Trick Him Into Divorce, Then Flee With His Unknow Kid

Chapter 41: Chapter 41 Ariel’s Unexpected Arrival

This development was completely unexpected.

Rose froze for a few seconds before a realization suddenly struck her.

Had Ryan blocked her—or had Samantha?

Samantha had answered the call, which meant Ryan had obviously allowed her access to his WhatsApp.

The first message had gone through.

But after the second one, she had been blocked.

Had Samantha seen the messages, gotten upset with Ryan, and pressured him into blocking Rose to prove where his loyalties lay?

Then again, whether it had been Samantha’s idea or Ryan’s own decision didn’t really matter.

Ryan was simply indulging her.

Was he trying to avoid any private contact with Rose as much as possible?

A vivid image suddenly flashed through her mind.

Samantha throwing a fit over a few thoughtless phone calls and WhatsApp messages while Ryan held her in his arms, patiently soothing her with gentle words.

Rose lowered her eyes, a bitter smile tugging at her lips.

She couldn’t decide whether to admire the depth of their love or laugh at herself for wasting so many years.

Thinking about it now...

She really had been hopeless.

Why had she been so oblivious?

Why hadn’t she stepped aside sooner?

Being sensible enough to understand the message, Rose didn’t pursue the matter further.

After getting into bed, she opened her photo album and watched several videos of Ariel until the lingering emotions finally settled.

******

The next morning, Rose headed to the G.S. Research Center to run tests on the medical research data.

As soon as she stepped out of her car, she spotted a familiar Bentley parked nearby.

Ryan, ever the gentleman, stepped out and opened the passenger door.

Samantha emerged with a bright smile and looked up at him.

Rose immediately looked away and headed toward another building.

It was obvious Ryan had personally driven Samantha to work.

There was no reason for Rose to insert herself into the moment.

A little later, she left the R&D building carrying a stack of printed test results.

The moment she stepped into the hallway, she spotted Ryan exiting an elevator while speaking on the phone.

She hadn’t expected him to still be there.

Not wanting to interrupt, Rose turned to leave.

Before she could take another step, Ryan glanced in her direction.

Without ending the call, he asked, "Did you try to contact me yesterday?"

Rose had no choice but to stop.

"Yes."

"I saw the WhatsApp messages."

Phone still pressed to his ear, Ryan fixed his narrow eyes on her face.

"There was a glitch with WhatsApp. That kid was playing around with my phone and accidentally blocked you."

The "kid" could only be Mike.

Ryan spoiled the older one and indulged the younger one.

Rose simply nodded.

"Oh."

She no longer cared what had happened.

Whether it had been Mike or Samantha, the fact that they felt comfortable doing something like that was only because Ryan allowed it.

She wasn’t about to flatter herself into believing this was some special explanation meant for her.

If Ryan truly wanted to explain himself, he wouldn’t have completely ignored the fact that he had spent the entire previous evening with Samantha.

"The twenty-sixth, right?"

Ryan turned slightly, his deep eyes narrowing as he studied her unusually calm demeanor.

Rose realized he was referring to her grandfather’s birthday celebration.

"Are you coming?"

"I’ll let you know."

His tone was calm and detached, leaving no room for persuasion.

Rose hadn’t expected him to agree to attend at all.

Ryan was constantly occupied with work. He rarely made time for her, let alone her family.

And yet...

This time, he seemed surprisingly accommodating.

Collecting her thoughts, she said, "No need to contact me. I’ve reserved a private room at the Grand Hotel. Just come directly when you arrive."

She certainly wasn’t going to contact him privately again.

The last thing she wanted was for Samantha to throw another tantrum.

She had no desire to become another prop in their relationship.

At least she had enough self-awareness to remember she was his soon-to-be ex-wife.

Ryan shot her a sideways glance.

He could tell she was being almost excessively polite.

Rose finished speaking and walked away.

Ryan’s gaze lingered on her tall, slender figure.

Oliver’s voice came through the phone.

