Chapter 417 The Price of Ariel

Chapter 417: Chapter 417 The Price of Ariel

That one sentence made Rose’s chest tighten.

She had been thinking about this for days. Sooner or later, the Robinson family would find out that Ariel was Ryan’s daughter. Once they did, everything would change. There would be custody battles, family pressure, public scrutiny—one problem after another.

There were too many things she still needed to figure out.

And all of it had been thrown into chaos because Ryan had suddenly stepped in, exposed Ariel’s identity to the public, and forced everything into the open before Rose was ready.

Rose clenched her jaw.

“I’m on my way.”

Ryan ended the call.

Rose didn’t waste another second. She turned around and headed straight for the Royal Crescent Hotel.

Earlier that day, when she had returned home, Dr. Nathan had happily asked about the wedding. He had wanted to know how the preparations were going and whether she was nervous.

The invitations had already gone out.

Even Grace was supposed to be there tomorrow.

Tomorrow.

Rose forced the thought away.

She couldn’t think about the wedding right now.

She had to get to the hotel.

By the time she arrived, Ryan had already texted her the private dining room number. She hurried upstairs.

As she approached the room, she heard voices through the partially closed door. Waiters moved in and out, carrying dishes and clearing plates.

Rose stopped just outside.

She hadn’t intended to eavesdrop.

Then she heard Edward.

His voice was calm, cold, and unmistakably authoritative.

“Ariel is a Knight. The Knight family is grateful to the Robinsons for raising her all these years, but she is our family’s child. There is no reason for the Robinson family to continue carrying that responsibility. We want custody transferred back to the Knight family.”

Rose went still.

Julia spoke next.

“I understand why the Knight family wants Ariel back. If this had been handled privately between our families, the Robinsons wouldn’t have objected. But Ryan made everything public. That has put us in a difficult position.”

“Julia, I understand.”

Edward’s tone didn’t change.

“If the Robinson family wants something in return, let’s stop dancing around it.”

There was a brief silence.

Then Edward continued.

“Kingswell is the country’s leader in semiconductors. The Robinson family has been trying to enter that market for years, but you’ve been held back by technology and patents.”

Rose’s fingers slowly curled into her palms.

“I’ve personally overseen our semiconductor division,” Edward said. “I’m prepared to authorize the transfer of several key technology licenses to the Robinson family. And there’s more. Kingswell will withdraw from the upcoming national semiconductor summit.”

A murmur went through the room.

“If Kingswell doesn’t attend, the Robinson family will have a clear opening to establish itself in the industry. With our support behind the scenes, you won’t have to spend years fighting for a foothold.”

The room fell silent.

Rose could almost hear everyone calculating the value of the offer.

One child.

A massive business opportunity.

The technology the Robinson family had wanted for years.

And Kingswell stepping aside at the industry’s biggest upcoming event.

It was an extraordinary deal.

Julia was clearly taken aback.

But Rose could imagine exactly what she was thinking.

The Knight family had backed themselves into a corner.

Ryan had already told the world that Ariel was his daughter. If the Knight family now appeared unwilling to take responsibility for her, the backlash would be enormous. And for a company like Kingswell, public perception could quickly become a business problem.

Whether they genuinely wanted Ariel or simply wanted to protect their reputation no longer mattered.

They had to act.

And apparently, this was the price they were willing to pay.

“All right,” Julia finally said. “Given the Knight family’s offer, the Robinson family has no objection.”

Rose’s heart sank.

Julia hesitated.

“As for transferring Ariel’s custody, Rose will probably—”

“She doesn’t get a say.”

Edward’s voice cut through hers.

Rose’s face went pale.

“She took the Knight family’s child away from them,” Edward continued coldly. “If this is the consequence, then she brought it on herself.”

Julia was quiet for a moment.

“So you’re saying we should transfer Ariel without telling Rose?”

“That’s what I want.”

Julia let out a quiet breath.

“Then the Robinson family is going to look like the villain.”

“That is your problem.”

Rose stopped breathing.

Julia changed the subject.

“And the wedding?”

“That has nothing to do with the Knight family. Handle it yourselves.”

Rose didn’t hear anything after that.

She stood outside the door, completely numb.

The winter air from the open corridor felt like ice against her skin, but somehow she couldn’t feel the cold.

The Robinson family.

Again.

They had chosen someone else over her.

They had taken her daughter—the one thing she had fought for with everything she had—and turned her into a bargaining chip.

Ariel was being traded for access to an industry.

For patents.

For a business opportunity.

And no one had thought to ask Rose.

Not her father.

Not Julia.

Not anyone.

They had sat in a room and decided the fate of her daughter as if Rose were nothing more than an inconvenience.

As if she weren’t Ariel’s mother.

Rose’s entire body went rigid.

Her eyes burned, but she couldn’t seem to blink.

Her breathing became shallow and uneven. Anger surged through her so violently that every muscle in her body seemed to ache.

She didn’t know how long she stood there.

Then someone took her hand.

Rose barely reacted.

The person gently pulled her away from the door and led her down the hall.

She was too stunned to resist.

After a moment, the person stopped.

“Did you really think the Robinson family would stand by you?”

Rose slowly looked up.

Ryan.

He turned to face her.

“Do you still think that’s where you belong?”

Rose stared at him.

Ryan had never trusted anyone enough to believe that blood automatically meant loyalty.

Families betrayed each other.

Parents betrayed their children.

People protected themselves when the stakes were high.

That was why Ryan had always believed in one thing above everything else:

Never surrender control of your own fate.

Rose’s eyes filled with tears.

She had spent so long fighting for Ariel that she’d convinced herself there was still something she could hold on to.

She had sacrificed everything.

Her reputation.

Her future.

Her relationship with her family.

She had been willing to do whatever it took to keep her daughter.

And now, in the span of one conversation, everything she’d fought for was being taken away.

Then she looked at Ryan.

Something inside her finally broke.

She raised her fist and slammed it against his chest.

Again.

And again.

“You think you have the right to stand there and lecture me?”

Another hit.

“You think you get to tell me that I chose the wrong people?”

Another.

“If you hadn’t gone public with Ariel’s identity, would our families even be having this conversation?”

Her voice cracked.

“Would they be sitting in there deciding how much my daughter is worth?”

She hit him again, tears spilling freely down her face.

“Ryan, are you happy now?”

She pounded her fists against his chest until her hands began to hurt.

Ryan didn’t stop her.

He didn’t grab her wrists.

He didn’t step away.

He simply stood there and let her take out every ounce of anger she had on him.

Rose kept hitting him until she was exhausted.

Her shoulders shook.

Tears continued running down her cheeks as she stared at him with raw hatred.

“If you take Ariel from me,” she said hoarsely, “I’ll destroy you. I don’t care what it costs me.”

Ryan looked at her for a long moment.

Then he raised his hand.

His fingers were cool against her skin as he gently wiped a tear from her cheek.

“Then make sure you mean it.”

*****

Rose knew better than to confront the Knight and Robinson families head-on.

It wouldn’t change anything.

They had already made their decision.

And she wasn’t going to waste another second arguing with Ryan either. As far as she was concerned, he had chosen the Knight family the moment he dragged Ariel’s identity into the public eye.

She pulled away from him.

Without another word, Rose walked off, took out her phone, and called Trevor.

She needed a plan.

And she needed it now.

A few minutes later, she headed straight for Ocean Star.