Love at First Sight? Mr. Harrison Has Been Scheming All Along-Chapter 259: "I’d like to treat you and your husband to a meal, is that okay?
Rory Linden was in a daze for a moment when she heard the name "Mrs. Harrison." It was only when the woman walked up to her that she realized she was being addressed.
Ever since the kidnapping, the parents of the students in the kindergarten’s summer program all knew who Leo Linden’s father was.
They didn’t know about the complicated relationship between Rory Linden and Sean Harrison.
They simply assumed they were a normal married couple.
Married, with a child.
And that for some reason, they had sent their child to this ordinary kindergarten.
"...Hello."
Rory Linden could only go along with it.
She couldn’t possibly explain to a stranger that she and Sean Harrison weren’t married. They didn’t know each other well, and there was no need.
"It’s rare to see you picking up your son, Mrs. Harrison. It’s usually your nanny, isn’t it?"
The woman paused before continuing, "My daughter was injured during that kidnapping. I’m so grateful you went in to stop her bleeding. You were so brave. I’ve been wanting to thank you in person all this time, but I never had the chance."
Rory then realized that the woman before her was the mother of the girl whose ear had been injured.
"How is your daughter’s injury?" Rory asked with concern.
"She’s almost fully recovered. She came back to class last week," the woman said earnestly. "My husband and I would like to treat you and your husband to a meal. Would that be okay?"
"That’s not necessary. We’re both mothers. If a child was hurt, anyone would have done the same."
Rory politely declined.
In that moment, she truly hadn’t been thinking about the danger.
"I know we’re just ordinary people, and you and your husband are wealthy. But please, rest assured, we’re not trying to build connections with you. We simply want to thank you."
The woman pressed on, "Is your husband very busy? Does he need to be booked well in advance for something like dinner? We can schedule it ahead of time if needed. Next month or even later would be fine."
"..."
Rory really hadn’t expected the girl’s mother to be so insistent.
The woman took out her phone. "I’ll add you from the parents’ group chat. Just let me know whenever you’re free. We don’t have any other intentions. You risked your life to go in and save my daughter; we truly just want to express our gratitude."
Rory could feel the woman’s sincerity.
She wasn’t very good at turning people down to begin with, and feeling a bit at a loss, she could only say, "Okay, you can add me."
The two of them exchanged contact information.
The woman smiled. "My name is Lily Sullivan, and my daughter’s nickname is Nina. You can just save my contact as ’Nina’s Mom’."
Rory went ahead and saved all the information in her contacts.
After they were connected, the woman said, "Just discuss it with your husband, and let us know when you’ve decided on a time. We’ll book a restaurant and then let you know."
"...Okay."
Rory agreed for the time being.
’If I don’t bring it up again,’ she thought, ’the other woman probably won’t press the issue. And if Lily Sullivan does ask, I’ll just put all the blame on Sean Harrison.’
Soon, it was time for school to let out.
Lily Sullivan led Rory to pick up Leo Linden.
There weren’t many children in the kindergarten’s summer program.
By the time they went inside, only a few children were left in the classroom.
The teacher was surprised to see Rory Linden picking up Leo and quickly said, "Leo’s mom, could you wait a moment? There’s something I need to talk to you about."
Rory waited in the classroom with Leo.
After the teacher saw off all the other children, she turned to Rory and said:
"Leo’s mom, Leo’s dad donated money to our kindergarten to completely upgrade the security system. The director was thinking of asking Leo’s dad to give a speech when the new school year starts. I was wondering if that would be convenient."
"..."
Rory felt a little exasperated.
However, she was well aware that these were issues she would have to face sooner or later. There was no escaping them.
Compared to Lily Sullivan’s invitation just now, this matter was relatively easier to turn down.
"I’m sorry, Teacher. For Leo’s safety, we don’t want to be too high-profile."
Rory genuinely believed this.
Sean Harrison’s wealth was staggering, and prominence attracts trouble. If someone with ill intentions were to target them, she would be almost powerless to protect her son on her own.
The best way was to keep a low profile, and then an even lower one.
The teacher immediately understood Rory’s concerns. "I understand. I’ll explain it to the director."
