Chapter 373 The Price of Sincerity
Rose couldn’t help frowning.
She already knew there was no room for compromise.
Sure enough, Ryan spoke first.
“Mr. Robinson, there’s no need to keep treating me like some selfless hero.”
His voice was calm.
“I did save Ariel. That’s a fact. But if you want to settle everything between us, I’ll make it simple. Give me the West Road property, and it’ll prove just how much Rose and Ariel mean to you.”
Trevor’s expression hardened.
He’d considered countless possibilities.
Was Ryan making such a bold demand because he’d figured something out?
Or did he have another motive?
Now he knew the answer.
Ryan had his sights set on the West Road property.
It was one of the most coveted pieces of real estate in the city. The Robinson family had connections in high places, which allowed them to move through permits and approvals far more easily than most companies. That advantage had made them a serious obstacle for several major corporations.
And Ryan had gone straight for it.
“Mr. Knight,” Trevor said evenly, “aren’t these two completely separate matters?”
“In business, do people really worry about whether the methods are pretty when everyone’s fighting for the same advantage?”
Ryan lifted his eyes.
His gaze briefly settled on Rose before returning to Trevor.
“Besides, that day was the first time the two of us worked together. You saved Rose. I saved Ariel.”
A faint, unreadable smile touched his lips.
“So should I praise you for being broad-minded, Chairman Robinson? Or should I admire how much you trusted me?”
Trevor’s eyes darkened.
Ryan continued. “At a critical moment, you handed Ariel—whose life was hanging in the balance—to an outsider like me.”
He leaned back slightly. “As her father, what do you think that says about you?”
His words were calm, but every one of them landed like a knife.
He had brought up something no one had stopped to consider.
Trevor’s expression grew darker.
Rose also froze.
She knew the truth, so she’d never thought twice about why Trevor had allowed Ryan to take Ariel.
But now that Ryan had pointed it out...
What exactly had he suspected?
Trevor met his gaze.
“If you really want my opinion, Mr. Robinson, it seems you value Rose more than you value your own daughter.”
Ryan’s brows lifted slightly.
“Is that sentimentality? Or are you simply not very good at being a father?”
He pulled a lighter from his pocket and turned it between his fingers.
“What exactly were you thinking when you handed your daughter over to me?”
His tone was almost conversational.
That made it even more difficult to counter.
Trevor’s expression remained steady.
“Instead of questioning me, perhaps you should look at how this situation came about in the first place. You spent years chasing other women. You played your part in creating this mess, didn’t you?”
Ryan didn’t deny it.
He simply nodded.
“So you’re trying to wipe the slate clean, Mr. Robinson?”
“Of course not. If I owe you compensation, I’ll pay it.”
Ryan’s expression didn’t change.
“Does that include the compensation for interfering in my marriage?”
Trevor’s eyes sharpened.
“No one wants the reputation of his wife being involved with another man. Since you value Rose so much, Mr. Robinson, why not prove it?”
Ryan’s gaze was cold.
“Give me the West Road property.”
“Ryan, enough!”
Rose finally snapped.
She couldn’t listen to another word.
Trevor’s expression hardened.
“Mr. Knight, what exactly do you take Rose for? A bargaining chip?”
“Does it matter?”
Ryan looked at him.
“If you’re willing to go head-to-head with the Knight family for Rose, I’d like to know exactly how much that sincerity is worth.”
The truth was that the West Road property still required approval from the Robinson family’s senior leadership.
It wasn’t impossible.
It simply came down to whether they were willing to make the sacrifice.
Rose felt miserable.
She took a deep breath and looked at Ryan.
“What are you actually trying to accomplish?”
Ryan said nothing.
Rose’s voice tightened.
“Our wedding is coming up. Do you really have to make things this difficult?”
“Where exactly?”
Ryan looked directly at her.
“What are you afraid of?”
Rose’s heart tightened.
“What are you running from?”
His eyes remained fixed on hers.
“Or are you afraid you don’t mean enough to him?”
Rose’s expression changed.
