Love at First Sight? Mr. Harrison Has Been Scheming All Along-Chapter 241: The Touch of His Fingertips Grew Even Hotter
Sean finished the warm water in his glass and set it on the countertop.
He leaned against the low countertop, his dark eyes studying her. "I really want to get drunk. I want to get blackout drunk, completely wasted, but I can’t."
Rory watched him quietly, not saying a word.
"My company supports tens of thousands of employees. There were so many people at the wedding. Even if not all of them are my business partners now, we might work together in the future. If I made a fool of myself there, they’d see me as an unreliable partner."
"But I’m also afraid that if I stay sober, I won’t be able to make you stay."
Sean truly hated being sober.
While sober, he was constantly gripped by a certain fear.
He had always believed that showing any imperfection meant loss.
Rory tilted her head up, quietly watching the man right in front of her.
During their time together, he had always maintained a perfect image.
Even though she hadn’t been by his side for these past five years, she knew how much he had shouldered all by himself.
He couldn’t afford a moment of carelessness or relaxation. Even drinking had to be a calculated risk.
She said, "Once I finish making the porridge, you should eat something first. If you want to drink, then go ahead. It doesn’t matter if you get drunk. I’m here. I’ll stay with you. Even if you tell me all your secrets, I’ll keep them safe."
It was a tempting invitation.
Sean’s fingers, pressed against the countertop, curled slightly.
He was tempted.
But he quickly shook his head. "I’m afraid I’ll do something you hate."
’Right now, all I want to do is hold her, kiss her, and pour out five years of regret and longing through my actions.’
Rory checked the delivery time on her phone. "Well, you decide. I’m going to wash my hands, then I’ll make you some porridge."
The delivery driver arrived quickly with the ingredients.
Rory made some millet porridge.
Afraid that he would find the porridge bland on its own, she also stir-fried a vegetable dish.
While she did all this, he stood beside her, watching, as if trying to burn the image into his memory.
When the porridge was ready, she noticed that the bowls in the house were still the ones she had bought.
’Everything here really is just as I remember it.’
She ladled the porridge into a bowl.
"I’ll take that."
Sean reached out and carefully carried the bowl of porridge to the dining table.
The dining room was completely silent while he ate.
Sean ate bowl after bowl of porridge, not stopping until the pot was empty.
"I’ll wash the dishes and then I’ll leave."
Rory stood up and gathered the dishes.
’There’s a dishwasher, of course, but there aren’t many dishes. Besides, using it would just mean he’d have to bother taking them out later.’ She decided she would wash them herself before she left.
"I’ll do it."
Sean took the dishes from her.
The man washed them very slowly, but with so few dishes, even at a slow pace, he was bound to finish eventually.
Watching him rinse the same dish over and over, Rory couldn’t help but tease, "Are you planning on doing that all night?"
Only then did Sean turn off the water.
Rory put the bowls back in the cabinet, then said, "Alright, I’m heading back now. You should get some rest."
She walked toward the door.
She reached the entryway and bent down to put on her shoes...
"I want a drink," Sean finally said. "Rory Linden, drink with me. I’m going to drink until I’m wasted."
Rory wasn’t surprised by his words at all. She stopped putting on her shoes and simply said, "Okay."
Sean took out all the liquor from the liquor cabinet.
There was whiskey, red wine, baijiu, and soju.
All sorts of bottles filled the coffee table, and the cabinet was still half-full.
Sean took two crystal old-fashioned glasses from a cabinet and asked, "Are you having any?"
"No," Rory said firmly. "Considering my tolerance, this is way overkill."
She knew her own tolerance all too well. She’d gotten into plenty of trouble from drinking in the past.
’If Sean gets drunk tonight, I’ll be the one taking care of him.’
"Alright. Then just keep me company while I drink."
Sean put one of the glasses back.
Then he got a handful of ice cubes from the ice tray in the freezer.
Not wanting him to feel too dejected drinking alone, she remembered seeing a box of tea in the cabinet earlier.
’If I remember correctly, I bought this exact brand of tea before I left, but I threw it all out when I moved. This box must be one Sean bought.’
She opened it to check. The production date was from the beginning of the year, so it hadn’t expired yet.
She tore open a tea bag and brewed a cup of tea.
The two of them sat on the cashmere rug in the living room.
An old movie was playing on the large-screen TV.
Sean drank, one glass after another.
She lost count of the glasses, but the bottle of whiskey before them was already half-empty.
Suddenly, Sean reached out, his hand tightly clasping Rory’s. His dark eyes were clouded as he murmured, "Rory, I think I’m almost drunk."
"It’s okay. I’ll be right here. Even if you throw up everywhere, I can clean it. Miles used to drink until he was sick all the time, and I—" Rory winced.
Rory was halfway through her sentence when Sean suddenly tightened his grip on her hand, cutting her off.
"I did it on purpose."
Sean took a sip of his drink.
"What?"
Rory felt his grip on her hand loosen slightly, and only then did her brow relax.
Sean leaned back against the sofa, glass in hand. "That day, I found out ahead of time that Mr. Shaw was having dinner at The Azure Peak Hotel. I deliberately arranged the dinner to host Miles and Lucy Shaw there, setting them up to announce their engagement for the following week."
"..."
"I know Miles. He’s incompetent but vain. With the Shaw Family’s company in trouble, I invited the most influential people in the country as guests, giving both sides every reason to see the engagement banquet through to the end."
Sean turned his head to look at Rory, his hand holding hers, his palm burning hot.
He said, "I did it all so their engagement would go smoothly. Only then could I have a chance to have you."
Rory propped herself up on the sofa with one hand, tilting her head as she looked at him. "I’d already guessed as much."
Sean’s fingers gently traced the back of her hand. "There’s still a lot you haven’t guessed."
"Then tell me. I want to know."
Rory gently coaxed.
Normally, she wouldn’t have been interested in his past.
But right here, right now, she felt an uncharacteristic urge to ask.
The main light in the living room was off, leaving the space dimly lit.
His features were lost in the shadows, his expression unreadable.
Sean’s dark eyes traced the woman’s features. His Adam’s apple bobbed, and his fingertips, touching hers, grew even hotter.
The entire space was unnaturally quiet.
After a long moment, he seemed to deflate, a bitter smile tugging at his lips. "Can you teach me? Other than getting drunk, what can I do to make you stay?"
