Chapter 369 The Price of Her Freedom
Rowan didn’t back down.
He and Rose had known each other for years—since they were teenagers—and everyone in the Knight family knew how close they were.
Yet Ryan was still sitting right there, Rose’s former husband, and he hadn’t said a word while Rowan was practically throwing himself in front of her.
The atmosphere in the room grew increasingly tense.
Margaret clutched her chest. “Rowan, are you trying to give me a heart attack? Come here. Now.”
“Grandma?”
Seeing that she looked unwell, Rowan immediately went to her side and helped steady her.
Edward Knight remained expressionless. With a small wave of his hand, he gave the order.
Two men stepped forward and seized Rose by the arms.
The old butler tightened his grip on the whip and approached.
Rose struggled, but there was no way she could overpower them.
Her heart began pounding.
She had seen what the Knight family’s punishments could do. She still remembered Ethan being dragged away with his back torn open.
The memory sent a wave of fear through her.
She tried to pull free.
Then, almost instinctively, her eyes flicked toward Ryan.
He was still sitting in his wheelchair, half-hidden in the shadows, his expression impossible to read.
Rowan immediately tried to move toward her again, but Margaret held him back.
“Ryan!” Rowan shouted desperately. “Please, help Rose. I’m begging you.”
The word begging caught Ryan off guard.
His own younger brother was asking him for mercy.
Ryan’s expression remained calm, giving nothing away.
Rose wasn’t surprised.
In fact, she had expected exactly this.
A bitter, self-mocking smile touched her lips.
Ryan had never cared whether she lived or died. Why would he suddenly care now?
“Ryan!”
Rowan’s normally easygoing voice was filled with urgency.
But Ryan said nothing.
Neither did anyone else.
No one seemed surprised by his silence. For seven years, everyone had watched Ryan keep Rose at arm’s length. No one believed he would suddenly protect her.
Rose stopped struggling.
There was no point.
The old butler raised the whip.
It came down.
Crack!
Rose braced herself for the pain.
But nothing happened.
She slowly opened her eyes.
An arm was wrapped protectively across her back.
A white shirt.
Blood spreading across the fabric.
Rose froze.
She turned her head.
Ryan was standing behind her.
At some point, he had gotten out of his wheelchair and stepped between her and the whip.
Edward Knight’s expression finally changed.
His eyes narrowed as he stared at his eldest grandson.
“What exactly are you doing?”
To him, the idea that Ryan would protect Rose made no sense.
Rowan stared as well.
Margaret looked utterly bewildered.
“Ryan, what are you doing?” she demanded. “You actually took the hit for her. Do you still have feelings for Rose?”
Rose could hear Ryan’s heartbeat.
She stared at the red mark spreading across his arm.
He must have been in considerable pain.
Yet his face remained completely expressionless.
When their eyes met, Ryan lowered his arm.
“Don’t read too much into it.”
His voice was cold.
“Rose and I are divorced. Whatever happened between us is over. If the Knight family publicly punishes a woman who is no longer part of this family, people will talk.”
Edward Knight glanced at the injury on Ryan’s arm.
“Are you saying I was wrong?”
Ryan’s gaze shifted toward the two men still holding Rose.
The men immediately released her.
Ryan looked back at his grandfather.
“Rose and I have no relationship anymore. That’s a fact.”
He paused.
“She’s also been accepted by the Robinson family and is going to marry Trevor. If we punish her now, we’ll be creating an unnecessary conflict with the Robinsons.”
His tone remained completely businesslike.
“Some problems are better solved through negotiation than force.”
Edward Knight narrowed his eyes.
He understood his grandson better than anyone.
Ryan had always been rational, calculating, and ruthless when necessary.
He never did anything without a reason.
Margaret, however, was still focused on his injured arm.
“But you still got hurt because of her,” she said. “If you still have feelings for Rose, you could always reconsider the divorce. Maybe the two of you could—”
“No.”
Ryan cut her off without hesitation.
“I have no intention of reconciling with Rose.”
Margaret fell silent.
Ryan looked toward Edward Knight.
“Why don’t we negotiate directly with the Robinson family?”
Rose’s heart lurched.
She had a sudden, terrible feeling about where this was going.
Then Ryan calmly said, “The Robinsons clearly value Rose. So let’s make them an offer.”
He paused.
“If they’re willing to give us the West Road property in exchange for letting Rose have a peaceful wedding, then everyone wins.”
The room went silent.
Even Edward Knight looked at him differently.
The West Road property was extremely valuable. Several major companies had been fighting over it for months.
The Robinson family also had powerful connections and could push approvals through far faster than most competitors.
Ryan was proposing to use Rose as leverage.
Even though Rose had already guessed it, hearing him say it aloud still felt like a knife twisting inside her chest.
She stared at him.
Ryan met her eyes.
“Rose and Trevor have a daughter.”
His voice remained calm.
“A daughter who was conceived while Rose was still married to me.”
Rose’s fingers curled into her palms.
Ryan continued.
“That puts the Robinson family in an awkward position. If the truth becomes public, Trevor’s father could be accused of being involved with a married woman. The scandal would damage the Robinson family’s reputation.”
He spoke as though he were discussing a routine business transaction.
“They may decide that giving up one piece of property is a small price to pay for keeping the matter quiet.”
Rose’s face went pale.
Ryan didn’t look away.
“If Trevor withdraws from the bidding, that’s his choice. Either way, the Knight family loses nothing.”
Then he reached for Rose’s hand.
Her fingers were clenched so tightly that her nails had nearly broken the skin.
Ryan slowly pried them apart.
“Either way,” he said quietly, “you’re more useful to us unharmed than punished.”
He released her hand.
Then he leaned back in his wheelchair as though nothing unusual had happened.
“The Knight family won’t lose anything. And if we want Rose to remain useful as a bargaining chip, punishing her today would be counterproductive.”
Everything he said was logical.
That was what made it hurt even more.
Edward Knight understood the strategy immediately.
Business had never been about kindness.
If you refused to use every advantage available to you, someone else would.
And Ryan had found the perfect leverage.
Rose swallowed hard.
Her throat burned.
She had known Ryan was cold.
She had known he could be ruthless.
But hearing him reduce her to a bargaining chip still shattered something inside her.
Her eyes reddened.
She looked at him with bitter disbelief.
“Ryan...”
Her voice trembled.
“Do you have any heart at all?”
For a moment, no one spoke.
Ryan looked at her.
His expression remained unreadable.
He didn’t answer.
Rowan finally couldn’t take it anymore.
He stepped forward, his hands tightening into fists.
“Ryan.”
His voice was low but firm.
“Rose was your wife for seven years. How can you keep hurting her like this?”