Trick Him Into Divorce, Then Flee With His Unknow Kid

Chapter 104: Chapter 104 The Pendant Returned

Rose hadn’t expected things to turn out this way.

Her original plan had been to finish the online meeting with G.S. alongside Caleb and then get ready for her dinner with Jordan.

Who could have predicted that a child would accidentally push her into the pool?

The fall had triggered a high fever, and the cold medicine she’d taken was practically a sleeping pill.

"..."

Gathering her thoughts, Rose glanced at the time and threw back the covers.

"Can I borrow your phone?"

At the very least, she needed to let Jordan know what had happened. She could still go meet him now.

This involved a three-hundred-million-dollar investment.

It wasn’t something she could treat lightly.

"It’s not convenient." Ryan looked at her calmly, his refusal blunt and straightforward.

Rose understood the reason almost instantly.

Even when they had been married, she’d never had permission to touch Ryan’s phone.

Now that his relationship with Samantha had become so serious, it was undoubtedly filled with private messages between them.

There was no way he’d hand it over.

Rose glanced at the landline on the bedside table and readily settled for a compromise.

"Fine. You must have Jordan’s number. Could you read it to me?"

This time, Ryan didn’t refuse.

He took out his phone and glanced at the screen.

Before he could unlock it, however, it began to ring.

Ryan looked at the caller ID.

Then he glanced at Rose.

Right in front of her, he answered the call.

"Ryan? Are you with Rose?" Margaret’s voice immediately came through.

Ryan put the call on speaker. "Yeah, I am."

His dark eyes remained fixed on Rose.

The look was a reminder.

Don’t forget—we’re supposed to pretend we haven’t divorced.

Rose had no choice but to cooperate. "Grandma."

Margaret’s mood instantly brightened. "See? I knew you two were together. Today’s such a special day, after all—it’s your birthday. Ryan was thoughtful enough to put work aside and spend time with you. Are you at home, or are you out having dinner?"

Only then did Rose remember.

Today was her birthday.

But Margaret was giving Ryan far too much credit.

Ryan hadn’t remembered her birthday.

The fact that they were together was purely an accident.

"Um... we’re out. Don’t worry, Grandma."

Rose hoped to end the conversation as quickly as possible.

"It’s rare for the two of you to celebrate your birthday together. Tell you what—video call Grandma later. Couples argue, but they always make up in the end. That’ll help put my mind at ease."

Rose immediately looked at Ryan.

Silently urging him to come up with an excuse.

The room was illuminated only by the soft glow of a wall lamp.

Dressed in black casualwear, Ryan leaned against the wall, making his tall frame appear even more striking.

Meeting her gaze, he calmly played along. "Grandma, there’s really no need for all that."

Margaret snorted. "Trying to fool me again? Don’t think I don’t know you. Where are you two?"

Ryan glanced out the window at the iconic Hollywood Sign perched against the hills beyond the city’s glittering skyline.

"Los Angeles."

"You flew all the way there for a date?"

Margaret sounded delighted. "Never mind. Just spend some quality time with Rose today. Don’t even think about any of that nonsense."

Her tone left no room for argument.

Only then did Rose realize that the "pretend we’re not divorced" clause in their divorce agreement wasn’t nearly as simple as it sounded.

The call finally ended.

After a moment’s thought, Rose said, "Just record a short video of the room and send it to Grandma."

"Sure."

Ryan had no objections.

Clearly, he wanted to get it over with as quickly as she did.

He filmed Rose sitting on the bed for a couple of seconds as proof they were together, then turned the camera toward the city view outside the window.

The video was sent immediately.

Margaret replied almost at once.

[At your own hotel? That makes things easy.]

Satisfied that Margaret had been dealt with, Rose grabbed her clothes and headed into the bathroom for a shower.

She still needed to meet Jordan.

She got ready as quickly as possible.

When she emerged, however, she found the suite door wide open.

Outside, hotel staff were wheeling carts one after another toward the rooftop garden connected to the suite.

Curious, she stepped outside.

The rooftop garden had been transformed.

A beautifully arranged dining table sat in the center.

Bouquets of blue tulips surrounded it, clustered around the table like a sea of flowers.

The sight was breathtaking.

Ryan sat at the table, his fingers moving across his phone as he typed a reply.

Hearing her footsteps, he glanced sideways. "See if there’s anything else you’d like to eat. You can add it to the order."

