Ryan was genuinely curious about the little girl.
She was bright, well-behaved, and unusually independent. Most children her age hadn’t developed much emotional maturity yet, but Ariel was different.
He knew a little about the Robinson family, and that only made him more curious about her parents.
At last, Ariel looked up at him, blinked, and said matter-of-factly, "My dad is dead."
The answer caught Ryan off guard.
His brows unconsciously drew together, and something flickered in his eyes.
"I’m sorry," he said quietly.
Ariel waved a hand dismissively.
"It’s okay. I don’t need a dad anyway. I’m fine with just my mom. My mom is better than a lot of people."
Ryan had assumed a child would feel vulnerable discussing life and death, especially at an age when children often long for a father figure. But the little girl in front of him seemed completely unbothered by the absence of a father.
"You’ve asked me a lot of questions," Ariel said suddenly, turning to him. "Now it’s my turn to ask you something."
Ryan raised an eyebrow slightly, amused by her seriousness.
"Are you Mike’s dad?"
"No."
"Then why are you pretending to be his dad? Doesn’t he have one? Or do you just like being a dad to little kids?"
Her voice was soft and sweet, but the question carried a surprisingly sharp edge.
Ryan didn’t try to brush her off.
"I don’t have children yet."
"Oh." Ariel looked as though she half understood. Then she suddenly pointed into the distance. "So are you going to have a baby with your wife?"
Ryan followed her gaze.
Samantha was standing nearby, chatting with a few wealthy mothers.
His expression remained calm, unreadable.
Just as he was about to answer—
"Ariel, it’s time to go."
Rose’s voice cut him off.
Ryan lifted his gaze slightly.
Rose didn’t look pleased. Carrying a thermos, she walked over quickly and picked Ariel up.
Before leaving, she shot Ryan a look filled with clear displeasure.
The moment she had seen him sitting with Ariel, her heart had nearly stopped.
Cold sweat instantly broke out across her back.
She was terrified Ariel might say something that would make Ryan realize the little girl in front of him was his daughter—especially now, with the divorce at such a critical stage.
Fortunately, Ryan showed no obvious reaction.
She had heard Ariel’s question just now.
How could she not know the answer? Given Ryan’s feelings for Samantha, he would probably answer affirmatively someday. And if Ariel later discovered that this was her father, it could deeply affect the child’s worldview.
Rose didn’t want her daughter to hear that her father had openly betrayed her mother.
Ariel obediently wrapped her arms around Rose’s neck and waved at Ryan.
"Bye, Uncle."
Ryan didn’t miss the look in Rose’s eyes.
When she had rushed over, there had even been sweat at her temples.
The weather wasn’t nearly hot enough for that.
It seemed she was extremely unwilling to let him interact with Ariel.
Ryan watched her retreating figure without moving.
When Samantha walked over, she caught the expression on his face. Following his gaze, she saw Rose disappearing around the corner.
A trace of coldness flashed through her eyes before she asked softly, "Ryan?"
"You seem to really like that little girl from earlier."
She certainly didn’t believe Ryan had been interested in talking to Rose. It had to be because of the child.
As she spoke, another thought occurred to her, and she smiled.
"So you really do like daughters? More than sons?"
There was an old saying: men who preferred daughters tended to treat their wives well.
Ryan didn’t respond to that directly. He only gave a faint smile.
"That little girl is the youngest daughter of the Robinson family. ’South Robinson, North Knights’—she’s a child blessed with good fortune. I wonder which branch of the Robinson family she belongs to."
Samantha instinctively glanced at Mike.

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