Trick Him Into Divorce, Then Flee With His Unknow Kid

Chapter 86: Chapter 86 Removed from the Project

Rose led Diana downstairs.

The area outside the inpatient ward at Peace Hospital was bustling with people. With spring finally arriving, the weather was no longer bitterly cold.

Rose walked with her eyes lowered, deep in thought.

Meanwhile, Diana chattered nonstop beside her.

"Samantha framed you because she was certain there wasn’t any surveillance footage. How could she not know Isabella pushed her? The moment Isabella shifted the blame, Samantha immediately targeted you. That woman is unbelievably manipulative."

Rose knew that already.

If this matter wasn’t handled properly, it could become a never-ending source of trouble.

Samantha wasn’t going to let it go easily.

To put it bluntly, she was probably still retaliating over the slap Rose had given her before.

"Isn’t that Isabella?"

Diana suddenly pointed ahead.

Rose looked up.

Sure enough, Isabella had just stepped out of a car and was heading toward the hospital entrance.

Without hesitation, Rose walked over and blocked her path.

The moment Isabella saw her, a sneer appeared on her face.

"What? Have you come to apologize to your husband’s mistress?"

Those words confirmed Rose’s suspicions.

Isabella really had shifted the blame onto her.

"Don’t blame me," Isabella said, looking Rose up and down before clicking her tongue. "After all, you have a stronger motive than I do."

She folded her arms. "Samantha and Ethan were only engaged. They weren’t even married. But you? You’ve been married for seven years. She stole your husband. That’s humiliating."

Her smile widened. "Compared to me wanting her gone, people are much more likely to believe that you couldn’t stand her anymore."

So what if she framed Rose?

Most people would find it believable.

The moment Samantha fell down those stairs, Isabella had immediately come to her senses.

Hurting Samantha meant hurting Ryan.

She couldn’t risk Ryan turning his wrath on her.

After all, she was still his aunt.

But Rose?

Rose was practically a discarded wife.

If Ryan wanted to punish someone, Rose was the perfect scapegoat.

And if Margaret ever learned that Isabella had nearly exposed the Knight family’s scandal by causing a public scene, Isabella would never be allowed to take responsibility for it herself.

That very night, she had gone to the hospital.

She had personally told Ryan that Rose was the one who pushed Samantha.

Even now, she remembered the look in Ryan’s eyes.

Dark.

Unreadable.

Terrifying.

The memory had haunted her so badly that she suffered nightmares for two straight nights afterward.

She was grateful she’d shifted the blame quickly enough.

Rose smiled faintly. "Then I wish you all the best, too."

Isabella frowned.

Rose continued calmly, "From now on, you’ll get to hear Samantha call you ’Aunt Isabella’ every day. And when Ethan gets out of prison, he’ll get to call his former fiancée ’Sister-in-law.’"

Her smile widened. "What a harmonious family. The Knight family is sure to enjoy generations of prosperity."

Isabella’s face immediately twisted with disgust.

Without another word, Rose turned and left with Diana.

*****

Back at G.S., Caleb had already heard about everything.

"She didn’t call the police?" he asked.

Rose shook her head. "Samantha knows perfectly well that it wasn’t me. That’s why she won’t report it."

That was the key point.

Caleb fell silent for a moment.

Then he frowned. "I think she has another motive."

Rose looked up.

Her expression remained calm.

"If she won’t report it, then I will." She paused. "I’ll help her out."

Diana instantly understood.

Her eyes widened. "Oh! If she makes a false accusation, she’ll have to deal with the consequences."

Rose nodded. "Exactly."

"If that’s what she wants, let’s grant her wish."

Just then, Caleb’s phone rang.

He glanced at the screen and answered.

As the call continued, his expression became increasingly strange.

Eventually, he let out a bitter laugh.

The call ended moments later.

Diana immediately leaned forward. "What happened? Who upset you?"

Rose was equally puzzled.

Caleb placed his phone on the table.

His face was a mixture of disbelief and amusement.

"It was Samantha." He looked at both of them. "Want to guess what she said?"

Neither woman answered.

Caleb shook his head. "She called to make demands."

