Chapter 418 No Way Out

Chapter 418: Chapter 418 No Way Out

Ryan didn’t stop Rose.

He knew that sooner or later, she and Trevor would have to stop hiding things from each other. This confrontation might finally force Rose to see the Robinson family—and Trevor himself—for what they really were.

*****

By the time Rose reached Ocean Star, Trevor had just finished a meeting.

He was still sitting behind his desk when the door opened.

The moment he saw Rose walk in, he knew something had happened.

He had expected this.

“Sit down.”

Trevor put his pen aside and rose from his chair.

Rose didn’t move toward the sofa.

She stood several feet away, staring at him.

On the way over, she’d done everything she could to get her emotions under control. But now that she was standing in front of him, she realized something had changed.

The man she’d once trusted no longer looked the way he had in her memories.

“Did you know?”

Her voice was quiet.

Trevor’s expression remained calm.

“Know what?”

“Don’t.”

Rose’s eyes hardened.

“Did you know the Robinson family planned to use Ariel as leverage to get what they wanted from the Knight family?”

Silence.

That was all the answer she needed.

Of course he knew.

Trevor was the Robinson family’s heir. Nothing important happened within the family without eventually reaching him.

Rose let out a bitter laugh.

“How long were you planning to keep me in the dark?”

Trevor studied her.

“Don’t you trust me?”

Rose stared at him.

“Mr. Robinson, I’m not naive enough to think I’m important enough to you that you’d sacrifice your family’s interests for me.”

Her voice remained steady.

“And let’s be honest. Whatever relationship we have has never reached that point.”

She wasn’t trying to hurt him.

She was simply telling him the truth.

Years ago, when Trevor had helped her establish Ariel’s legal custody arrangement, they’d both known exactly what they were doing.

He needed her and Ariel to help him avoid the marriage his family had arranged for him.

Rose needed his protection to keep Ariel hidden.

It had been an arrangement that benefited them both.

But somewhere along the way, everything had changed.

No one had known then that Rose was actually the long-lost heiress of the Taylor family.

Trevor’s expression darkened.

“So, you’ve already decided what kind of person I am.”

Rose didn’t answer.

She had no interest in arguing about his character.

“The Robinson family has no right to use my daughter as a bargaining chip.”

Her voice sharpened.

“Whatever deal you made with me years ago is finished. You helped me when I needed you, and I helped you when you needed me. Neither of us owes the other anything anymore.”

She paused.

“But the moment your family decided Ariel could be traded for business advantages, that arrangement ended.”

Trevor’s eyes remained fixed on her.

Rose took a breath.

“The wedding is off.”

For a moment, Trevor said nothing.

Rose had already made up her mind.

She would take Ariel and leave.

There would be legal procedures to deal with, but the Robinson and Knight families couldn’t simply make the transfer happen overnight. And now that their intentions were out in the open, Rose could no longer pretend this was something she could quietly negotiate away.

“The wedding is off?”

Trevor repeated.

Rose nodded.

“Yes.”

Those two words landed harder than she expected.

Trevor’s mind immediately went somewhere else.

He remembered Alicia’s warnings.

Perhaps Rose still had feelings for Ryan.

With Ariel between them, perhaps there was still a bond he couldn’t see.

And if that was true, what exactly did Ryan want from Rose now?

Trevor’s gaze grew colder.

“What if I don’t agree?”

Rose frowned.

“What?”

“I said, what if I refuse to cancel it?”

Her expression hardened.

“Mr. Robinson, what exactly do you want?”

The question came out almost incredulously.

The Robinson family had just stabbed her in the back, and Trevor was still standing there as though he had every right to demand something from her.

Trevor took a step toward her.

“I already told you.”

His eyes didn’t leave hers.

“I want you.”

Rose’s expression changed.

Trevor continued quietly.

“We were supposed to end up together anyway. Our families had an agreement long before either of us knew the truth about each other. Then, years later, we somehow ended up agreeing to marry without even realizing the connection.”

A faint, humorless smile touched his lips.

“Call it coincidence. Call it fate. I don’t really care what you call it.”

Rose took a step back.

“Have you forgotten?”

Her voice was cold.

“That engagement was officially called off long time ago.”

Trevor’s expression shifted.

She was right.

And suddenly, another thought occurred to him.

The timing had always bothered him.

Samantha had appeared out of nowhere, the scandal had exploded, and both families had been forced to cancel the engagement to protect their reputations.

