Trick Him Into Divorce, Then Flee With His Unknow Kid

Chapter 248: Chapter 248 Ariel’s Mother

Ethan wasn’t prepared for it and nearly stumbled backward.

He glared at the person in front of him.

Rose also stared in surprise at the girl standing before her, dressed in a hospital gown.

She felt as though she had seen her somewhere before. The girl looked very familiar.

Alicia looked at Ethan warily. "What are you doing? Are you really planning to lay a hand on someone in public?"

Ethan recognized Alicia.

That sickly heiress.

After all, they belonged to the same social circle and had crossed paths a few times.

He let out a derisive snort, then tilted his head toward Rose behind Alicia.

"You’d better take my words to heart."

Ethan paid Alicia no further attention and turned to leave.

Only then did Alicia let out a sigh of relief.

She rubbed her shoulder, which had been bruised from the collision, and turned to Rose.

"Are you okay? Did he do anything to you?"

Rose shook her head. "I’m fine."

Alicia smiled awkwardly. "I hope I didn’t scare you just now. I was out for a walk and saw him, a grown man, roughing you up, and I got so angry that..."

Looking at the girl in front of her, Rose noticed her pale complexion and said calmly, "It’s okay. Thank you."

Alicia’s face instantly flushed at the compliment from someone as beautiful and radiant as Rose.

"You’re welcome. I need to go back for my IV treatment. The nurse will be worried if she can’t find me. Bye."

She waved and hurried away.

Rose could tell that Alicia was shy and reserved.

Yet she had been remarkably brave when she rushed over just now.

After watching her leave, Rose suddenly remembered.

Alicia.

The student who wanted to study under her.

Rose couldn’t help but marvel at the coincidence.

She didn’t dwell on it and went out to buy dinner.

*****

After Ariel was discharged from the hospital, Rose took her back to Dr. Nathan’s home.

Ariel gave Rose a wink the moment they walked through the door. Then she threw herself into Dr. Nathan’s arms, acting spoiled and telling him how much fun she had during the trip.

The old man beamed with joy.

Rose took the opportunity to slip away.

On the way to the NYU laboratory, Rose called Caleb.

"Ryan found out that I had a child. There have been some misunderstandings, but just to be safe, could you look into my records at City Hospital again?"

That hospital was also a branch of the Byrne family’s medical group.

Even though everything had been registered under the name Aster, Rose still wanted to be extra cautious.

Caleb was taken aback. "Of course. I’ll take care of it. I’m actually heading there on a business trip tomorrow, so I’ll stop by while I’m there."

Rose felt relieved.

When she arrived at the NYU laboratory, there was a brief meeting scheduled.

Everyone trickled into the conference room one by one.

However, when Rose entered, she saw Samantha, who had just returned from her vacation.

Now that Samantha had been assigned to Professor Black’s lab, she was expected to participate in the current research project.

There were three or four women in the group.

Samantha opened the tote bag she had brought and handed out gifts one by one with a warm smile.

"We’ll be working together from now on, so please take care of me. I just got back from Hong Kong, and these are gifts I brought for everyone. I hope you like them."

The female students quickly thanked her.

Rose didn’t stop. She intended to change into her lab coat.

But Samantha caught up to her, smiling brightly as she held out a box.

"There’s one for you too."

Rose didn’t take it.

In fact, she thought to herself that some people really did have thick skin. Even in a situation like this, Samantha could still approach her as though nothing had happened.

Pretending that they were at peace.

Rose sensed a faint air of smugness coming from her.

She glanced at the box. "I don’t like recycled trash."

The smile on Samantha’s lips faded. "Rose, there’s really no need to be so ungrateful. I just wanted you to share in my happiness. Ryan and I just bought a ten-million-dollar diamond ring at a jewelry store in Hong Kong. This bracelet was a complimentary gift because of the purchase amount. It’s also diamond-encrusted and certainly isn’t cheap."

As she spoke, she slipped the box into Rose’s pocket.

"Consider it an early wedding gift."

A wedding gift.

And... a diamond ring.

Rose had already seen it on Ethan’s phone.

Was it an engagement ring from Ryan?

Was the trip merely a vacation, or had they already secretly pledged themselves to one another?

Rose’s expression remained calm.

Samantha didn’t seem to care whether she accepted it or not. She stuffed the box into Rose’s pocket and turned away to continue chatting with the others.

Rose took the small box out, didn’t even glance at it, and walked over to the trash can.

She threw it away.

"It’s you!"

A cheerful voice full of surprise rang out from the doorway.

Rose looked over.

Alicia was standing there.

The moment she saw Rose, her eyes lit up, and she hurried toward her with delight.

Samantha noticed Alicia, pulled another gift from her bag, and smiled.

"Hello, I’m Samantha. This is for you—"

Alicia didn’t even notice Samantha.

As she rushed toward Rose, she accidentally bumped Samantha’s hand, causing the gift box to fall to the floor.

The trinket inside rolled out.

Only then did Alicia stop.

"Sorry," she said, finally noticing Samantha.

Samantha frowned as she looked at the broken jewelry.

"It’s broken. It was pretty expensive."

Alicia felt embarrassed. "How much was it? I can pay for it."

Samantha had already noticed that Alicia knew Rose and seemed especially friendly toward her.

In Samantha’s eyes, anyone close to Rose was automatically on the opposite side.

Rose could tell that Alicia was naive and easily intimidated.

She walked over and looked at Samantha.

"Whether it’s expensive or not, whose card was used to buy it? If you have the receipt and the card number, I can reimburse you."

A cold glint flashed in Samantha’s eyes.

Was Rose doing this on purpose?

What did she mean by asking whose card had been used and whose money had paid for it?

Ignoring Rose, Samantha composed herself and smiled at Alicia.

"It’s fine. Don’t worry about it. Let’s just consider this the beginning of a friendship."

With that, she walked away to chat with the others, appearing as open and easygoing as ever.

Rose could still hear Samantha talking about her vacation.

She ignored it and turned to Alicia.

"Alicia?"

Alicia looked both surprised and delighted. "You know me?"

Rose smiled at the girl’s sweet, innocent expression.

"Yes. I’m going to be your mentor."

Alicia covered her mouth in shock. "Professor Rose? You’re Professor Rose?"

Her eyes filled with disbelief and gratitude.

Rose could tell that Alicia recognized her and desperately wanted to say something.

But before she could ask further, Alicia was hurriedly called away by Leo.

During the break, the groups were divided.

Professor Black took Samantha to another group.

When the session ended, Rose stepped outside.

As soon as she exited the building, she saw Samantha running out with a smile while talking on the phone.

Rose followed behind her.

Outside, a minivan was parked by the curb.

Samantha got into the vehicle.

Rose recognized the van.

Inside, James noticed Rose.

His gaze lingered on her involuntarily.

Samantha sat beside Ryan, who was looking at his iPad.

She asked, "Mr. Taylor, what brings you here?"

Only then did James withdraw his gaze, his expression turning serious.

He looked at Ryan and said, "I’ve found information about Trevor’s daughter’s biological mother."

Ryan finally looked up.

James’s eyes still held traces of complicated emotions. He pressed his lips together.

"I discovered that Trevor frequently visited that hospital back then. Only one pregnant woman matched all the details."

He paused.

"That woman’s name is..."

"Aster."