Chapter 314 The Blame Shifted onto Victoria
Daisy paused after hearing Samantha’s words.
Her brows slowly knitted together.
"Rose knows absolutely nothing," she said thoughtfully. "That’s why she isn’t worried about exposing our plans. But Victoria... she’s a much greater threat than Rose."
A cold sneer appeared on her face.
"The person who understands Sophia the best isn’t necessarily the man who once loved her."
"It’s the woman who saw her as a mentor, a friend... and her greatest rival."
"A woman who both admired and envied her."
"Victoria’s insight is frightening."
Besides...
Victoria would never want Sophia’s biological daughter to return and threaten everything she had built.
Now...
Their true enemy wasn’t Rose.
It was Victoria.
Samantha nodded in agreement, finally feeling relieved.
"We almost wasted all our efforts targeting Rose."
Daisy looked at her.
"What was Mr. Knight’s attitude?"
"Ryan doesn’t trust Rose either," Samantha replied. "He completely supported my decision to pursue this."
"I told her about what happened between me and Ryan."
"Rose has loved him for so many years. After hearing that, it wouldn’t be surprising if she lost control and did something irrational."
If she herself had been in Rose’s position...
She would have been furious enough to do anything.
Hearing that Ryan had sided with Samantha—and that the incident had driven an even deeper wedge between him and Rose—Daisy’s mood immediately improved.
A cold smile spread across her face.
"You need to think carefully about Victoria."
"If she ruins everything at this critical moment..."
"All your years of hard work will have been for nothing."
If only they could bring Victoria down first...
Daisy had to admit Ryan’s warning made perfect sense.
Victoria appeared gentle, kind, and harmless.
But how could someone capable of betraying her own benefactor truly be simple?
People like that...
Were the hardest to deal with.
She genuinely worried that once Samantha entered the Taylor family, she wouldn’t be Victoria’s match.
Samantha understood the seriousness of the situation.
Although every part of her body still ached and her injuries throbbed painfully, she climbed out of bed.
"Mom."
"Dr. Grace and the others have already returned to New York."
"She’s too important to stay away from work for long."
"I’m going to see her right now."’
*****
After parting ways with Lucas, Rose thought carefully about the situation.
In the end...
She decided to call Ryan.
She had no intention of leaving the investigation entirely in his hands.
The vehicle belonged to G.S., and the incident involved both her and the company.
She needed to monitor every step of the inspection herself.
She dialed his number.
He answered after only a few rings.
His voice was as cold as ever.
"What is it?"
Rose frowned.
He was actually asking what was wrong?
Something this serious had happened, yet he acted as though it were completely ordinary.
"Where did you take the vehicle?"
"I want to be there during the inspection."
"It’s already late," Ryan replied indifferently.
"It’s only nine o’clock."
"I know what time it is."
Rose’s tone hardened.
"Just as you don’t believe I had nothing to do with this..."
"I don’t believe you’ll handle this fairly."
"I have no reason to think Samantha won’t influence your judgment."
"As far as I’m concerned..."
"You have absolutely no credibility."
She laid everything out without reservation.
Naturally...
Her words weren’t pleasant to hear.
Silence filled the line.
Rose couldn’t tell what Ryan was thinking.
She couldn’t even imagine the expression on his face.
After a long pause...
His voice became even colder.
"I suppose you’re very busy."
Rose felt irritation surge through her.
Who was he to decide whether she had time?
And why did every refusal sound so absolute?
"Ryan—"
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
He had already hung up.
He didn’t give her the chance to finish.
Nor did he intend to discuss the matter any further.
As always...
He made the decision alone.
There was no room for negotiation.
Rose stared at her phone in disbelief.
Even after their divorce...
Nothing had changed.
He still treated her exactly the way he had during their marriage.
The respect she had never received as his wife...
She still couldn’t get as a stranger.
Before she had time to dwell on it, however...
Her phone rang again.
Seeing the caller ID, Rose looked genuinely surprised.
It was Dr. Grace.
She hesitated before answering.
"Dr. Grace?"
Grace’s voice sounded unusually serious, though still gentle.
"Rose..."
"Are you free right now?"
"I arrived in New York this afternoon."
"Could you come see me?"
There was a hint of hesitation in Grace’s tone.
It sounded as though she needed Rose’s opinion on something important.
With someone of Grace’s stature asking so politely, Rose naturally couldn’t refuse.
She glanced at her watch.
It was only a little after nine.
"Of course."
"Please send me the address."
"Thank you, Rose."
Rose quickly got ready and drove over.
When she arrived, she realized Grace’s residence was located in the same private villa community as Dr. Nathan’s home.
Only a few houses separated them.
Thinking about it, it made perfect sense.
Nationally respected figures like them often lived in specially designated residential compounds.
Since Dr. Nathan had already given her an access pass, she entered the neighborhood without going through multiple security checks.
Parking outside Grace’s residence, she walked inside.
Someone immediately escorted her into the living room.
The moment she stepped through the doorway...
A trace of surprise flashed across her face.
Derick and Victoria had also come to New York.
Victoria sat beside Grace, her face pale and filled with quiet resignation.
Derick’s expression wasn’t much better.
Then Rose looked toward the other side of the room.
Samantha.
She should have been resting in the hospital.
Instead, she was sitting there with her entire arm wrapped in thick bandages, her complexion still deathly pale.
Grace smiled and waved.
"Rose, you’re here."
"Thank you for coming."
Rose walked over.
"It wasn’t any trouble."
"What happened?"
"Why did you ask me to come?"
In truth...
She already had a good idea.
It was obviously because of Samantha’s car accident.
The dispute over whether it had been an accident or attempted murder had now reached Grace.
The moment Daisy saw Rose arrive, a trace of nervousness flickered across her face.
Still, she quickly composed herself.
"Dr. Grace, this is perfect."
"Now that Rose is here, we can settle everything face-to-face."
"I’m sure Rose feels wronged too."
"After all..."
"Such a terrible accusation has been placed on her."
Rose remained expressionless.
She didn’t rush to defend herself.
Nor did she deny anything.
She simply wanted to hear exactly what Daisy intended to say.
"But..."
Daisy’s eyes suddenly reddened with tears.
"After thinking it over carefully..."
"I realized Rose has no reason to throw away her future by doing something like this."
"She has a brilliant career ahead of her."
"She isn’t someone desperate enough to risk everything."
"Which means..."
"There must be someone else behind this."
As she spoke, Daisy suddenly turned toward Victoria.
Her eyes filled with anger.
"Right now..."
"Whose interests are threatened the most?"
"Isn’t it yours?"
"Sam is about to be recognized as the Taylor family’s daughter."
"The DNA results will be out soon."
"How could you be so cruel?"
Victoria immediately shook her head in panic.
She turned toward Grace, whose face had already turned pale.
"Please believe me."
"I would never do something like that."
Rose remained silent.
Her eyes slowly swept across everyone in the room.
One eyebrow lifted almost imperceptibly.
Wasn’t she supposed to be the prime suspect?
The incident had certainly escalated...
But somehow...
The blame had shifted onto Victoria instead.