Trick Him Into Divorce, Then Flee With His Unknow Kid

Chapter 42: Chapter 42 Rose Slapped Mike

Rose looked at Caleb distractedly.

"What’s wrong?"

Caleb frowned. "It looks like Samantha’s brother’s birthday party is being held next door."

The worry already weighing on Rose’s mind hadn’t yet eased. At his words, shock flashed across her face.

"Mike?"

Rose immediately headed outside.

The adjacent banquet room was only a short walk away.

In fact, it was the very room she had originally reserved.

The same room the hotel had persuaded her to give up.

A large welcome sign stood at the entrance.

Displayed prominently on it was a photo of Mike.

They were celebrating his birthday.

At the doorway, Logan and Daisy stood side by side greeting guests.

The moment Logan spotted Rose, he showed no surprise whatsoever.

Smiling warmly, he walked over as though no awkward history existed between them.

"Rose, what a coincidence. We’re celebrating your brother’s birthday today too. Why don’t we combine the two parties and celebrate together?"

Rose’s gaze turned icy.

"Since when are we even on speaking terms?"

They hadn’t seen each other in more than a decade.

Yet Logan was still the same hypocrite in public.

Logan’s smile faltered.

Then he sighed. "Rose, I’m only thinking about what’s best for you. Ryan is accompanying Sam to an interview today. They’ll be arriving together shortly. Since it’s Mike’s birthday too, your grandfather is already ninety years old. There’s no need for him to compete with a child for attention. Why not come join us for lunch and blow out the candles together? That way everyone can celebrate."

"Piggyback off someone else’s celebration?"

Rose almost laughed.

They had planned everything perfectly well themselves, yet now they were being treated as though they needed charity.

Her chest rose and fell as anger simmered beneath the surface.

Her gaze sharpened.

"It seems Chairman Hill is very proud of his stepson’s birthday."

Obviously.

Logan had always known she was married to Ryan.

He also knew Samantha had been involved with Ryan all these years.

Yet he had never contacted Rose.

Instead, he had quietly celebrated the fact that Samantha had stolen his own daughter’s husband.

Logan’s expression darkened.

"Rose, how can you say something so cruel? She’s your sister."

"A step-relative who’s related to me by neither blood nor upbringing."

Rose curled her lips into a mocking smile.

"Chairman Hill, if you enjoy being made a fool of, that’s your business. Don’t drag me into it."

Logan’s jaw tightened.

Beside him, Daisy’s face turned cold.

"Rose, Sam never blamed you for taking her place as Mrs. Knight. The least you could do is show some gratitude."

Rose’s expression didn’t change.

"Well, she’s a mistress."

Her voice remained calm.

"She learned from the best."

Daisy’s face instantly darkened. "Is that how you speak to your elders? When your mother was in that car accident, why was it that everyone else suffered while you survived? You’re nothing but bad luck. Your mother protected you and ended up spending the rest of her life in a coma."

The words struck Rose’s deepest wound.

A wound that had never truly healed.

Her eyes reddened instantly.

Yet her gaze only grew colder.

"You’re right."

She looked directly at Daisy.

"I never imagined surviving would mean spending the rest of my life talking to people like you."

"Rose!"

Logan stared at her in disbelief.

"How can you be so disrespectful? You’ve completely broken your parents’ hearts!"

Rose didn’t bother responding.

She turned around and walked away.

Back inside the banquet room, she saw Gabriel sitting in his wheelchair, smiling as he chatted with Caleb.

The tears threatening to fall were forced back once again.

Logan and the others were right next door.

Since Ryan had accompanied Samantha to the interview today, he had undoubtedly known the Hill family would be at the same hotel.

Yet he hadn’t warned her.

Even after she had given him the hotel address.

He had simply allowed her and her grandfather to walk straight into this humiliation.

Caleb immediately noticed something was wrong.

He stood up.

"Are you okay?"

Rose tilted her head back, took a slow breath, and forced a smile.

"I’m fine."

Then she added quietly, "I just don’t think we can stay here. We’ll have to find somewhere else to eat."

The banquet room next door was a ticking time bomb.

She refused to let it ruin her grandfather’s birthday.

