Love at First Sight? Mr. Harrison Has Been Scheming All Along-Chapter 142: Evan Hollis, Ian Harrison.
Evelyn Irving was a little confused.
She didn’t recognize the doctor in front of her. She had been with Charlotte Rhodes the entire time she was hospitalized last time, and she’d never seen this person...
Evan Hollis learned that Charlotte Rhodes was here for a follow-up and had already finished her appointment.
He said to the accompanying nurse, "I know this lady. I can see them downstairs."
Evan Hollis led the two to the elevator bank.
He pressed the elevator button for them.
After they reached the first-floor lobby, Charlotte Rhodes said to Evelyn Irving, "You can go wait in the car. I have something to discuss with Dr. Hollis."
"Alright."
Evelyn Irving left first.
There was a dedicated waiting area in the inpatient department’s lobby.
There was a water dispenser nearby.
Charlotte Rhodes sat down on a sofa.
Evan Hollis first asked if she wanted some water.
Charlotte Rhodes said, "Don’t trouble yourself."
Only then did Evan Hollis sit on the sofa next to her. He didn’t lean back, perching on the edge with his back straight.
Charlotte Rhodes looked Evan Hollis up and down.
So many years had passed, but he had barely changed, though the glasses he now wore made him a little hard to recognize.
Charlotte Rhodes asked, "Why... did you come to Celestria?"
A smile remained on Evan Hollis’s face. "It’s all thanks to the money you gave me back then. I used it to finish my studies. Without your help, I wouldn’t be where I am today."
He said with great solemnity, "I will never forget your kindness for the rest of my life."
"It wasn’t that much money."
Charlotte Rhodes remembered just casually giving him tens of thousands.
That money was, at most, only enough for his tuition.
’He must have suffered a great deal on his own later on.’
"It might not have been a lot of money to you, but it made my studies much easier. I didn’t have to be like my other classmates, still paying off loans for years after graduation."
Evan Hollis was telling the truth.
At the time, many of his classmates could only afford to study by relying on student loans.
Many of them still hadn’t completed their studies.
But because of that money, he had it much easier.
Charlotte Rhodes was touched by Evan Hollis’s gratitude. "In any case, seeing you doing well puts my mind at ease."
"My life changed because I met you," Evan Hollis said politely. "So if you ever need help with anything in the future, please don’t hesitate to contact me. For instance, the next time you come to the hospital for a check-up."
Evan Hollis tore a sheet from a notepad on the table, used a gel pen he carried in his pocket to write down his name and phone number, and handed it to Charlotte Rhodes.
Charlotte Rhodes looked at the beautiful handwriting, her gaze falling on the character for "Hollis".
"This ’Hollis’..."
Back then, when she had chosen a name for him, she had picked Ian Harrison.
Evan Hollis smiled. "I felt that since I’m not your son, after all, using that surname would be overstepping. So I took the liberty of changing it. Please forgive me."
In those years, Charlotte Rhodes had always preferred Evan Hollis.
The boy was well-behaved, sensible, smart, and outstanding.
The things he said always put her in a good mood.
In comparison, Sean Harrison was like a cautionary tale.
He always responded to her requests with silence and could never do anything right.
Not only were his grades at school a complete mess, but he didn’t have a single respectable talent in any of his electives.
And don’t even get her started on his social skills.
He never knew when to say what people wanted to hear.
She used to think that a child like him would just get lost in the crowd after entering society, never amounting to much.
But Sean Harrison had forged a different path.
He had stepped over everyone to reach the top.
He didn’t need to listen to anyone, but everyone had to listen to him.
It was just that, because of everything that happened back then...
Sean Harrison didn’t understand her actions.
The relationship between mother and son was terrible.
Evan Hollis then asked, "Auntie, how is your son now?"
Hearing this question, Charlotte Rhodes’s expression dimmed slightly, but she still nodded. "He’s fine."
Evan Hollis gave a genuine smile. "I’m truly happy for you. I’m sure your son is much more outstanding than I am. As hard as I’ve worked, I’m just an ordinary anesthesiologist."
He lowered his gaze and paused for a moment before speaking. "As an orphan, though I sometimes miss the time when I could call you ’Mom,’ I’m also very aware that I’m not your son, and I’m not worthy of such a wonderful mother. But I really do envy your son."
Charlotte Rhodes looked at the Evan Hollis before her.
’I really do prefer this child.’
She even felt a little regretful...
After growing old, she realized what she’d been pursuing wasn’t for a son to get ahead in life and bring glory to the Hollis Clan.
All she wanted was the simple happiness of family life.
’I should have adopted Evan Hollis back then. That way, even if Sean Harrison wasn’t close to me, I would still have had Evan by my side.’
Besides...
Compared to Sean Harrison, she had preferred the considerate Evan Hollis from the very beginning.
Charlotte Rhodes patted Evan Hollis’s shoulder. "Good child. It was my loss that I didn’t choose you back then."
"No, no, it’s because I wasn’t good enough," Evan Hollis said hurriedly. "Even if I’m not your son, I’d be more than happy to do anything you need, whenever you need it."
"Good, good."
Charlotte Rhodes carefully put away the phone number Evan Hollis had given her.
She had been thinking of Evan Hollis all these years, and seeing him doing well now finally put her heart at ease.
Evan Hollis escorted the elderly woman all the way to the entrance and watched her get into the car.
He waited until the car slowly drove out of the hospital grounds.
Only then did Evan Hollis’s expression return to normal.
In a voice only he could hear, he whispered, "Mom."
The happiest time of his life had been when Charlotte Rhodes was considering adopting him and came to visit him often.
She would bring him delicious food and take him to amusement parks.
She would prepare a gift for him on his birthday.
In Evan Hollis’s heart, Charlotte Rhodes was without a doubt the best mother in the world.
’If she doesn’t like her son, then the problem must be with her son.’
Just as Evan Hollis turned to walk back, someone approached him.
A woman who bore a moderate resemblance to Rory Linden.
"Dr. Hollis, hello. My name is Nadia Willow."
Nadia Willow had a faint smile on her face.
She knew best how to disguise herself to look the most like Rory Linden.
Upon seeing her face, Evan Hollis immediately put on his usual smile. "Hello. May I help you with something?"
Nadia Willow smiled back. "I’d like to cooperate with you."
-
At the same time, Rory Linden and Sean Harrison had just left Grandma Thorne’s house.
They were on their way to Auntie Vincent’s house.
This time, Rory Linden didn’t have Sean Harrison act as her driver again; instead, she had him accompany her to Auntie Vincent’s.
Rory Linden had bought some more gifts for her visit to Auntie Vincent’s this time, and Sean Harrison carried them as they arrived at the elderly woman’s home.
When Auntie Vincent saw Sean Harrison, she was taken aback for a moment. "And this is...?"
"He’s my boyfriend."
Rory Linden kept the introduction simple.
She didn’t go into detail about Sean Harrison’s identity.
Just like last time, Rory Linden gave Auntie Vincent a thorough check-up and also inspected the supplements she had left for her before.
She was relieved to confirm that the old woman had been taking her medicine properly.
The two had come in the afternoon this time, so they didn’t stay for a meal, only sitting for about an hour before preparing to leave.
The two of them had just stepped outside.
The sound of footsteps came from the stairwell, heading up.
Rory Linden followed the sound with her eyes...
The person coming up was actually Miles Harrison!
Since Sean Harrison was standing on the outside, he was the first one to see the man.
Miles Harrison froze for a second, then said, "Uncle?"
