Free Web NovelChapter 283: Chapter 283 The Last Protection
At those words, both Samantha and Daisy, who had rushed over, turned pale.
Daisy hurried forward. “Logan! Why are you taking your anger out on the child?! This is all because you failed to raise Rose properly! Rose is the real culprit!”
Logan was in a foul mood. He simply sat down on the sofa and lit a cigarette.
Trouble was closing in on him from every direction.
The company was under investigation.
It had also come to light that the antique shop rightfully belonged to Rose.
They had, in effect, taken over someone else’s property.
Given the current public sentiment, even if they wanted to demand the antiques back from Ryan, they couldn’t openly reclaim them. If they did, they would be drowned in a sea of public condemnation.
Samantha’s expression shifted as countless thoughts raced through her mind.
Daisy stepped forward, took her hand, and patted it reassuringly.
“Your expulsion and degree revocation at NYU still have to go through the formal process. The official announcement has only just been issued, so there’s still time. Situations like this aren’t impossible to turn around.”
At those words, Samantha looked up at her.
Logan frowned as well. “What do you mean?”
Daisy replied coldly, “No one wants the Hill family to be dragged down by this. I have a way to protect Sam as much as possible. Once she’s back on solid ground, the Hill family’s problems will be much easier to resolve.”
*****
The news of Samantha’s expulsion had already caused a huge stir.
Countless people expressed disbelief and disappointment.
Ryan returned to the Knight family estate.
The moment he stepped inside, Margaret Knight greeted him with a grim expression.
“Samantha is a ticking time bomb right now. Anyone who stays close to her will be dragged down with her. Ryan, you understand the stakes better than anyone.”
Many people in academic circles had witnessed Ryan’s close association with Samantha.
Now that she had become embroiled in a major scandal—framing an NYU professor and committing academic misconduct—even though the specific details of her plagiarism had not yet been made public, the false accusation against the professor was already an established fact.
Countless old acquaintances had called, directly and indirectly asking how the Knight family intended to handle the situation.
The Knight family’s reputation had also begun to suffer. Even headquarters was starting to experience internal unrest.
In the public’s eyes, NYU was one of the nation’s most prestigious universities. Crossing such a red line had inevitably ignited widespread outrage.
To put it bluntly, the Knight family needed to distance themselves from Samantha.
Ryan didn’t even slow his pace. He walked to the bar and poured himself a glass of ice water.
“Cut ties with them?” he asked calmly.
“Of course!”
Ryan turned around. “But, Grandma, when you invited Samantha to attend the Knight family memorial ceremony, I assumed you had fully accepted her. News of that spread quite widely.”
“After all, you personally invited her before I had even divorced my first wife. It seems this situation began with you.”
Margaret’s face stiffened.
She would never admit she had contributed to the current predicament.
With a stern expression, she said, “The past is the past. What matters now is cutting all ties. Ryan, you know me well. If I wanted to, I have countless ways to make sure the Hill family never recovers.”
Their generation had clawed its way to the top.
Back then, they had seen—and used—plenty of ruthless methods.
It was an unmistakable threat.
Ryan set his glass down and lightly traced the condensation clinging to its surface with his fingertip.
“I’m afraid that won’t be possible,” he replied.
Margaret’s expression darkened with anger. “Do you really want to force me to bring your grandfather back to take charge?”
The former chairman of the Knight family was even more ruthless and uncompromising.
If the old man stepped in, the consequences would be far more severe.
Hearing his grandfather mentioned, Ryan lowered his eyes, concealing the emotions within them.
Finally, he replied, “As you wish.”
At that moment, his phone rang.
Margaret glanced at the screen.
It was Samantha.
Ryan answered the call right in front of her.
Margaret was so furious she nearly lost her composure.
Samantha’s slightly hoarse voice came through the phone.
“Ryan, are you free tomorrow?”
“Yes.”
“The Hill family hasn’t been doing well lately. We’ve lost quite a few business partnerships. If this continues, it’ll be disastrous. Could you help introduce us to some people? There’s a medical charity gala tomorrow, and many business leaders will be attending. We’d like the opportunity to meet with some of the CEOs.”
She wanted an invitation.
Ryan pushed his glass aside, glanced at Margaret—whose face had darkened the moment she heard Samantha’s request—and answered unhurriedly.
“Sure.”
The tension in Samantha’s heart instantly eased.
“Ryan, I knew it. You’re still the same as always with me...”
“It’s nothing.”
Ignoring Margaret’s shocked expression, Ryan lowered his gaze and said to her, “Please get some rest.”
Then he turned, continued the phone call, and walked out.
Leaving Margaret trembling with anger.
The Hill family.
Samantha.
Neither of them could be allowed to remain any longer.
******
After wrapping up the remaining matters at NYU and receiving official confirmation of her appointment, Rose would assemble an elite research team to join the National Center for Biomedical Innovation after September.
Meanwhile, she received an invitation.
It had been sent by Grace.
It was for a medical charity gala.
Rose replied to her directly on WhatsApp.
“I’ll be there on time. Thank you for the invitation.”
She looked into the event.
It was an industry-sponsored charity initiative that donated state-of-the-art smart medical equipment to underserved regions, allowing local doctors to treat patients more effectively and sparing countless people the burden of traveling across mountains, counties, and provinces just to receive proper medical examinations at major hospitals.
Rose found the cause deeply meaningful.
There were still many places in need of this kind of support.
She wanted to help as many patients as she could.
At 7:00 p.m., Rose arrived at the venue.
Traffic flowed steadily outside.
Just then, her phone chimed.
A message from Trevor appeared.
Look up.
Rose immediately lifted her head toward the top of the staircase.
Trevor stood at the very top, having spotted her from afar.
Surprised to see him there, she smiled and waved before walking up the steps.
Just then, a car pulled up exactly where she had been standing moments earlier.
Hearing the sound, Rose instinctively turned her head.
With a single glance, she saw Ryan step out of the car.
He walked to the passenger side and courteously opened the rear door.
Samantha—still mired in controversy and cornered by scandal—stepped out.
Right behind her came Daisy, dressed in an elegant evening gown.
Rose’s brows instantly knitted together.
At such a high-profile public event, Ryan had still brought Samantha—a woman whose reputation had already collapsed and who was now despised throughout the medical community.
Didn’t he care at all that the Knight family’s reputation would suffer because of her?
Had Ryan truly become so blinded by love that he had lost all reason?
