Chapter 395 She didn’t care anymore

Chapter 395: Chapter 395 She didn’t care anymore

No one had expected Charlotte to be that direct.

For a moment, the entire room seemed to hold its breath, everyone waiting to hear what Ryan would say.

She clearly had no intention of letting Alicia’s question put an end to the teasing.

Charlotte was bold. Decisive. She went after what she wanted without hesitation and never seemed to worry about what anyone else thought.

Ryan, meanwhile, merely raised his eyes.

He didn’t answer right away.

Alicia glanced at him before speaking again.

“Miss Mercer, I think the man should be the one to make the first move in something like this.”

Her reasoning was simple.

Given Ryan’s personality, there was no way he would openly confess his feelings to a woman he had only just met. If Charlotte wanted an answer, she would probably have to wait for him to make the first move.

Diana looked at Alicia in surprise before leaning toward Rose.

“Your stepsister is still pretty young. She probably doesn’t realize how these things work.” Diana lowered her voice. “But asking questions like that could seriously kill whatever chemistry Ryan and Charlotte have.”

The atmosphere had shifted.

Rose glanced at Alicia but said nothing.

Charlotte studied her as well.

Yet Alicia’s open, innocent expression gave away nothing. There was no obvious sign that she had meant anything by the question.

Someone nearby quickly tried to smooth things over.

“Come on, Miss Mercer is practically perfect. How could Mr. Knight not be interested?”

Rose followed the voice.

The man happened to be standing directly behind Ryan.

And when she looked over, she unexpectedly met Ryan’s dark, unreadable eyes.

For a split second, she froze.

Then she immediately looked away and returned her attention to the cupcake in her hand.

Ryan didn’t seem surprised.

Seeing Rose deliberately keeping her distance, he simply assumed she had no interest in involving herself in what was happening.

“What do you think?” Charlotte asked him.

Only then did Ryan look away from Rose.

He turned toward Charlotte and leaned closer, murmuring something too quietly for anyone else to hear.

Charlotte’s lips curved into a smile.

She stood.

“Sorry, everyone. I have to head out.” She looked around the room with a smile. “I’m taking Mr. Knight with me. You all seem to like him so much, I suppose I should claim him before someone else does.”

A few people laughed.

No one knew what Ryan had said to her, but apparently the two had decided they were done with the party.

They left together.

No one dared stop them.

The moment they disappeared through the door, Alicia hurried back toward Rose.

“Rose, are you really okay?”

Rose looked at her.

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Maybe they’re going somewhere alone.” Alicia hesitated. “If that bothers you, you could talk to Miss Mercer.”

Rose set down her fork.

“What would I have to be bothered about?”

She gave Alicia a calm look.

“I’m getting married, remember?”

Alicia froze.

Trevor.

After a long pause, she nodded slowly.

“That’s true. You’ve already found someone else. And you and Trevor were promised to each other when you were kids. Even though the engagement was called off before, I suppose it’s still your choice.”

“Pretty much a done deal,” Liam added.

Diana immediately frowned.

“Why him? How does Ryan always manage to get so lucky? Every woman around him seems to fall for him.”

Liam reached over and gently pinched her cheek.

“Don’t make that face.”

“I hate it.”

“If you want to beat them to the altar so badly, we can get married first.”

Diana’s eyes widened.

“Really?”

Liam smiled.

“How about it?”

She immediately started playfully shoving him, and he laughed as he tried to fend her off.

Alicia, however, lowered her gaze.

Her fingers twisted nervously around the hem of her dress.

If Liam, as a member of the Mercer family, really married Diana soon...

Something flickered through her eyes.

She walked over to Rose.

“Rose?”

Rose looked at her.

Alicia hesitated before asking quietly, “You’ve been married to Mr. Knight for years. Is it really that easy to stop loving someone?”

Rose remained silent.

“Are you really okay with Miss Mercer taking your place?” Alicia continued. “After everything you’ve sacrificed, are you really willing to just let her have the life you once had?”

Her questions were gentle, almost concerned.

But each one landed with precision.

In Alicia’s mind, Rose had spent years receiving nothing from her husband.

Their marriage had ended badly.

Wouldn’t she resent Charlotte?

Wouldn’t she be jealous?

Wouldn’t she want revenge?

Surely no woman could watch her former husband move on so easily without feeling something.

