Love at First Sight? Mr. Harrison Has Been Scheming All Along-Chapter 262: "At Least Let Me Atone for Some Sins.
Sean Harrison’s face was expressionless. "As for her choice, the decision isn’t in your hands or mine. It’s in hers."
’Based on what he knew of her back then, Sean Harrison could guess what Rory Linden would choose.’
’She most likely wouldn’t want to choose at all.’
’The one who could truly influence her choice wasn’t her, but Leo Linden.’
Ryan Sterling, who was facing the door, was the first to see Rory Linden approaching.
He immediately broke into a sunny smile. "Thank you, Ms. Rory."
Rory Linden carefully packed the cake into a transparent box, placed that into a paper bag, and handed it to Ryan Sterling at the door.
"It’s a chocolate mango cake. Don’t eat it if you’re allergic."
Rory Linden had never asked what allergies Ryan Sterling might have.
Still, she made a point of warning him.
"I’m not allergic," Ryan Sterling said with a smile, tilting his head. "Besides, it’s Leo’s birthday cake. I’ll definitely eat every last bite."
Rory Linden glanced at the present beside him and said, "Thank you for Leo’s gift."
Ryan Sterling said, "You’re welcome. Leo and I are good friends, after all."
In the small area by the door...
Sean Harrison stood to one side, utterly silent.
Ryan Sterling wore a bright, cheerful smile.
The contrast between the two men was stark.
Leo ran over, clutching the robotic dog. "Mr. Sterling, next time I’m bringing Bianca skateboarding with me!"
"Bianca? Is that the puppy’s name?"
"It is!"
Ryan Sterling crouched down, patted the robotic puppy’s head, and greeted it with mock seriousness:
"Hello, Bianca. I’m Leo’s skateboarding teacher."
Leo Linden was thrilled to share his puppy with Ryan Sterling.
He crouched down beside Ryan Sterling, took Ryan’s hand, and held it out in front of Bianca. Then he said, "Bianca, shake."
He expected the robotic dog to lift its paw right away, but instead, it turned its little white face in their direction before raising its paw.
"Wow, Bianca is so smart," Ryan Sterling said admiringly.
Watching from the side, Sean Harrison’s expression grew increasingly grim.
’He suddenly recalled what Ryan Sterling had just said.’
’Yes, he really is stronger competition.’
"Alright, Leo, let Mr. Sterling head home now," Rory Linden said.
Leo Linden obediently complied. "Mr. Sterling, let’s play together again next time."
Ryan Sterling ruffled Leo Linden’s hair. "Okay, we’ll play together next time."
After seeing Ryan Sterling off, Sean Harrison recorded his and Rory Linden’s voices as commands for the robotic dog.
Normally, Leo Linden had to take a bath and go to bed by nine o’clock at night.
But since it was his birthday today, Rory Linden made an exception and let him take his bath at nine-thirty.
Sean Harrison said, "I’ll help you with your bath."
"There’s no need." Leo Linden shook his head earnestly. "I can bathe by myself."
Rory Linden explained that Leo Linden was quite independent and could handle things like bathing and changing his clothes by himself.
Many spoiled children his age couldn’t even put on their own clothes, socks, and shoes, let alone bathe themselves; they needed their parents’ help for everything.
Rory Linden also did this to instill a sense of bodily awareness and privacy in Leo.
"It’s fine. I’ll help you," Sean Harrison said. "I’ll have my assistant send over a change of clothes."
Leo Linden had only just started bathing by himself this year.
Rory Linden also thought he was still a bit too young, which is why she agreed to Sean Harrison’s request.
The father and son went into the bathroom.
Sean Harrison had scars on his back and didn’t take off his shirt, afraid they might frighten Leo Linden.
Leo Linden rinsed himself off and then grabbed his shampoo from a nearby standing shelf.
Sean Harrison said, "Here, let me wash your hair."
"Okay, thank you, Daddy," Leo Linden said earnestly.
