Love at First Sight? Mr. Harrison Has Been Scheming All Along-Chapter 28: Living Together

Rory Linden looked at the man beside her, a little stunned.

She’d known who he was ever since he said, "Everyone has the right to be vulnerable," a few dozen minutes ago.

During her last summer vacation in elementary school with Miles Harrison, Evelyn Irving had planned to send them both on a study tour abroad.

Miles Harrison had been looking forward to it for a long time and had even drawn up a long list of plans.

Just looking at it, Rory knew it would cost a lot of money.

She firmly refused to go.

So, Evelyn Irving sent her to stay at the Harrington Family’s Summerwind Estate.

Those two and a half months at Summerwind Estate were the happiest time of the twenty years Rory spent living under someone else’s roof.

She cleaned the house, trimmed the garden, and picked grapes and apples from the backyard alongside the estate’s staff.

The women on staff would make her delicious desserts, and it was during that time she learned to cook many things herself.

After she had been at Summerwind Estate for over a month, an older boy arrived.

In her memory, the boy was tall and thin.

His frame was so pronounced it was as if his skin was stretched directly over his bones.

Perhaps she had gotten a bit carried away after being there for so long, because she assumed he was the son of one of the staff members. She was overly friendly, trying to befriend him and taking it upon herself to give him freshly picked grapes, apples, and flowers.

She even took out her treasured spicy sticks to share with him.

He rejected them all.

The boy was taciturn and refused to interact with her at all.

Until one night, a thunderstorm rolled in, bringing with it a heavy downpour.

As Rory was watching the rain from the ground-floor French windows, she heard shouts coming from the boy’s room, mixed with the roar of thunder.

She stood outside his door for a long time before she realized he was afraid of the thunder.

He was shouting, trying to drown out the thunder with an even louder noise.

Rory went back to her room, grabbed her small blanket, and draped it over both of their heads. She used her hands to cover his ears.

She said in a loud voice, "Thank you for helping me carry the water the other day. The staff all say I’m capable, but sometimes there are things I can’t do on my own. I asked you for help that day, and you helped me. I think that makes us good friends. So, I think everyone has the right to be vulnerable. It’s okay to do it in front of a friend."

Her voice hadn’t changed yet.

Her tone was childish.

The blanket carried the scent of her usual shampoo, a faint fragrance of lavender.

In Rory’s memory, the boy hadn’t responded at all. He hadn’t even said a single word before leaving the very next day.

She didn’t know who he was or why he had come.

Seeing her silence, Sean Harrison continued, "I might as well tell you. The reason I went there was to kill myself. But because of you...

...I didn’t succeed."

Rory’s gaze froze for a moment.

She never thought Sean Harrison would tell her something like this.

And she couldn’t possibly connect the reserved, silent boy from all those years ago with the refined, mature President Harrison before her now.

Rory offered an encouraging smile out of habit. "You’re so exceptional. It would have been a terrible shame if you had stayed there forever."

Sean Harrison raised his arm and smoothed down a stray lock of her long hair. "Yes. I realized later that what felt like the end of the world back then was just a trivial matter in hindsight. Especially since other people were the cause of it all."

Actually, Rory knew all of this...

Of course she knew.

The car was still parked at the entrance to her apartment complex.

He wouldn’t take her to his home without her consent.

The silence in the car was heavy. Sean Harrison said, "For what happened back then, you have to give me a chance to repay you."

The man’s tone wasn’t overly sentimental.

It was as if he were stating a simple fact.

Like a debt that needed to be repaid.

But Rory knew he was giving her an out, an excuse to ask him for help.

But she... still felt she had no reason to live at his house.

"I didn’t really do anything. There’s no need to repay me."

As far as Rory was concerned, she had just said a few words offhandedly.

If he hadn’t brought it up, she would never have even thought of it again...

"Then I’ll buy a house for you. I’ll also hire 24-hour bodyguards to ensure your safety," Sean Harrison proposed another option.

"No, no." Rory hastily refused, looking at him earnestly. "Mr. Harrison, I really don’t need you to repay me..."

"But I don’t like being indebted to anyone. Although we’ve only recently met again, you’re far more capable than I imagined. As I see it, this might be the only time in your life you’ll ever need my help. If I miss this chance, I might owe you this favor for the rest of my life."

