Chapter 396 One Floor Apart

Chapter 396: Chapter 396 One Floor Apart

Charlotte was the first to notice Rose.

She turned around in her heels, glanced at Trevor, then smiled at Rose.

“What a coincidence. Do you live here?”

Rose hadn’t expected to run into her again.

“No. I’m here to look at a condo.”

“A place for the wedding?”

Charlotte seemed to guess immediately.

Then she turned toward Trevor.

“Mr. Robinson, it’s been a while.”

They had met once before, so Trevor recognized her.

“Miss Mercer.”

Rose wasn’t surprised they knew each other. Their social circles overlapped, and people from families like theirs were constantly crossing paths at business events, charity galas, and private gatherings.

Charlotte looked between them.

“So, you’re looking at a place together?”

Trevor answered before Rose could.

“Yes. This neighborhood has some good options.”

Charlotte raised an eyebrow.

“Then you have the same taste as Ryan.”

Rose’s expression remained neutral.

Charlotte continued, “He suggested I look here too. I signed for a place yesterday—thirty-third floor. What about you?”

Rose immediately understood.

The familiarity in Charlotte’s voice made it obvious that things between her and Ryan had progressed considerably since the party.

She looked toward Trevor.

He answered calmly.

“Thirty-second.”

Rose’s expression went blank.

Of all the places in New York...

They had to choose the floor directly below Charlotte.

There was no way she could live here now.

Even if the condo itself was perfect, having Charlotte upstairs—and the possibility of Ryan dropping by constantly—was more than she wanted to deal with.

She had no interest in living in a situation where she might unexpectedly run into her ex-husband every few days.

“That could be awkward,” Charlotte said frankly.

She looked at Rose.

“You’d be living right below me. We’d probably run into each other all the time. I wouldn’t mind, but what about you and Ryan?”

Rose finally looked at her.

“What about me and Ryan? Do you think we’re going to fall back in love just because we live in the same building?”

Charlotte narrowed her eyes slightly.

Then she gave a small, amused laugh.

“Rose, I really do like you.”

She wasn’t being sarcastic.

Rose had already made a good impression on her earlier, and now she appreciated her even more for speaking so plainly.

Trevor, however, caught the important part of Charlotte’s question.

Ryan.

His eyes flickered with thought.

There hadn’t been any official announcement yet, but judging by Charlotte’s attitude, it seemed the Knights and Mercers were seriously considering a marriage.

He glanced at Rose.

She looked completely unaffected.

They reached the thirty-second floor.

Rose stepped out of the elevator.

Trevor followed and gave Charlotte a polite nod.

Charlotte watched them disappear down the hallway.

Then she pulled out her phone and called Ryan.

“Are you free?”

Ryan’s voice came through.

“What is it?”

“Come help me move. I ran into your ex-wife.”

*****

There was only one residence on each floor.

The real estate agent opened the door and gave them a tour of the nearly 4,300-square-foot condo.

The space was enormous, beautifully finished, and completely furnished.

The open floor plan and neutral décor were exactly the sort of thing Rose liked.

But she didn’t say so.

She still didn’t think of herself as the future Mrs. Robinson.

As far as she was concerned, Trevor was the one making the final decision.

Trevor glanced at her.

“Do you like it?”

“It’s fine. If you like it, I’m good with it.”

He watched her wander through the rooms without much enthusiasm.

She looked less like someone choosing her future home and more like someone accompanying a friend on a house hunt.

Trevor followed her.

“It’s close to Ariel’s school. There’s also a highly rated elementary school nearby, and the middle school is less than three miles away.”

Rose’s eyes immediately brightened.

“That is convenient.”

Education and location had always mattered to her.

In the past, however, buying a home in a neighborhood like this had been completely out of reach.

And she wasn’t particularly interested in living in a gated community far outside the city, either. The commute would be a hassle, especially with Ariel.

Trevor noticed the change in her expression.

A faint smile touched his lips.

He turned to the agent.

