Chapter 454 The Package
What Rowan had said was, in fact, true.
A quiet emotion flickered through Ryan’s eyes.
But he remained with his back to Rowan.
He didn’t react the way Rowan had expected.
“You’re wrong.”
Ryan’s voice was even colder in the bitter night air.
“It’s not your existence that brought Rose and me to this point.”
He paused.
“You’re giving yourself far too much credit.”
Rowan’s chest rose and fell sharply.
His eyes reddened.
Whether it was resentment or his refusal to acknowledge his own regret, even he couldn’t say.
But Ryan had already lost any interest in continuing the conversation.
He didn’t argue with Rowan about the one thing that had struck so deeply at his heart.
He simply walked away.
Rowan stared after him.
Then he slowly sat down on a bench in the courtyard.
He had never been willing to admit that he was jealous of Ryan.
For years, he’d believed Rose had feelings for him.
He had quietly allowed himself to believe it.
He’d even imagined what he would do when Rose finally made those feelings clear.
His marriage would have to be an equal partnership.
His wife would have to come from a family strong enough to stand beside him.
He’d told himself that Rose could never be that woman.
And yet, somewhere beneath all that calculation, he’d still harbored feelings for her.
A selfish, impossible hope.
He knew he could never truly be with her.
But he had never completely let go of the possibility.
Until he saw the pendant.
The moment he recognized it as Ryan’s, something inside him collapsed.
Rose treasured it.
She had carried it with her.
She had protected it.
The person she loved had never been him.
It had always been Ryan.
For Rowan, that realization had shattered more than his pride.
It had turned all those years of affection into something humiliating.
He had been fooling himself.
Rose had never wanted him.
Of course, he knew what his grandmother had done for him.
Back then, he’d resented Rose.
Why had she fallen for Ryan?
Why hadn’t she ever looked at him?
And he’d resented Ryan too.
Ryan had always stood at the top of the family, leaving the rest of them little room to compete.
That night on the cruise ship...
Rowan had tried to stop it.
Deep down, he hadn’t wanted Rose to go to Ryan.
But then he’d overheard Ryan talking to Margaret.
“I’ll handle my own marriage.”
And then Ryan had said the words Rowan never forgot.
“Rose? I don’t like her. She’s not qualified to join the Knight family.”
Rowan had believed him.
He’d believed Ryan looked down on Rose.
Maybe even despised her.
After all, Rose came from an ordinary background.
How could someone as proud and accomplished as Ryan ever take her seriously?
If Ryan truly disliked her, then marrying her would only be a punishment.
Ryan would never fall in love with Rose.
That had been Rowan’s certainty.
And because of that certainty, he’d eventually stopped resisting what Margaret was doing.
Rose and Ryan would eventually separate anyway.
Rose would eventually discover what Ryan was really like.
She would realize what she’d sacrificed for him.
And when that happened...
Perhaps Rowan could take her back.
If she was willing to return.
He’d even thought about how he would handle it.
Rowan lowered his head.
Rose’s face appeared in his mind.
His eyes burned with tears, but he forced himself to smile.
“I’ve never regretted anything.”
His voice was cold.
Rose should be the one regretting it.
As for Ryan’s claim that his divorce had nothing to do with Rowan...
Rowan didn’t believe him.
Ryan must have held a grudge.
He must have seen Rowan as the one obstacle standing between him and everything he wanted.
And he’d defeated Ryan.
He had.
At least, that’s what Rowan told himself.
****
Rose knew nothing about the details of what had happened at the Knight residence.
The New Year had only just begun, and everyone was still wrapped up in the holiday celebrations.
Rose brought Gabriel and Morgan to the Taylor family home, where the entire extended family gathered for another meal.
Of course, Derick and the others were absent.
James explained why.
“He’s not doing well.”
He lowered his voice.
“He’d been drinking heavily by himself and ended up in the hospital. As soon as he woke up, he booked a flight overseas.”
Rose remained silent.
