Love at First Sight? Mr. Harrison Has Been Scheming All Along-Chapter 8: Rory Linden Wished He Was Dead
Rory couldn’t think about anything else. She scrambled to pick up her phone, hung up, and blocked the number.
She did it all without a moment’s hesitation.
Only after it was all done did she realize her hands wouldn’t stop shaking.
"Starry" was something of a nickname for Rory Linden.
The last time she’d been called by that nickname was when her mother was still alive.
Her mother had loved calling her "Starry."
In truth, her memories of her mother were already fading.
She only remembered that her mother was a kind and optimistic person.
For as long as she could remember, her father had been an alcoholic and a gambler, and he often beat her mother.
Later, her mother brought her to the city to find work and ended up at the Harrington Family’s home.
Almost every night, her mother would come to her room to lull her to sleep, holding her and saying:
"My little Starry is such a good girl."
"My Starry has to grow up healthy and strong."
"Go to sleep, my little Starry..."
Ever since her mother passed away, no one had ever called her Starry again.
And the person on the phone just now... even though his voice was a distant memory, she knew it was her father, Ken Grant.
Back then, her mother had shielded Evelyn with her own body from a home invader’s knife. She had already gone by the time she arrived at the hospital.
The Harrington Family paid two million in compensation.
Ken Grant took the money and disappeared.
For twenty long years, Rory had wished that man were dead.
To think that not only was he alive, but he had come back to find her.
She didn’t even need to guess. He must have squandered away that two million.
After that day, Rory went to work in a daze, and constantly checked her phone, yet terrified to look at it.
She was terrified of every incoming call from an unknown number.
Thankfully, she didn’t receive any more calls from Ken over the next two days.
It got to the point where Rory started to wonder if that phone call had just been a hallucination.
On the evening before Charlotte’s surgery, Rory made a point to visit her hospital room before getting off work. After asking about her condition, she made sure to comfort the elderly woman properly.
Back in her office, Rory had just taken off her white coat when a melodious tune began to play from the phone on her desk.
Rory’s hand twitched, and her gaze nervously shifted to her phone.
When she saw the name "Miles" on the screen, she couldn’t help but frown.
Charlotte’s surgery took place tomorrow. As her grandson, it was reasonable for Miles to call her to ask about the situation, especially if he was too busy with work to come himself.
Rory hesitated for a moment before answering the call.
"Rory, you’re off work, right? I’m wearing light brown trousers today. Come home, pick out a matching shirt and tie, and bring them to The Azure Peak Hotel. And be quick about it."
The man’s tone was one that brooked no refusal.
He had spoken to Rory in that same tone countless times before, and every time, she had meekly complied.
Over time, Miles had come to take it all for granted.
He believed Rory would never refuse any of his demands.
Although they were in the middle of a fight and Rory had already moved out of his villa, he saw initiating contact as a signal of his concession.
Before long, she could move back into his villa, be his girlfriend, and become the mistress of the house.
"Young Master Harrison, we’ve already broken up. This is something you should have your girlfriend do."
Rory’s tone was calm.
"Rory, Lucy doesn’t know how to do this stuff. Besides, I have an important thing today to attend, so just grab the clothes and get over here." Thinking they hadn’t been in touch for a while, Miles’s tone softened slightly. "We haven’t seen each other in a long time. My grandmother has surgery tomorrow. Let’s have dinner together tonight."
In his eyes, he was already making a huge step back.
In the past, whenever he had spoken like this, Rory would have already given in and done anything he asked of her.
"Young Master Harrison, Grandma Rhodes is your grandmother. Whether you show up for her surgery is your business. As for dinner... no need for that. We’ve broken up, and I doubt your girlfriend would want you having dinner with another woman."
As for herself, Rory didn’t even want to use the term "ex-girlfriend."
Was she even his ex-girlfriend?
In the eyes of this Young Master Harrison, she had been nothing more than a convenient, unpaid maid from start to finish.
There was a moment of silence on the line, followed quickly by Miles’s voice, laced with anger. "Rory Linden, what’s that supposed to mean?! So I can’t order you around anymore, is that it?"
"I’m not a servant of the Harrington Family. In what capacity are you ordering me around, Young Master Harrison?"
Rory’s tone was surprisingly calm.
"In the capacity of your benefactor! After your mother died and your father abandoned you, do you think you’re so great now that you have a medical Ph.D. and a good job? If it weren’t for the Harrington Family, even if you didn’t starve to death, you would’ve been sold off to some farmer in the countryside as a wife! How could you possibly be living this good life you have today!"
Miles’ tone wasn’t one of anger.
It was one of lofty superiority.
He knew very well that saying these things was the easiest way to control Rory.
And Rory didn’t deny it.
These were all things she had once said to him.
She had told him that if the Harrington Family hadn’t taken her in, her fate would have been completely unknown. The police might have contacted her father to take her away, and he might have sold her to a farmer in the countryside for profit.
She could have been sent to an orphanage and then adopted by some family.
And what kind of family that would have been was anyone’s guess.
She was deeply grateful to the Harrington Family for taking her in.
She never imagined that one day, these words would become the very sword Miles used to hold her hostage.
Rory sank weakly into her office chair, nodded slowly as she said, "Yes, you’re right, Young Master Harrison. It’s all thanks to the Harrington Family that I have the life I do today. I’ll go pick out your clothes and bring them over right away."
"Hmph. I’ll be at The Azure Peak Hotel in half an hour. Contact me when you get there."
Miles saw nothing wrong with what he had said.
He was simply pleased with Rory’s sensible compromise:
’She can’t let go of me.’
’No matter what I do, she’ll always give in in the end.’
’She’ll come back to my side.’
Rory changed her clothes, then organized her digital ledger, saved it to her office software’s cloud storage. And then she called a car to go to Miles’ villa.
She had lived there for four years.
When she reached the door, she habitually tried to unlock it with her fingerprint.
"INVALID FINGERPRINT—"
The cold, electronic prompt reminded her that her fingerprint had been deleted.
’This isn’t my home anymore.’
Before Rory could knock, the main door was opened from the inside.
Mrs. Thorne was standing in the doorway.
She froze for a second when she saw Rory, then her face lit up with joy. "Miss Linden, are... are you moving back in?"
"No, Young Master Harrison asked me to put together an outfit for him and deliver it to The Azure Peak Hotel. I’m just here to grab it and go."
After explaining that, Rory entered the villa.
The pair of slippers that had once been hers were gone. She had to put on a pair of guest slippers to enter the house.
The clothes in the second-floor walk-in closet were a complete mess.
Rory paid it no mind, expertly found a suitable outfit, said a quick goodbye to Mrs. Thorne, and left.
As for this house, and as for Miles,
she would no longer feel any lingering attachment.
Rory took a taxi to The Azure Peak Hotel. Just as she got out of the car and was about to call Miles, she saw him in the hotel lobby.
Standing beside him was a woman in a red skirt suit.
It was Lucy Shaw.