"Thank you."
"Oh, by the way, the kindergarten often holds parent-child activities, like the family sports day after school starts in September. We generally encourage both mothers and fathers to attend. If you have any difficulties, just let me know, and I can make other arrangements for you."
"Okay, thank you."
Rory thanked her again.
Perhaps because it was Rory’s first time picking him up, the teacher finally had a chance to express her thoughts.
"There’s no need to thank me, Leo’s mom. After what happened last time, all the teachers and parents at our kindergarten should be thanking both of you. If it weren’t for you and your husband, things wouldn’t have been resolved so smoothly."
As the teacher spoke, her eyes started to redden.
She gently wiped away a tear. "I was one of the hostages then. For you to come in all alone... Never mind the children, *I* thought you were a hero."
During that kidnapping, Sean Harrison had offered up a large sum of money and gold bars.
However, the kidnappers were quickly caught by the police, and the money was returned to Sean Harrison untouched.
The man hadn’t lost anything.
After picking up Leo Linden and leaving the kindergarten, Rory asked him, "It’s your birthday today. What do you want to eat? Let’s go together."
Normally, they would have already decided where to eat for his birthday dinner.
But because of Charlotte Rhodes’s surgery, Rory hadn’t even had time to go home, let alone discuss it with Leo.
"I want to eat food that Mommy makes!"
Leo Linden held Rory’s hand, tilting his head back to ask in his small, sweet voice, "Can we? Mommy, we haven’t eaten at home together in a long time."
Back when they were living abroad, his preschool didn’t provide dinner, so the mother and son often ate at home.
Kindergartens in Celestria provided dinner.
So, the mother and son hadn’t eaten dinner at home together in a very long time.
"Of course, no problem!" Rory smiled and asked, "Then how about Mommy takes you to the supermarket, and you can pick out what you want to eat."
"Okay!"
The little boy raised his hands and cheered happily.
The two of them returned home after buying groceries at the supermarket.
The first thing Rory did was give Leo Linden the present she had prepared for him: a new skateboard.
The skateboard Leo was currently using was one she had just bought randomly from a roadside stall, so this time she’d bought him a new one.
After that, Rory took out the gift Sean Harrison had sent for him—
An electronic pet dog.
"Is this a present for me, too?"
Leo Linden tilted his head, looking at the box in front of him.
Because this pet dog hadn’t been released to the market yet, the box was plain white, with no decorations.
"This one is from your dad."
Rory pushed the box in front of Leo.
"Dad?"
Leo seemed surprised; he apparently hadn’t expected to actually receive a birthday present from his dad.
He was young, but he was very sensitive.
From everything that had happened before, he could clearly sense that his mommy didn’t like his daddy.
"Mhm, it’s a gift from your dad. Go on, open it and see."
Rory said with a smile.
Leo carefully opened the white box in front of him.
A small, white, metallic dog lay quietly inside.
As her son took the little dog out, Rory said, "It’s a robotic dog. Let me see how to work it."
She took the instruction manual out of the box.
The moment she saw the manual, she almost lost it.
It was incredibly thick.
’This isn’t a manual, it’s practically a novel!’
"You think of a name for the doggy first, while I figure out how to work it."
Rory opened the manual and began to look through it, page by page.
"Let’s call her Bianca!"
Leo blurted out the name almost without thinking.
Rory had assumed her son named the robotic dog that because it was white.
Leo looked serious. "Crayon Shin-chan has Shiro, and I have Bianca."
So it was because of the cartoon.
Rory first looked in the manual for how to activate the pet dog.
She found the switch on the robotic dog’s belly and had Leo input its name.
Once the name was entered to activate it, the little dog’s four limbs immediately started moving nimbly.
No matter where Leo went, as soon as he shouted "Bianca," the robotic dog would immediately follow him.
"Wow! Bianca is so cool!"
Leo was so excited he almost jumped for joy.
Seeing how happy he was playing, Rory finally got up to go make dinner.
She had been in the kitchen for less than ten minutes.
Leo appeared at the kitchen doorway, looking at her nervously. "Mommy, I think Bianca’s broken..."