Rose’s expression remained calm.

“Not letting go would just mean trapping myself in the past.”

She looked at Alicia.

“I don’t want to live like that.”

Rose stood.

“Things are fine now. If Ryan finds someone he loves, I can wish him well. That’s enough.”

With that, she walked away.

Alicia stood there, stunned.

She hadn’t expected that answer.

If it had been anyone else, Alicia thought, they would have found some way to interfere. Even if they couldn’t win Ryan back, they might have tried to ruin his relationship with Charlotte.

But Rose...

She genuinely didn’t seem to care.

Alicia lowered her eyes.

Her fingers tightened around the glass of juice until her knuckles turned white.

*****

The NYU research department underwent a major reorganization, leaving Rose busy for several days.

Then Trevor called again.

He wanted her to come with him to look at their future home.

Rose set aside the supplies she had been organizing.

“Today?”

“Yeah. If you’re at NYU, I’ll come pick you up.”

Trevor sounded as though he’d already anticipated her hesitation.

“Rose, are you still upset about what happened with the Robinson family?”

“No.”

Her answer came quickly.

“I understand.”

She didn’t want Trevor thinking she was holding a grudge over the bidding dispute.

The truth was that the bid itself wasn’t what bothered her.

It was what the incident had revealed.

Trevor might not have enough power to go against the entire Robinson family and the senior executives of his company.

And if she married him, would leaving with Ariel really be as easy as she’d hoped?

She didn’t know.

For now, she had no answer.

“I’ll be there soon,” Trevor said. “See you in a bit.”

The call ended.

Rose stared at her phone for several seconds before rubbing her temples.

Trevor had helped her with Ariel.

He had even risked his life to save her in D.C.

It made bringing up her doubts about their marriage complicated.

She couldn’t figure out the right solution yet.

So, she decided to take things one step at a time.

Not long afterward, Trevor arrived.

Rose climbed into his car.

He handed her a small box of pastries.

“I picked up a few things for you.”

“Thanks.”

“I’ve narrowed the options down to a few neighborhoods.”

He started the car.

“There are some private communities with large houses, and there are also a few luxury condos downtown. The condos would put us close to everything, while the houses would give us more privacy. We can look at both and decide what works.”

Rose glanced at him.

He had clearly put a lot of thought into it.

“I really don’t mind either way,” she said. “You can choose.”

Trevor looked over at her briefly.

“You can be picky.”

Rose blinked.

“Or,” he continued, “you can think of yourself as the woman who’s going to live there and tell me exactly what you want.”

His voice softened.

“More than anything, I don’t want you to hold back around me.”

Rose didn’t know quite what to say.

Trevor really was a good man.

He had repeatedly gone out of his way for her. He’d even jumped from that cliff in D.C. without thinking twice when her life was in danger.

She gave a small nod.

“Then let’s start with the condos.”

Trevor smiled faintly.

He knew Rose.

She had always been like this.

Whenever someone showed her even a little kindness, she felt compelled to repay it tenfold.

That was why she was so cooperative with him now.

But Trevor wanted more than her gratitude.

His gaze darkened slightly.

He wanted Rose to depend on him.

He wanted her to slowly, naturally fall in love with him.

Once that happened, the reason she’d accepted him wouldn’t matter anymore.

He hadn’t originally planned to let Rose misunderstand what happened in D.C.

But now that she believed he’d risked everything for her, he couldn’t bring himself to correct her.

There was nothing wrong with taking advantage of a misunderstanding if the end result was what he wanted.

He wanted her.

As for the truth...

He would tell her eventually.

Just not yet.

They soon arrived at the luxury residential complex Trevor had mentioned.

Rose recognized the neighborhood immediately.

It was one of the most exclusive areas in New York, where even the smallest residences were enormous by ordinary standards.

Many of the units were closer to 5,000 or 6,000 square feet, and some sold for well over $100 million.

The neighborhood had everything within easy reach—high-end shopping, restaurants, private clubs, and excellent transportation connections.

It was also close enough to Trevor’s office to make his commute easy.

A property manager met them in the lobby and led them toward one of the buildings.

They had just reached the elevator when Rose suddenly spotted someone familiar.

She stopped.

Trevor followed her gaze.

And the moment he saw who was standing there, his expression changed.