Love at First Sight? Mr. Harrison Has Been Scheming All Along-Chapter 190: "She’s Married and Has a Child

Henry wasn’t a fan of kids to begin with and was about to speak bluntly...

"It’s okay." Sean lowered his gaze to the child and asked, "Are you hurt?"

Leo Linden shook his head, not saying a word.

Ryan Sterling, still just a graduate student, had no idea who figures like Sean Harrison or Henry Lancaster were. He was just preoccupied with his failure to properly supervise Leo.

He said again, very politely, "I really am sorry."

Leo didn’t like dealing with strangers to begin with.

When he heard Ryan apologize, he finally looked up at Sean and said earnestly, "I’m sorry, sir."

It was nighttime, and the lights in the square weren’t particularly bright.

Henry hadn’t gotten a clear look at the kid’s face before.

But when Leo looked up, Henry’s expression flickered. He swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

As they walked away, Henry kept glancing back over his shoulder at Leo.

Ryan was squatting down to carefully check the boy’s arm for injuries.

Once they got to the bar, a server dropped off an ice bucket and a bottle before leaving.

Henry poured Sean a drink. As he handed it over, he couldn’t resist asking, "Sean... you don’t have a love child stashed away somewhere, do you?"

"..."

Sean shot him a look.

Henry immediately backed down. "Sorry, my bad. I know you only ever had eyes for Rory."

Sean tilted his head back and drained his glass. He set it down, then draped his arms over the back of the sofa in a relaxed posture.

But a moment later, he was up again, pouring another.

He just kept drinking, one glass after another.

The private room was silent, save for the crisp clink of ice against a crystal glass.

Henry just watched, not daring to say a word at first.

By the time Sean was on his seventh glass, the ice cubes had barely melted...

Henry finally couldn’t take it anymore.

He snatched the bottle—still more than half full—off the table. "Alright, man, just spit it out. You can’t keep drinking like this. You’re going to do some real damage!"

Sean could really hold his liquor.

Henry had been out with him countless times and had never once seen him get drunk.

But the way he was drinking today...

He was clearly trying to drink himself into a stupor.

Sean looked at him, extending a hand. "Give me the bottle."

"Sean! Man! I’m begging you!"

Henry was genuinely scared now. He clutched the bottle, refusing to let go. "Just tell me what’s going on. We’ve known each other for years. I swear I won’t say a word to anyone."

"..."

"This time for real. I know I’ve got a big mouth sometimes, but today, I swear!"

Henry shifted the bottle to his left arm and held up three fingers on his right. "If I say a word about tonight, may I be broke for the rest of my life!"

For Henry, that was the most solemn vow he could possibly make.

Sean paid him no mind, just gestured with his hand. "It’s nothing. I just feel like drinking."

"Sean," Henry couldn’t help but ask. "Did you... did you see Rory?"

Sean’s gaze locked onto him.

Henry knew he’d hit the mark.

Truth be told, it wasn’t much of a guess.

He’d known Sean for years. The man was brilliant at everything—investing, business, how he handled people.

Even when he encountered minor problems, his first instinct was always to find a solution.

I guess no one’s perfect. If you don’t have problems in one part of your life, you’re bound to stumble somewhere else.

And the only person in the entire world who could reduce Sean to this state was, without a doubt, Rory Linden.

"How... is she?"

Henry asked.

Sean just gestured with his hand. "Drink."

Henry didn’t have the nerve to defy him. "I’ll pour," he relented.

He put a fresh, larger ice cube in Sean’s glass before pouring the drink.

Sean took a sip before saying, "She’s my mother’s lead surgeon."

"Lead surgeon?" Henry paused to think. "Wait, I remember you said they were flying in a specialist from overseas for this. And it turned out to be Rory?!"

When Sean nodded, Henry found the whole thing so unbelievable he couldn’t help but blurt out:

"Doesn’t that just prove you two are meant to be? For something with such low odds to happen..."

Henry meant it sincerely.

He’d been friends with Sean for years, and he knew that Rory was the only woman who had ever truly held a place in his heart.

He genuinely hoped they could get back together.

Sean stared at the crystal old-fashioned glass in his hand, the amber liquid inside swirling.

He brought the glass to his lips before speaking. "She’s moved on."

As he finished speaking, he swallowed the drink.

It all clicked for Henry then—why Sean was suddenly drinking like this.

He’d been the one to end things so decisively, only to meet her again five years later.

Not only had she moved on, she had probably started a whole new life.

But he hadn’t.

For a moment, Henry really didn’t know what to say.

No matter how worldly or emotionally intelligent he was, he couldn’t find the right words for this situation.

Sean held his glass out to him, wanting him to pour more.

Henry had barely finished pouring before Sean tossed it back.

Then, the empty glass was presented once more.

Henry gripped the bottle and blurted out, "Man, stop drinking. Look, why don’t I get her number? I’ll call her over so you two can talk things out."

As far as Henry was concerned, it wasn’t like there was some great misunderstanding between them.

Sean’s reasons for what he did back then had been good, after all.

Maybe if they just talked a bit and cleared the air, they’d get back together.

When Henry just stood there hugging the bottle, Sean reached directly for the service bell.

He was going to have the server bring another bottle.

"Okay, okay, I’ll pour."

Henry quickly poured him a drink.

Sean took a sip before saying, "She’s married. And she has a kid."

"What?!"

After hearing that, Henry knew he couldn’t argue anymore.

Sean leaned back against the sofa cushions and closed his eyes. "She finishes up with the surgery today. She’s leaving the country the day after tomorrow."

If Rory had just been married, he might have been tempted to find some cruel way to make her marriage miserable, to force a divorce.

Then he could swoop in.

But Rory had a child now.

She’d once told him that her own childhood hadn’t been perfect. She wanted her own child to be happy, to have a complete and loving family, a perfect, joyful childhood.

No matter what he did, it would hurt that child.

Sean drank one glass after another.

Until the bottle was empty.

"Sean, that’s enough," Henry said, unable to watch any longer. "You need to rest."

Sean was already miserable to begin with, and he’d been drinking so fast and hard that he was now genuinely drunk.

Henry helped him up and called for a driver.

Since Henry didn’t have the passcode to Sean’s house, he had the driver take them to The Azure Peak Hotel, where they’d had dinner earlier.

Henry gave the driver his ID and credit card to book a suite.

He supported Sean as they headed for the elevators.

The driver returned with the key card and saw the two of them into the elevator.

Just as the elevator doors were about to close...

"Wait."

A voice called out.

When Henry looked up, the first person he saw was the boy from the square.

With his protective gear off, the resemblance to Sean was even more striking.

Henry’s gaze lifted higher, and he saw an even more familiar face...

"Rory?!"