Love at First Sight? Mr. Harrison Has Been Scheming All Along-Chapter 253: "Are You Happy I’m Here?
"Can I come along?"
Ryan Sterling’s question made his intentions clear.
Leo tilted his head back to look at Rory Linden. "Mommy, can we take Mr. Sterling with us?"
"Yes, we can."
Rory Linden felt that since it was Leo’s birthday, his wishes should come first.
Hearing Rory Linden’s answer, Noah Sterling immediately said, "We have things to do today."
"You just want me to help out at your law firm." Ryan Sterling shrugged. "You think the firm can’t function without its free labor?"
"You’re on break with nothing to do. Shouldn’t you be helping me at the firm?"
"Uncle, I’m not free. I have plenty to do. I’m preparing my graduation portfolio and exhibition, plus I have freelance work. Why do you assume I’m just sitting around?"
"If you’re so busy, how do you have time to celebrate someone else’s kid’s birthday?"
"I have the right to manage my own time, don’t I?"
In the few minutes it took for the elevator to descend, the two of them had already gotten into an argument.
Sherry Walsh finally couldn’t hold back anymore. "Are you some kind of control freak? You have to manage everything."
The elevator arrived at the second basement level.
For a moment, it was quiet. Then, Ryan Sterling burst out laughing.
Noah Sterling gave him a speechless look.
Ryan Sterling quickly asked, "Uncle, want to come with us? Have you ever been to the aquarium?"
"...I have." Noah Sterling explained, his face expressionless. "When you were a kid, your mom was busy, so she had me take you once. Have you forgotten?"
"Sorry, but at our age, we don’t bring our parents along anymore. I suggest Lawyer Sterling sits this one out."
Sherry Walsh really didn’t want Noah Sterling to come.
Things were already so awkward between them. If they had to spend the whole day together...
The very thought made Sherry want to find a hole to crawl into.
Ryan Sterling was dying of laughter at Sherry Walsh’s words. He looked at Noah Sterling. "Uncle, if I were you, I’d definitely go."
Noah Sterling looked at Sherry Walsh. "If Ryan is going, then I have to go. He’s young and immature. I need to keep an eye on him."
"Uncle!"
"Or should I tell Miss Linden here about all those... interesting things you’ve done?"
"..."
By now, the group had reached the underground parking garage.
Rory Linden’s car wasn’t far from Ryan Sterling’s.
Hearing this, Sherry Walsh waved her hands dismissively. "If that’s how it’s going to be, then none of you should come. We’ve received your birthday wishes for Leo, thank you."
Rory Linden thought the matter was settled.
She bent down to explain the situation to Leo.
Leo was very obedient. He raised his little hand and waved at Ryan Sterling. "Goodbye, Mr. Sterling."
"I have a birthday present for you, too. I’ll give it to you later."
Ryan Sterling said his goodbyes to Leo.
The five of them got into two separate cars.
Once Sherry Walsh was in the passenger seat, she recounted what had happened on the day of Henry Lancaster’s wedding.
"Luckily, my dad hasn’t mentioned having dinner with him yet. Otherwise, I wouldn’t even know how to bring it up."
Sherry Walsh stared out the window, her tone filled with unconcealed frustration.
She had always been a carefree person, but that was mostly because it was easy to be carefree when you could make your own decisions.
But once she couldn’t decide things on her own and another person got involved, things became much more complicated. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶
What’s more, Noah Sterling was better than her in every respect.
There was no reason for him to listen to her.
If he ever went back on his word and told her dad the truth, she’d definitely get an earful.
"I think Lawyer Sterling seems like a good person. If you have to have dinner, you could try just telling him directly. He doesn’t seem like the type to break a promise."
Rory Linden offered her opinion.
"Who knows? Criminal defense lawyers like him are the most cunning. He only agreed back then because he needed a favor from me. Now that his ex-girlfriend isn’t bothering him anymore, he might go back on his word and try to find some loophole in the criminal code to get out of it."
Even though Sherry Walsh came from a family of lawyers, she didn’t like some of them.
Some of her father’s friends specialized in making rich people’s problems go away.
While driving, Rory Linden glanced in the rearview mirror and saw an Aston Martin following her car.
She hadn’t memorized Ryan Sterling’s license plate, but the chances of running into a luxury car like that were low.
"I think the car behind us is Ryan Sterling’s,"
Rory Linden said.
Sherry Walsh turned to look out the rear window. "That Aston Martin? Didn’t they say they weren’t coming?"
Rory Linden glanced in the rearview mirror again. "They’re probably just heading in the same direction for a bit."
Those two really had no reason to follow them to the aquarium.
The car drove on for a while.
Sherry Walsh looked back again. "Why are they still following us? They can’t be serious about coming with us, can they?"
About forty minutes later, Rory Linden pulled into the parking lot near the aquarium.
Ryan Sterling’s car followed them in, parking right next to their sedan.
Sherry Walsh was the first to jump out of the car. "Why are you here?"
Ryan Sterling tilted his head and glanced at Noah Sterling. "I managed to persuade my uncle. We’re going to relive some old memories."
Rory Linden had just gotten out of the car, holding Leo.
The moment Leo saw Ryan Sterling, he hopped and skipped over to him. "Mr. Sterling! Are you visiting the aquarium too?"
"I am." Ryan Sterling crouched down and patted Leo’s head. "Are you happy I came?"
"Yes!"
The little boy’s face was chubby, and when he smiled, his cheeks looked like two little meatballs.
Ryan Sterling couldn’t resist giving them a gentle squeeze before standing up to ask Rory Linden, "Ms. Rory, you... don’t mind if we join you, do you?"
Noah Sterling watched his nephew, his expression a little strained.
This kid had been rebellious since he was little. He always followed his heart and never listened to anyone. How could he be acting like this toward Rory Linden?
His expression and tone right now clearly showed he was afraid Rory Linden would say no.
He was like a completely different person from the one who was talking big in the car just now.
"We’re here to celebrate Leo’s birthday today. Leo’s in charge. As long as he’s happy, that’s all that matters."
Rory Linden smiled.
Since the two of them had followed them all the way here, she couldn’t just spoil Leo’s fun.
Leo didn’t understand the subtleties of adult conversation and just threw his hands in the air. "I’m happy, I’m happy!"
Sherry Walsh, on the other hand, looked at Noah Sterling. "Lawyer Sterling, if you don’t want to be here, I can call a car to take you back to the firm."
Noah Sterling glanced at Ryan Sterling, who was squatting down to play with the little boy, and sighed. "Let’s go together. I have to watch this kid."
He wanted to see how Ryan Sterling and Rory Linden interacted.
He wanted to see if any sparks could fly between them.
It was obvious Sean Harrison wasn’t going to let go. He was afraid his nephew would do something reckless.
On the weekend, the aquarium was a sea of people, mostly parents with their children.
The group queued up to enter.
As they went from one animal exhibit to the next, Leo was like a little kid with a million questions, asking about everything non-stop.
Rory Linden answered each one patiently.
Around ten-thirty, there was a polar bear feeding event at the aquarium.
A zookeeper would toss chunks of meat into the water, and the polar bears would dive in to retrieve them.
This event was a favorite among the children.
By the time they arrived, the area around the viewing window was already jam-packed with kids.
Rory Linden wasn’t very tall. Even if she held Leo, it would be difficult to see the scene inside the glass enclosure.
"Leo, come here."
Ryan Sterling reached out and swept Leo into his arms.
When Rory Linden looked over, Ryan Sterling had lifted Leo high up and set him right on his shoulders!