As for Ryan...

She no longer cared whether he showed up or not.

She didn’t need him playing the role of impartial mediator.

She certainly didn’t need him balancing two families with his carefully managed schedule.

Caleb understood immediately.

"Alright. I’ll talk to the hotel."

Before he could leave, Gabriel suddenly reached toward Rose.

"Wait a minute."

His cloudy eyes studied her carefully.

"Why are your eyes red? Did someone bully you? Grandpa will stand up for you."

The old man anxiously tried to wheel himself closer.

Rose hurried over.

"It’s okay, Grandpa. Really."

She crouched beside him.

"There are just too many people here today. Let’s go home and celebrate, okay?"

Gabriel’s memory wasn’t always clear these days.

It didn’t take much to distract him.

Rose did her best to reassure him.

*****

Meanwhile, next door.

Daisy was still fuming. "Look at her."

Her face remained cold. "After all these years, she’s still exactly the same. Sent away for so long and she hasn’t changed one bit. She’s rude, aggressive, and impossible to tolerate."

Logan sighed helplessly. "She’s just like her mother. Once she thinks she’s right, she’ll never back down."

"And yet she’s unbelievably lucky."

Daisy frowned. "Out of all people, she managed to marry into the Knight family. Who knows what tricks she used to make that happen?"

What bothered Daisy most was that Rose still refused to let go of her position as Mrs. Knight.

In Daisy’s eyes, Rose had no shame whatsoever.

Suddenly, an idea flashed through her mind.

Her eyes lit up.

She turned toward Logan. "Sam and Ryan are giving that interview today."

Logan immediately understood.

The two exchanged a glance.

Neither spoke.

Neither objected.

After all, in their eyes, Rose was nothing more than an obstacle.

Daisy smiled. "Call the hotel manager."

"I have something I’d like him to do."

*****

Caleb quickly arranged transportation.

Rose pushed Gabriel’s wheelchair toward the hotel lobby.

Suddenly, the giant display screen mounted in the lobby flickered to life.

Rose instinctively looked up.

She frowned.

The banquet had already been canceled.

There was no reason for the screen to be showing anything.

Then she saw who appeared on it.

Her expression changed instantly.

On the screen, Ryan and Samantha stood side by side during their interview.

Samantha’s arm was looped through Ryan’s.

The two looked perfectly matched.

Ryan glanced at her.

His usually cold eyes were unexpectedly gentle.

The reporter asked, "Mr. Knight, Ms. Hill, does this mean wedding bells may be in your future?"

Gabriel heard the voices and instinctively turned his head.

Rose felt as though all the blood in her body rushed to her head at once.

Her limbs went ice cold.

Every nerve in her body seemed to freeze.

"Turn it off!"

At that moment, Caleb returned.

The instant he saw the interview playing across the public screen, his face darkened.

Without hesitation, he strode over and yanked the power cord from the wall.

The screen immediately went black.

By the time Gabriel turned around completely, the images of Ryan and Samantha had vanished.

The old man blinked.

Confusion crossed his face.

He hadn’t quite understood what he’d seen.

Behind him, Rose’s hands trembled violently around the wheelchair handles.

She didn’t dare imagine what would have happened if Gabriel had watched the entire interview.

At his age...

Given his fragile health...

A severe shock could have had devastating consequences.

And that video—

"Hey! Thief!"

A childish voice suddenly echoed through the lobby.

"Give my sister her place back!"

Everyone turned.

A chubby little figure came running through the doorway.

It was a Mike.

Dressed in a tiny suit with a bow tie, he planted his hands on his hips and stared at Rose with all the arrogance of a spoiled prince.

His young face was filled with startling malice.

"You shameless woman!"

He pointed directly at her.

"You stole my sister’s boyfriend! You’re a bad woman!"

Then his eyes shifted toward Gabriel.

A sly smile spread across his face.

Growing even bolder, he said, "My dad says old people are just old people. If you live too long, you’re stealing years from your children. Since you have the same birthday as me, you can’t steal mine."

He grinned. "So why don’t you just—"

SMACK!

The sharp crack of a slap echoed through the lobby.

The unfinished words died instantly in his throat.

Silence fell.