Love at First Sight? Mr. Harrison Has Been Scheming All Along-Chapter 186: On the Day of the Surgery, Sean Harrison Will Come to Sign
Ethan Dixon fell silent for a moment before replying, "Okay, I understand."
He was also well aware that as a special assistant, there was no need for him to get overly involved in his boss’s private affairs.
Sean Harrison had dedicated himself entirely to his career in recent years and seemed to have stopped paying any attention to Rory Linden.
This could be considered a good outcome.
Besides...
On the day of Charlotte Rhodes’s surgery, Sean Harrison, as the only relative of appropriate age, would have to be there to sign the papers.
There was no need for him to get involved any more than that.
"Thank you."
After thanking him sincerely, Rory Linden turned and went to Charlotte Rhodes’s room, where she carefully reviewed all of her data.
It was basically guaranteed that the surgery in three days could proceed as scheduled.
This surgery required Rory Linden to use a robotic arm. Given the extreme difficulty of the procedure, it placed exceptionally high demands on the arm’s sensitivity and precision.
She went to the operating room and performed a simple procedure on a kernel of corn with the robotic arm to once again ensure the machine was functioning properly.
When she had finished with everything and was about to pick up Leo Linden...
"Rory... Rory Linden?"
Someone emerged from a corner, calling her name twice with uncertainty.
Rory Linden looked in the direction of the voice and took a moment to recognize the person who had called out to her.
"Dr. Hollis, long time no see."
Rory Linden greeted him.
Evan Hollis had changed quite a bit from five years ago. He seemed to have lost a lot of weight, and his hair was cut short, making his natural curls almost unnoticeable.
The somewhat dorky, black-framed glasses he used to wear had been replaced with a pair of semi-rimless ones.
All in all, his looks had gone up a level.
"Are you back for good?"
Evan Hollis’s attitude toward her was the same as before, and a natural smile appeared on his face.
Perhaps because he had lost weight, the small dimples at the corners of his mouth were less noticeable.
"No, I’m just back to take care of some things."
Rory Linden had no intention of telling Evan Hollis that she was Charlotte Rhodes’s attending physician.
’That car accident all those years ago...’
In the years that followed, she had spent countless quiet nights thinking it over, and she became convinced that the biggest beneficiary of that crash was Evan Hollis.
She had visited the orphanage a few times in the past to treat the children there.
She knew the orphanage had an unwritten rule: don’t hug the children, especially the younger ones. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞
Once they’d been hugged, they might become dependent and crave that affection again.
But there were many children in the orphanage and not enough staff to go around, so they couldn’t possibly give every child the hugs they might want.
To prevent the children from becoming attached, they simply tried to avoid hugging from the very beginning.
Evan Hollis was an orphan who had received a hug.
Besides, when it came to love, everyone wanted to be the one and only.
"Um... Auntie Rhodes is hospitalized here. I was hoping to see her."
Evan Hollis pressed his lips together, looking like he was in a difficult position.
Rory Linden had already guessed why.
’Most likely, his relationship with Charlotte Rhodes hadn’t been as good in recent years as it once was. He didn’t have visitation rights.’
"Is that so? Well, go on then. I have to leave, I’ve got something to take care of."
"Dr. Linden, could you... could you get me in?"
"Sorry, I’m just here on business. I don’t have that authority."
Rory Linden turned and walked away.
The mere thought that Evan Hollis might have been involved in that car accident years ago made it impossible for her to compromise.
After going upstairs, Rory Linden waited a while before taking Leo Linden and leaving through a different exit.
Other than Sherry Walsh, she didn’t want anyone from her past to see Leo Linden.
To prevent any complications, she had actually brought a ring with her on this trip back to the country.
If necessary, she could slip it onto her ring finger at any moment to create the impression that she had gotten married abroad.
-
「After dinner.」
Rory Linden took Leo Linden to the small plaza in front of their hotel to skateboard.
She helped him put on his protective gear, then watched from the side.
Although Leo Linden said he liked skateboarding, he really only knew a few basic tricks.
Rory Linden had hired a coach for him before, but Leo Linden went twice and then didn’t want to go anymore.
