Free Web NovelChapter 296: Chapter 296 Ariel’s Little Accident
Watching Ryan finish the champagne in one swallow, Samantha felt a warmth spread through her chest.
A smile bloomed across her face.
"Was it really that urgent?" she asked teasingly. "You drank it so fast."
Ryan casually lifted his phone.
"Work call."
Her smile grew even brighter.
"Then go take your call first."
"We’ll meet on the rooftop in a little while, okay?"
As she spoke, Samantha handed him a room key she had prepared in advance.
Along with it was a private-access pass for one of the rooftop pools.
Ryan glanced at them before slipping both into his pocket.
"Okay."
Rose never looked up once.
She treated her ex-husband and his girlfriend as though they didn’t exist.
Quietly, she continued removing the bones from a piece of fish for Ariel.
She paid no attention to their obvious flirting.
Occasionally, Ariel glanced curiously at the couple across the table.
She didn’t understand the unspoken meaning behind their conversation.
Nor did she know what adults might do together in a private pool.
But...
She knew what a bikini was.
Although she wasn’t quite six years old, she’d traveled to many countries and had been to plenty of beaches.
She looked at Rose excitedly.
"Mom, did you bring your swimsuit?"
"Daddy’s coming later."
"Why don’t you wear it and let Daddy teach you how to swim?"
"Maybe you’ll finally stop being afraid of the water."
A child’s innocent words were sweet and harmless.
To the adults around the table...
They carried an entirely different implication.
Everyone knew exactly what people imagined when a man and a woman spent time alone in a private pool.
Ryan’s eyes turned cold for just an instant.
His hand tightened slightly around the back of his chair.
Then he looked quietly at Rose.
His expression revealed almost nothing.
Samantha frowned.
She had finally become the Taylor family’s presumed heiress.
Yet Rose and Trevor were openly acting like a couple in front of everyone.
How disrespectful.
Rose simply smiled and gently stroked Ariel’s soft hair.
"Maybe I will."
She was thinking about her fear of water.
Nothing more.
The swimsuit never even crossed her mind.
By the time she looked up again...
Ryan and Samantha were already gone.
Rose didn’t think much of it.
After making sure Ariel had eaten enough, she let her go play in the children’s activity center.
Rose found a nearby seat and joined an online meeting.
The participants included Caleb, and G.S other members.
The first-stage performance report for G.S. Medical’s robotic tumor surgery system had just been released.
The system had already been deployed in major hospitals across the United States and overseas.
Its performance in complex tumor surgeries had exceeded expectations.
Its precision during delicate neurosurgical procedures, vascular control, and bleeding management had improved by nearly sixty percent.
Most importantly...
It had already saved the lives of five patients whose conditions had previously been considered inoperable.
Rose didn’t allow herself even a moment to relax.
She already had several ideas for further improvements and hoped to implement them before the end of the year.
"Our top priority now is expanding production."
"We’ll need full cooperation from New Hope Precision Manufacturing and Sky High Technologies to guarantee a stable supply of components."
By the time the meeting ended...
Nearly fifty minutes had passed.
Rose checked the time.
Then she immediately went to pick up Ariel.
But...
The children’s activity center was empty.
A cold feeling settled in her chest.
She hurriedly began searching throughout the hotel.
*****
After finishing several work calls, Ryan rubbed his aching temples.
Instead of heading directly to the rooftop...
He found himself wandering through the hotel.
Eventually...
He reached a quiet corner of the children’s play area.
There...
A tiny figure sat on the floor, completely absorbed in assembling an elaborate building-block set.
Even many adults would have struggled with it.
Ariel was entirely focused.
Her rosy cheeks glowed.
Whenever she found the correct piece, her eyes curved into little crescents and her dimples appeared as she smiled to herself.
Ryan silently watched.
For a moment...
His thoughts drifted back more than ten years.
There had once been another little girl just like this.
She used to remind him to take his medicine whenever he was injured.
Whenever he listened...
She would secretly smile in exactly the same way.
Mother and daughter...
They really were alike.
Ryan walked over.
He quietly sat beside Ariel.
Without saying anything.
Halfway through building, Ariel looked up.
"Uncle Ryan..."
"Aren’t you supposed to be on a date with that lady?"
Ryan looked at the little girl his ex-wife had with Trevor.
His voice remained calm.
"Do you mind if I sit here?"
Ariel shook her head.
"You asked first."
"So I don’t mind."
Ryan couldn’t help noticing...
This little girl had an unusually independent personality.
She was remarkably mature for her age.
He said nothing else.
Ariel, however, kept sneaking glances at him.
Finally she asked, "Uncle Ryan..."
"Are you sad?"
She could sense it.
There was a loneliness about him.
Something she couldn’t quite explain.
Instead of answering, Ryan helped her search for another building block.
After handing it to her, he said softly, "You really do look just like your mom."
"Your eyes..."
"Your dimples..."
"And your personality."
"You’re just like her."
Wise beyond your years.
Hearing that she resembled Rose made Ariel beam with pride.
She looked at him seriously.
"Uncle Ryan..."
"You have good taste."
Her sincere compliment made Ryan laugh quietly.
"You know exactly what to say."
Ariel giggled.
Her hands moved even faster as she continued building.
As she pressed two pieces together...
She accidentally pinched the back of her hand.
A sharp edge scraped her delicate skin.
A thin line of blood immediately appeared.
Ariel flinched.
Ryan’s expression changed.
Without hesitation, he gently took her injured hand.
"Do you have a tissue?"
Ariel shook her head.
Ryan frowned.
The cut wasn’t deep.
But it was bleeding steadily.
With one hand, he began unbuttoning his dress shirt.
"Let’s play a game."
"Close your eyes."
"Count to twenty."
Ariel obediently closed her eyes.
"But Uncle..."
"You could’ve just said you were taking off your shirt."
"Boys and girls are different."
"You could’ve just told me not to look."
"We didn’t really need to make it a game."
Ryan couldn’t help smiling.
Looking at her tightly shut eyes, he removed his shirt and folded part of it into a thick pad.
He gently pressed the clean fabric against the cut to stop the bleeding.
After a few moments...
He switched to another clean section of the shirt and applied pressure again.
Fortunately...
The bleeding stopped quickly.
Throughout the entire process...
Ariel never cried.
Never complained.
Ryan looked at her with genuine admiration.
"Does it hurt?"
"You’re very brave."
He reached into his pocket.
As if performing a magic trick...
He produced a Band-Aid.
He carefully covered the wound before putting his shirt back on and fastening the buttons one by one.
He didn’t seem to care about the small crimson stains left on the white fabric.
Ariel answered honestly, "It hurts."
"But if I cry..."
"Mom will be sad."
"I love my mom."
"So I don’t want to make her worry."
"I can’t bear to."
Ryan’s hands paused briefly as he buttoned his collar.
At that exact moment...
A frantic voice echoed through the play area.
"Ariel!"
Ryan looked up.
The next second...
Rose came running toward them.
Without hesitation, she shoved Ryan aside.
She immediately pulled Ariel protectively behind her.
Her eyes were red with panic.
She glared at Ryan with unmistakable anger and suspicion...
As though he were someone capable of hurting her daughter.
