Chapter 430 Nothing Left to Lose

Chapter 430: Chapter 430 Nothing Left to Lose

Derick watched Rose walk away.

His expression grew heavier by the second.

Soon, only Derick, Victoria, and Alicia remained in the room.

Alicia sat frozen, unable to process what had just happened.

This was supposed to be Rose’s worst day.

Her wedding had fallen apart. Her dress was useless. She had been humiliated in front of everyone.

Alicia had thought the attention would finally turn in her favor.

Instead, somehow, she had become the one standing on trial.

And the worst part was that none of Ryan’s accusations had been proven.

Not yet.

But somehow, once all the incidents were put side by side, they no longer sounded harmless.

Victoria was the first to speak.

“Derick, it’s all circumstantial. Ryan is angry because Alicia exposed what happened with Charlotte and ruined his engagement. You know Alicia. She wouldn’t deliberately hurt Rose.”

Her voice was calm.

She didn’t cry.

She didn’t demand that Derick defend her.

She simply walked over and stood beside him.

Alicia finally found her voice.

“Dad...”

Her eyes were red from crying.

“I know you’ve spent all these years waiting for Rose to come home. I understand that. I’ve always understood it.”

She wiped her cheeks.

“But Ryan is an outsider. He’s angry, and he’s making assumptions. You know me. Don’t you believe me?”

Derick’s expression didn’t change.

“I’ve been too busy with work to pay enough attention to the person you were becoming.”

Alicia’s heart sank.

He continued quietly.

“But there are some things the Taylor family should never have to explain.”

His eyes hardened.

“We didn’t raise you to go behind your brother-in-law’s back, twist what happened, and then expect him to clear your name.”

Alicia shook her head desperately.

“I was scared!”

Her voice cracked.

“There were so many people watching me. Once the rumors started, it didn’t matter whether they were true. Everyone was talking about me. I’m a woman, Dad. My reputation matters.”

“Enough.”

The word stopped her cold.

Derick stared at her, disappointment written plainly across his face.

“Even now, you still think this is about your reputation.”

He took a slow breath.

“Whether you did these things or not, you’ve put yourself in a position where this family can no longer ignore the damage being done around you.”

Alicia stared at him.

“Dad...”

“Rose is finally home.”

His voice softened for only a moment.

“And I won’t allow anyone around her who might have bad intentions toward her.”

Derick turned toward Victoria.

“It’s too late for explanations.”

Victoria’s expression tightened.

“If you’ve been telling me the truth all these years, then pray there’s never any evidence proving otherwise.”

His eyes were filled with pain.

“Because if there is, this won’t end with Alicia leaving the family home.”

Victoria’s face went pale.

Derick’s gaze lingered on her.

“You raised her.”

There was no anger in his voice anymore.

Somehow, that made the words worse.

Victoria had spent years being quiet.

She had never demanded much from him.

And Derick knew exactly why.

He still carried guilt over what had happened between them years ago—the pregnancy Victoria had lost, the complications that left her unable to have children again, and the life she had been forced to accept afterward.

He had spent years trying to make up for it.

But Rose was different.

Rose was his daughter.

His child with Sophia.

And whatever guilt he carried toward Victoria, it would never give Victoria or Alicia the right to hurt Rose.

Not again.

Victoria had never seen him look at her this way.

“Derick...”

“Move out today.”

He didn’t let her finish.

“My mother shouldn’t have to ask twice.”

He turned toward the door.

Then he stopped.

His eyes closed briefly.

“When you’re settled overseas, I’ll make sure you have money coming in regularly.”

Victoria looked at him in surprise.

Derick kept his back to them.

“I won’t let you go without the basics. But as far as everything else is concerned...”

He paused.

“Let’s consider the debt between us settled.”

He knew Grace would never approve of it.

He also knew she wouldn’t care what happened to Victoria and Alicia once they were out of the family.

But there were things Derick couldn’t simply erase from his conscience.

He would keep the payments private.

It was the last responsibility he was willing to take on.

Before Victoria could respond, he walked out.

The door closed behind him.

For several seconds, neither woman moved.

Then something inside Victoria snapped.

She turned and slapped Alicia across the face.

The sound echoed through the room.

Alicia fell hard against the floor.

Her cheek burned.

She slowly lifted a hand to it.

Victoria stood over her, trembling.

“What have you done?”

Her voice was no longer gentle.

“Who did you think you were?”

Alicia said nothing.

“You went after Ryan Knight?”

Victoria’s breathing grew ragged.

“Do you have any idea who you’re dealing with?”

She crouched slightly, her eyes blazing.

“What could you possibly offer a man like him?”

Alicia remained silent.

Victoria’s anger erupted.

