Love at First Sight? Mr. Harrison Has Been Scheming All Along-Chapter 166: A Red Diamond Worth Hundreds of Millions?

Chapter 166: Chapter 166: A Red Diamond Worth Hundreds of Millions?

Only then did Nadia Willow look away.

Rachel Lancaster said cheerfully, "Hi there! I’m Rachel Lancaster, Henry Lancaster’s sister. I’ve heard about you."

Nadia Willow had been abroad for many years, so the two of them had never met.

Nadia Willow nodded.

Rachel Lancaster said with a smile, "I hear you’ve been pestering Mr. Harrison, is that right? I’d advise you to give up. Have you seen the ring on Miss Linden’s hand? He gave her a ring worth over a hundred million just like that. That’s not just some casual affection."

"You don’t need to be so hostile toward me. Sean and I grew up together. I’m very happy for him that he’s found someone he likes."

Nadia Willow wore a smile as she spoke.

Rachel Lancaster crossed her arms and sized her up. "I certainly hope so."

She glanced at Nadia Willow’s outfit again and offered a serious suggestion. "Ma’am, you’re not that young anymore. This outfit really doesn’t suit you."

Before Nadia Willow could respond, Henry Lancaster had already walked over, pulling Rachel Lancaster away to greet other guests.

Meanwhile, Sean Harrison and Rory Linden found a sofa in a corner and sat down.

They had to wait for the host to finish the opening proceedings and greet the guest of honor before they could leave.

The two had just sat down when Rory Linden gently took the man’s hand, startled by how much warmer he was.

"You’re burning up."

Rory Linden reached out to feel his forehead.

With a temperature this high, his fever had to be at least 39 degrees.

’A fever this high...’

’He should be resting right now.’

"It’s fine. We can leave in a little while," Sean Harrison said, gently resting his head on Rory Linden’s shoulder. "Just let me rest for a bit. I’ll be okay after a short rest."

Rory Linden gently linked her arm with his, her heart aching for him.

The host was still announcing the schedule. Soon, the lights in the venue dimmed, and staff members wheeled in a cake over two meters tall.

The guest of honor gave a speech on stage, and his family offered their blessings.

The guest of honor, an elderly gentleman, was turning 79 this year. Veridia had a tradition of celebrating a man’s nominal age, so he was celebrating his 79th birthday as his 80th.

His children and grandchildren went on stage to celebrate, offer blessings, and perform.

Rory Linden watched quietly from the sofa, subconsciously squeezing the man’s hand.

’Would their lives be like this many years from now?’

’They would have children, and their children would have children of their own.’

’But...’

’Even if they didn’t have children in the future, it wouldn’t matter. It would just be the two of them, growing old together, tending to flowers and raising pets.’

Soon, the formal part of the birthday celebration was over, and the guests began to approach the stage to present their gifts.

Rory Linden turned her head to look.

Sean Harrison was sitting beside her, his body slanted, his head resting on her shoulder, and his eyes shut tight...

’She wasn’t sure if he had fallen asleep.’

Just as Rory Linden was wondering whether she should wake him, Henry and Rachel Lancaster walked over.

Henry Lancaster’s expression was one of surprise when he saw Sean Harrison sleeping against Rory Linden. He instinctively lowered his voice and asked, "Is Sean... asleep?"

Rory Linden typed a few words on her phone and showed it to Henry Lancaster:

[He has a high fever.]

"He’s sick?"

Henry Lancaster crouched down and gently touched the man’s forehead.

He touched it for only a moment before quickly pulling his hand back.

Perhaps disturbed by the movement, Sean Harrison’s eyes fluttered open. He adjusted his posture slightly and asked, "Are the formalities over?"

As he spoke, he prepared to stand up.

He had just used the armrest to pull himself up and wasn’t yet steady on his feet when he sat back down heavily.

"Sean!"

Henry Lancaster was startled and rushed to support him.

Sean Harrison waved his hand. "It’s nothing. I’ll go over after sitting for another moment."

Henry Lancaster then said, "Oh, come on, I have your gift right here anyway. I can just take it over for you."

"It’s fine. I’ll rest for a bit and go with you."

Sean Harrison felt it would be more sincere to go himself.

After all, he was already here.

