’ll tell my father you’ll join us another day."
"The company’s dealing with a few issues."
"He wanted us to have dinner together before discussing them."
She deliberately emphasized the word us.
As though reminding Ryan of their future together.
She wasn’t worried about tomorrow’s DNA results.
To her...
Everything had already been decided.
Once the report confirmed what she believed...
The last obstacle between them would disappear.
Ryan’s answer interrupted her thoughts.
"I won’t be going."
Samantha blinked.
"...You’re busy?"
"Yes."
His answer was brief.
Almost indifferent.
She laughed awkwardly.
"Ryan..."
"Are you upset with me?"
"No."
"Then what happened?"
Another silence.
She waited.
He offered nothing.
Finally, Ryan spoke again.
"I have other things to deal with."
"Let’s talk another time."
There wasn’t the slightest hint of impatience in his voice.
Nor was there any tenderness.
It sounded like he was speaking to an ordinary business acquaintance.
Not the woman who believed she would soon become his wife.
The feeling made Samantha’s heart pound uncontrollably.
She instinctively tightened her grip on the phone.
"...Ryan?"
There was no answer.
Only the short electronic tone signaling the call had ended.
He had hung up.
Without another word.
Inside the apartment, James slowly lowered his gaze.
Even he hadn’t expected Ryan to end the conversation so decisively.
For years...
Ryan had never once treated Samantha with obvious affection.
But he had always been courteous.
Patient.
Reliable.
Today, however...
That patience had vanished.
Ryan calmly placed the phone back onto the coffee table.
His face revealed nothing.
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