“You crossed the one line you should never have crossed!”

She pointed toward the door.

“You could have fought with Rose. You could have played your little games behind everyone’s back. Maybe no one would have noticed.”

Her voice shook.

“But you went after Ryan.”

Victoria laughed bitterly.

“Do you even know what kind of man he is?”

Alicia looked up.

Victoria continued.

“He was barely a teenager when he did something reckless enough to nearly get his own father killed. And instead of losing everything over it, he came out of it with even more control over the Knight family.”

Her expression was twisted with fear and anger.

“His father, his uncles, the older generation—they all learned very quickly that they couldn’t control him.”

She stared at Alicia.

“You really thought you could manipulate someone like that?”

Victoria had intended to take things slowly.

She had never known exactly what had happened between Alicia and Ryan.

She had believed that if Alicia hadn’t provoked him, Ryan would never have cared enough to investigate what had happened behind the scenes.

Then Rose would have remained vulnerable.

The Taylor family wouldn’t have turned against Alicia.

And Victoria would never have found herself in this position.

But now everything had collapsed.

Grace had ordered Alicia out.

Derick had accepted it.

And Victoria knew there was nothing she could do to reverse the decision.

She had never had another child in the Taylor family.

Alicia had been her only connection to that life.

Now even that was being taken away.

Alicia slowly wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth.

Then she looked at Victoria.

There was no fear in her eyes anymore.

Only bitterness.

“Was I the one who ruined you?”

Victoria froze.

Alicia pushed herself to her feet.

“For twenty years, Dad never gave you a real place in his life.”

Her voice was strangely calm.

“You blame me because I couldn’t compete with Rose?”

She gave a cold laugh.

“Mom, you couldn’t even beat Sophia.”

“Alicia!”

Victoria looked as though she’d been struck.

Sophia’s name had always been the wound she couldn’t protect.

Her face twisted with fury.

But Alicia didn’t back down.

“You’d better start thinking about yourself.”

She stepped closer.

“Because I can’t protect you anymore.”

Victoria stared at her.

“If the Taylor family finds out everything that happened back then, neither of us is going to have anything left.”

She paused.

“So don’t expect me to carry you.”

Victoria’s face went rigid.

Alicia’s expression was just as cold.

“The only reason I’m in this position is because of you.”

She touched her swollen cheek.

“You brought me into this family.”

“You made me live my entire life knowing I wasn’t really one of them.”

“And now you’re blaming me because the truth finally caught up with us?”

Victoria opened her mouth.

Nothing came out.

Alicia turned away.

She had spent her entire childhood watching everyone wait for Rose.

Grace had always been polite to her, but never truly close.

James had always kept his distance, convinced that Alicia was occupying the place that belonged to Rose.

Even when Rose was missing and everyone believed she might never return, the Taylor family had never truly made Alicia their heir.

Even when the Robinson family had repeatedly suggested that they should cancel the engagement or find another arrangement, the Taylor family had refused to let Alicia step into Rose’s place.

She had always been the replacement.

The temporary daughter.

The girl standing in the empty space left behind by someone everyone still loved.

She had hated Rose for it.

But now she realized she hated Victoria, too.

Because Victoria had brought her into a family that would never completely accept her.

And then expected Alicia to be grateful for whatever scraps of belonging she was given.

Alicia clenched her fists.

No.

She wasn’t going to leave quietly.

She wasn’t going to disappear overseas and let everyone else decide what happened to her life.

If the Taylor family wanted a fight, then she would fight.

She had spent twenty years trying to earn her place.

She wasn’t about to give it up now.

******

Outside, the winter garden was gray beneath the overcast sky.

Most of the flowers were gone, but the grounds were still filled with carefully maintained greenery and mature trees. The estate’s gardeners had done everything possible to keep the grounds from looking completely lifeless.

Rose barely noticed.

She was still wearing her wedding dress.

The long skirt swept across the stone path as she walked, her mind racing through everything she needed to deal with.

Ariel.

The legal paperwork.

Her place in the Taylor family.

The mess she’d inherited simply by coming home.

There was too much to think about.

She didn’t notice the uneven stone beneath the hem of her dress.

“Careful.”

Rose stepped on it.

Her ankle twisted slightly.

Before she could lose her balance, someone caught her hand.

Rose steadied herself and looked up.

Ryan was standing beside her.

His gaze dropped briefly to the wedding dress.

“Watch where you’re going.”

Rose pulled herself upright.

Ryan’s eyes lingered on the dress for another moment.

Then he said quietly,

“It’s a shame.”

Rose frowned.

“What is?”

His expression was unreadable.

“That you never got to wear it for the wedding you actually planned.”