A birthday cake already sat on the table.

Blue tulip petals decorated the frosting, and the candles had yet to be lit.

Rose hesitated before walking over. "Do we really need to go this far?"

"It won’t take long." Ryan barely looked up.

"We’ll send Grandma a reply, have dinner, and blow out the candles."

Then he lowered his gaze back to his phone.

Rose had always known Margaret was a woman of action.

She didn’t need to guess who had arranged all of this.

Even the candlelit dinner had undoubtedly been Margaret’s idea.

What surprised her was that Margaret somehow knew she liked blue tulips.

They had always been her favorite.

Unlike roses, with their overwhelming passion, blue tulips carried a quiet elegance she preferred.

But...

The romance surrounding her wasn’t meant for her.

It had been created by someone else.

And Rose had never cared for romance that had to be arranged on someone else’s behalf.

Her gaze shifted toward Ryan.

He was still absorbed in a lively conversation on his phone.

Judging by the frequency, he seemed to be constantly updating the person on the other end.

So affectionate.

So sweet.

So inseparable.

She was almost tempted to root for him and Samantha.

"Just take a picture and send it to Grandma."

Maintaining a calm expression, Rose walked over and picked up the bouquet with the most elaborate wrapping and the most carefully arranged flowers.

Without another glance, she placed it on the table and sat down.

Checking the time, she realized it was already past nine.

She was very late.

Especially since her phone was missing.

Jordan had probably been trying to reach her for hours.

He likely thought she was standing him up on purpose.

The thought made her feel unfairly wronged.

"Do you have somewhere important to be?" Ryan finally set down his phone.

His gaze lingered briefly on the bouquet she’d moved before shifting back to her.

"Personal business." Rose’s answer was crisp and concise.

The boundary couldn’t have been clearer.

Ryan didn’t push. "There’s a fireworks show at 9:13."

He looked out at the dazzling city below.

"The view from here is the best. If you’re not in a hurry, stay and watch it before you leave."

Rose was genuinely surprised.

Fireworks were heavily restricted in this area.

Getting approval required endless paperwork and significant expense.

It certainly wasn’t easy.

For some reason, she suddenly thought back to New Year’s Eve.

The New Year Ryan had tricked her into spending the holiday with the Knight family.

That night, he had arranged a spectacular fireworks display for Samantha.

And now?

He was using another fireworks show—one carefully arranged by someone else—to placate her.

The candlelit dinner.

The tulips.

All of it had been arranged by Margaret.

Even the fireworks were something she was merely being allowed to "tag along" and watch.

The lack of personal thoughtfulness couldn’t have been more obvious.

Of course, she understood how fortunate she was to witness a display like this.

But sharing such a romantic evening with her ex-husband felt unbearable.

Like a bone lodged in her throat.

More importantly, she didn’t think she needed to settle for half-hearted gestures.

She glanced at her watch again and offered him a polite smile.

"No, thank you. Mr. Knight has a busy schedule. It’s probably best if we don’t waste each other’s time."

Ryan slowly turned his gaze back to her.

Her cheeks still carried a faint flush from the fever.

When she smiled, her dimples appeared clearly.

Yet the smile itself felt forced.

As though sitting across from him was making her uncomfortable.

His index and middle fingers rested against the stem of his wine glass.

He slowly swirled it.

Then, without a word, he reached into his pocket and removed a small carved rosewood box.

"A gift."

Rose looked at the box and nearly laughed.

Over the years, Ryan had never paid much attention to her birthdays.

Every year, a secretary arranged a gift and delivered it on his behalf.

This was the first time he had ever handed her a birthday present personally.

She didn’t expect much.

Nor did she imagine it would be something she actually wanted.

Casually, she opened the box.

The moment she saw what was inside, her expression froze.

Her eyes widened in disbelief.

Inside was the rosewood pendant.

Her grandmother’s heirloom.

The very pendant Samantha had taken from her at Jordan’s antique exhibition.

"You..."

Rose stared at him in shock.

She wanted to ask why.

Why he was suddenly returning it to her.

But before the words could leave her lips—

The shrill sound of a doorbell suddenly echoed through the suite.

It rang repeatedly.

Urgent.

Insistent.

Then came Jordan’s angry voice from outside the door.

"Rose!"

"Open the door!"