Love at First Sight? Mr. Harrison Has Been Scheming All Along-Chapter 247: The Man Was Betting on Her Soft Heart
The man’s voice wasn’t loud, nor was his tone particularly overbearing.
Yet, their proximity was suffocating, giving Rory Linden the oppressive feeling of dark clouds gathering before a storm.
However, now that the lie had started, there was no way for her to stop it.
"Yes. Who else could it be?"
Rory Linden turned off her phone screen.
She lowered her gaze and saw the man’s fingers, pressed against the edge of the table, curl slightly, his knuckles turning white.
Miles Harrison couldn’t help but ask, "Rory, you must have taken wedding photos, right? You could show those to us."
Sean Harrison shot her a sidelong glance, waiting for her answer.
Rory Linden felt more and more that lying was an agonizing business. ’I have to be on guard every single moment to avoid being caught.’
Her fingers tightened around her phone.
Before she could answer, Sean Harrison broke the silence by asking Miles Harrison, "Miles, are you married?"
The subject changed in an instant.
"No, I’ve been so busy with work these past few years, I don’t even have a girlfriend," Miles Harrison replied.
Hearing this, Evelyn Irving couldn’t help but sigh. "Honestly, looking back now, the best daughter-in-law would have been Rory. It’s a shame Miles let her get away. Now that Rory’s married and has a child, all hope is lost."
Her gaze fell on Rory Linden, her eyes filled with unconcealable regret.
Evelyn Irving’s feelings for Rory Linden were complicated. At first, she had indeed looked down on Rory Linden’s background.
The daughter of a nanny... it really wasn’t a background one could present in high society.
But she also understood that no girlfriend was more suitable for Miles Harrison than Rory Linden.
When she learned that Rory Linden had become an excellent surgeon in the years since, her regret had only intensified.
Back then, she had known Miles Harrison had another woman on the side. If she had just reined in her son a little, everything might have been different.
Sean Harrison finally sat down. He lifted the teacup before him, took a sip, and said, "True enough."
The private room had just fallen silent for a minute when Miles Harrison spoke up, "Uncle, you’re trending again today."
At his words, the other three people in the room all turned to look at Sean.
Given Sean Harrison’s status, it wasn’t exactly a rare occurrence for him to be a trending topic.
Miles Harrison continued, "It’s about that celebrity, Paige Palmer. I’ve seen the news about you two a few times before."
"Miles, how can you believe things from the gossip columns!"
Evelyn Irving’s face fell.
She had thought her son would have matured more over the years, but he still couldn’t read the room.
’He just had to bring up the one topic he shouldn’t have!’
Sean Harrison stated coldly, "I don’t know the woman."
Rory Linden looked at him, intentionally prodding, "Is that right? Didn’t we see her at President Lancaster’s wedding?"
"We have happened to cross paths a few times, it’s true. But I don’t know her, much less remember her name."
Sean Harrison turned to face Rory Linden, his tone and posture projecting immense patience as he explained.
Miles Harrison had been the one to bring this up.
Evelyn Irving quickly jumped in to smooth things over. "Rory, you might not be aware, but some starlets in the entertainment world are like that. They’ll resort to anything for fame."
Rory Linden gave a noncommittal "Mhm."
Her response betrayed nothing.
After that, the conversation shifted back to reminiscing about old times.
The dinner ended two hours later.
Rory Linden hadn’t had anything to drink.
She walked to the parking lot alone, but when she turned her head, she saw Sean Harrison was following her.
The man’s car was incredibly expensive and always stood out as the most conspicuous vehicle in any parking lot.
She scanned the lot, but as far as she could see, his car wasn’t there...
Before she could ask, Sean Harrison spoke first, "I didn’t drive. Could I trouble you to give me a ride home?"
"..." Rory Linden retorted, "President Harrison, do you believe that yourself?"
"I really don’t have a ride back." Sean Harrison paused for a moment. "If you’re not willing, I’ll go to the entrance and call a taxi."
The restaurant, Epoch Restaurant, was designed to give its guests an immersive experience, so it occupied a massive area and was naturally located in the Veridia Suburbs.
The courtyard was also enclosed by high walls and a bamboo forest.
Taxis rarely passed by the entrance.
Due to its high-end nature, there were only designated drivers waiting for customers at the entrance, no taxis.
’Rory Linden knew perfectly well he was betting on her being too soft-hearted to refuse.’
"I can give you a ride, but only to your doorstep."
"Thank you."
-
Miles Harrison’s car was also in the parking lot.
He watched Sean Harrison get into Rory Linden’s car and couldn’t help asking his mother, "Did Uncle and Rory really break up? They’re not working together to trick us, are they?"
"I can’t speak for Sean, but Rory wouldn’t lie to us," Evelyn Irving said with conviction.
She prided herself on understanding Rory Linden and was sure she wouldn’t do something like that.
Nor was there any reason to.
"Rory kept refusing to show us a picture of her husband. The whole thing is fishy."
Miles Harrison had thought it was strange earlier, too.
Rory Linden had only shown them a picture of her son but consistently kept her husband’s photo under wraps.
AI technology is so advanced now.
Who knows if that picture of her son is even real.
Evelyn Irving watched Rory Linden’s car slowly drive out of the parking lot before explaining:
"It’s not that Rory is unwilling to show us; she’s unwilling to show *Sean*. It’s obvious Sean hasn’t given up on her, and she’s afraid he’ll cause trouble for her husband."
Miles Harrison felt his mother’s analysis made a lot of sense.
By now, Rory Linden’s car was on the main road.
"That celebrity... I don’t know her. I’ve seen her at a few galas, sure, but I never even remembered her name."
Sean Harrison repeated what he had just said at the dinner table.
Rory Linden had no desire to discuss the matter further.
She changed the subject. "President Harrison, how has Auntie Rhodes been lately? Has she been discharged?"
In truth, only a few days had passed since she last saw Charlotte Rhodes.
Given Charlotte Rhodes’s condition, it was impossible for her to be discharged.
Although, it wasn’t out of the question that Evan Hollis had brainwashed her into insisting on it.
"No. Director Hawthorne just called me this morning. He said her condition is very poor and recommended transferring her to the convalescent center at Elysian Hospital."
Sean Harrison answered.
"Auntie Rhodes’s physical condition is deteriorating so quickly. Since she’s had multiple surgeries, it probably won’t be long before Elysian suggests fitting her with a mechanical heart."
Rory Linden knew Charlotte Rhodes’s condition well and could basically guess what course of treatment Keith Hawthorne would recommend.
"Are mechanical hearts safe?"
"It varies from person to person, but the fifth-generation mechanical hearts in Celestria are already very good. The drawback is that they need to be charged once every eight hours. If the power runs out, the patient dies."
Rory Linden shared what she knew with him.
Before Sean Harrison could speak, the phone in his pocket rang.
Rory Linden focused on driving.
The man didn’t say a word, just listened to the report from the person on the other end.
After a few minutes, he finally said, "Okay, let me know if anything comes up."
Rory Linden had assumed the call was about his company’s business, something not meant for her to hear.
After hanging up, Sean Harrison told her, "That was the police. They found a large number of unexplained deposits in Evan Hollis’s bank accounts. Foreign currency was converted to Celestria’s currency through an account in a Special Administrative Region before being transferred to an account he’s been using."
"You don’t need to tell me about Evan Hollis. I can’t help you with any of that," Rory Linden said earnestly.
Sean Harrison unhurriedly tucked his phone away. "I was afraid you might think I was on the phone with a certain celebrity."
