Free Web NovelChapter 90: Chapter 90 A Divorce with Conditions
The hospital was bustling with people.
The noise was deafening.
Ryan’s voice was so quiet that only she could hear it clearly.
The large hand gripping her wrist was warm, yet it felt as though it had suddenly sprouted sharp thorns, piercing her skin.
Rose looked up. Her face—abnormally pale from illness—remained expressionless.
After studying her expression for a moment, Ryan turned to Samantha, whom he was shielding behind him.
“Let’s go check on Mike first.”
Owen, standing behind Ryan, also spoke to Samantha with concern.
“Ms. Hill, there’s no need to worry about things here.”
By then, Samantha’s expression had softened considerably.
Rose’s outburst had genuinely startled her.
For a moment, she had nearly been dragged into the public eye and made a complete fool of herself.
Now that Ryan had stepped in to protect her, Samantha immediately pulled her wrist free from Rose’s grasp.
“I’m fine. Mike is still waiting for me. Come find me when you’re done talking.”
She didn’t want to look at Rose for another second.
Turning around, she walked away.
Who knew whether Rose might lose control again? It was better to stay far away from the conflict.
As soon as Samantha left, Rose understood the message perfectly.
Ryan was afraid she would drag Samantha into the mess and expose the identity of the mistress, so he had arranged for Samantha to leave first.
“I don’t need you to remind me about the divorce.”
She yanked her hand out of his grasp.
Already feverish, the sudden loss of strength nearly caused her to lose her balance.
Ryan reacted quickly.
He reached out and caught her arm, steadying her.
Ignoring her resistance, he brushed the back of his hand against her sweat-dampened forehead and frowned slightly.
“You have a fever?”
The child had died, and her milk had come in.
Rose wanted to laugh.
But laughing now would only make her seem even more pathetic.
She didn’t answer his question.
Instead, she stepped back, silently wiping away the spot he had touched before looking up at him.
“Don’t worry. I won’t delay our divorce.”
Ryan lowered his gaze to watch her wipe her wrist clean.
His expression remained as unreadable as a deep well.
“If acting on impulse in public could solve problems, there would be no difficulties in this world. People would only need to cry.”
How could Rose not understand?
He was saying that her attempt to expose Samantha had been irrational.
Even if the Hill family drove her into a corner, he would still turn a blind eye.
“Word will reach the Knight family soon. You won’t be able to bear the consequences,” Ryan said calmly.
Rose knew he was telling the truth.
But how was she supposed to stay calm after what had happened?
Ryan lowered his gaze.
After a brief pause, he said slowly, “If you have no objections, let’s set a time to discuss the divorce in detail.”
“The seventh. You choose the time.”
Rose gave a date without the slightest hesitation.
She had never understood why Ryan had avoided discussing the divorce in detail before, but now that he was finally putting it on the agenda, that was a good thing.
Neither of them would have to keep holding the other back.
Ryan looked at her for a few seconds before replying calmly, “Okay. On the seventh, come back to the Moon Lake Villa and wait for me.”
His tone was so casual that it sounded as though he were discussing the weather rather than ending a marriage.
Rose had long since grown tired of this relationship.
She simply nodded and turned away.
Perhaps her retreating figure was too decisive.
Owen couldn’t help taking a startled step forward.
“Madam... she didn’t even look back?”
Shouldn’t she be crying and begging Mr. Knight not to divorce her?
What exactly had gone wrong?
Ryan’s dark eyes followed Rose’s retreating figure for a moment before he finally looked away, deep in thought.
He neither chased after her nor questioned whether she was truly determined.
Instead, he turned and headed toward Mike’s hospital room.
******
Rose stopped at a corner.
Dizzy and disoriented, she leaned against the wall for support and remained there for a long time.
She still couldn’t understand why Ryan had spoken as though divorce were being discussed for the first time.
After all, they had been in the process of divorcing for quite some time, and the agreement had already been signed.
But regardless of the reason, it didn’t change the fact that Ryan had brought it up now for Samantha’s sake.
He was protecting Samantha’s reputation and interests.
And he was reminding her—warning her—that they were already on the verge of divorce.
Soon they would be strangers.
She had no right to interfere with his relationship with Samantha.
And she certainly had no right to publicly expose or disgrace Samantha.
Rose fell ill.
She had no choice but to take a day off.
The first thing she did was visit her grandfather.
Only after confirming that Logan had not gone to see him did she finally relax.
She specifically instructed the hospital to prohibit any visitors from seeing her grandfather.
When Diana learned what had happened, she came to take care of her.
