Chapter 465 No Room For Negotiation
Rose looked into Ryan’s dark eyes.
Her reflection was still visible in them, but his gaze was no longer as sharp as it had once been. His vision was beginning to blur, yet he was still trying to focus on her face as though he were afraid that if he looked away, she might disappear.
He’d said he wasn’t going to make her worry anymore.
Rose’s lips trembled.
Her eyes were red around the edges, but her expression remained cold.
She gave a humorless scoff.
"Keep dreaming. You’re not getting off that easily."
Ryan simply looked at her.
He didn’t answer.
Rose stopped arguing and pulled him down the mountain.
As they walked, Ryan quietly moved loose stones and branches out of the way whenever he noticed them.
He followed her without resistance.
After a long while, they reached the villa.
Ryan stopped at the entrance.
"I come to the temple every year."
His voice was quiet.
"If there really is a God, maybe I wouldn’t be like this."
He stayed here for a short while every year.
Every time, he prayed.
And every time, his prayers were for Rose.
Even the small blue pouch he carried had come from that temple.
The little charm inside bore her name.
It wasn’t meant to protect him.
It was for her.
Ryan himself had never truly believed that God or Buddha would save him.
But when it came to Rose...
He had always allowed himself a little hope.
Rose stopped.
She turned to face him.
"If God won’t protect you, then ask me."
Her expression was completely serious.
"Maybe I can keep you alive."
Ryan looked at her without saying anything.
Rose had already made up her mind.
She was going to operate.
"I’ve spent the last several days with Robert and his team. We’ve finalized a preliminary plan."
She looked down at the hand she was still holding.
"You’re coming back to Germany with me today."
Ryan’s expression remained calm.
Rose looked directly into his eyes.
"Ryan, if you refuse, I’ll sedate you and take you with me."
Ryan’s eyebrows lifted slightly.
"I used to have to coax you into listening to me when you were younger."
Her voice was completely matter-of-fact.
"Now I am done asking."
Ryan was silent for several seconds.
Then he smiled faintly.
"You’ve always been like this."
Rose frowned.
"When you were young, you were gentle but persistent."
His smile deepened slightly.
"Now you’re just ruthless."
His expression gradually turned serious.
"But you don’t need to involve yourself in this."
Rose didn’t answer.
"If the surgery fails..."
His voice remained calm.
"If I die on the operating table, what will you do?"
Rose’s eyes flickered.
"What will you think? Have you considered what that would do to you?"
From the beginning, Ryan had never wanted Rose to know he was sick.
He had wanted them to disappear from each other’s lives completely.
She could hate him.
She could believe that he’d simply chosen to walk away.
She could move on.
But if she knew he was dying, Ryan knew her too well.
She would never stand by and do nothing.
And once Rose involved herself in his treatment, she would inevitably feel responsible for the outcome.
If he died after she had tried to save him, she might blame herself for the rest of her life.
He couldn’t bear that.
It would have been easier if she never knew.
The best thing he could give her was a life without him—one where she could move forward without carrying his death with her.
Rose looked at him.
"Are you worried I’ll be heartbroken if you die?"
Ryan’s gaze lowered.
Rose looked away.
"You don’t need to worry about that."
Her voice was deliberately cold.
"I won’t let myself fall apart over you."
She took a breath.
"And I won’t let you die."
Ryan stared at her.
"How to perform the surgery is my problem. You don’t need to spend your time worrying about it."
Rose tightened her grip on his wrist.
"Go pack."
Ryan looked at her for a moment.
Then he turned and walked inside.
"I don’t want to go."
His tone was indifferent.
"It’s peaceful here. I’ll stay."
Rose stared at his back.
Her teeth clenched.
She had known it.
Ryan was one of the most stubborn and calculating people she’d ever met.
Once he’d made a decision, almost nothing could change his mind.
That was how things had ended up like this in the first place.
Rose’s face was pale.
She clenched her fists.
Then she reached into her bag.
She had come prepared.
If talking wouldn’t work, she wasn’t going to waste time pretending it would.
Rose followed him inside.
Ryan had barely reached the hallway when he felt a sharp prick in his upper arm.
He froze.
He turned around.
Rose stood behind him, holding a small medical syringe.
Her expression was utterly resolute.
"Rose, you—"
He didn’t finish.
His eyelids became heavy.
His knees buckled.
Rose caught him before he hit the floor.
She had prepared the medication before coming here.
She wasn’t actually going to spend hours pleading with Ryan.
His condition couldn’t wait.
And she knew him well enough to know that once he’d decided to refuse treatment, persuasion might not work at all.
