Trick Him Into Divorce, Then Flee With His Unknow Kid

Chapter 290: Chapter 290 The Family Meeting

Rose was momentarily taken aback.

She hadn’t expected to be drawn into the affairs of the two families.

"Me?"

Dr. Grace nodded. "This is an important matter for both families. You were once married to Mr. Knight, and now you’re considering a future with Trevor. The relationships involved have become rather complicated, and people are bound to speculate. Your presence will allow this engagement to end naturally and in an orderly manner."

Things had already reached this point.

They couldn’t afford to wait for Samantha’s identity to be confirmed. The rumors were spreading like wildfire, and public speculation would only grow more intense. Since the engagement was destined to end anyway, it was better to settle the matter sooner rather than later.

Rose felt somewhat awkward, but she knew there was no avoiding it.

She had already become a piece on the chessboard.

The only choice left was to play her part.

She nodded. "If you need me there, I’ll come."

If nothing else, it was for Ariel’s sake.

The sooner Trevor’s engagement to the Taylor family was officially dissolved, the sooner she and Trevor could marry without unnecessary complications.

After writing Dr. Grace’s prescription, Rose stood quietly for a moment before leaving.

As she walked outside, she pinched the bridge of her nose.

The entire situation felt absurd.

Just then, her phone rang.

It was Diana.

"What’s going on with Samantha?" Diana asked the moment the call connected. "I’ve been hearing all kinds of rumors. How did she suddenly become connected to the Taylor family—and end up as my brother’s fiancée?"

Rose climbed into her car and sighed. "Doesn’t it all seem a little too coincidental?"

Diana snorted. "Coincidence? I don’t buy it."

"A woman like Daisy isn’t exactly known for being loyal or honorable. If she’d really been raising the Taylor family’s daughter all these years, she could’ve returned the child long ago and earned the Taylor family’s lifelong gratitude. Why didn’t she?"

Diana had overheard people discussing the situation.

Many were praising Daisy, claiming she had secretly protected and raised the Taylor family’s missing daughter out of loyalty and compassion because of her close friendship with Mrs. Taylor.

Just imagining Daisy being described that way made Diana shudder.

Rose agreed.

Neither the Robinson family nor the Taylor family truly knew Daisy.

But Rose did.

She knew exactly what kind of woman Daisy really was.

Back then, Daisy had manipulated Logan into abandoning ten-year-old Rose to fend for herself.

All so she could secure her own position as Mrs. Hill and ensure Samantha received everything.

Now...

Somehow Daisy had become the devoted, selfless heroine of the story.

Rose couldn’t help finding it ironic.

"But Daisy really does know the Taylor family well," she said thoughtfully. "She must have spent a considerable amount of time with them. She even knows details about Mrs. Taylor’s life. Still, the Taylor family isn’t rushing to acknowledge Samantha. They’re insisting on a DNA test."

At least in that regard, they were handling the matter rationally.

Diana paused before saying, "Could Daisy be impersonating the missing daughter by taking advantage of everything she learned back then? Samantha’s reputation has taken such a hit recently."

Rose couldn’t say for certain.

But Daisy had agreed to the DNA test without the slightest hesitation.

She seemed unusually confident.

A thought suddenly crossed Rose’s mind.

"Do you know how Mrs. Taylor died?"

Diana thought for a moment. "I only know bits and pieces because of the Robinson family’s connection to the Taylors."

"I heard she suffered from bipolar disorder. Mr. Taylor fell in love with another woman. Not long after Mrs. Taylor left the family, she drove her car into a lake."

"They said she took her own life after being completely heartbroken."

"As for the Taylor family’s daughter... no one ever found her."

Rose fell silent.

Diana continued, "I also heard that the woman Mr. Taylor had an affair with was someone Mrs. Taylor had personally sponsored for years."

"She paid for her education, helped her find work, and even arranged a position for her at the company."

"In the end..."

"That woman slept with her husband."

The more Diana spoke, the angrier she became.

