Chapter 376 The Knives She Never Forgot
Grace already carried a deep-seated prejudice against Ryan.
Year ago, she had seen firsthand how arrogant and smug Samantha—the woman who had always been at Ryan’s side—could be. And now that Grace had learned Rose was her granddaughter, those memories felt even more painful.
It was as though someone had reached into her chest and torn out a piece of her heart.
There was anger. There was heartbreak.
So when Grace suddenly brought up Rose’s childhood engagement, everyone in the room fell silent.
Ryan lifted his eyes. His expression remained unreadable, and he made no attempt to interrupt.
Rose, however, glanced nervously at her grandfather.
She still hadn’t formally told Gabriel that she and Ryan were divorced.
There were plenty of rumours circulating outside. People had said that she and Ryan shared a home but lived separate lives, and that their marriage was on the verge of collapse.
But telling her grandfather was different.
She simply didn’t know how to bring herself to say it.
Especially when Gabriel was ninety years old.
She wanted him to remain happy for as long as possible.
“You arranged a marriage for them?” Gabriel asked.
He seemed unusually alert today, his mind clear and his mood good.
He looked at Grace with obvious displeasure.
“A family of your standing still believes in arranged marriages?” he demanded. “I won’t accept any marriage the children themselves haven’t agreed to.”
Then he turned toward Ryan and waved him over.
“Ryan, come here.”
Ryan rolled his wheelchair forward.
He stopped directly beside Rose.
Gabriel looked between them, then smiled.
“If it were up to me, RoRo would have been married years ago. This is my grandson-in-law, Ryan Knight.”
James was stunned.
From Gabriel’s expression, it was obvious that the old man was genuinely pleased with Ryan.
Rose, however, felt her heart tighten.
She had no idea what was going to happen next.
She was afraid Ryan might decide to tell Gabriel the truth about their divorce.
She was equally worried that Grace might reveal it herself.
Her grandfather was finally having a good day. She couldn’t bear the thought of upsetting him.
So, almost without thinking, Rose reached out and grabbed the fabric at the back of Ryan’s collar.
Ryan tilted his head.
His dark eyes dropped to her tightly clenched fingers.
He stared at them for several seconds before speaking.
“Grandpa, Dr. Grace and the others know me. President Taylor and I have also been friends for many years.”
He didn’t mention the divorce.
Rose’s lips pressed into a thin line.
Across the room, a shadow passed through Grace’s expression.
She immediately understood.
Gabriel had no idea what had happened between Rose and Ryan.
And judging by Rose’s reaction, she clearly wasn’t ready to tell him.
Grace therefore decided not to bring up Trevor or the childhood engagement again.
If Rose wanted to tell Gabriel, that decision had to come from Rose herself.
“Yes, President Knight is quite well known,” Grace said, her tone noticeably cool. “Of course I know who you are.”
James frowned.
“What brings you here?”
“I came to keep Grandpa company,” Ryan answered evenly. “Is that so surprising?”
James was momentarily speechless.
A sarcastic laugh almost escaped him.
If Ryan supposedly didn’t care about Rose, why would he go out of his way to visit her grandfather?
Yet James couldn’t find a reasonable argument against it.
Rose thought the same thing.
Ryan’s explanation was ridiculous.
Still, she didn’t bother challenging him.
Gabriel, meanwhile, had noticed Grace’s attitude.
“Dr. Grace, it seems you have some reservations about Ryan.”
Grace glanced at Ryan.
Her expression remained anything but friendly.
“No. It’s simply that I don’t know Mr. Knight very well. I have some doubts about whether Rose has chosen the right man.”
“Ryan is a good kid,” Gabriel said immediately.
His tone was firm.
“I believe he’s a responsible husband. He’ll stand by RoRo and give her a stable life.”
He paused before continuing.
“Ultimately, the children have to live their own lives. Whether their marriage is good or bad, we can’t interfere simply because we think we’re protecting them. I only hope RoRo is free to choose the life she wants.”
Grace hesitated.
She had already understood the situation.
Gabriel didn’t know about Ryan’s relationship with Samantha or everything that had happened between them. Yet for some reason, he trusted Ryan completely.
In Grace’s eyes, Ryan’s cold personality and ruthless way of handling things hardly seemed worthy of such praise.
But she didn’t argue with the old man.
She merely gave Ryan another cold look.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
One thing was certain.
She would never allow Rose to suffer through another painful marriage without a fight.
Rose, meanwhile, looked thoughtfully at Ryan.
She had always known that Gabriel liked him.
She had never quite understood why.
Her grandfather wasn’t always lucid anymore, so even when she tried asking him, she rarely received a clear answer.
James finally couldn’t take it anymore.
“Ryan. Come outside. We need to talk.”
Ryan turned toward Gabriel.
“Grandpa, I’ll be right back.”
Gabriel waved him off.
Once Ryan reached the hallway, James followed.
He stopped in front of him, his expression cold.
“What exactly are you doing?”
Ryan looked up.
“What are you talking about?”
“Don’t play dumb.”
James stared at him.
“With your personality, you’re not the kind of man who does things just for appearances. You came here to win over Rose’s grandfather, acting like some dependable husband. What exactly are you planning?”
Ryan’s expression didn’t change.
“You haven’t even been accepted as Rose’s brother yet.”
James stiffened.
“Instead of worrying about me, perhaps you should focus on changing Rose’s opinion of you. Even a little would be a good start.”
The words hit exactly where they were meant to.
James gave a bitter laugh.
“If you’re trying to win Rose back, is attacking me really the best strategy?”
Ryan’s gaze remained cold.
“How are you and I any different?”
James froze.
Ryan studied him for a moment.
“Do you remember the knives that hurt her back then?”
James’s face tightened.
“You were holding one of them.”
“Ryan—”
“Now you’re angry with me,” Ryan continued calmly. “But isn’t some of that anger really guilt? You criticize me because it’s easier than facing what you did yourself.”
James’s expression darkened.
“You’re unbelievable.”
Ryan gave a quiet, almost humorless laugh.
His fingers tapped lightly against the armrest of his wheelchair.
“I’m not trying to erase her past. I’m trying to clear the road ahead of her.”
He looked directly at James.
“If you want to settle things with me, wait until you’ve actually proven yourself worthy of being her brother.”
His voice remained calm.
“Then come find me. I’ll be waiting.”
James stood there, his face dark with anger.
Ryan didn’t care.
He turned his wheelchair around.
But before leaving, he stopped.
“You know what happened between Rose and Trevor.”
James’s expression changed.
“Right now, you shouldn’t be wasting your energy on me. You should be asking yourself whether Trevor and the Robinson family are really worth trusting.”
James narrowed his eyes.
Ryan continued, “And as for Rose’s identity, keep it quiet for now.”
Then he left.
James remained standing in the hallway.
He frowned deeply, replaying Ryan’s words in his mind.
Ryan had always been calculating. Sharp. Ruthless.
But this time, he’d stripped away every excuse James had been hiding behind.
He had exposed the guilt and anxiety James didn’t want to face.
Then James’s thoughts shifted to the Robinson family.
His eyes narrowed.
The engagement between Rose and Trevor had officially been called off.
At the time, everyone had accepted it as the right decision.
But now, looking back...
James suddenly wondered whether the engagement had really been broken off as cleanly and willingly as everyone had claimed.