Trick Him Into Divorce, Then Flee With His Unknow Kid

Chapter 111: Chapter 111 The Mother Who Finally Showed Up

She hadn’t expected to see a message like that.

A hotel? A hotel room?

The phone in her hand was still vibrating.

Her palm was beginning to go numb.

It was the kind of persistence that only came from someone who had been indulged for far too long.

"Give me my phone."

A shadow fell across her vision, accompanied by the faint scent of roses and mint.

She looked up.

Her gaze met Ryan’s deep, unreadable eyes.

He looked down at her without revealing a hint of emotion, one hand extended toward her. The gesture was simple, yet it carried an unmistakable authority that was impossible to ignore.

Even though his words were ordinary, Rose had a feeling he had misunderstood something.

Without hesitation, she handed the still-vibrating phone back to him.

She didn’t care about the details of his relationship with Samantha.

She simply didn’t want her grandfather to see any of that ugliness.

Even if she eventually told him about the divorce, she would describe it as a peaceful separation. Being cheated on, abandoned, and humiliated would only break the old man’s heart.

As for whether Ryan believed she’d deliberately picked up his phone to read his private messages...

That didn’t matter either.

She didn’t care.

Ryan didn’t stay long.

He remained long enough to share a cup of coffee with Gabriel before leaving.

Rose also had work to attend to.

When she came out later, the room next door was still empty.

She knew Ryan would handle it.

The Hill family would finally settle down.

Because of the incident involving Samantha and the Columbia University graduate student, the university had issued disciplinary measures. However, the project itself had not been delayed.

The drug review was approaching.

It would be her first major battle.

And her workload had become even heavier.

*****

The next morning, Rose received a phone call shortly after waking up.

"Are you Ariel’s parent?"

Rose immediately tensed. "Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing serious. Today is Parents’ Day at school, and we’d like the children’s parents to attend. Please arrive by ten o’clock this morning."

Rose let out a quiet breath of relief and checked the time.

After a brief pause, she replied, "Okay. I’ll make arrangements and be there."

After hanging up, she messaged Diana to confirm.

There was no response.

Most likely, Diana was still pulling an all-nighter editing footage.

As for Nathan, he was already over eighty. An event like this would be far too exhausting for him.

Holding her phone, Rose thought for a moment before making up her mind.

She would go herself.

After all, she would be picking up the divorce certificate tomorrow. There was no need to remain so guarded.

The truth was, she had largely been absent from Ariel’s upbringing.

Only because of the divorce had Ariel come to New York to live with her, creating an opportunity for them to be together.

She couldn’t keep disappointing the little girl simply to avoid potential complications.

Rose quickly packed her things, requested time off, and headed straight to the kindergarten.

It was one of the city’s most prestigious private schools, attended by the children of influential and wealthy families.

By the time she arrived, many parents were already there.

"Mommy!"

Ariel spotted her immediately.

Her face lit up as she kicked her little legs and ran over.

Rose bent down and scooped her into her arms.

"I thought Grandpa Nate was coming today."

Ariel’s cheeks were flushed with excitement. She practically bounced in place.

Rose pinched her nose playfully.

"Grandpa Nate’s getting older. We shouldn’t make him go through all that trouble."

"Okay." Ariel nodded before asking carefully, "Can Mommy come every time from now on?"

She knew her mother was busy.

Grandpa Nate had often told her that Mommy was working hard so they could live together and never be separated again.

She knew she shouldn’t make things difficult for her.

But other children always had both their moms and dads with them...

A pang of guilt tugged at Rose’s heart.

Ariel was always so thoughtful.

Even a simple wish was expressed so cautiously.

"Okay." Rose smiled softly. "Mommy promises."

Her heart felt both warm and heavy at the same time.

"Pfft. Why are you here, mean lady? You’re not even her parent."

A child’s voice suddenly rang out nearby.

Rose frowned and turned.

Mike had already been discharged from the hospital.

He looked slightly thinner, but because of his naturally sturdy build, it wasn’t particularly noticeable. Even his recovery seemed much faster than most people’s.

At the moment, he was standing there with an unmistakably smug expression.

Rose looked down at Ariel. "Is he your classmate?"

Ariel nodded. "Same class."

The situation caught Rose completely off guard.

When Ryan had arranged for Mike to be hospitalized again, she never imagined they would turn out to be classmates.

Rose chose to ignore him.

Taking Ariel’s hand, she started walking away.

At the same time, her eyes swept over the crowd.

"Sweetie, do you want to play a game with Mommy?"

Ariel’s eyes immediately lit up. "Yes!"

Rose wasn’t sure which member of the Hill family would accompany Mike today.

Just to be safe, she crouched down and said gently, "From now until the event ends, you’re not allowed to call me ’Mommy.’ If you can do it, I’ll spend an entire day with you at the amusement park. Deal?"

Ariel instantly straightened up. "I’m definitely going to win!"

Opportunities to spend an entire day alone with Mommy were rare.

She was determined not to fail.

Rose felt slightly more at ease.

Running into Mike had been unexpected.

With the divorce papers only one step away, she couldn’t afford any mistakes.

As she led Ariel toward the classroom, she suddenly spotted the much-talked-about "family of three" approaching.

Among the crowd of parents, Ryan stood out immediately.

His composed demeanor made him seem completely at ease, as though attending school events was second nature to him.

He and Samantha each held one of Mike’s hands.

The chubby little boy walked proudly between them.

His smugness was written all over his face.

Although Rose had mentally prepared herself, seeing Ryan face-to-face still triggered an unexpected sense of guilt and panic.

Silently, she tightened her grip on Ariel’s hand.

Ariel looked up. "Mommy, what’s wrong?"

Rose took a slow breath. "Nothing, sweetheart."

But as her gaze drifted toward Ryan, a trace of sarcasm touched her lips.

Ryan really did seem to enjoy playing father to other people’s children.

Anyone who didn’t know better would assume Mike had no father and that Ryan had stepped in to fill the role.

When Ryan noticed her, something flickered briefly in his eyes.

His gaze slowly shifted from Rose to Ariel.

Samantha froze.

A frown immediately appeared between her brows.

Was Rose doing this on purpose?

Had she deliberately brought a child here after learning they would be attending today?

Ryan’s dark eyes lingered on Ariel for a moment before returning to Rose.

Then he asked abruptly, "Who are this child’s parents?"

At the moment, all he knew was that the child belonged to the Robinson family.

He had no idea who her parents were.

Rose was surprised that Ryan had spoken to her at all.

She had assumed he would continue treating her like a stranger.

That had always been his way.

Samantha pressed her lips together.

She hadn’t expected Ryan to speak to Rose either.

The realization made her deeply unhappy.

The man’s gaze was sharp and penetrating, carrying a pressure that was difficult to ignore.

Rose’s heartbeat quickened, but her expression remained calm.

"Diana’s busy today," she replied evenly. "I’m here to help out."