Love at First Sight? Mr. Harrison Has Been Scheming All Along

This apartment wasn’t one Rory Linden had bought; she was just renting it. Moving out was inevitable.

Still, he never expected them to move in with Sean Harrison. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Rory Linden smiled. "There are some things going on right now. We’ll probably move back once they’re sorted out."

She thought living here was quite convenient.

It was close to the hospital and Leo Linden’s preschool.

While Leo was at an age where he could easily transfer to another preschool, given his circumstances, it was best not to uproot him again after he had just managed to adapt to his current one.

Ryan Sterling smiled. "Alright. Let me know when you’re moving back, and I’ll come down to help with your bags."

"Thank you."

Rory Linden turned and got in the car.

Leo Linden, oblivious to what was happening, waved enthusiastically at Ryan Sterling. "Mr. Sterling, we’re leaving now! See you in a little while!"

"Alright! Don’t forget to tell me if you want to learn how to skateboard."

As Ryan Sterling spoke, he felt a growing certainty inside. ’The life I had before... it might really be over.’

After watching Rory Linden’s car leave the parking garage, he couldn’t stop himself from pulling out his phone and calling Noah Sterling.

He told him about Rory Linden moving, then asked, "Uncle, did she get back together with Sean Harrison?"

"Wouldn’t that be perfectly normal? They have a son. Getting back together is a logical choice, even if it’s just for his sake."

Noah Sterling didn’t actually know what was going on.

He was just saying that to make his nephew give up hope.

"If Sean Harrison were such a great choice, would he have abandoned them overseas for five years? He’s so rich! If he’d given her even a little money, Ms. Rory wouldn’t have ended up renting in the same building as me."

Ryan Sterling said, annoyed, "Besides, nothing Ms. Rory wears or uses at home is designer. Even her purse is old. If Sean Harrison treated her well, would she be living like this?!"

The more he spoke, the more agitated he became.

He was filled with regret for not having said anything just now.

"That’s their business. Stay out of it," Noah Sterling said coolly. "I’ll be blunt. Even if she were looking for a new father figure for her son, you wouldn’t be in the running."

"Am I that bad?"

"Do you think you’re grown up? You’re still a kid yourself, and you want to be a father to someone else!"

"You’re just biased against me."

"No, it’s you who doesn’t know yourself."

The uncle and nephew started arguing on the phone.

Ryan Sterling was so angry he just hung up.

A moment later, a message from Noah Sterling popped up.

"If you want to think of yourself as a mature adult, the first thing you need to learn is not to hang up on people the second you disagree with them."

Ryan Sterling stared at the message, his anger flaring.

He didn’t really care what his uncle thought of him, but he was terrified that Rory Linden saw him the same way.

After he got on the elevator, he received another message from Noah Sterling.

"Alright, alright. I know you get your temper from your mother. But you have your good qualities, too. You’re a decent-looking guy. You shouldn’t have any trouble finding a girlfriend."

Ryan Sterling was thoroughly exasperated.

It wasn’t as if no one had ever pursued him.

Girls had been confessing their feelings for him ever since he was little, but he’d never liked any of them back.

He had all sorts of reasons, but to put it bluntly, he just never felt a spark.

But the moment he saw Rory Linden, he was captivated. Her peaceful, quiet aura, and her eyes—a pair of gentle yet alluring eyes so characteristic of an Asian woman—were seared into his memory.

He just wanted to be near her, to spend his life with her.

-

Sean Harrison’s villa in the northern part of the city wasn’t far from Jade Court Residences.

With the roads clear at night, the car pulled into the residential complex’s underground parking garage in just over ten minutes.

The underground garage was clearly divided into several sections.

Sean Harrison parked in one of these sections, an area large enough for about eight cars.

Once the sedan was parked, there were still two empty spaces left.

The other five vehicles parked there, aside from a business van, included two supercars, an SUV, and two sedans.

The moment Leo Linden stepped out of the car, his eyes were glued to one of the supercars.

Most little boys love model cars; seeing a real one up close for the first time, he was rooted to the spot.

Sean Harrison placed one hand on the sports car. "Like it? I didn’t bring the keys down."

"Is this a Koenigsegg?" Leo Linden carefully traced the car’s streamlined body with his fingertips. "Is this Dad’s car?"

"Yes. I have a few dozen more in my other garages. Many of them are sports cars, but there are some classic cars too. I’ll take you to see them sometime. You can take a ride in any one you like."

"Okay!"

Sean Harrison bent down and picked up his son.

He was thrilled that he owned something his son liked.

There was an elevator by the parking garage. Sean Harrison pressed his thumb to the scanner, and the doors slid open.

Sean Harrison stepped into the elevator first, still holding his son, and said to Rory Linden, "The lock here is connected to the front door’s system. We’ll get your biometrics registered upstairs, then you’ll be able to use it."

"Okay."

Rory Linden agreed.

The smile in Sean Harrison’s eyes deepened.

’The life he had dreamed of countless times was finally, step by step, becoming a reality.’

Sean Harrison’s villa was very large, with three floors above ground and one basement level.

Rory Linden had lived in the Harrington family’s main residence for many years, so she was used to houses of this scale.

This was the first time Leo Linden had seen a house like this, and he couldn’t hide his surprise. "Are we living here with a lot of other people?"

"No, just the three of us will live here together."

Sean Harrison said.

He rarely stayed here himself, for a simple reason.

The place was too big. Living here alone felt vast and empty, with a desolation so cold it was almost detestable.

However, he didn’t want to take Rory Linden back to his apartment that overlooked Elysian Hospital, either.

’Its unchanging decor was a shrine to the memories I’d clung to all these years, and it would probably make Rory feel uncomfortable.’

’I’ll have to find a more suitable house for us later.’

Soon, bodyguards brought the luggage up.

A housekeeper brought them slippers.

"Come on, let’s go pick out your rooms." Sean Harrison bent down to set Leo Linden on the floor, then looked at Rory Linden. "I had a room set up for Leo over the last few days. If he doesn’t like it, we can have it redone."

"I’m sure he’ll like it if you’re the one who arranged it."

’He must have hired a designer for it,’ Rory Linden guessed. ’At the very least, it would be designed to a typical child’s tastes.’

The room was on the second floor.

The moment Leo Linden entered the room, he let out a loud, "WOW!"

The room was less a child’s bedroom and more a personal playground!

Besides the sleeping area, the other space had a slide, a trampoline, and a swing.

On one wall was a space-themed mural.

Leo Linden immediately ran over. He didn’t try anything out right away, but simply touched the slide gently before looking back at Rory Linden.

"Mom, am I sleeping here tonight?"

"Mhm, would you like that?" Rory Linden asked.

"I would!"

The little boy’s voice was full of joy.

Sean Harrison asked him, "I’m going to show Mom her room. Do you want to come with us?"

"I... I’ll go in a little while."

Leo Linden’s eyes were still devouring everything in the room; he couldn’t bear to leave.

Sean Harrison didn’t force him.

The two of them left Leo Linden’s room.

"The master suite and walk-in closet are on the third floor, but for now, we’ll all stay on the second floor."

Sean Harrison led Rory Linden to the door of the adjacent room and opened it. "This is your room. What do you think? I figured you’d want to be close to Leo."

The room was a decent size, and the furnishings were simple.

A bed, a wardrobe, a chaise lounge.

The room also had an en-suite bathroom.

As they walked into the room together, Rory Linden failed to notice the wool rug laid next to the bench at the foot of the bed. She lifted her foot and stumbled...

"Careful!"

Sean Harrison shot out a hand and caught her. As she fell toward him, his other hand instinctively wrapped around her waist.