She had warned him.
She wasn’t here to coax him.
She was here to save him.
Rose had prepared thoroughly.
The moment she’d arrived back in the United States, she’d already started making arrangements for a medical charter to transport Ryan directly to Germany.
If Ryan wanted to be angry with her, he could do it after they landed.
For now, staying alive came first.
By the time they boarded the aircraft, Ryan was lying on a medical stretcher.
Even unconscious, his brow was faintly furrowed.
His skin had always been fair, but illness had drained even more color from his face.
Without his usual composure and sharp expression, his physical condition was impossible to hide.
Rose sat beside him.
She looked at his increasingly gaunt face and slowly leaned her head back against the seat.
She didn’t allow herself to think too much.
Not now.
Before takeoff, she called Owen.
"Owen."
"Ms. Bennett?"
"Ryan has always kept emergency blood products available because of his clotting disorder, hasn’t he?"
Owen hesitated.
"Yes."
"Then I need them transferred to Germany immediately."
Rose’s voice was firm.
"Have the appropriate specialists arrange transport and make sure they’re stored under the required conditions."
Plasma and specialized clotting-factor products couldn’t simply be thrown into a suitcase and carried onto a plane.
They required controlled storage and proper medical transport.
And Ryan’s situation was too complicated for ordinary blood products to be enough.
His clotting problem dramatically increased the risk of uncontrolled bleeding during surgery.
Robert had already mentioned that Ryan had arranged specialized blood products for emergencies.
Rose needed to know those products were ready before they operated.
"Understood," Owen said.
Rose ended the call.
She checked Ryan’s vital signs again.
His condition was fragile.
She administered the medication according to the treatment plan they’d prepared, taking care not to further destabilize him.
The sedative was only intended to last for a few hours.
But Ryan remained deeply unconscious.
That kept Rose on edge throughout the flight.
She repeatedly checked his breathing and vital signs and was prepared to have him placed on continuous cardiac and oxygen monitoring if anything changed.
The flight took more than seven hours.
By the time they landed, Robert had already arranged a medical vehicle to meet them.
It was equipped for emergency transport and stocked with everything they might need.
Robert had assumed Ryan had finally agreed to return.
He expected to see the man walking off the plane with Rose.
Instead, he saw Ryan being wheeled toward him unconscious.
Robert stopped dead.
His eyes moved from Ryan to Rose.
"You..."
He blinked.
"Did you use force?"
Rose looked exhausted.
"Yes."
Robert stared at her.
Rose rubbed her forehead.
"I wasn’t in the mood to spend another day arguing with him."
Robert didn’t know whether to laugh or sigh.
"Only you."
Rose glanced at Ryan.
"Time is life right now."
Robert looked at the unconscious man again.
Then he quietly touched his nose.
"Apparently, you’re the only person who can get Ryan to do what he’s told."
There was a faint amusement in his voice.
But the situation was far too serious for anyone to laugh for long.
A specialized medical facility had already been prepared for Ryan in Germany.
When they arrived, Charlotte was waiting.
The moment she saw Ryan being wheeled inside, she stared.
Then she looked at Rose.
"Did you knock him out?"
Rose nodded.
"More or less."
Charlotte’s mouth fell open.
"...I thought the two of you were going to have some emotional reunion."
She glanced at Ryan.
"You know, tears, hugs, dramatic declarations of love..."
Then she looked back at Rose.
"Instead, you kidnapped him."
Rose ignored her.
The surgical date was already being arranged.
But before anything could happen, Ryan needed a complete reassessment.
He hadn’t had a proper follow-up in far too long.
Robert ordered extensive blood work, updated imaging, neurological testing, and a full preoperative evaluation.
While Ryan was still unconscious, several blood samples were drawn and sent to the laboratory.
Rose remained nearby.
She was still worried that Ryan might resist once he woke up.
So she turned to Charlotte.
"Can you arrange security?"
Charlotte blinked.
"Security?"
"I want someone outside his room."
Rose’s expression didn’t change.
"Actually, make that several people."
Charlotte stared at her.
Then she gave Rose a thumbs-up.
"Ryan is incredibly lucky to have you."
Rose didn’t answer.
She wasn’t feeling lucky.
She was terrified.
The surgical system Rose had proposed was already being prepared for testing.
The blood products were just as important.
Without appropriate clotting support, the surgery could become impossible.
Then Owen called.
Rose answered immediately.
"Owen?"
There was silence on the other end.
Then his voice came.
"I’m sorry."
Rose’s expression changed.
"The blood products..."
Owen swallowed.
"They’re gone."