Free Web NovelChapter 267: Chapter 267 Wedding Dress
Rose was suddenly at a loss for words.
Dr. Nathan was clearly far more perceptive.
"A young man like Mr. Robinson," he said, "with countless high-society women competing for his attention, is willing to register a child under his own name, publicly accept the label of having fathered a child out of wedlock, and now cooperate with you to help you secure custody of Ariel—even sacrificing his own marriage. Do you really think he’s doing all of that simply to be a good Samaritan?"
"..."
Dr. Nathan gave a meaningful snort. "The Robinson family is easy to marry into, but much harder to leave. Since you’ve already decided to marry him, you might as well stop overthinking everything and simply live a peaceful life. After all, Ariel already sees him as her father."
Rose found herself speechless.
She had, in fact, been instinctively avoiding questions like these.
"There’s nothing wrong with that," Dr. Nathan continued. "Even if everything is laid out in the open before the Knight family, Mr. Robinson can still serve as a safe harbor for you."
He knew Trevor well.
In his opinion, Trevor was level-headed.
More importantly, he genuinely cared about Ariel.
That alone was enough.
"At the very least," Dr. Nathan added quietly, "he’s done what Ryan never could."
He said nothing more.
After hanging up, Rose rubbed her temples as a headache began to form.
For a moment, she couldn’t tell whether she was making the right decision or the wrong one.
So many of her choices had been made out of necessity rather than desire.
Fortunately, Ryan had shown absolutely no reaction to her decision to remarry.
Although his indifference seemed cold and heartless, at least he wouldn’t interfere with her plan to marry Trevor and secure custody of Ariel.
Rose forced herself to stop dwelling on it.
She focused all her attention on revising her thesis, intending to submit it within the next day or two.
That afternoon, her phone rang.
Without checking the caller ID, she answered.
"Rose? Are you busy? Are you free today?"
The familiar voice immediately made Rose remove her glasses.
"President Ellis?"
"Don’t be so formal," Julia laughed. "Just call me Aunt Julia."
"Aunt Julia."
Julia chuckled. "I’m at a couture bridal boutique. They specialize in custom wedding gowns. Why don’t you come take a look? I’ll be waiting for you."
Rose hadn’t expected Julia to be genuinely serious about planning a wedding.
She was already shopping for wedding dresses.
Massaging her temples again, Rose replied, "Okay. I’ll be there soon."
Since Julia was already waiting, refusing would have been rude.
Rose decided she would find an opportunity to explain everything after she arrived.
Soon afterward, she reached the boutique.
The moment she walked inside, Julia greeted her warmly and took her hand.
"I’m not sure what style you like, so I wanted you to see everything yourself before we make any decisions."
"There’s really no need to go to so much trouble," Rose said. "Something simple will be enough."
Deep down, she always felt that if a marriage wasn’t built on genuine love, all of these elaborate preparations somehow betrayed the sincerity that a wedding was supposed to represent.
Julia smiled. "How can a young woman settle for a simple wedding?"
She happily led Rose farther into the boutique.
Eight stunning wedding gowns had already been prepared for her to choose from.
The moment Rose stepped inside, she was dazzled.
She had never worn a wedding gown before.
Yet no woman could remain unmoved by something so beautiful.
She couldn’t help recalling her first marriage.
It had been rushed and confusing.
There had been no ceremony.
Just a marriage certificate that had bound her to the Knight family for seven years.
"Would you like to try one on?"
Julia winked at her.
The sales associate beside them smiled.
"We often have unmarried young women come in just to try on wedding gowns for fun. Think of it as an experience."
Rose smiled politely.
She was just about to decline when another sales associate greeted new customers.
"Ms. Ellis."
Hearing Samantha’s voice, Rose instinctively turned around.
Samantha was walking toward them arm in arm with Ryan.
She greeted Julia warmly.
Ryan casually glanced at Rose before giving Julia a polite nod.
Julia remained calm.
After briefly looking at Samantha, she ignored her completely and greeted Ryan instead.
"Mr. Knight."
Samantha bit her lip almost imperceptibly.
Julia treated her as though she didn’t exist.
Even standing beside Ryan wasn’t enough to earn Julia’s attention.
The slight made resentment quietly build inside her.
Ryan’s expression remained calm and detached.
"Ms. Ellis, are you here to choose a wedding dress?"
Julia smiled and shook her head.
"No. I’m here to help Rose choose her wedding dress."
That single sentence caused the atmosphere to freeze.
Even Samantha’s expression stiffened.
What had Rose done to make a decisive, career-driven woman like Julia set aside work to personally accompany her bridal shopping?
Samantha couldn’t help glancing at Ryan.
His dark eyes remained completely unreadable.
Calm.
Cold.
Detached.
"Then we won’t disturb you," he said.
His gaze brushed briefly over Rose before he turned and walked away.
A smile slowly curved Samantha’s lips.
Apparently, even if Rose cried, screamed, or threatened to kill herself, Ryan wouldn’t bat an eye.
With that thought, Samantha suddenly stopped walking.
Looking up at Ryan with gentle affection, she asked, "Ryan, I’d like to try on a wedding dress. Will you come help me choose one?"
The moment those words were spoken, Julia turned toward them.
Naturally, Rose heard them as well.
She found the entire situation absurd.
Ryan merely glanced casually toward the wedding gowns.
"Sure."
That simple agreement seemed to give Samantha all the confidence she needed.
Her smile grew even brighter.
Turning back toward Rose, she smiled sweetly.
"If you don’t mind, I’d like to choose first."
Without waiting for an answer, she walked directly toward the most expensive gown in the boutique—a custom design priced at more than four million dollars.
A subtle emotion flickered across Julia’s eyes.
As another woman, how could she possibly fail to understand Samantha’s intentions?
Rose, however, paid little attention.
Beside her was the boutique’s jewelry display.
She wandered over to examine the rings instead.
One particular pair immediately caught her attention.
They looked remarkably similar to the wedding rings she and Ryan had once worn.
Having worn that ring for so many years, she couldn’t help taking a second look.
Only a second.
As Samantha walked toward the fitting room, she happened to notice the display as well.
Apparently unaware that Rose had been looking at the same rings, she turned to Ryan.
"Ryan, these rings are beautiful."
The moment Rose heard those words, an uncontrollable wave of disgust rose within her.
She instinctively frowned.
Ryan, who had been casually flipping through a magazine, looked up.
His gaze settled on the rings.
Without showing any obvious emotion, he simply said, "They’re nice."
That was the end of it.
Since Samantha needed to change into the wedding dress, she didn’t linger over the rings and headed into the fitting room.
Rose glanced at them one last time.
This time, she felt nothing.
Suddenly, a cool scent of roses mixed with mint drifted toward her from behind.
"Please prepare the receipt and have them wrapped."
She turned around.
Ryan was already standing beside her.
With one slender finger, he lightly tapped the glass display case, indicating the pair of rings.
The sales associate’s eyes immediately lit up.
"Of course, sir," she said with a bright smile. "You’re so thoughtful. Your girlfriend mentioned she liked them, and you’re buying them for her right away."
Rose silently frowned.