Seeing his condition, Henry Lancaster said decisively, "How about this? Let Rory go with us. She’s your girlfriend; it’s perfectly fine for her to represent you."

"I..."

"It’s fine. I should still be the one to go."

Sean Harrison glanced at Rory Linden, rejecting the suggestion.

He was the one who had asked Rory Linden to attend this banquet. She didn’t like these kinds of events to begin with, so she definitely wouldn’t enjoy the social schmoozing.

Rory Linden looked at Sean Harrison beside her, hesitated for a moment, and then asked for his confirmation. "Can I go? To represent you."

The space fell quiet for a second.

Henry Lancaster immediately said, "Of course you can! You’re Mr. Harrison’s girlfriend, and you’ll be his wife in the future. Why wouldn’t you be able to represent him?"

Rory Linden really didn’t like this sort of thing.

Mainly, she had no experience with such occasions, nor had she met such important people. She was afraid she would say the wrong thing and cause trouble for him.

’But in his condition...’

’He’s burning up with a fever. He should either be at home resting or at the hospital getting treatment.’

To put his mind at ease, Rory Linden said, "I’ll go tell him that you’re sick and worried about passing it on through close contact, so I’m presenting the gift on your behalf. Is that okay?"

"Okay." Sean Harrison’s large hand rested on her back. "Tell him I will pay him a personal visit once I’ve recovered."

"Okay."

Rory Linden agreed.

Henry Lancaster handed the gift Sean Harrison had prepared to Rory Linden.

Seeing the three of them about to leave, Sean Harrison couldn’t help but say, "Maybe I should go after all..."

"Mr. Harrison, we’ll go with Miss Linden, so don’t you worry!" Rachel Lancaster looped her arm through Rory’s. "If anyone dares to bully her, I won’t let them get away with it."

Rory Linden also said, "Don’t worry. I definitely won’t embarrass you."

The three of them turned and left without giving Sean Harrison another chance to speak.

On the way over, Henry Lancaster gave Rory Linden a quick rundown. "The old gentleman’s surname is Thorne. Just call him Mr. Thorne. The woman next to him who looks surprisingly young is his wife, and the older woman is his daughter. Just make sure you don’t mix them up."

"Huh?"

Rory Linden was a bit surprised.

When she was watching earlier, she had assumed the woman who looked so young was the old man’s daughter or granddaughter...

"Outrageous, right?" Rachel Lancaster said in a low voice. "I think it’s completely outrageous, too. Mr. Thorne was in his fifties when he married her, and she was only twenty-two."

"..."

"’No matter how old a man gets, he’ll always like an eighteen-year-old.’ That saying is really true!"

Rachel Lancaster went on complaining.

Henry Lancaster quickly shot his sister a look. "Alright, keep your voice down. Don’t let anyone hear you."

"There are so many people here, and so many of them have traded in their wives or are keeping mistresses. Who’s to say who I’m talking about?"

Rachel Lancaster was still indignant.

She reached out and linked arms with Rory Linden beside her. "Miss Linden, don’t be scared. I feel like Mr. Harrison is different. You can tell just by looking at him that he’s a good man."

Henry Lancaster always spoke up for Sean Harrison. "Of course he is. I’ve never met a man as devoted as Sean."

As the three of them were talking, they arrived in front of the guest of honor.

The birthday boy, Mr. Thorne, was seventy-nine years old and looked radiant.

Beside him was Mrs. Thorne. She was in her forties, dressed in a qipao with her curly hair in an updo, clearly trying to look older. But her fair, firm skin still made her look much younger than her actual age.

Rory Linden first introduced herself, then politely presented the gift Sean Harrison had prepared, repeating the explanation she had just rehearsed.

Mr. Thorne looked Rory Linden up and down and couldn’t help but ask, "Fiancée? Since when did Young Harrison have a fiancée?"

Henry Lancaster was just about to explain...

But Mrs. Thorne, at his side, looped her arm through her husband’s. Her gaze was fixed on the ring on Rory Linden’s left hand. "Darling, she must be President Harrison’s fiancée. That’s a Red Diamond worth over a hundred million. Who else would President Harrison give something like that to?"

Rory Linden’s mind went blank for a few seconds.

’A Red Diamond worth over a hundred million?’

’Was she talking about the one on her hand?’