Love at First Sight? Mr. Harrison Has Been Scheming All Along-Chapter 86: "Good Morning.

Sean Harrison’s voice was noticeably lower when he asked the question.

Rory Linden was about to explain when she felt a slight pain in the hand he was holding.

The words that came out, however, were, "It hurts..."

"Sorry." Sean Harrison released her hand and looked away. "If you want to explain things to him, call him now. He should still be awake."

He spoke quickly, the emotion in his tone obvious.

Rory Linden was about to explain, but the elevator had already reached the top floor.

As the elevator doors slid open, Sean Harrison turned and offered his arm for her to lean on.

"Thanks."

Rory Linden rested her hand on his wrist.

Once they were inside, she finally explained, "I’m not worried he’ll get the wrong idea. Besides, there’s nothing for him to misunderstand."

The two of them stood in the entryway.

Rory Linden leaned against a tall entryway cabinet.

Sean Harrison planted his hands on either side of her against the cabinet, trapping her in the small space. He lowered his gaze and said, "Rory Linden, Miles knows Lucy Shaw’s baby isn’t his. Their engagement will probably be called off."

They were very close, and he was leaning over her slightly.

Two buttons of his shirt were undone at the collar, revealing a hint of his muscular chest.

For a moment, Rory Linden didn’t know where to look. She could only look up at Sean Harrison. "That has nothing to do with me."

"It does." Sean Harrison bent his knees slightly. "Miles will definitely come back for you. I’m guessing you two have a lot of shared memories. He’ll probably try to play the nostalgia card."

Sean Harrison didn’t know the history between Rory Linden and Miles Harrison from their school days.

’In his eyes, they had spent more than a decade together, day in and day out.’

’Surely there were some happy moments worth reminiscing about.’

’But he and Rory Linden had only been together for a month.’

’One month could hardly compare to over a decade.’

"Actually, there’s nothing like that..." Rory Linden looked up at him. "Young Master Harrison and I may have gone to the same school and been in the same class, but our social circles were completely different. To be precise, I was on my own. He was the one with a circle of friends."

Rory Linden was the only poor kid at that elite school.

That reputation as the "poor girl" wasn’t something the school created. Miles Harrison was the one who spread it.

Rory Linden was pretty, tall, and had a great figure.

Whenever the boys talked about her, Miles Harrison would always say, "She’s the daughter of my family’s housekeeper. Her mom’s dead and her dad abandoned her, so my mom was kind enough to take her in. It’s no different from adopting a stray cat or dog."

His classmates would hoot, "What’s that supposed to mean? That Rory Linden is just a dog you guys keep at home!"

Miles Harrison would roar with laughter. "You could say that. Without our family, she wouldn’t even be able to eat."

Rory Linden continued, "All the nasty nicknames I had at school came from him. Back then, I didn’t have money for clothes, so my classmates would give me their old ones. He called me Raggedy Rory, saying I was dressed in nothing but rags."

As she recalled these things, a familiar, sharp pain still pricked at her heart.

’It wasn’t that she had no dignity. She just had no money, so dignity was a luxury she couldn’t afford.’

’What kind of memories worth reminiscing about could she possibly have with someone who had repeatedly trampled on her dignity all through school?’

"And back in elementary school, I used the same mechanical pencil for five years, and one eraser until it was just a tiny nub. He asked if they were heirlooms my mom had left me." Rory’s voice was thick with emotion as she asked, "What is there for me to reminisce about with a person like that?"

Sean Harrison looked at the faint redness in her eyes and murmured, "Then let’s not dwell on the past..."

Then, in a gentle voice, he told her, "Then let’s use the long future ahead of us to make new, happy memories..."

"Okay..."

Rory Linden had barely uttered the word before it was swallowed by his kiss. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

He slowly stole the air from her lungs.

She was already a little dizzy from the alcohol, and his kiss was so overwhelming that her legs grew weak. Even with her arms wrapped around his neck, she felt like she couldn’t stay on her feet...

Sean Harrison bent down and swept her up into his arms.

He didn’t even change into his slippers; without turning on any lights, he carried her straight to the guest bedroom...

When they reached the bed, Sean Harrison gently laid her down. He knelt on the mattress with one knee, propping himself up on his arms, and asked, "Sleep... or continue?"

Rory Linden looked at him and asked cautiously, "Did you... buy any?"

His answer wasn’t verbal, but a far more passionate and direct physical demonstration.

-

「The next morning.」

Rory Linden groggily opened her eyes. The moment she tried to move, she felt as if her body was about to fall apart. Every bone ached...

Before she could move again, an arm snaked around her waist from beside her.

The man kissed her temple, his voice thick with sleep. "Sleep a little longer, be good..."

Rory Linden’s mind went blank for a second. Then, fragmented memories of the previous night began to piece themselves together.

Effortlessly, everything that happened last night replayed in her mind.

’Last night, they’d started in the guest bedroom.’

’But today, they were in the master bedroom.’

’It wasn’t that they’d changed battlefields, but that the sheets in the guest room had become... unusable. That’s when he’d carried her over here.’

’And it hadn’t even ended when he carried her over.’

’Because of the alcohol, her brain seemed to have lost its filter last night. Whatever she thought, she said; whatever she wanted, she did...’

She could see several distinct, bloody scratches on the arm the man had wrapped around her.

’All her handiwork from last night...’

’It wasn’t just his arm. She had also added quite a few new marks to his already scarred back...’

What Rory Linden was most grateful for was that she was wearing pajamas...

She didn’t have to guess to know that he must have changed her into them after she’d passed out from exhaustion.

"You’re awake?"

His voice came from beside her ear, and as he spoke, his body instinctively pressed closer.

Rory Linden froze, unsure how to react, her face flushing crimson.

Sean Harrison acted as if he hadn’t noticed. He leaned in, left a kiss on her forehead, and said in a voice laced with a smile, "Good morning."

"G-good morning."

Rory Linden managed a reply and quickly sat up, intending to get out of bed...

But as soon as she stood up, she immediately plopped back down.

’Her back ached, her legs were weak...’

Sean Harrison sat up and took her by the wrist. "Last night before you fell asleep, you said you were sore. Is it red? Do you need some cream for it? What kind? I’ll go buy some."