Love at First Sight? Mr. Harrison Has Been Scheming All Along-Chapter 207: "Can I Take That as You Caring About Me?
Sean Harrison and Rory Linden had once been the closest of lovers.
They had shared the most intimate moments and trusted each other implicitly.
They had even discussed marriage, having planned to get married one day.
Yet now, as they negotiated, they were both on high alert, deeply wary of one another.
Sean Harrison’s lips curled into a slight smile. "Dr. Linden, you don’t have to think so poorly of me. It’s just a simple meal, exactly as it sounds. The location will, of course, be a dinner table—nowhere else. As for the duration, let’s cap it at four hours, the length of a long French dinner."
Rory Linden asked, "What if I’m too busy or have to travel for work? What happens if I don’t have time?"
Sean Harrison replied, "Then you’ll have to spend two days with me the following week."
Rory asked again, "And what’s the total duration? I can’t be expected to have dinner with you every week for the next ten or twenty years, can I?"
If they were a married couple, it wouldn’t be an unreasonable request.
But they weren’t.
The two of them sat at opposite ends of an L-shaped sofa.
They weren’t far apart.
Sean Harrison looked at the woman across from him and said earnestly, "Let’s set the term for three years. After three years, if Dr. Linden is dating someone, you’ll no longer have to have dinner with me."
He then asked her, "For the sake of those children, Dr. Linden, you can manage not dating for three years, can’t you?"
To put it bluntly, he wanted to use these three years to win her back.
The request, as it stood, didn’t seem unreasonable.
Rory Linden knew what Sean Harrison was trying to do.
She first glanced at Owen Coleman. "Director, please feel free to get back to your work. I’ll see President Harrison out in a little while."
Owen Coleman understood the situation and left immediately.
Once the director was gone, only the two of them remained in the reception room.
Only then did Rory Linden speak. "President Harrison, there’s no future for us. Not in three years, not in five, not in ten, not even in thirty."
Her refusal was absolute.
She had always been this way; once she decided to let something go, she never looked back.
Sean Harrison forced a smile. "I know. But I have money. I can always find a way to keep you by my side. The nature of our relationship doesn’t matter."
He said, "I was just as decisive back then, so I have no right to ask you to forgive and forget now."
He had been truly ruthless back then.
’It wasn’t exactly regret,’ he thought.
’It’s just that if I’d known Rory was pregnant, things might have turned out differently.’
Rory knew that by establishing this foundation, Sean Harrison’s company could actually write off a portion of its taxes.
It wasn’t an entirely selfless act.
After a brief silence in the room, Rory finally answered, "Fine. I agree."
"Good. Let’s have the first dinner tonight," Sean Harrison said, looking at her. "Have dinner with me."
Rory was taken aback for a moment.
But then again, it wasn’t entirely unexpected.
She nodded. "Alright. Send me the restaurant’s address. I’ll head over directly after I get off work."
Sean Harrison said, "No need. I’ll come pick you up. As I said, I’m not busy."
Rory knew he wasn’t actually free at all.
But he could make time for anything, or anyone, if he chose to.
After returning to her office, Rory asked Auntie Wagner to pick up Leo that evening.
That evening, while Rory was on her rounds, the mother she’d spoken to had already learned that someone was willing to donate the money to save her child.
She thanked everyone profusely, saying over and over that she wanted to personally thank the donor.
After finishing her rounds, Rory grabbed her bag and headed downstairs.
Sean Harrison was standing outside the inpatient building.
He had changed into a light-colored, short-sleeved casual outfit.
The ribbon he often wore wrapped around his wrist was gone, leaving only a watch on his left hand.
"You’re off."
Seeing her, Sean Harrison strode over.
He radiated a certain aura; anyone near him could tell he was in a good mood.
For a moment, Rory had a strange feeling.
It felt as if they had never been apart.
Everything was just like it used to be: him, waiting at the hospital entrance for her to finish her shift.
They would have dinner together and then go home.
But...
She was keenly aware that everything had changed.
More than having dinner with this man, she was thinking about Leo.
’I wonder how his day at kindergarten was, if anything fun happened.’
"Miss Linden."
A man in a suit walked over.
Rory recognized him instantly. He was the driver Sean Harrison had assigned to her years ago.
Sean Harrison said, "Give him your keys. He’ll drive your car back for you. You can ride with me; I’ll make sure you get home."
"...Alright."
Rory didn’t refuse.
She knew it wasn’t an unreasonable request, and she had no grounds to refuse.
Rory gave the driver her home address and her parking spot number in the underground garage.
Then, she got into the car with Sean Harrison.
As the car started, Rory didn’t bother asking where they were going.
The truth was, she still trusted Sean Harrison on some level. She believed he wouldn’t hurt her or take her anywhere other than a restaurant.
The car pulled up in front of a restaurant.
The restaurant’s parking lot was completely full, except for a single spot marked off with a traffic cone.
As Sean Harrison drove toward it, a security guard hurried over and removed the cone.
The spot had been reserved specifically for him.
Rory knew. Just as she understood him, he had known she would agree and had booked the restaurant in advance.
After they got out of the car, Sean Harrison said, "This restaurant opened three years ago. The first time I came here, I knew you would love the food."
The man’s tone was so casual.
But Rory’s heart felt torn in two.
He had once driven her away so decisively, yet in the years that followed, he had made a point to remember her tastes.
They entered a private room.
Rory took the menu and began to order.
Most of the dishes were spicy, and she could tell just from the pictures that they were perfectly suited to her palate.
Rory ordered one dish.
Sean Harrison took the menu from her and immediately ordered three or four more.
Rory quickly said, "You don’t need to order so much. We won’t be able to finish it all. We can try more next time."
Those words struck a chord deep in Sean Harrison’s heart.
He closed the menu. "That’ll be all."
The waiter then took the menu and left.
The entire meal lasted nearly two hours, but the conversation between them was pitifully sparse.
Even so, sitting across from Sean Harrison, Rory could sense that he seemed to be in high spirits.
And just as he’d said, every single dish was perfectly to her liking.
After dinner, the two of them walked out of the restaurant together.
As they passed another private room, a man stepped out, answering his phone.
The man saw Sean Harrison, said a quick word to the person on the line, and then hung up.
He walked over to Sean Harrison. "President Harrison, how have you been feeling since you stopped the medication? If you experience any symptoms, remember to come in for a check-up right away. I can prescribe you more."
Sean Harrison nodded. "I know, Dr. Christensen."
Dr. Christensen glanced at Rory, looking like he wanted to say more, but then he just waved his hand. "Contact me anytime."
Once they were back in the car, Rory couldn’t help but ask, "Are you sick?"
One hand on the steering wheel, Sean Harrison turned his head to look at the woman in the passenger seat. "Can I take that to mean you’re concerned about me?"
