Chapter 489 A Suspicion Takes Shape

Chapter 489: Chapter 489 A Suspicion Takes Shape

“What did you find out?”

Rose’s thoughts snapped back to the present. She gripped Ryan’s solid arm, hesitation flickering in her eyes.

She was still worried. What if Ryan really had uncovered something? What would that mean for Diana?

Ryan rested one hand on her waist, his expression calm.

“Liam’s a capable guy. Given his background, he should’ve been pushed to the margins of the Mercer family. Instead, he managed to make a name for himself in just three years.”

He’d even worked his way into the family’s inner circle.

Without the full support of a powerful family, climbing that high required an almost unimaginable amount of effort. Liam must have been relentless, willing to spend whatever it took and seize every opportunity to get ahead.

“You think he’s impressive?”

Rose sounded surprised. Getting Ryan to acknowledge someone else’s abilities was no small feat.

Ryan lowered his eyes and casually brushed his thumb across her lips.

“We crossed paths at a club once. He’s sharp. And considering his position in the Mercer family, he clearly has some serious connections.”

“However...” He leaned closer. “That’s not what you asked me to investigate. You weren’t asking whether he was capable of protecting Diana.”

“Does he have an ulterior motive?” Rose asked bluntly, pressing her lips together.

She wouldn’t be able to relax until she got to the bottom of this.

Diana had only recently married Liam, and the two had spent years in a long-distance relationship. Rose had seen for herself how close they were, how their feelings for each other had never seemed to fade.

As Diana had explained, Liam had worked himself to the bone precisely because he’d watched Diana suffer unfairly.

He’d wanted to make sure she never had to suffer alongside him again.

“What exactly do you mean by an ulterior motive?” Ryan asked.

Rose frowned. “Do we really need to distinguish between different kinds?”

He chuckled softly.

“If you mean the usual games people play at business events, he’s probably had his share of opportunities to get involved with attractive women. But from what I’ve seen, he’s pretty restrained. I’ve never heard anything about him crossing a line.”

Rose understood what he meant.

In certain business circles, there was an unspoken expectation that people would play along with the social scene—flirtation, drinking, and keeping attractive company. Liam might have gone along with some of it for appearances, but that didn’t necessarily mean he’d been unfaithful.

Of course, she also knew that someone like Liam probably hadn’t climbed so high without getting his hands dirty in some way. The business world wasn’t always kind to people who refused to play its games.

Still, as far as that side of things went, Liam seemed to have maintained his boundaries.

But something was bothering her.

“Is there anything else you haven’t told me?”

Ryan straightened slightly. His expression turned cool as he answered.

“He’s the kind of man who makes sure he leaves no loose ends. If you’re asking whether he’s openly kept a mistress, there’s no evidence of that. But over the past few months, he’s been involved in several entertainment-related projects. One of them is a film investment worth more than eighty million dollars. There have been other deals, too, both big and small.”

Rose’s gaze sharpened.

“Films... business deals...”

Liam’s appearance on the NYU film set suddenly came back to her.

Could it be that—

“Nothing’s been confirmed,” Ryan reminded her. “If he’s deliberately hiding something, he’ll be careful about it. He certainly wouldn’t make it obvious in public.”

He patted her head gently.

“I’m just giving you something to think about.”

Rose’s thoughts immediately spiraled.

Before, she’d only had suspicions. Now, she was beginning to feel as though there might be something to them.

The incident with the hem of the woman’s dress at Liam’s birthday party. The woman who’d slipped into Liam’s car at NYU.

If Liam were as devoted and aboveboard as he appeared, would he really have allowed another woman to cross that boundary and get into his car?

Still, suspicion wasn’t proof.

Her expression darkened.

Could a love that had begun so young, and seemed so unwavering, really have come to this?

Diana and Liam had been wonderful together from the beginning. They’d supported each other through the years, giving one another comfort when the rest of the world seemed determined to make things difficult.

Ryan studied her for a moment before gently pinching her cheek.

“If you’re worried Diana might get hurt, I’ll look into it more closely. But don’t bring it up with her while everything’s still uncertain. Even if you mean well, you need to know when to hold back.”

He understood that Rose was afraid Diana would be the one to suffer.

But a relationship belonged to the two people in it. If something was wrong, they needed either solid proof before confronting it or time to work through it carefully. Acting on suspicion alone could do more harm than good.

Rose understood his point.

She pushed him away and hopped down from the bathroom counter.

“I get it. I’m not going to do anything reckless.”

“Really?”

Ryan leaned against the doorway, watching her with an amused curve to his lips.

“I have my doubts.”

“...Get out.”

Rose shut the door in his face without another thought.

Last night had been exhausting enough. After everything that had happened between them, she could barely look at him without feeling awkward.

Kicking him out seemed like the simplest solution.

Standing in front of the mirror, she let her thoughts wander.

Of all the times for her to notice something suspicious, it had to be right after Diana and Liam had made their marriage official.

If something really was going on, untangling it would be a lot more complicated now.

The more she thought about it, the less comfortable she felt about this supposed day off.

In the end, she decided to leave Ryan behind and check on Diana herself.

*****

Diana was still busy on set when Rose arrived.

She was watching footage on a monitor, reviewing the day’s work. As the project’s executive producer and director, she was responsible for overseeing the final commercial shoot and coordinating with several celebrity models.

After Diana’s assistant brought Rose over, Rose took a moment to look at her.

Diana rarely made much effort with her appearance, especially when work kept her busy. Today, she wore a cream-colored cardigan, her long hair loosely tied in a low ponytail. Her face was fresh and almost makeup-free.

“Rose? Come sit over here.”

Diana turned and patted a small stool beside her.

Rose sat down. “Have you been this busy lately?”

Keeping her attention on the monitor, Diana brushed a loose strand of hair away from her forehead.

“It’s always like this. Long hours, barely any sleep. The company gave me a major project recently—a big ad campaign for a luxury brand. The client wants to promote a particular model, so they’re being incredibly picky about every detail. And we have to finish the entire shoot within a month.” She sighed. “We finally agreed on the creative direction, so now we have to get everything moving.”

“No wonder you’re taking so long to recover,” Rose said with a sigh.

Diana needed rest, but work clearly wasn’t giving her much of a chance.

“Don’t remind me.” Diana slumped in her chair like a deflated balloon. “That Mercer guy actually turned off my alarm this morning because he wanted me to sleep in. If my assistant hadn’t rushed over to drag me out of bed, I probably would’ve stayed there all day.”

Liam was starting to act more like her father than her husband.

He monitored what she ate, how much she slept, and whether she took her medication three times a day. Even when she traveled for work, he always called to check on her.

And the moment he suspected she was lying, he’d contact her assistant to verify her story.

Diana barely had any privacy anymore.

A flicker of unease crossed Rose’s eyes.

That was Diana’s happy dilemma: Liam cared about her deeply and seemed determined to give her everything she wanted. It had been that way for years.

But what about now?

Had something started to change between them?

“What time do you think you’ll finish today?” Rose asked. “Want to get dinner together?”

She wondered whether she could gently test the waters without making Diana suspicious.

Diana glanced at the time.

“Probably another two hours. Will you wait for me?”

Rose nodded. “Sure. Is this how seriously you’re taking your work?”

Suddenly, a woman’s cold voice cut through their conversation.

“Is this how seriously you’re taking your work?”

Rose and Diana both looked up.

A woman had just emerged from the studio, wearing the evening gown from the commercial shoot. Her face was expressionless as she stared at them.