“Walk me through the floor plan and everything the building offers. Also, show me a few comparable properties nearby. If we find something better, we’ll take a look. If this is the best option, we’ll sign today.”

The agent’s eyes lit up.

A sale like this could make his entire year.

Rose left the decision to Trevor.

She wandered through the condo alone, checking out the other rooms and imagining what the space might look like furnished differently.

A few minutes later, Trevor received a work call.

“There are a couple of things in the contract I need the agent to correct,” he told her. “I’ll be downstairs grabbing my laptop. Take your time. If you don’t like something, tell me. We can change it.”

Rose nodded.

“Okay.”

After he left, she continued walking through the condo.

Without thinking much about it, she opened the door to one of the bedrooms.

She stood there quietly.

An odd feeling settled over her.

This won’t be her home either.

Her marriage to Trevor had started as a transaction.

They had each wanted something from the other.

She needed his help securing custody of Ariel.

Trevor had needed her cooperation to get out of his engagement to the Taylor family.

Neither of them had expected things to change.

And then everything had turned upside down when Rose discovered that she was actually the daughter of that very family.

Now Trevor had admitted that he genuinely cared about her.

That changed everything.

Their relationship was no longer an arrangement between two people using each other for their own purposes.

And Rose didn’t know how to handle that.

A headache began to form behind her eyes.

Her thoughts had been running in circles for days.

The Robinson family’s decision to submit another bid had triggered something deep inside her.

It had made her question just how much power Trevor really had within his own family.

But she couldn’t simply walk away from the marriage now.

At the same time, moving forward made her uneasy.

She felt trapped between the two choices.

Click.

The bedroom door opened.

Rose assumed Trevor had returned.

“You’re planning to live here after the wedding, so—”

She turned.

The words died in her throat.

Ryan stood in the doorway.

Rose’s entire body went tense.

“What are you doing here?”

Ryan wasn’t in the wheelchair anymore.

Apparently, his leg had recovered far faster than she’d expected.

He still carried a cane in his left hand, but he was standing straight and tall, his dark coat making his already severe features look even colder.

He looked at her.

“What are you doing here?”

Rose didn’t bother hiding the reason.

“Looking at a place for my wedding.”

Ryan’s expression didn’t change.

He studied her for several seconds before walking toward her.

“Isn’t Trevor with you?”

“That’s none of your business.”

Rose frowned.

His familiar cologne filled the room as he came closer, and she instinctively became irritated.

She stepped back.

“And what are you doing here?”

“I took the wrong elevator.”

Ryan’s voice remained completely even.

“Charlotte is moving into the building. I came to help her and got off on the wrong floor.”

Rose’s eyes flickered.

So Charlotte was moving here.

And Ryan had come personally to help her.

Apparently, their relationship really had progressed.

Rose pointed toward the hallway.

“She’s upstairs. Go find her.”

Ryan didn’t move.

He simply looked down at her.

Rose couldn’t understand what he wanted.

She took another small step back.

“Is there something else?”

“Have you really decided to marry him?”

Rose stared at him.

“What else am I supposed to do?”

Ryan took another step forward.

His voice remained calm.

“About the bidding... don’t you think you’ve misunderstood the Robinson family?”

Rose’s expression tightened.

“How important do you really think you are to them?”

His eyes remained fixed on hers.

“To the Robinson family—or to Trevor?”

There was no mockery in his voice.

No obvious sarcasm.

That somehow made his words even more unsettling.

Rose’s irritation deepened.

“That’s my business.”

Ryan ignored the answer.

“Do you really believe Trevor had no idea the Robinson family would submit another bid?”

Rose’s expression changed.

The warmth disappeared from her eyes.

“What exactly are you trying to say?”

Ryan continued toward her.

She stepped back.

He stepped forward.

Again.

And again.

Until Rose’s back met the glass wall.

Ryan stopped only inches away.

He lowered his gaze, studying her face with an intensity that made her chest tighten.

Then he spoke quietly.

“Ariel’s custody cannot with the Robinson family.”