Sean Harrison’s tone was exceptionally serious as he said this.

He truly believed it.

’Someone as hardworking and dedicated as Rory is bound to succeed at whatever she does in the future.’

’If I don’t insist now...’

’...she might never need my help with anything ever again.’

Rory could feel Sean Harrison’s persistence.

’And right now, I really don’t have the ability to deal with Gary Sinclair...’

’The way that would cost Sean Harrison the least is probably to just go live at his place...’

’If it’s just for a few days, it should be fine, right?’

Rory clasped her hands together and thought for a long time before finally agreeing. "Then I’ll have to trouble you for a while, Mr. Harrison. I’ll do my best to resolve this situation and move out as soon as possible."

As soon as she agreed, the car started moving.

Sean Harrison turned his face toward the window, watching the streetscape. "It’s fine. I’m single and have no plans to find a girlfriend anytime soon. Besides sleeping, I spend very little time at home. You don’t have to be in such a hurry to move out."

"Mm, okay. Thank you, Mr. Harrison."

’He’s probably just trying not to pressure me.’

’But what does it look like for an unmarried man and woman to live together?’

’I definitely have to resolve this quickly and move out as soon as I can.’

The car soon arrived at a new residential complex near Elysian Hospital.

Rory knew of this complex. The units had just been handed over last year. Several senior surgeons and two vice presidents from the hospital lived here.

Due to its location, while the property prices weren’t the highest in Veridia, they were definitely beyond the reach of the average middle-class person.

Sean Harrison had called property management before they arrived, and someone was there to help with the luggage.

Rory just carried her own bag and followed Sean Harrison upstairs.

They took the elevator directly from the underground garage.

The man pressed the button for the 47th floor, the top floor.

Just looking at the number, Rory was already starting to feel her fear of heights.

The elevator’s ascent was smoother than she expected.

When the elevator stopped at the top floor, Rory subconsciously reached to hold the door, intending to let the man get off first.

As she made the move, she noticed Sean Harrison was doing the exact same thing.

Their actions were surprisingly in sync.

Sean Harrison nodded slightly. "Ladies first."

"Th-thanks."

After thanking him, Rory scurried out.

In her impression, the few times she had seen him over the past few days, whether at the Harrington Family’s old residence or at the hospital, everyone else had been extremely deferential toward him.

Even Miles Harrison was used to being waited on, yet Sean Harrison would proactively do something like this.

’Good manners really have nothing to do with wealth.’

After getting out, Sean Harrison opened the apartment door and ushered Rory inside.

Besides the furniture, the entire living room was pathetically devoid of personal belongings; it looked almost like a model home.

Sean Harrison guessed what she was thinking and explained, "I bought this place less than a year ago and rarely come back to stay. I haven’t decorated it much. If you have time, you could help me pick out some decorations."

As he spoke, Rory looked out the living room’s huge French windows and was surprised to find that she could see Elysian Hospital from here!

Not only that, but the angle was perfect for seeing the words "Elysian Hospital" on the tallest inpatient building.

Rory couldn’t help but think, ’No wonder the hospital’s leadership all fought to buy a place here.’

’The view is incredible.’

Just then, the property management staff brought up Rory’s luggage.

They placed it in the guest bedroom where she would be staying.

Rory had just finished briefly unpacking and was debating whether to take a shower when...

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.

The sound was followed by the man’s voice. "You can put your books in my study. The desk in there is quite large, big enough for both of us to use."

"Oh, okay."

Rory quickly picked up the box of books and headed out.

She hooked the bedroom door open with her foot.

Seeing her emerge with such a heavy box, Sean Harrison quickly reached out and took it from her. "Let me handle heavy lifting like this from now on. You can come to me for anything."

"Thank you, thank you, Mr. Harrison."

Rory said hastily.

The man walking ahead stopped, turned to look at the woman following him, and knitted his brows slightly. "Rory Linden, from now on, in this house, every time you say ’thank you’ to me, you’ll have to stay an extra week. Every time you say ’thank you, Mr. Harrison,’ you’ll stay an extra month. If you want to live here forever, then by all means, keep saying it."