Chapter 360 The Proposal That Never Happened
Rose’s breath caught for the briefest moment.
She stared into Ryan’s eyes.
He was watching her, too.
But unlike her, he looked completely composed. Not a trace of emotion crossed his face from beginning to end.
That was what made Rose uneasy.
She couldn’t read him.
And when it came to Ryan, not knowing what he was thinking could be more dangerous than knowing he was angry.
His question had also left her with several possible interpretations.
If she handled this badly, the conversation could turn ugly very quickly.
Rose folded her arms and leaned back in the chair.
"I’m asking you a question, and you’re answering with one of your own."
Ryan’s eyes dropped briefly to her crossed arms.
The gesture was small, but he understood exactly what it meant.
Defensive.
Guarded.
She didn’t trust him, and she wasn’t about to lower her guard around him.
He stared at her for several seconds before swallowing against the dryness in his throat.
"Powerful families control enormous amounts of wealth, technology and medical resources," he said quietly. "They also tend to have contingency plans for emergencies."
Rose remained silent.
"Some families maintain private medical facilities and emergency supplies. I’m no different."
His voice was weaker than usual, but his tone remained steady.
"I have an organisation that uses advanced cryogenic technology to preserve blood products, including plasma. Everything is managed by medical professionals, and the plasma is processed and stored under strict conditions."
Rose frowned.
She could understand the logic.
People with enough money and influence would naturally have access to resources ordinary hospitals didn’t.
But that wasn’t what she wanted to know.
Not even close.
Frustration slowly built inside her.
Talking to Ryan was like trying to get information out of a locked safe.
If she asked too directly, he’d dodge the question.
If she asked too vaguely, he’d give her an answer that technically made sense without actually telling her anything.
Rose took a breath.
"What I’m asking is how you knew which plasma Ariel needed."
Ryan looked at her.
"You had it delivered before the doctors could even determine what she needed. Neither the doctor nor I told you her blood type."
Ryan remained reclined against the pillows.
He had only just woken up, and the exhaustion was obvious in his face. His voice was quieter than usual.
"How do you know I only sent one type of plasma?"
Rose froze.
Ryan’s expression remained detached.
"Did you personally go to the plane and check what was loaded?"
"No."
"Then you don’t know."
Rose stared at him.
Ryan continued, almost casually, "My emergency medical unit contains plasma compatible with your blood type. There are only a limited number of blood types. To save time, I had plasma with the highest available clotting-factor levels prepared for each type and sent everything over."
Rose couldn’t immediately find a hole in his explanation.
She hadn’t personally inspected the shipment.
It was entirely possible that Ryan had anticipated the situation, coordinated with the medical team and had multiple plasma types prepared in advance.
It was a perfectly reasonable explanation.
Too reasonable.
And that was precisely what bothered her.
Ryan’s answer was airtight.
Yet something deep inside her insisted that he wasn’t telling her everything.
Rose’s expression changed almost imperceptibly.
Ryan noticed.
Of course he noticed.
"Why are you so determined to find an answer to this?"
The question hit far too close to home.
Rose unconsciously held her breath.
Why?
Because she suspected Ryan had discovered Ariel’s true identity.
Because she suspected he was hiding something from her.
Because she was afraid he might already know Ariel was his daughter and was quietly making plans to take her away from her.
But she couldn’t say any of that.
Ryan hadn’t given her a single concrete reason to believe those things.
She couldn’t expose her own suspicions without evidence.
So Rose met his gaze.
"Because what you did doesn’t make sense."
Ryan said nothing.
"Everyone knows Ariel is Trevor’s daughter. As far as everyone is concerned, she has nothing to do with you."
Rose’s voice became firmer.
"You risked your life to save her. I’m grateful. I really am. But I still need to understand why."
Ryan answered immediately.
"Reflex."
Rose stared at him.
"...Ryan, are you serious?"
"Yeah."
His expression remained perfectly calm.
"Isn’t that why I’m lying in a hospital bed?"
Rose fell silent.
For a moment, she couldn’t believe him.
She’d known he was good at deflecting questions, but this was ridiculous.
Every time she thought she’d gotten close to an answer, he somehow turned the conversation around and left her with nothing.
She had no intention of continuing this pointless verbal sparring match.
She stood.
"At the time, you were crying too loudly."
Rose stopped.
Ryan had closed his eyes.
His voice was quiet and almost lazy, but for once, there was no sarcasm in it.
"If something had happened to Ariel, I don’t think you would’ve been able to handle it rationally."
