Love at First Sight? Mr. Harrison Has Been Scheming All Along-Chapter 78: "Rory... Have You Been Well?

Sean Harrison struck fast and hard.

Kyle Sheffield sucked in a sharp breath, the pain making him realize he’d messed up. At the very least, he shouldn’t have gotten physical.

He didn’t dare complain. "N-no, I was just worried your girlfriend was still mad. This is all my fault. How much are the hospital bills? I’ll pay for them."

"That won’t be necessary."

Sean Harrison refused.

"W-well, how about this? Can I deposit some extra money for the hospital stay?" Kyle Sheffield rambled on. "I’ll go deposit the money for the bills and leave my contact information. From now on, whatever happens with this person, I’ll take full responsibility."

While Kyle Sheffield didn’t exactly contribute to his family’s company, he at least knew better than to cause trouble for it.

After paying the hospital bills, he left.

Rory Linden and Sean Harrison spoke with the police before leaving as well.

As they walked to the hospital parking lot, they saw several people sleeping on makeshift beds in the hospital’s corners.

Once they were in the car, Rory Linden said, "It’s a good thing I came to Elysian. Otherwise, I’d be working my tail off every day not only to earn nothing, but probably losing money."

Sean Harrison glanced at her.

Rory Linden watched the streetlights blur past and murmured, "You only realize it once you’re in medicine, but it’s true what they say: a rope always snaps at its weakest point, and misfortune preys on the suffering. During my residency, I saw a couple who both had cancer. They decided to stop treatment just to leave some money for their preschooler. I also saw a mother work three jobs a day to pay for her child’s medical bills. The child didn’t make it, and eventually, the mother passed away from exhaustion. Back then, I couldn’t stop myself from giving them money. I ended up draining all my savings."

A heavy silence filled the car.

Rory Linden quickly changed the subject. "Oh, right. Saturday is our university’s anniversary. Stella is organizing a class reunion. A lot of our classmates are overseas or live out of town, so not many people are coming, but I promised her I’d be there."

Sean Harrison turned the steering wheel. "Okay. Do you need a chauffeur? The kind that drops you off and picks you back up."

Rory Linden played along. "Then I’ll have to trouble you, Mr. Harrison."

-

On Wednesday morning, Rory Linden was on duty at the outpatient clinic.

She was just a regular attending physician, so her patient load was light.

Still, she was done with work by ten in the morning.

Rory Linden couldn’t return to the inpatient ward yet, so she just wandered around the outpatient lobby.

As she passed the phlebotomy station, a nurse called out to her. "Dr. Linden! Over here! I’ve got some juicy gossip for you. Wanna hear?"

Gossip was the one thing the hospital never ran short of.

Especially at a private hospital like Elysian, which had more than its fair share of scandalous drama.

Everyone endlessly enjoyed discussing the affairs of the rich and powerful.

Unable to refuse such an enthusiastic offer, Rory Linden leaned down, resting her hands on the counter. "Let’s hear it," she whispered.

"The day before yesterday, your ex-boyfriend and his new girlfriend suddenly showed up for a fetal DNA test. I’m the one who drew their blood, and the results are in." The nurse asked conspiratorially, "And you’ll never guess what."

"The baby isn’t his."

’Rory Linden had already heard the rumors; this was just confirmation.’

’Even if she hadn’t, the way the nurse asked made it obvious the baby couldn’t be Miles Harrison’s.’

"Exactly!" The nurse couldn’t help but feel indignant on her behalf. "I mean, seriously! That ex of yours dumps a great girlfriend like you just to cheat with someone else. He totally deserved to get cuckolded."

"I agree. He brought it on himself."

Rory Linden didn’t feel any sympathy for Miles Harrison, but she didn’t feel any schadenfreude either.

There wasn’t even the thrill of revenge.

’She supposed all the time she’d spent with him had just led to a critical mass of disappointment, allowing her to let go completely.’

’In a way, Miles Harrison had become a stranger to her.’

’Right now, all she wanted was to live her life well, make good money, and pay back the 540,000 she owed Sean Harrison as soon as possible.’

’When the time was right, she would probably get together with Sean Harrison, have a real relationship, and then get married.’

’Life was supposed to get better after leaving the wrong person.’

Still, during her lunch break, Rory Linden texted Sherry Walsh and asked her to dinner, saying she had some "delightful news" to share.

Sherry Walsh couldn’t wait until the weekend to hear this "delightful news" and insisted they have dinner that very night.

The two of them met at a hot pot restaurant.

Sherry Walsh got there first.

The moment Rory Linden stepped into the private room, she was bombarded with questions. "Quick, quick! Tell me the news!"

Rory Linden: "In a second, in a second."

Sherry Walsh’s eyes followed Rory Linden, watching her sit down and put her bag away.

Only after Rory had settled in did she finally say, "It’s about Miles Harrison."

"Isn’t he engaged already?" Sherry Walsh had no love for the man. "Don’t tell me he’s bothering you again?"

"Think happy thoughts."

Rory Linden poured herself a drink.

"Did he die?"

"He’s alive."

"Did he get into a car accident and end up paralyzed? Is he in a vegetative state? Don’t tell me he found out he’s infertile?"

’Sherry Walsh figured that for someone who was still alive, her guesses were already pretty grim.’

Rory Linden hadn’t expected her friend to be so imaginative and decided to just reveal the truth. "It’s not that dramatic. It’s just... according to a test at my hospital, his fiancée’s baby isn’t his."

"What? WHAT? WHAAT?! HAHAHAHA!" Sherry Walsh exploded with laughter. "Are you serious? For real?!"

"Yes, for real. The hospital confirmed the results." Rory Linden glanced at the door. "Keep your voice down, the whole world can hear you."

"This is cause for a global celebration! The whole world *should* know!" The more Sherry Walsh thought about it, the funnier it got. "I can’t believe instant karma is real. But seriously, his fiancée got pregnant that fast and he never suspected a thing? He’s so clueless."

"Who knows. I couldn’t care less about him."

’As far as Rory Linden was concerned, whether Miles Harrison lived or died, thrived or failed, had very little to do with her anymore.’

"True. But you should probably thank his fiancée. If it weren’t for her, you’d still be stuck with that scumbag." Sherry Walsh then asked, "So, how are things between you and Sean Harrison?"

"...It’s... fine."

"Oh, come on! You’re dragging your feet. One of these days, someone’s going to snatch Sean Harrison up, and you’ll be sorry!"

Sherry Walsh knew what Rory was like.

’Getting her to jump into a relationship without a second thought was nearly impossible.’

’Back when Evelyn Irving first suggested she date Miles Harrison, she had been just as hesitant.’

’In fact, Rory hadn’t even agreed to it back then; Miles had just started calling himself her boyfriend.’

’And that was how she’d reluctantly ended up with him.’

After the two friends finished their meal...

Sherry Walsh drove off first.

Rory Linden stood by the side of the road, waiting for Sean Harrison to pick her up.

When the phone in her pocket rang, she instinctively assumed it was Sean Harrison and answered without checking.

"Rory... have you been well?"

A familiar voice came from the other end of the line.

It was Miles Harrison.