His voice turned mocking. "She exaggerated the entire incident and demanded that I fire Rose, remove her from G.S., and kick her off the project team."

Rose immediately understood.

So this was Samantha’s real objective.

By not involving the police, Samantha could pretend to be merciful while achieving what she really wanted.

She wanted Rose gone.

"What she’s saying," Caleb continued, "is that if G.S. refuses to take action against you, she won’t cooperate with Columbia University. Any delays to the project will become your responsibility."

Samantha’s exact words had been: "It’s just a junior researcher. If removing her helps President Byrne avoid unnecessary trouble, then it’s worth it. Rose’s departure won’t affect the project in the slightest."

A junior researcher?

Caleb almost laughed.

Rose was Aster.

The core architect behind the Aetheris Medical AI database.

For this cardiovascular research project, she had practically overseen the entire drug development process.

And Samantha wanted to remove the backbone of the team?

Had Ryan spoiled her so much that she’d forgotten her place?

Surprisingly, Rose remained calm.

In a way, Samantha was thinking exactly what Rose was thinking.

Looking at Caleb, she said, "She’s delayed the project for long enough. Under the terms of the original contract, she’s already committed a serious breach."

Her eyes narrowed. "We can discuss removing her from the project with Columbia University."

If Samantha wanted to act superior, Rose was more than willing to indulge her.

Caleb immediately understood.

After a moment of thought, he suddenly smiled.

"Dr. Nathan still has tremendous influence at Columbia."

His eyebrows rose. "If we bring this to him directly, things will move much faster."

He chuckled. "Especially since he’s still furious about what Samantha’s brother did to Ariel."

That would eliminate any hesitation Columbia might have because Ryan was an investor.

Rose nodded.

Everything had a cause.

And every cause eventually had consequences.

Sometimes it was best to let the responsible party deal with them personally.

*****

Meanwhile, Samantha wasn’t in any hurry to leave the hospital.

Her injuries were minor.

The real reason she stayed was because she was waiting for G.S.’s response.

Once Rose was gone, Samantha could immediately return to work.

The clinical trials had already begun.

She was eager to move forward.

More importantly, she wanted the authorship and credit for the drug development finalized.

Nothing mattered more than that.

Today, Daisy and Logan were visiting her.

While peeling an apple, Daisy asked, "What did G.S. say?"

Samantha smiled confidently. "President Byrne didn’t give me an answer right away, but it’s basically guaranteed."

She casually flipped a page in her textbook. "There’s no way he’d offend Ryan and me over a junior researcher."

Once Rose was gone, she’d lose any chance of receiving credit for the project.

And she certainly wouldn’t have an excuse to keep appearing around Ryan.

This was the best possible outcome.

Logan sighed. "Rose has always been stubborn. She never backs down once she thinks she’s right. Maybe this setback will finally teach her a lesson."

Daisy snorted. "Sending her to the countryside wasn’t enough to discipline her."

Her eyes filled with resentment. "She’s a disaster wherever she goes."

If she had known things would turn out this way, she would’ve had Logan send Rose even farther away.

Then Rose never would’ve become Mrs. Knight.

That position should have belonged to her daughter.

"It doesn’t matter anymore." Samantha smiled slowly. "Once she’s expelled, she won’t be a thorn in my side again."

Only then did Daisy smile with satisfaction.

"Exactly." She patted Samantha’s hand. "She could live ten more lifetimes and still never compare to you."

At that moment, Samantha’s phone rang.

She glanced at the caller ID.

It was the person in charge at Columbia University.

Her smile widened.

She assumed they were calling with good news.

Perhaps Rose had already been removed.

Perhaps they wanted her to return and resume work.

Confidently, she answered the call.

The moment the line connected, the other party spoke.

"Ms. Hill, I’m very sorry."

The tone was formal.

Professional.

"However, our collaboration with you has come to an end."

Samantha’s smile froze.

"The university president has personally intervened."

The voice continued. "You will no longer participate in the remaining stages of research and development or the upcoming clinical trials."

Samantha sat upright instantly.

Her expression changed. "What do you mean?"

The reply came without hesitation. "You’ve been removed from the project team."

A brief pause followed. "This is not a discussion. It’s a notification."