Free Web NovelChapter 278: Chapter 278 The Truth About Ariel
Samantha couldn’t help but frown. She knew Ryan would help her, as he always had.
But at a time like this... she hoped she wouldn’t have to ask.
Instead, she wanted Ryan to take the initiative—to protect her from anything that could harm her before she even had to say a word.
Or perhaps... to simply call and ask if she was okay.
“I’ll talk to Ryan about this, but I’m not going to call him right now.” Samantha snatched the phone from Daisy’s hand in exasperation.
“You silly girl, why are you worrying about that now?” Daisy said anxiously.
Logan also wore a grim expression. “The entire Hill family is on the line. This isn’t the time to be thinking only about your love life. Be sensible.”
Samantha pressed her lips together. “The livestream was leaked. You both knew it was being streamed live, yet you still spoke without any restraint—especially when the chief planner and head producer are close friends of Rose. They worked together to destroy us.”
Logan’s expression darkened.
Daisy hurried to smooth things over. “No one wanted this to happen. Why don’t we spend some money to suppress the news—or better yet, have it taken down?”
Logan sneered. “Do you think this can be solved with just a little money? Anyone with eyes can see that President Knight is involved. It won’t be settled without spending tens of millions! With a scandal this big, projects losing funding, and our stock price plummeting, how much cash flow do we even have left?”
“We’re already backed into a corner!”
Samantha squeezed her eyes shut.
“Since they haven’t explicitly stated what I did, it doesn’t count. As long as NYU can’t find concrete evidence, we can stall.”
There weren’t any security cameras in the lab.
No one could prove she was involved.
As for the livestream, all she had to do was deny it.
Daisy’s face darkened. “Rose can’t do anything to you either. Just like her mother—she was played like a puppet back then. Even the shop she refused to give up, she still couldn’t keep in the end.”
Logan’s expression shifted slightly.
Samantha shot Daisy a cold look.
“Mom! Watch what you say. Stop talking carelessly!”
Only then did Daisy fall silent.
In the end, Samantha didn’t call Ryan immediately.
Instead, she dialed Oliver’s number.
Oliver answered quickly, and Samantha said in a composed tone, “Oliver, could you help me put the show on hold for now? You’re friends with Kevin. Maybe you could ask him to come up with a reasonable explanation for the livestream?”
“Well... about that...” Oliver hesitated. “I don’t think that’ll be easy.”
“After all, Kevin is Diana’s direct superior. If they issue a statement saying that a staff member maliciously edited and spliced the recording, and that the people responsible have already been disciplined, wouldn’t that settle the matter?” Samantha had already worked out a solution for him.
No one would know who had actually been punished.
Even if Diana took the blame—claiming she deliberately framed them because she’s Rose’s close friend—it would sound perfectly plausible.
As long as the Hill family stayed out of it, wouldn’t that be enough?
Oliver fell silent for a moment.
After thinking it over, he sighed softly. “To be honest, Kevin and I are just drinking buddies—we’re not that close. I already asked him. This story is trending because it involves Rose, the youngest professor at NYU, who’s attracted nationwide attention. A lot of people are following the story. For the platform, it’s a huge traffic opportunity. No one is going to give up that kind of profit.”
Samantha’s heart skipped a beat.
She knew Oliver was telling the truth.
There was a trace of regret in his voice, but he still couldn’t help her.
In the past, wouldn’t he have done everything he could to smooth things over for her?
The change left her feeling strangely unsettled.
“Then we’ll think of another solution,” Samantha said, choosing not to press him further.
She knew that, to maintain a good relationship with Oliver, she needed to show a little vulnerability.
Oliver seemed to sense her helplessness and finally offered a word of comfort.
“It’ll be okay. Things will work out eventually. Besides, isn’t Ryan still there?”
The mention of Ryan gave Samantha a brief sense of relief, but it also tightened the knot in her chest.
After all, Ryan still hadn’t contacted her.
Still, she convinced herself that he was either too busy with work or tied up with something else. Once he stepped in, everything would eventually be resolved.
She forced a smile. “You’re right.”
After ending the call, Samantha turned to Logan and the others.
“Let’s wait and see for now. Neither NYU nor Rose has any concrete evidence, so she can’t do anything to me. We’ll release a statement first, claiming the recording was maliciously edited to calm public opinion.”
As long as they couldn’t produce solid evidence, there was still room to turn things around.
Even if she was criticized for a while, it didn’t matter.
In the end, it would only make Ryan cherish her even more.
It was no big deal.
*****
Rose barely slept that night.
Every time she closed her eyes, she was transported back to the year her mother promised to pick her up from school and take her toward a new life.
But she never came.
When Rose arrived at the hospital, she saw her mother lying there, covered in blood and barely clinging to life.
As a result, even after she was sent to the countryside, she was haunted by recurring nightmares.
That year, when she met Ryan and stayed up all night caring for him while he lay gravely injured, she had another nightmare.
It was the only time he had lain beside her on the narrow bed in the attic and taken her hand.
It was also the only night she managed to sleep peacefully through that nightmare.
Then came their married life.
During the first two months, he actually came home.
They even fell asleep in each other’s arms.
From that moment on, the nightmares that had tormented her for years gradually disappeared, and even her convulsions subsided.
However...
In the end, everything changed.
The people were no longer the same.
So many years had passed.
Yet she had once again been dragged back to the most painful day of her childhood.
Rose’s head throbbed.
Even so, she got up and washed up.
She couldn’t help but grow even more suspicious about what had happened to her mother.
Logan.
Daisy.
She hoped they had nothing to do with it.
A call came from NYU.
They needed to conduct a routine interview regarding the incident.
Rose pulled herself together, hailed a cab, and headed there.
As she stepped out of the taxi, she heard the soft click of a lighter behind her, followed by the rustle of the wind.
Rose turned around.
A black Bentley was parked behind her.
Ryan leaned casually against the car door. His black shirt made his pale complexion appear even colder. He lifted his eyes slightly, fixing her with a calm, unwavering gaze.
An unexpected encounter.
Rose instinctively went on guard.
Her brows drew together instantly. The wariness and distance on her face were unmistakable, and she had no intention of pretending otherwise in front of him.
Especially now.
Everything had changed.
Whether it was her identity as Aster...
Or the truth that Ariel was her daughter.
Without giving Ryan a chance to speak, she turned to leave.
But Ryan had already anticipated her reaction.
The moment she turned away, he straightened and walked toward her.
“Why are you avoiding me?”
Rose stopped in her tracks.
She knew exactly why Ryan had come to NYU today.
He was here to clean up the mess for Samantha and the Hill family.
It had nothing to do with her.
But...
“Ariel Robinson.”
Ryan had already reached her side.
Lowering his gaze, he studied her expression with unreadable intensity as he spoke the name in an even, emotionless voice.
In an instant, Rose’s entire body tensed.
He continued looking at her. “It’s a beautiful name.”
Rose pressed her lips together and turned to face him.
“What are you trying to say?”
Ryan’s eyes were dark and unfathomable.
Then, catching Rose completely off guard, he asked, “Ariel... is she really a child of the Robinson family?”
