Free Web NovelChapter 52: Chapter 52 The Bennett Family Heirloom
This time, Jordan was even more surprised by Samantha’s composure.
This was the confidence of a legitimate girlfriend—something no scheming homewrecker trying to take her place could ever match.
His gaze darkened as he looked back toward Rose, feeling an indescribable sense of disappointment.
“Aren’t you going to go over there and confront her?”
A flicker crossed Samantha’s eyes before she replied calmly, “We’re both women. Why make things difficult for each other? As long as Ryan has me in his heart, he won’t give anyone else the chance to come between us.”
Only then did Jordan’s gaze toward Samantha take on a newfound admiration.
She truly was a woman worthy of Ryan’s affection.
She really was extraordinary.
“Mr. Dutch, let’s just pretend we didn’t see anything. Let’s spare her some dignity.” Samantha smiled faintly and turned away with effortless grace.
Jordan watched her retreating figure.
Generous. Gentle. Confident.
Not the least bit petty or competitive.
He had actually thought Rose was a cut above her before.
He had truly misjudged the situation.
*****
After parting ways with Ryan, Rose met up with Caleb.
Caleb leaned closer and said, “Your love life is about to take off. Why not go out and date? Your soon-to-be ex-husband can’t have all the fun, can he?”
Rose took a sip of juice and looked at him.
“...What?”
Caleb pointed toward Jordan, who was speaking with someone nearby.
“Mr. Dutch seems interested in you. Check your WhatsApp—he asked me to send you his contact information.”
“Oh. I guess he has good taste.” Rose casually popped a piece of fruit into her mouth, looking completely unsurprised.
She had never lacked admirers back in school.
Unfortunately, she had secretly fallen for Ryan.
For better or worse, her heart had become hopelessly entangled with him.
From her teenage years to twenty-six...
All those years had slipped by in the blink of an eye.
At such a young age, she had taken the shortest possible route straight to heartbreak.
Caleb couldn’t help laughing at her shameless confidence.
The truth was, Rose had always been cheerful and bright.
If not for the hardships of marriage over the years, she would have been a truly radiant woman.
Rose didn’t immediately check her phone.
She had come to the exhibition partly to make connections and partly in the hope of finding some trace of her family’s missing heirlooms among the antique collections.
Moving from floor to floor, she carefully examined the displays.
Maybe fortune was finally on her side.
On the third floor, something inside a glass display case caught her eye.
It was a small, exquisitely carved rosewood pendant.
Her grandmother’s heirloom.
Family stories said that long before her grandparents married, her grandmother had lost the pendant. Her grandfather had found it and returned it to her, and that chance encounter had become the beginning of their love story.
Over the years, the pendant had come to symbolize the enduring bond between them—a cherished family keepsake passed down through generations.
It was one of the items that had disappeared when the family’s collection was sold off years ago.
A chill raced through Rose as she hurried toward the display case.
She would recognize it anywhere.
She had worn that pendant around her neck throughout her childhood.
Before Logan sent her away to the countryside, it had rarely left her neck.
Later, Samantha had taken it from her by force.
After keeping it for years and treating it as her own, Samantha had eventually sold it.
Rose’s pulse quickened as she scanned the room.
She needed to speak with Jordan.
If possible, she wanted to buy it back.
She had only taken a few steps when she spotted Jordan walking directly toward her.
Her eyes shone with excitement as she approached him.
“Mr. Dutch, could we talk for a moment?”
Jordan froze when he saw the eager light in her eyes.
For some reason, that look pierced him.
But then the image of Rose clinging to Ryan flashed through his mind.
The strange feeling immediately disappeared.
His lips curled into a faint smile.
“Am I just your second choice?”
Rose blinked. “What?”
She had no idea what he was talking about.
Just as she was about to ask whether she could purchase the rosewood pendant, Samantha’s cheerful voice rang out behind her.
“Ryan, this rosewood pendant is so beautiful and unique. The meaning behind it is lovely too. I really like it. I wonder if Mr. Dutch would be willing to sell it to me?”
The warmth in Rose’s eyes seemed to be extinguished by a bucket of ice water.
She turned around.
Samantha was bent over the display case, admiring the rosewood pendant.