Rose looked at him.
Ryan continued with his eyes closed.
"She’s your entire world."
Rose’s expression shifted.
"So?"
Ryan opened his eyes.
His gaze was unusually direct.
"I think you must hate me."
Rose didn’t answer.
"If I had died today, you probably would’ve felt relieved."
He paused.
"Since I didn’t, how do you feel?"
Rose stared at him for a long moment.
"It’s not that bad."
Ryan’s eyebrows moved slightly.
"Hate comes from love," she said. "Do you really think we still have those feelings for each other?"
Her voice was calm.
"As far as I’m concerned, whatever happens to you has no effect on my life."
That was the truth.
At least now, it was.
There had been a time when Rose had hated Ryan.
She’d hated him for being cold.
For never loving her.
For never giving her even the smallest reason to hope.
For seven years, he had made it perfectly clear that she couldn’t depend on him.
He had never allowed her to believe she could build a future with him.
And perhaps, ironically, that had been the one thing that made leaving him possible.
He had reminded her over and over again that he wasn’t someone she should continue sacrificing herself for.
So when they finally went their separate ways, she hadn’t been shattered the way she’d once imagined.
She hadn’t spent months wondering whether he’d come back.
She hadn’t held on to the possibility that things might change.
Ryan’s indifference had taught her how to let go.
His ruthlessness had made her strong enough to walk away without looking back.
In that sense...
She had to thank him.
Ryan didn’t appear affected by her words.
He simply said, "That’s for the best."
The words were so calm that Rose couldn’t help but hear the hidden meaning.
He was relieved.
Relieved that she no longer loved him.
Relieved that she wasn’t going to cling to him.
Rose immediately said, "You don’t need to worry. I’ll never cling to you."
Ryan didn’t answer.
He simply closed his eyes again.
Seeing that he had no intention of bringing up Ariel or making any claim against her, Rose gradually relaxed.
Perhaps she’d been overthinking everything.
Still, there was one thing she couldn’t ignore.
"You saved my daughter today."
Ryan opened his eyes.
"And you were seriously injured because of it. I know a debt like that can’t be repaid easily."
She looked at him seriously.
"Tell me what you want. I’ll repay you."
Ryan studied her.
"What do you think I’m missing?"
Rose blinked.
"And what exactly do you think you can give me?"
She was speechless.
Because he had a point.
Ryan had been born exceptionally gifted.
He had money, influence, intelligence and access to resources most people could only dream of.
What could she possibly give him?
Still, Rose hated owing anyone anything.
"I’m a doctor," she said. "I can develop a specialised medication to help speed up your recovery."
"Mm."
Ryan closed his eyes.
"Then be my physical therapist."
Rose stared at him.
"Until I’m fully recovered."
Her eyebrows drew together.
A physical therapist?
Did he mean she was supposed to oversee his rehabilitation personally?
That could mean regular appointments, monitoring his recovery and taking responsibility for his condition throughout the entire process.
She opened her mouth to object.
Then she met his dark, penetrating gaze.
The words died in her throat.
She couldn’t refuse.
Not after what he’d done.
Ryan had saved the person she cared about most.
Regardless of their history, she couldn’t pretend his actions meant nothing.
Yes, Ariel was also Ryan’s daughter.
But publicly, that wasn’t the reality.
To everyone else, Ariel was the daughter of Rose and Trevor.
Ryan had no recognised connection to her.
Which meant that, in the eyes of the world, Ryan had risked his life for someone else’s child.
Rose couldn’t let her emotions expose the truth.
Especially when her own past was complicated enough.
She knew better than anyone that blood didn’t automatically make someone a father.
Neither of the two men who had occupied that role in her own life—whether by blood or circumstance—had ever given her the unconditional love she should have been able to expect from a father.
She wasn’t going to make the same mistake now.
Rose took a slow breath.
"Deal."
Ryan noticed the hesitation in her expression but didn’t comment on it.
Instead, he suddenly asked, "Do you know what would’ve happened today if this hadn’t happened?"
Rose frowned.
"What?"
Ryan closed his eyes again.
His voice was calm and almost indifferent.
"Trevor had prepared a proposal."
Rose went completely still.
Ryan continued.
"He was planning to propose to you today."
Rose’s fingers curled slightly.
Ryan didn’t bother hiding anything now.
"Plans don’t always go the way people expect."
He opened his eyes and looked directly at her.
"Looks like you and Trevor were almost meant to be."