Free Web NovelChapter 69: Chapter 69 A Public Show of Devotion
Rose furrowed her brow as well.
“Samantha has a spot too?”
Diana slumped into her chair, equally indignant. “Do you know who she represents? New Hope! She’s representing a company under Ryan’s umbrella. With so many talented people at New Hope, Samantha is still so inexperienced—this special exception is just too blatant!”
But what could be done?
This program had selected ten medical companies nationwide.
As a top-tier company, New Hope was bound to participate.
Rose hadn’t expected Samantha to be placed at New Hope, so resources were naturally flowing to her nonstop. It seemed Ryan was serious when he mentioned giving her a smart healthcare project last time...
Moreover, Samantha was representing New Hope this time.
New Hope was a leading company in the smart healthcare industry—this was essentially a major boost to Samantha’s profile.
“I just talked to the boss and arranged for you two to appear on the live stream at different times. If you two were on camera together, it would be a total disaster!” Diana still couldn’t stomach the idea.
She sat up again to send a WhatsApp message to her boss.
Rose felt no stirrings in her heart.
After all, this was her soon-to-be ex-husband’s business. The incident with the burned wedding photos had actually helped her adjust to her role as an ex-wife ahead of time. As long as it didn’t affect her personal life, she didn’t care how much they flaunted their affection.
Diana’s outburst actually paid off.
Her boss was probably fed up with her, so he agreed to switch things up for the first episode and have Samantha appear first.
Diana was dissatisfied again. “Why does she get to be the first one on camera?”
She pretended to send another message to the boss.
Rose hurried to stop her. “We shouldn’t push our luck. If the boss takes a dim view of you later, it’ll be a real headache.”
Diana tapped the table. “It’s all because Samantha has New Hope backing her. The boss is just playing favorites!”
Rose was well aware of this.
Although G.S. was considered a top-tier player in the industry, compared to a top-tier company like New Hope, it was indeed still relegated to the background.
After all, Samantha relied on Ryan’s influence.
“Since I won’t be on camera for the first episode, I’ll stick around to see what your work environment is like.” Rose had actually set aside time specifically for this today; she rarely got a chance to learn about Diana’s work.
She was genuinely curious.
Besides, progress at Columbia University was still stalled.
She wasn’t in a hurry anymore.
Diana chuckled. “Sure, I’ll let you experience it. Besides Samantha, there are several highly respected medical veterans here today. She’s the least experienced one, so I’ll have every reason to give her the least screen time—just to drive that show-off woman crazy!”
Since Samantha was using Ryan’s special privileges to attend, then as the event’s director, Diana had every right to deny her any extra screen time.
After all, with the senior experts present, she couldn’t very well let Samantha steal the spotlight, could she?
Rose raised an eyebrow with a chuckle. “Settling a personal score?”
Diana snorted. “Exactly. That’s why it’s so important to hold the reins of power. Girl, focus on your career. With power and ability in hand, you’ll have the final say. Men? You can’t rely on them forever.”
Rose actually agreed with this general principle.
In your twenties, you’re bound to get caught up in the whirlpool of romance, and your perspective can easily become narrow and limited.
Habitually relying on others is a slow-acting poison.
It erodes your sense of self bit by bit—addictive yet illusory. Once the other person pulls away, it feels like the world is collapsing. By then, rebuilding yourself means facing double the difficulty.
Everyone in the recording studio was rushing about.
Yet Rose inexplicably loved this feeling.
Everyone was striving toward their own goals.
Diana held the walkie-talkie, making arrangements in an orderly fashion.
Rose sat right beside her, watching her slip into work mode.
Before long, an assistant rushed over.
“Boss, Ms. Hill is here.”
Diana waved her hand dismissively. “So she’s here. Is she the Queen of England or something? Do I have to go greet her?”
Only then did the assistant exclaim excitedly, “No! It’s not just her—Mr. Knight, the big boss of Kingswell Group, is here with her! We just got new instructions from headquarters saying Mr. Knight is willing to grace us with his presence and appear on camera with Ms. Hill!”
Rose’s hand, which had been flipping through the schedule, froze.
A flash of astonishment crossed her eyes.
Ryan had always disliked these kinds of public events.
Getting an interview with him was as difficult as climbing Mount Everest, no matter how hard people tried.
And now...
He was actually willing to appear on Samantha’s show, to accompany her, to play second fiddle, and to serve as her supporting actor?
Diana’s expression changed.
She had guessed what Rose was thinking.
Yet she still gritted her teeth and asked, “What does Ryan mean by this?”
Rose lowered her eyes, running her fingertips over the script. Her gaze fell on her ring finger—now bare of the wedding ring she had worn for seven years.
Even though she had taken it off some time ago, a faint ring mark still lingered at the base of her finger.
It hadn’t completely faded yet.
It served as a constant reminder of a certain humiliation.
“He’ll find out everything there is to know about Samantha, including the show she’s set to appear on. I imagine he knows you’re the producer and has guessed that you might cut her screen time, limiting her opportunities to shine. So... he’s accompanying her to the event. With him there to back her up, the network will take her incredibly seriously and give her plenty of preferential treatment and extended screen time.”
Rose had always been sharp.
She figured out the whole situation almost immediately.
A man as clever as Ryan—how could he have failed to consider this?
But doing this...
It was tantamount to hinting to the outside world that their relationship was anything but casual.
“I’m going to see the boss!” Diana jumped to her feet.
Rose took a deep breath and gripped her hand. “It’s no use. Everyone knows how valuable it is for Ryan to step in. You’ll just end up getting the cold shoulder, and if that gets you removed from the show, it’ll be a disaster.”
Diana turned back, her eyes filled with both stubbornness and heartache.
“But what about you? This show reaches such a wide audience—it’s even included in educational video resources at many schools. Ariel’s school will definitely show the segment on medical innovation and healthcare technology. Grandpa might even see it...”
Was she supposed to let her closest relatives watch her husband—whom she hadn’t even officially divorced yet—parade around town with his mistress?
That would be absolutely devastating for Rose!
Rose actually didn’t care at all about how affectionate Ryan and Samantha were with each other, but Diana was speaking the truth.
It was highly likely that Ariel would see this livestream.
As the child grew older, if this footage were preserved, it would inevitably lead Ariel to understand the tragic reality of her mother’s marriage—dirty, corrupt, and disgraceful.
This would be extremely detrimental to the child’s developing worldview.
Rose silently squeezed Diana’s hand.
She asked the assistant, “Where are they right now?”
The assistant recognized Rose—Diana’s best friend—so she didn’t hide anything and pointed in a direction.
“Over by the dressing room. The guests are getting their makeup and styling done, and Mr. Knight is accompanying Ms. Hill.”
Diana looked at her with concern. “What are you thinking?”
Rose rubbed the ring mark at the base of her finger, as if doing so could wash it away.
“I’m going to talk to him.”