Sean Harrison lowered his head, his long, slender fingers combing through his son’s short hair as he gently massaged his scalp with his fingertips.
The bathroom was completely silent.
After a long moment, Leo Linden finally spoke up cautiously, "Daddy, can I ask you a question?"
"Mm."
"Why... why didn’t you want Mom and me back then?"
The little boy’s voice was tinged with hesitation.
In all these years, Rory Linden had never mentioned his father to him, nor had she ever spoken ill of the man.
Sean Harrison’s fingers froze for a moment. "I’m sorry. It’s all my fault. I’m the one who made the wrong decision back then, which is why you and your mom have suffered so much all these years..."
’At this point, he had to admit it was his mistake.’
’He had once thought he was doing what was best for Rory Linden, but he never imagined he was pushing her, step by step, into an abyss.’
Leo Linden’s head drooped. "Mom never said anything bad about you. I figured it out myself."
Sean Harrison asked, "Can you tell me about things with you and your mom?"
Leo Linden’s hands were clenched tightly in front of him. He didn’t speak at first.
Since the little boy’s back was to him, Sean Harrison couldn’t see his son’s expression.
Leo Linden hesitated for a moment before speaking: 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮
"Mom is very busy. I get to see her at dinner every day, and she stays until I go to sleep. I thought she went to sleep at the same time I did."
"One time, I woke up and couldn’t find Mom. I cried for a long, long time and ran outside, and someone else found me. That’s when I learned that Mom had to work at night, too."
"And another time, Mom fainted while she was cooking for me. I thought she had fallen asleep, so I sat next to her for a long, long time. It wasn’t until I heard her ask me to get her a glass of water that I realized Mom was sick..."
Leo Linden hung his head low. "If Daddy had been there..."
As Sean Harrison listened to his son, every beat of his heart felt heavy.
He had known that Rory Linden’s life was hard, but now, hearing his son say these things...
Even these fragments painted a clearer picture of her life during those years.
What was more tragic was that he was the cause of all this suffering.
"I’m sorry..." Sean Harrison’s fingers curled, his voice choked with emotion. "It’s all my fault. I’m the one who let you and your mom down. I made you suffer so much..."
Leo Linden shook his head slightly. "But then we had Alice at home. She’s really nice and took good care of me."
Sean Harrison asked, "Alice?"
"Yeah," Leo Linden said. "She’s like a nanny, like Auntie Wagner."
’Sean Harrison finally understood. Their financial situation must have improved later on, allowing Rory Linden to hire a part-time helper.’
Sean Harrison turned on the showerhead and carefully rinsed the suds from his son’s hair.
After he finished bathing him and helped him into his pajamas, he gently dried Leo Linden’s hair with a towel. "Leo, Daddy made a very serious mistake. I don’t dare hope for your mom’s forgiveness, but I will slowly make up for the mistakes of my past."
Leo Linden only vaguely understood what he meant.
While the father and son were in the bathroom, Ethan Dixon had already arranged for a change of clothes to be delivered.
Rory Linden left the clothes outside the bathroom door.
After they finished their bath, Sean Harrison dried Leo’s hair and then put him to bed, staying until he fell asleep.
When Sean Harrison emerged from Leo Linden’s room...
Rory Linden stood up from the sofa. "Thank you for today. Leo had such a happy birthday because of you."
’Her meaning was crystal clear.’
’Everything that happened today wasn’t about her accepting him; it was for the sake of Leo’s birthday.’
"I know I have no right to your forgiveness. I just hope that when you run into trouble, you won’t try to handle it all by yourself."
Sean Harrison stood a few meters away from her, enunciating each word. "Please, rely on me more. At least let me atone for my sins in some small way."
Rory Linden lowered her gaze.
DING.
Her phone on the coffee table chimed.
Rory Linden picked it up and glanced at the screen.
It was a message from Nina’s Mom, the woman she had met at the preschool earlier that day.
Nina’s Mom: [Hi Rory, sorry to bother you so late. Have you had a chance to ask Leo’s dad when he might be free to have a meal together?]
