Love at First Sight? Mr. Harrison Has Been Scheming All Along-Chapter 222: "Next Week, You Will Accompany Me to a Banquet.
Only then did Sean Harrison realize he had been walking too fast for the little boy’s short legs to keep up.
"I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry!"
Sean Harrison quickly crouched down and helped Leo Linden to his feet.
The little boy’s skin was delicate, and he was wearing shorts. The hospital path was concrete, so the light scrape had immediately broken the skin.
"Does it hurt a lot? I’ll take you to buy a bandage and some iodine."
Sean Harrison was a nervous wreck.
He carefully picked up the little boy and headed back to the convenience store.
After buying bandages and iodine swabs, he came back out.
He stood in a shady spot.
Completely disregarding his bespoke suit, he knelt on one knee and gently disinfected the boy’s wound with an iodine swab.
Then, just as he was about to apply the bandage...
"What happened?"
Rory Linden rushed over. She was startled to see the large, dark stain of iodine on Leo Linden’s leg.
"I’m sorry. I wasn’t paying enough attention to Leo and walked too fast. I’ll be more careful next time, I promise."
Sean Harrison felt truly, deeply sorry.
Although he’d already consciously tried to slow down, he still felt he should have considered Leo’s height and shortened his stride even more.
This was the first time he’d taken his son out shopping, and he’d let him fall after just a few dozen meters.
"Forget it. It’s fine."
Rory Linden didn’t blame Sean Harrison.
’Besides, most men are like this with kids,’ she thought.
’And it’s not like they ever get a chance to look after children long-term anyway...’
She took the bandage from his hand and examined the scrape again. "It doesn’t need one. This is fine."
Sean Harrison stood by, at a complete loss.
A sense of failure washed over him. ’I can’t even get the little things right.’
Leo Linden saw the man’s expression and said to Rory Linden, "Mommy, I fell down by accident. It wasn’t Daddy’s fault."
The air was quiet for a few seconds...
This time, Sean Harrison clearly heard his son call him "Daddy."
But it only made him feel more inadequate.
’I don’t deserve to be called "Daddy" by Leo.’
"No, it was me. I wasn’t being considerate enough. I was walking too fast. I’m sorry."
Sean Harrison apologized yet again.
Rory Linden glanced at Sean Harrison, then back at her son. "Alright, there’s no right or wrong here. Let’s go eat."
Sean Harrison picked up his son.
Once they were in the car, Sean Harrison gave the cookies from the plastic bag to Leo Linden and then handed a cold drink to Rory Linden.
Rory Linden just touched the bottle before refusing. "No, thank you. I can’t drink that, I’m on my period."
The man immediately swapped it for a room-temperature one.
Rory Linden pursed her lips and simply said, "Thank you."
Sean Harrison had his assistant book the location for their afternoon meal.
It was a reservation-only kids’ restaurant.
The restaurant was huge, with a play area and a dining area.
You could order and eat normally in the dining area, while the adjacent play area was like a miniature city for children. It had designated roads, a mock supermarket, a pretend restaurant, a play hospital, and more, along with a ball pit and slide.
This kind of restaurant was designed so parents could eat in peace.
Once the food arrived, Leo Linden ate quickly and then ran off to play.
At their small table in the dining area, only Rory Linden and Sean Harrison remained.
Rory Linden looked at the steak the man in front of her had cut for her. After a long hesitation, she said, "President Harrison, perhaps I was too selfish before. I think a child probably does need contact with their father."
Sean Harrison didn’t speak, just watched her quietly.
"If you’re willing, you can take Leo out regularly," Rory Linden added. "Of course, I won’t be accompanying you."
"You trust me to take Leo by myself?"
He only said that in the hope that Rory Linden would come along too.
Rory Linden’s lips curved into a slight smile. "President Harrison, you’re so smart, you can learn anything. I’m sure you won’t make the same mistake twice."
The words had barely left her mouth when the phone on the table began to ring.
It was a call from Ryan Sterling.
"I need to take this call."
Rory Linden picked up her phone, intending to take the call in a corner...
But Sean Harrison spoke first. "Just take it here. If it’s a work secret, I promise I won’t tell anyone."
Only then did Rory Linden stay seated.
"Ms. Rory, is Leo okay? I just saw a local city post online, and I asked Auntie Wagner... I can’t believe it was really Leo’s kindergarten!"
Ryan Sterling’s anxious voice came through the moment the call connected.
"He’s fine." Rory Linden glanced toward the play area. "Leo is perfectly safe. I’m out eating with him now."
Ryan Sterling let out a long sigh of relief.
He then said, "I’m so sorry. I just found out about what happened. If I had known sooner, I definitely would have come over to help."
"It’s all been resolved, so don’t worry."
"Wait, Ms. Rory." Ryan Sterling stopped her. "Auntie Wagner told me... was it Sean Harrison who paid the ransom?"
Rory Linden turned her head, her gaze lifting to the man across from her.
She hummed in affirmation.
The line was quiet for a moment before Ryan Sterling asked, "Sunday... are you still coming to see that exhibition?"
He asked the question cryptically.
Rory Linden understood what he meant. She replied, "I promised you, so I’ll definitely be there. Don’t worry."
"Okay, I’ll contact you on Sunday, then."
A great weight was finally lifted from Ryan Sterling’s heart.
Rory Linden had just hung up the phone when Sean Harrison threw a question at her. "Where are you going?"
Rory Linden said, "President Harrison, that’s my personal business."
Sean Harrison nodded.
’Given their current relationship, he had no right to care who Rory Linden was meeting.’
He was silent for a moment before looking up. "Next week, you will accompany me to a banquet."
"?!" Rory Linden looked utterly shocked. "President Harrison! Wasn’t our agreement just to have a meal?"
"Whether it’s at a restaurant, a street-side stall, or a banquet, it’s all ’having a meal.’ I haven’t broken our agreement."
Sean Harrison spoke at a measured pace, his tone smooth and effortless.
When he had first proposed the request, he had already included this option among the possibilities.