“As for Victoria and Alicia...”
James paused.
“Dad intends to deal with them personally. I know what kind of man he is. He won’t give them any room to escape.”
Rose said nothing.
Some consequences couldn’t be avoided.
People reaped what they sowed.
Regret, despair, and suffering didn’t erase the choices that had caused them.
No matter how much pain Derick was in, no matter how much hatred he carried, it was still the bitter harvest of seeds he’d planted himself.
Only now, after twenty years, had the poison finally returned to him.
James sat beside Rose, quietly cracking pine nuts for her and placing the kernels in the small dish beside her.
He did it so naturally that he seemed not to notice he was fussing over her.
As he worked, he asked,
“Have you heard anything about the Knight family?”
Rose glanced at him.
“If you’re here for the gossip, you might as well tell me.”
James looked at her in surprise.
“Rose, I’m actually glad you can let things go so easily.”
He lowered his voice.
“Ryan’s father is under investigation.”
Rose’s expression didn’t change.
“From what people close to the situation are saying, the allegations are serious. They may involve several senior executives and officials connected to Knight Group.”
James continued cracking another pine nut.
“This isn’t just a problem for Nicholas. It’s shaking the entire Knight family.”
“After all, aside from Edward and Ryan, Nicholas was one of the most powerful people in the family.”
“Now that he’s been taken down, it’s a massive blow.”
Rose listened quietly.
“The Knight family will probably try to contain the damage.”
James’s expression turned complicated.
“But the Robinsons aren’t going to let them.”
“The two families have been at odds for years. With Knight Group already weakened, the Robinson family will undoubtedly take advantage of the situation.”
His voice carried a trace of disbelief.
“We’re probably going to see quite a few shocking developments in the coming weeks.”
A direct clash between two powerful families.
The tension surrounding it was almost tangible.
Their hostility had been building for years, quietly accumulating beneath the surface.
Now they finally had an opening.
“Nicholas?”
Rose repeated the name.
She didn’t have much affection for her former father-in-law.
She hadn’t spent much time with him, but she’d heard enough over the years.
Nicholas had married Ryan’s mother’s younger sister while his wife’s body was barely cold.
Rose had never thought highly of him after learning that.
And Nicholas and Ryan had spent years on opposite sides of business battles, openly competing and quietly undermining each other whenever they had the opportunity.
“It looks like his downfall is closely connected to Ryan.”
James’s expression was complicated.
In fact, rumors about it had already spread throughout the business world.
Ryan had turned against his own father.
He had personally exposed him and sent him into custody.
Now the industry was filled with whispers that Ryan was ruthless and utterly without mercy.
Some even portrayed him as a cold-blooded monster who would destroy anyone—even his own family—if they stood in his way.
Opinions were divided.
And the criticism was louder than the praise.
“If Ryan actually cared about what people thought, these rumors wouldn’t be spreading.”
Rose set down the pine nuts.
But her mind was already elsewhere.
Even if Ryan had been responsible for what happened...
There had to be a reason.
Ryan wasn’t someone who acted without a reason.
James watched her.
“You really do understand him.”
Rose glanced at him.
She didn’t answer.
Instead, she stood.
“Diana wants to take me out for a walk.”
She hesitated.
“As for Ariel—”
“I’ll take care of her.”
James immediately cut in.
“Don’t worry.”
His eagerness was almost comical.
Rose couldn’t help but relax.
There were no hidden dangers in the Taylor household.
Ariel was surrounded by people who adored her.
Rose had nothing to worry about.
She was just about to leave when the butler hurried toward her from outside.
He was carrying a package.
The moment he saw Rose, he smiled.
“Miss Rose, this package came for you. Would you like to open it?”
“For me?”
Rose looked puzzled.
She took the package and examined it.
Then she saw the return address.
Knight Group.
Her fingers paused against the wrapping.
It was from Ryan.
Rose stared at the package for a moment before giving a small nod.
“All right.”
She began unwrapping it as she walked.