Then she looked up at the man beside her with a smile.
A faint smile tugged at Ryan’s lips as he glanced past Rose toward Jordan.
“Mr. Dutch, would you be willing to part with it?”
That willingness to grant any request Samantha made felt like a knife twisting in Rose’s chest.
Her heart clenched painfully.
Immediately, she turned to Jordan.
“Could you sell it to me instead? I’ll pay whatever price you name.”
The smile on Samantha’s face slowly faded.
“Ms. Bennett, do you really have to compete with me for everything?”
Jordan frowned as well.
Everything suddenly clicked into place.
Wasn’t Rose only trying to buy it because Samantha wanted it?
First, she had tried to steal someone else’s boyfriend.
Now she was openly trying to snatch away something Samantha liked.
It was simply too brazen.
Rose stared at Samantha expressionlessly.
“Compete with you? Are you planning to write your name on it just because you looked at it first?”
Could Samantha truly not remember this small-leaf rosewood pendant?
She had snatched it from Rose’s neck more than a decade ago.
And now she was acting as though Rose were the one stealing it?
Samantha’s gaze swept leisurely over Rose from head to toe.
Then she smiled.
“Ms. Bennett, why are you being so hostile? I thought I’d been perfectly polite to you. There’s no reason to harbor such animosity toward me.”
Rose was exhausted by Samantha’s habit of twisting every situation.
Even when she had done nothing wrong, somehow the blame always landed on her.
“Mr. Dutch, please name your price.”
Rose refused to get dragged into Samantha’s trap and pinned all her hopes on Jordan instead.
Jordan looked toward Samantha.
Samantha met his gaze at exactly the right moment and smiled helplessly.
“It’s okay, Mr. Dutch. I can give it up.”
“If you like it, there’s no need to.”
A low, calm voice drifted through the air.
A chill instantly ran down Rose’s spine, as though a venomous snake had wrapped itself around her throat.
Slowly, she turned toward Ryan.
His gaze swept across the crowd, pausing briefly on her face before settling on Jordan.
“Mr. Dutch, would you do me a favor? Money is no object.”
Samantha looked up at him in surprise.
After casting a contemptuous glance at Rose, a sweet smile blossomed across her face.
“Ryan, thank you for being so good to me.”
Rose’s nails dug deep into her palms.
She could hardly believe Ryan was willing to owe someone a favor simply to buy Samantha a gift.
Who in the room didn’t understand the value of a favor from Ryan Knight, CEO of Kingswell Group?
It was worth far more than money.
Helplessly, she watched the loving couple standing side by side.
Ryan’s open favoritism toward Samantha felt as though her heart were being ground into the dirt beneath his feet.
Could Ryan possibly not understand the meaning behind this rosewood pendant?
Of course he understood.
Giving it to Samantha was his way of wishing for everlasting love and lifelong devotion.
Their bond was already so deep...
Jordan finally understood just how much Ryan cared for Samantha.
A relationship like that could never be shaken by a woman trying to come between them.
He smiled at Rose, satisfaction evident in his eyes.
“I’m sorry, Ms. Bennett, but I can’t ignore President Knight’s devotion. Perhaps you should offer them your blessings instead.”
Rose immediately understood.
The outcome had already been decided.
Ryan’s intervention alone was enough to guarantee her defeat.
“The item itself isn’t particularly valuable,” Jordan said. “My grandfather purchased it for only 1.1 million dollars back then. But since Mr. Knight treasures Ms. Hill so deeply, I’ll sell it for $990,000 as a symbol of lasting happiness. What do you think?”
As a businessman, Jordan had handled the matter perfectly.
He had preserved everyone’s dignity, gained Ryan’s favor, and lost nothing in the process.
Ryan nodded slightly.
“Then thank you, Mr. Dutch, for parting with it.”
Rose’s chest rose and fell sharply.
She struggled to keep her emotions under control.
This is a testament to my grandparents’ lifelong devotion—a love as steadfast and brilliant as the sun.
And now this Bennett family heirloom is being handed to Samantha, a woman involved in someone else’s marriage.
It’s an insult to grandparents’ feelings.
An insult to their love.
She could not accept such humiliation.