"Have you noticed Rose has been acting a lot like Sam lately? Calm, collected, impossible to read. Since she can’t be your lucky charm anymore, maybe she’s decided to become a strategist instead."

Rose had never behaved this way around Ryan before.

Ryan slowly withdrew his gaze.

"Ryan," Oliver continued, "you didn’t marry a wife. You married a drama queen."

Ryan lowered his eyes and flipped his lighter open with his thumb.

He didn’t respond.

Instead, he climbed into the car.

*****

Gabriel’s ninetieth birthday was approaching, but Rose had no intention of throwing a lavish celebration.

The Bennett family was small, and most of their relatives lived far away.

Her only goal was to create a warm, lively gathering that would make the old man happy.

Even after inviting everyone she could think of, they barely filled a single large table.

To make the event feel more festive, she even hired a few performers.

The banquet room she reserved was fairly spacious.

The night before the celebration, she received a call from the hotel.

"Ms. Bennett, we’re terribly sorry. We’ve experienced an unexpected surge in bookings. I see you’ve reserved one of our premier banquet rooms for a party of twenty. Unfortunately, we now have several larger events scheduled, and no other ballroom of that size is available. Would you be willing to move to a smaller private banquet room? As compensation, we’d like to offer a twenty-percent discount."

Rose wasn’t particularly bothered.

If they needed to switch rooms, then so be it.

"That’s fine. Go ahead and make whatever arrangements are necessary."

The manager thanked her repeatedly.

*****

The following morning, Rose got up early and drove to the nursing home to pick up her grandfather.

Once an elegant and highly educated gentleman, Gabriel had maintained his dignity well into old age.

Today, he seemed especially energetic.

He had even changed into a dark gray suit on his own.

"Why didn’t Ryan come with you?" Gabriel asked as he gently warmed Rose’s cold hands.

Rose glanced at the time.

"He’s busy with work. He’ll meet us at the hotel later."

"Good, good."

Gabriel smiled from his wheelchair, looking unusually spirited.

"It’s been far too long since we’ve all shared a meal together."

Only then did Rose realize that if it could lift her grandfather’s spirits and help him live a few more happy years, she would gladly do anything.

Along with Caleb, Diana, and the others, several of Gabriel’s former students had also managed to attend, enough to fill the table comfortably.

Caleb had arrived early to oversee the preparations.

Rose had just wheeled Gabriel into the banquet room when a WhatsApp voice message from Diana popped up.

"Guess what I’m doing? Surprise! Ariel convinced her teacher to excuse her from kindergarten for the day so she could come celebrate Great-Grandpa’s birthday. She flew all the way to New York with her little backpack. Her flight is about to land, and I’m already at the airport waiting for her. We should be at the hotel in about an hour!"

Rose’s entire body stiffened.

"Ariel is flying alone?"

Diana replied immediately. "Mrs. Hale was supposed to travel with her, but she got stuck in a meeting at the last minute. She’ll arrive later tonight, and we’ll all have dinner together then."

Rose hadn’t expected Ariel to surprise her like this.

Not even six years old, yet already brave enough to fly across the country on her own.

Such a little grown-up.

But...

Ryan would be there today.

She hadn’t anticipated Ariel’s sudden arrival.

If the two of them crossed paths...

Goosebumps rose across her skin.

"Diana, don’t bring Ariel inside yet. When you arrive, wait outside the hotel until I call you. Come in only after I tell you it’s safe."

Ryan had agreed to attend, but he certainly wouldn’t stay long.

As soon as he left, Ariel could come in and celebrate with her great-grandfather.

Diana immediately understood.

"...The timing couldn’t be worse."

Rose rubbed her forehead.

Ariel’s unexpected visit had completely disrupted her plans.

After arranging everything with Diana, she checked the time again and calculated when Ryan was likely to arrive.

This was Ariel’s first time setting foot in New York since she was born.

For some reason, Rose’s palms were sweating.

She couldn’t tell whether it was nervousness or a vague sense of impending trouble.

"Rose, we have a problem."

Caleb suddenly approached, his expression grim.