After hearing the whole story, Diana scoffed. “He ignored you completely when you wanted a divorce before. But the moment Samantha was about to be exposed, he suddenly made divorce a priority?”
Rose said nothing.
But she silently agreed.
Samantha was the only person capable of stirring Ryan’s emotions.
But that no longer mattered.
The reason they chose the seventh was because Ariel had to return to school on the eighth.
Once the divorce was finalized, Ariel’s life would be more stable.
To prepare for the negotiations, Rose took a strong dose of medicine.
Fortunately, it worked.
*****
On the morning of the seventh, Rose headed directly to the Moon Lake Villa.
Out of habit, she entered the passcode at the door.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
Incorrect password.
Rose froze.
Then it dawned on her.
Ryan had changed the security code.
With the divorce approaching, he wanted a clean break.
Unable to enter the home she had lived in for seven years, Rose felt surprisingly calm.
Since Ryan had changed the code, she could only accept that she was now an outsider.
She rang the doorbell.
The housekeeper hurried over and opened the door.
“Madam, why are you ringing the bell to enter your own home?”
Rose smiled faintly but said nothing.
Soon, it wouldn’t be her home anymore.
As she stepped into the living room, she looked up and saw Ryan descending the staircase.
A man in a suit followed behind him.
Ryan’s gaze lingered on her for two seconds. “Have a seat.”
After the incident with the passcode, Rose had already placed herself firmly in the position of a guest.
She sat down quietly and waited.
Ryan walked over and took the armchair beside her.
The man behind him immediately placed a document in front of Rose.
Rose glanced down.
A divorce agreement.
But it wasn’t the one she and Ryan had signed years ago.
“Take a look,” Ryan said evenly. “If there’s anything you want added, let me know. If you’re satisfied, sign it.”
Anyone listening might have thought they were discussing a business transaction.
Not the end of a marriage.
Rose picked up the agreement.
Although surprised by the need to sign another one, she began reviewing it carefully.
Clause by clause.
Page by page.
Then she froze.
No.
She was stunned.
Ryan had given her far too much.
“What does this mean?” She looked up at him.
Ryan glanced back. “Not satisfied? Which part?”
His gaze remained steady. “Attorney Noah can revise it and draft a new version.”
“No need.” Rose shook her head.
She had no objections.
Redrafting the agreement would only waste time.
She looked down again.
Six hundred million dollars.
A prime-location European Garden Estate worth an incalculable amount.
An office building in the city center.
When she reached the section regarding the mansion, she instinctively glanced around the home they had shared for seven years.
“What about this house?”
The crabapple tree she had planted herself was still in the backyard.
Spring blossoms were almost ready to bloom.
Ryan lifted his eyes. “I have other plans for it.”
A thought flashed through Rose’s mind.
Mike had recently been coming and going freely from this house.
Samantha probably liked it.
Having guessed the reason, she asked no further questions.
She continued reading.
Then another clause caught her attention.
“What does ‘15% equity in Kingswell and 15% effective control rights’ mean?”
“It means exactly what it says,” Ryan replied. “You’ll become one of Kingswell’s major shareholders, with voting rights and annual dividend entitlements.”
Rose understood the words.
What she didn’t understand was why he was giving her so much.
Kingswell was one of the country’s most powerful corporations.
The annual dividends alone would be astronomical.
And he was also granting her influence over company decisions.
When Chairman Knight had forced her to sign the original divorce agreement years ago, she had been offered only three million dollars.
According to the prenuptial agreement, she wasn’t entitled to anything more.
“Is this compensation?” she asked quietly. “Or a bargaining chip?”
Ryan met her gaze.
Rose understood one thing very clearly.
Nothing in this world came for free.
Only then did Ryan gesture toward the final page.
Rose turned to it.
Her eyes immediately lifted to his.
Ryan poured her a cup of black tea and slid it across the table.
His voice remained calm. “I expect you to keep the reasons for our divorce strictly confidential. If circumstances arise—or if your identity as Mrs. Knight is exposed—you must cooperate with me in protecting the company’s public image.”
“So all of this...” Rose looked at him. “Is to keep Samantha’s identity as a mistress hidden and protect her reputation?”
She had immediately found the core issue. “And I’m supposed to continue being your shield?”
Ryan’s expression did not change. “Interpret it however you like.”
Rose almost laughed.
To witness her husband’s devotion, she had to see it reflected through another woman.
Before she could respond, Attorney Noah placed another document in front of her.
“And this,” he said, “is the supplemental agreement regarding child custody.”