Her voice was practically trembling with indignation.

Rose hadn’t expected the truth to be so tragic.

Another woman destroyed by love.

Destroyed by marriage.

She couldn’t help feeling a deep sense of sorrow.

James’s father had turned out to be just as heartless and unfaithful.

Only now did Rose finally understand what Diana had once mentioned.

That was why Dr. Grace had severed ties with Derick for so many years and refused to acknowledge him as her son.

The Taylor family wasn’t nearly as harmonious as outsiders believed.

Rose frowned deeply.

"People who betray genuine love rarely find a happy ending."

She truly despised the selfishness that drove so many men to betray the people who loved them.

******

Monday morning.

Rose received the address Dr. Grace had sent.

It was a private restaurant hidden inside a quiet alley.

The location was difficult to find, but its privacy and elegant atmosphere made it worth the effort.

She drove there.

After parking outside the courtyard, she happened to run into Ryan, who was walking toward the entrance.

He carried his suit jacket casually over one arm.

As he turned his head slightly, their eyes met.

Rose instinctively frowned.

Ryan was here too?

A trace of sarcasm rose within her.

Even a family meeting about dissolving an engagement wasn’t enough to keep him away.

He had come personally to help Samantha break free of it, worried that anything might interfere with their future together.

Rose had no desire to speak with him.

She quickened her pace toward the entrance.

As she passed him, Ryan spoke without looking at her.

"Have you thought it through?"

Rose stopped and turned back.

Ryan looked at her with his usual cool, detached expression. "What if Trevor values Samantha more because she’s the Taylor family’s heiress?"

"What if the Robinson family cares more about strengthening their relationship with the Taylor family than about your feelings?"

"Now that you’re here today..."

"How do you plan to deal with that?"

His tone carried no sympathy.

Only blunt reality.

Rose knew he wasn’t wrong.

She climbed the stone steps until she was standing directly across from him.

Then she met his eyes with a faint smile.

"But I still have you, don’t I?"

"I trust you."

She continued calmly, "I know exactly how much you care about Samantha."

"Someone as influential as Mr. Knight would never allow anything to stand in her way."

"So even if it’s only for Samantha’s sake..."

"I’m sure you’ll help clear the obstacles for me."

Her words dripped with sarcasm.

Yet they also carried a certain truth.

She didn’t believe Ryan would simply stand aside and let events unfold naturally.

Ryan looked at her.

Watching her stand there so confidently—as though she fully expected him to remove every obstacle standing between her and Trevor—his eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly.

"You really do know me."

Before Rose could respond, he added, "What if..."

"I choose not to help?"

Rose immediately pressed her lips together.

Ryan didn’t wait for an answer.

The corner of his mouth lifted into a faint, unreadable smile.

Then he strode past her.

Rose could only quicken her pace and follow.

She had a feeling today’s meeting would be anything but peaceful.

*****

They arrived outside the private dining room.

Standing side by side, Rose and Ryan knocked before entering.

Several people had already arrived.

Rose immediately recognized Daisy and Samantha.

At the head of the table sat Dr. Grace.

To her right was a middle-aged man wearing rimless glasses.

He wasn’t overweight like many men his age. On the contrary, he remained fit and carried himself with the quiet confidence of someone who had once been exceptionally handsome.

Beside him sat an elegantly dressed woman.

She wasn’t breathtakingly beautiful, but her complexion had clearly been well cared for over the years, and her gentle features gave her a warm, approachable presence.

A few seats away sat James, absentmindedly staring at his phone.

As Rose and Ryan entered, everyone in the room looked toward them.

The moment Daisy saw Rose, her expression shifted almost imperceptibly.

Samantha frowned.

Without hesitation, she stood up and walked straight toward them.

As she reached them, she deliberately brushed her shoulder against Rose’s, forcing Rose a step aside.

Only then did she naturally slip her arm through Ryan’s.

Smiling sweetly, she looked up at him.

"Ryan, you’re here too?"