At the time, Trevor had accepted the explanation.

But now...

His gaze darkened.

Had Ryan really been uninvolved?

What if the entire scandal had been deliberately engineered?

What if Ryan had known about the engagement between the Robinson and Taylor families and had quietly manipulated events to destroy it before it could become a marriage?

The possibility made Trevor’s expression turn colder.

But he didn’t voice the suspicion.

Rose didn’t need to know.

Not yet.

Instead, he looked at her and said, “The wedding is still happening.”

Rose stared at him.

Trevor’s voice remained calm.

“Now that you know what the Robinson and Knight families are planning, you should also understand what happens if you refuse to marry me.”

He paused.

“If you walk away tomorrow, the Robinson family will move quickly. They’ll use every connection they have to work around the normal process and coordinate with the Knight family to transfer Ariel.”

Rose’s hands tightened.

“Even if you try to fight them through the Taylor family, it won’t be simple. The Robinsons and Knights have already decided they’re better off working together. Neither family will back down now.”

“Trevor.”

Rose’s voice was sharp.

He didn’t flinch.

“I’m not threatening you,” he said.

“Yes, you are.”

Rose’s eyes burned.

Trevor held her gaze.

“I’m telling you what is going to happen.”

He took another step closer.

“Even the Taylor family would have to decide whether protecting Ariel is worth starting a war with two of the most powerful families in the country. And by the time they make that decision, the legal process may already be underway.”

Rose’s face went pale.

She hated him for saying it.

But she couldn’t deny that he was right.

The timing was terrible.

The Knight and Robinson families had already reached an agreement.

They had money, influence, lawyers, connections, and a shared interest in seeing the arrangement through.

And Rose no longer had the advantage.

Trevor watched her carefully.

“You know I’m telling you the truth.”

Rose said nothing.

Because she did.

And that was the worst part.

He was using the truth to corner her.

“You’re leaving me one choice,” she said quietly.

Trevor didn’t deny it.

“Marry me.”

His voice was almost gentle.

“And I’ll make sure Ariel stays with you.”

Rose looked at him.

Trevor continued, “I’ve already started handling the paperwork. I won’t route it through the Robinson family. I’ll make sure the transfer is completed in a way that protects you.”

Her expression shifted.

“As long as you become my wife.”

There it was.

The price.

Trevor reached out and gently brushed a strand of hair away from her face.

“Don’t worry about anything tonight. Just get some rest and prepare for tomorrow. I’ll send someone to pick you up in the morning.”

Rose stiffened.

For the first time, she saw Trevor clearly.

He wasn’t cruel in the obvious way.

That almost made him worse.

He was a businessman.

He calculated risks.

He weighed costs.

And when he wanted something, he found the cheapest possible way to get it.

Even now, he was offering her what she desperately needed—but only if she gave him exactly what he wanted in return.

A cold shiver ran down Rose’s spine.

Trevor’s hand moved toward her again.

Rose stepped away.

“Don’t.”

She turned and walked toward the door.

Trevor’s hand remained suspended for a moment before he slowly curled his fingers and lowered it.

He slipped his hand into his pocket.

“See you tomorrow,” he said.

“At the wedding.”

Rose didn’t look back.

*****

The moment she stepped outside, the winter air hit her.

The cold cut through her coat, but she barely noticed.

She kept walking.

Fast.

Her mind was racing.

Everything had gone wrong at exactly the same time.

First, someone had deliberately spread rumors that Ariel was an illegitimate child.

Then Ryan had publicly revealed Ariel’s identity to shut those rumors down.

And instead of giving Rose a chance to handle the situation herself, that revelation had forced the Knight family to act.

Now the Robinson and Knight families had joined forces.

One wanted Ariel.

The other wanted access to Kingswell’s technology and the semiconductor market.

And Rose was caught directly in the middle.

Even if the Taylor family stepped in now, would it be enough?

Rose didn’t know.

She kept walking until her legs finally gave out.

She stopped.

Took a breath.

Then another.

Her chest felt unbearably tight.

She crouched down, wrapping her arms around herself as she tried to force her thoughts into some kind of order.

She couldn’t panic.

She couldn’t.

There had to be another way.

A way she hadn’t considered yet.

She closed her eyes.

For a long moment, she remained there in the freezing night.

Then, suddenly—

something came back to her.

Something she’d forgotten.

Rose’s eyes snapped open.