No matter how composed Rose usually was, she couldn’t help but laugh at those words.
A mistress was accusing her of being morally corrupt and ruining someone else’s relationship?
"In that regard, I’m nowhere near as skilled as you Ms. Hill. No need to flatter me," Rose replied.
Her stomach still ached, and her voice came out weak and strained, but she couldn’t resist firing back with a bit of sarcasm.
Samantha chuckled lightly, completely unbothered.
"I think you’ve got it all wrong. I’m not like you. Mr. Robinson may just be entertaining himself with you on a whim, but Ryan’s feelings for me are different. Rose, I hope you have enough self-awareness to realize that the person who isn’t loved is the real obstacle standing in the way of others."
A cold smile touched Rose’s lips.
What a noble-sounding excuse.
What a convenient justification—that the unloved person was somehow the third wheel.
And on top of that, Samantha was trying to belittle Trevor’s feelings for her.
"Then go ahead and make it law," Rose said flatly. "From now on, let’s officially redefine the term true love as homewrecker. In that case, I’ll gladly accept the title."
Samantha hadn’t expected Rose to respond so harshly.
She was about to say something when she suddenly noticed someone approaching.
Her lips parted immediately.
"Ryan..."
Rose looked up.
Well, look at that. The little mistress’s powerful backer had arrived.
Ryan had appeared at some point and cast her a distant glance.
Rose neither looked away nor flinched.
How could she not understand?
Ryan would always protect Samantha. In his eyes, Rose’s careless remarks had insulted the woman he cherished.
"Did President Byrne refuse to see you?" Ryan asked as he walked over.
Samantha shook her head helplessly. "He wouldn’t even speak to me. I’ve been standing outside in the cold for ages. I don’t know why Mr. Byrne has such a strong prejudice against me. Maybe there’s some other reason."
Rose almost laughed.
Samantha might as well have had I’m gossiping about you and playing the victim written across her forehead.
Samantha rubbed her arms, her eyes reddening.
"Maybe I’m coming down with a cold. Or maybe I haven’t eaten all day and my blood sugar is low. Ryan, could I borrow your jacket?"
Ryan didn’t refuse. He handed her the jacket he was carrying.
Samantha slipped it on.
As she did, she glanced at Rose.
Her smile was unmistakable.
It was the arrogance of someone who knew she was favored.
Rose remained expressionless and turned to leave.
But Ryan stopped her. "About the database access—is there room for negotiation?"
Rose halted, not expecting him to ask so directly.
After all, on the surface, she held no official authority at G.S.
She looked at him coldly. "Do you think I’m the reason the negotiations failed?"
She instantly understood what he was implying.
He didn’t believe Caleb’s resistance was personal. He believed someone else was influencing the decision.
Ryan remained calm, sidestepping her question.
She needed to be at her best.
The group was highly interested in G.S. and had expressed a willingness to participate in the company’s upcoming robotic brain tumor surgery project.
Rose arrived at G.S. early the next morning.
But as soon as she walked in, she noticed Caleb’s unusually grim expression.
"The team has arrived," he said.
Rose checked the time. "Should we head over?"
Caleb shook his head. "They’re no longer interested in negotiating with us. They’ve found a better partner."
Rose frowned. "What happened?"
"New Hope stepped in. They offered the best terms—triple the salary—and created a dedicated project team under New Hope, with Samantha leading it."
Rose was so angry she nearly laughed.
New Hope.
Ryan had helped Samantha poach their talent.
"It must have happened yesterday," Rose said. "G.S. left Samantha hanging, and Ryan decided to help her get her revenge."
She couldn’t quite describe how she felt.
The situation was unexpected, but Ryan’s actions didn’t surprise her.
After all, he could never bear to see Samantha suffer any injustice.
So he made sure G.S. suffered instead.
Or rather...
He made sure she suffered.

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