Chapter 458 The Truth Beneath the Silence
Julia suddenly stepped forward.
The cold, calculating expression she usually wore had completely disappeared. Her face had darkened as memories she had deliberately buried for years came rushing back, dragging emotions she could no longer control to the surface.
“Ryan.” Her voice tightened. “What are you trying to do?”
Ryan looked at her and gave a faint smile.
“So you haven’t forgotten after all, President Ellis.” His voice was quiet. “You must feel a little guilty.”
The colour drained from Julia’s lips.
Ryan knew.
He had probably found something.
“Ryan!”
Trevor grabbed Ryan by the arm, his grip so hard it nearly crushed the bones beneath his fingers. His breathing was heavy, his expression cold.
“You told Rose?”
The sight of Trevor—a man normally known for his restraint and impeccable self-control—losing his composure was startling.
The corners of Ryan’s eyes lifted slightly.
There was no warmth in his smile.
He twisted his arm free with a sharp movement.
“President Ellis and Rose’s mother, Sophia, used to be close professionally. They were rivals, but also friends and, in some ways, mentors to each other.”
Julia’s expression changed.
Ryan continued calmly.
“The day Sophia died, she was supposed to be competing with you for an important project, wasn’t she?”
Julia’s breathing became uneven.
Ryan lowered his gaze.
“You were there when she fell into the lake.”
“I didn’t hurt her!”
The words burst out of Julia before she could stop herself.
Her eyes were bloodshot as she glared at Ryan.
“You want to accuse me of killing her, don’t you? Is that what you’re trying to say? What do you know? You weren’t there! You don’t know anything!”
“I never said you killed her.”
Ryan looked at her calmly.
“Why are you so defensive?”
Julia froze.
Ryan’s voice grew colder.
“Unless your own conscience has been telling you that you were responsible.”
“You—”
Julia’s eyes widened.
“Enough!”
Trevor grabbed Ryan by the tie and pulled him closer.
“If you’re going to use this to threaten my mother, then there’s nothing left for us to discuss.”
Ryan didn’t even flinch.
“What are you afraid of?”
Trevor’s jaw tightened.
Ryan stared directly at him.
“Are you afraid I’ll tell Rose what happened?”
His voice remained level, but every word landed like a blade.
“Back then, your mother was wary of Sophia. She admired her, too. Sophia was talented, composed, and exceptionally good at what she did. Your mother had to work twice as hard to keep up with her.”
Julia’s face grew paler.
“When Sophia disappeared from that project, your mother got exactly what she wanted. She secured the deal, gained a stronger position within the Robinson family, and eventually used that position to take control.”
Ryan paused.
“Tell me something, President Ellis. If Sophia hadn’t disappeared that day, do you really think you could have beaten her?”
Julia’s fingers began to tremble.
Ryan continued.
“You were there when she fell. You knew she was in trouble.”
His eyes were ice-cold.
“And instead of making sure she was rescued immediately, you chose to secure the deal first. You used those few precious minutes to finish the negotiations while Sophia was missing.”
“Shut up!”
Julia’s voice broke.
She staggered backward.
The secret she had carried for years had finally been dragged into the light.
She had admired Sophia.
Even then.
Sophia had been brilliant—graceful without being weak, powerful without needing to prove it. They had respected each other, but their ambitions had always put them on opposite sides.
And yes, Julia had been there that day.
She had called for help when Sophia fell.
But then...
She had made a choice.
A terrible one.
She had told herself that Sophia could hold on.
Twenty minutes.
She only needed twenty minutes to secure the deal.
Twenty minutes couldn’t possibly make that much difference.
Sophia could swim.
She was an excellent swimmer.
How could she possibly drown?
Julia had believed Sophia would pull herself out before anyone arrived.
But she hadn’t.
“I didn’t mean for her to die...” Julia whispered, barely able to stand. “I never wanted her to die.”
She had never intended to kill Sophia.
She had admired her, even while competing against her.
All Julia had wanted was a place of her own within the Robinson family.
She hadn’t expected one business decision to cost Sophia her life.
Ryan’s voice cut through the room.
“She was already a victim before she ever went into that water.”
Julia looked up.
Ryan’s expression was colder than before.
“She had been drugged. The drugs affected her judgment and coordination. She couldn’t get herself out.”
Julia’s entire body went rigid.
She hadn’t known.
She had never known that Sophia hadn’t simply drowned.
Ryan stared at her.
“President Ellis, you don’t get to rewrite what happened just because you can’t bear to remember it.”
His voice was quiet, but merciless.
“You built your position on the consequences of her death. So what gives you the right to make her daughter pay for it?”
Julia shuddered.
Sophia had been a victim.
And Rose was Sophia’s daughter.
Julia hadn’t known Rose’s identity before.