She knew she couldn’t win this argument.
Ryan was too sharp.
Too ruthless.
He never left his opponent an opening.
Without saying anything more to her, Ryan maneuvered his wheelchair past them.
As he left, he glanced at Trevor.
“I’ll be waiting for your answer at the bidding meeting.”
Then he disappeared down the corridor to have his wound treated.
He didn’t care what they decided.
Rose stood there for a long moment.
Deep down, she knew this had become her problem.
Trevor had no obligation to sacrifice a major business asset for her.
After thinking it over, she finally spoke.
“He’s doing this because he thinks we’re deeply in love.”
She looked at Trevor.
“We got married because of Ariel in the first place. You don’t have to give in to him.”
Her voice became firmer. “If Ryan’s involvement is going to keep creating problems like this, then maybe we should call off the wedding now.”
“Rose.”
Trevor looked down at her.
His expression was calm and sincere.
“I married you because I love you.”
Rose froze.
“I’ve never been afraid of trouble. And I don’t care that our marriage started because of Ariel.”
His gaze never wavered. “You don’t need to back down. And you don’t need to feel guilty because I’ve been dragged into this.”
Rose’s throat tightened.
Especially after hearing him say so plainly that he loved her.
But she still needed to make her position clear.
“I’m sorry.”
She lowered her eyes. “You’ve helped me so much, and now you’ve been dragged into the Knight family’s power struggle and even threatened because of me.”
She took a breath. “I don’t want to give you false hope. I’ve already given up on marriage as a romantic relationship. Right now, all I want is custody of Ariel.”
Her voice softened. “I might not be able to give you what you’re hoping for.”
Trevor reached over and pulled her coat more securely around her shoulders.
He didn’t seem bothered.
“I already told you. We have plenty of time.”
Rose looked at him.
“This goes both ways. Neither of us is losing anything.”
His expression remained completely relaxed.
Rose didn’t know what else she could say.
Trevor guided her down the corridor.
He clearly didn’t believe Ryan was making this demand without having something else in mind.
The Knight family and the Robinson family had been competitors for years.
Now that Ryan had brought real estate into the equation, they would have to be even more careful.
“Keep preparing for the wedding,” Trevor said.
His voice was low and reassuring.
“Go about your life. Don’t worry about this.”
Rose had wanted to stop the wedding arrangements right then.
But Trevor had shut the idea down.
For now, she could only take things one step at a time.
*****
That afternoon, Rose ran into Alicia at the hospital.
Alicia spotted her from across the lobby.
Her eyes immediately lit up.
“Professor Bennett!”
She pushed through the crowd and hurried over.
“How are you?”
Rose blinked.
“Me?”
Alicia nodded eagerly.
“A few days ago, at the resort hotel—it was Ariel’s birthday, right?”
Her expression turned curious.
“Something happened halfway through the party, didn’t it? You and Ariel never came back out.”
“I saw people rushing in and out of the hotel, but I had to leave early because of my pollen allergy. I never found out what happened.”
She pulled out her phone.
“And there were roses everywhere!”
Alicia showed Rose several photographs she’d taken that day.
The screen was filled with roses.
“So many flowers. Mr. Robinson really went all out for you.”
Rose stared at the pictures.
This was the first time she’d actually seen the decorations from the proposal Ryan had mentioned.
She hadn’t seen any of it herself.
She’d been inside the hotel when everything happened.
“Nothing happened,” Rose said quietly.
She didn’t elaborate.
Alicia finally breathed a sigh of relief.
“That’s good. I thought something terrible had happened.”
She laughed softly.
“I didn’t see you or Ariel the entire day. I even tried calling you, but you didn’t answer.”
Then her expression changed.
She looked at Rose carefully, almost nervously.
There was a strange mixture of anticipation and hope in her eyes.
“Professor Bennett...”
She hesitated.
“There’s actually something I’ve been wondering.”
Rose looked at her.
Alicia swallowed.
“I think...”
Her voice dropped.
“You might be my older sister.”