Sitting to the side, Rory Linden could clearly see that Leo Linden was trying to do a trick where he jumped with the board, but he failed several times.
Every failure inevitably ended in a fall, and even though he had pads and thick clothing on, Rory Linden’s heart ached watching him.
She had tried to persuade Leo Linden to keep learning with the coach, but he had refused.
Just as Leo Linden fell yet again, a young man on a skateboard rolled over, stopped in front of him, and asked, "Trying to learn how to ollie?"
Leo Linden looked up, hesitated for a moment, then gave a slight nod. "Yes."
"Show me," the young man said.
Leo Linden obediently tried it again. Just as he was about to fall, the young man reached out and grabbed his arm, saying:
"Your form isn’t the problem. You’re just not in sync with your board."
Rory Linden had been worried from the moment the young man approached, and she had instinctively gotten to her feet.
It was only when she saw the young man keep Leo Linden from falling that her heart settled a bit, but she remained standing and continued to watch.
She watched as the young man taught Leo Linden, who didn’t seem to mind at all and was earnestly following his instructions.
Only then did she slowly sit back down.
For a while after that, the young man focused on teaching Leo Linden that one move.
She wasn’t sure how much time had passed.
Finally...
Leo Linden successfully landed the move he had been practicing—stamping on the tail of the board to jump, and then landing smoothly.
"Woo! You’re awesome!"
The young man bent down and gave Leo Linden a crisp high-five!
"Mom, Mom!" Leo Linden called out, rolling toward her on his skateboard. "I did it! Did you see?"
"I saw! You were amazing!"
Rory Linden quickly stood up.
Leo Linden took Rory Linden’s hand and pointed at the young man. "That big brother taught me!"
Rory Linden had seen everything that had just happened.
She led Leo Linden over to the young man and said politely, "Thank you for teaching my son how to skateboard. I really appreciate it."
The young man had a boyish face and looked to be in his early twenties. Judging by his clothes, he was probably still a student.
A moment ago, Rory Linden had been standing in the shadows, so he hadn’t gotten a clear look at her from his angle.
Now, as the woman led the boy over to stand in front of him, he saw that she was stunningly beautiful, but not in an intimidating way. Her almond-shaped eyes were as gentle as water, and her voice carried a warm, approachable air.
The young man felt a little shy looking at Rory Linden and awkwardly averted his gaze. "No problem. The kid’s a natural. That’s a pretty hard move, and it’s rare for someone his age to pick it up so quickly."
Rory Linden lowered her eyes, placing a hand on her son’s helmet, and smiled. "Did you hear that? The big brother is praising you for being so talented."
The young man quickly said, "Oh, don’t call me big brother. I’m 24. You can call me uncle, really."
"24 is still very young. ’Big brother’ is fine," Rory Linden said with a gentle smile, then seized the opportunity to ask, "By the way, do you guys practice here every day?"
"Uh, yeah, whenever I have free time."
The young man nodded.
"In that case... would it be too much trouble to ask you to teach my son for the next few days? It would only be for three or four days," Rory Linden specified. "Of course, I’ll pay you for your time. How does... five hundred yuan an hour sound?"
"Five hundred?!" The young man was stunned.
"Is that too little?" Rory Linden wasn’t familiar with the going rate for coaches in the country. "Then... how about eight hundred, or..."
"No, no, no money needed! I come here every day anyway. I can just teach him for free."
The young man crouched down and gently pinched Leo Linden’s cheek. "The little guy is really smart. It’s rewarding to teach him."
"It’s rare for Leo to be willing to learn skateboarding from someone else. I’d actually feel more at ease if you accepted payment."
Rory Linden said this with great sincerity.
The young man pursed his lips. "Then... fifty yuan an hour is fine."
Rory Linden countered, "Let’s make it three hundred."
The two of them haggled for a bit before finally settling on two hundred yuan.
Rory Linden asked, "Would it be okay to add you on WeChat?"
After getting an affirmative reply, she took out her phone, and they exchanged WeChat info.
Once the contact was added, the young man sent the first message: [My name is Ryan Sterling.]