But ever since she discovered the truth, she hadn’t been able to sleep properly. The past she’d spent years forcing herself to ignore had suddenly become impossible to bury.
If she hadn’t been furious over losing the development deal that day, perhaps she wouldn’t have confronted Rose so openly.
Perhaps she wouldn’t have said those things.
Ryan didn’t look at Julia again.
Instead, his attention shifted to Trevor.
“You know what your mother did.”
Trevor’s expression was grim.
“I suspect you were there, too. You were young, but old enough to remember. If you’ve known about this since you were a child, then maybe that’s why you started losing control when you discovered Rose was Sophia’s daughter.”
Trevor’s back stiffened.
“You felt guilty.”
Ryan’s eyes remained fixed on him.
“You knew there was no future between you and Rose, but you couldn’t let her go. So you kept trying to force a relationship that had already ended.”
Trevor stood completely still.
It was as if Ryan had reached inside him and torn something apart.
Ryan released his tie.
“I’ve said what I needed to say.”
He turned away.
From now on, Julia wouldn’t have the courage to face Rose, much less use the past to pressure her again.
Ryan walked out of the restaurant.
*****
He got into his car, leaned back against the seat, and closed his eyes.
In truth, Julia had left far more traces than she probably realised.
From the moment Ryan began questioning the circumstances surrounding Sophia’s death, he’d investigated everything he could find.
He had discovered that Sophia had an important business meeting scheduled that day.
He had followed the timeline.
He had tracked down old records, witnesses, business correspondence, and whatever fragments remained after all these years.
Even if Julia had deliberately tried to erase the evidence of what happened, no one could completely erase the past.
There were always details left behind.
Still, Ryan knew the truth was not as simple as he had made it sound.
Much of what he’d said tonight was inference.
He could reconstruct the sequence of events, but the accident had happened too many years ago. There was no way to prove every detail beyond doubt.
He had simply recognised something in Julia.
Guilt.
For all her coldness and composure, Julia had always carried a deep insecurity beneath the surface.
And when he touched the one thing she’d spent years trying to bury...
She had broken.
Ryan opened his eyes.
“Mr. Knight,” Owen said from the driver’s seat, glancing at him through the rearview mirror. “The tickets are booked. We’re flying out at nine tomorrow morning.”
“Okay.”
Owen hesitated.
“Then... should we see Miss Bennett one more time before we leave?”
Ryan turned his head toward the window.
Snow had begun falling again, soft flakes disappearing against the glass.
Eight years.
It had been eight years since the beginning of everything between them.
“No.”
His answer was quiet.
But final.
*****
When Charlotte returned from her phone call, the table was empty.
She didn’t have to think very hard to figure out what had happened.
Diana had obviously taken Rose and left.
Charlotte couldn’t blame her. After everything that had just happened, Diana was probably guarding Rose like a bodyguard.
But Charlotte genuinely had something important to discuss with Rose.
She tried calling.
No answer.
She called again.
Still nothing.
With no other choice, Charlotte slipped her phone into her handbag and went to find Liam.
*****
Meanwhile, Diana could tell Rose was in a terrible mood.
She had witnessed everything.
She knew exactly what Rose was thinking.
No woman would feel good after discovering that someone she had once loved had gone to such lengths to push her away.
And this wasn’t just any man.
It was Ryan.
The man Rose had once loved more than anyone.
Diana couldn’t stand seeing her friend hurting.
After walking beside Rose for a while, she finally asked carefully,
“Do you think there was something else Ryan wanted to tell you?”
Rose blinked.
“If he wanted to tell me, he would’ve told me.”
Diana opened her mouth.
“But—”
“Didn’t you say you were choosing a place for the wedding?”
Rose deliberately changed the subject.
“Come on. Let me help you look.”
Diana studied her for a moment.
She knew Rose was avoiding the subject.
But she also knew better than to force her.
So she nodded.
“Fine.”
Liam had always been considerate of Diana.
He knew she had no intention of giving up her career in New York, so even though his main base was in Los Angeles, he’d arranged for their future home to be in New York.
And he’d left the final decision entirely to her.
𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞
They had been together for six years.
Their relationship had weathered plenty of obstacles, but through all of them, they had remained steady.
Seeing Diana finally preparing to build a life with the man she loved made Rose genuinely happy for her.
The two women soon arrived at a private villa development.
Diana had already narrowed her choices down to three properties and was struggling to decide between them.
Rose walked through each one with her, patiently discussing the advantages and drawbacks.
“This one has better natural light,” Rose said, looking toward the windows.
“But the layout is awkward,” Diana countered.
“Exactly.”
“And this one has a better kitchen.”
“You’re choosing a house, not a kitchen.”
“A good kitchen is extremely important.”
Rose laughed despite herself.
For the first time since leaving the restaurant, some of the heaviness in her chest eased.
They continued looking around.
Just as Diana was about to grab something to eat, her phone rang.