Love at First Sight? Mr. Harrison Has Been Scheming All Along-Chapter 92: She Cannot Watch Sean and His Mother Break Ties
Rory Linden looked at Nadia Willow and stated calmly, "My life story is quite simple, not nearly as rich and colorful as yours."
It wasn’t a direct answer, but it quietly defused the question.
Only then did Charlotte Rhodes speak up. "Alright, let’s not discuss unpleasant things during dinner."
No one spoke for the rest of the meal.
Miles Harrison’s attention remained on Rory Linden the entire time.
He noticed she spent almost the entire meal eating the two spicy dishes Sean had ordered.
As dinner was winding down, he couldn’t help but ask, "Rory, since when do you like spicy food? Did you start eating this stuff after getting with my uncle, just to suit his tastes?"
Miles Harrison had never paid attention to Sean Harrison’s food preferences before.
But he was certain that Rory Linden couldn’t handle spicy food.
The first time he’d seen her eat it was at the dinner where he announced his engagement to Lucy Shaw.
He had asked about it back then, but Rory Linden had never given him an explanation.
Miles Harrison added, "Rory, I think you should always put yourself first. You shouldn’t force yourself to change your preferences for someone else."
Ever since the incident with Lucy Shaw, Evelyn Irving had also come to think that Rory Linden was better after all.
At least they knew her background, and her social circle was clean.
Even if she was Sean Harrison’s girlfriend now, there was no guarantee they would last, especially with Nadia Willow back in the picture.
Evelyn Irving chimed in, echoing her son, "That’s right, Rory. You grew up right under my nose, and I’ve never seen you eat spicy food. If you can’t handle it, don’t force yourself. You don’t have to eat it just to keep Sean company."
The two of them went back and forth, one after the other.
It was as if Rory Linden was being wronged simply by being with Sean Harrison.
Rory Linden had never wanted to explain why she liked spicy food.
She felt that explaining would make it seem like she had been mistreated during her time with the Harrington family.
But since Miles Harrison and the others were pressing the issue, she had no choice but to clarify:
"Actually, I do like spicy food. My mother was very good at cooking Sichuan and Hunan cuisine, but since no one in the Harrington family ate it, she never had a chance to show her skills."
"How old were you when your mother passed away? You were too young to handle spicy food back then. Our family hasn’t made dishes like that for years, so there’s no way you can eat it now."
Miles Harrison didn’t believe her at all.
"Young Master Harrison, do you remember that school trip when we were kids? I had a bag of spicy strips in my backpack, and you threw it away like trash because you thought someone else gave it to me." Rory Linden looked at him, explaining earnestly, "I didn’t dare say it at the time, but I had bought that bag of spicy strips with my own allowance."
"Did that really happen?"
"A man of your importance is often forgetful. How could you remember something so trivial?"
Rory Linden smiled, her expression light and nonchalant.
「The dinner party ended.」
Sean Harrison and Rory Linden were getting ready to leave.
Behind them, Nadia Willow, arm in arm with Charlotte Rhodes, said, "Auntie Rhodes, I remember you’re a fan of the artist Maisie Miles, right? There’s a charity auction this week with one of her works. I’ll buy it for you."
"How thoughtful of you."
Charlotte Rhodes’s tone of voice now was markedly different from how it had been during dinner.
It seemed this was the only moment all evening that she was in a good mood.
Sean Harrison stopped in his tracks, turning to the two women behind him. "Thank you for the information, Miss Willow. I’ll go bid on the painting myself."
"Alright then. I’ll just have to let you convey the sentiment, Rex." Nadia Willow showed no intention of taking credit. She looked at Charlotte Rhodes. "You see, Auntie Rhodes? Rex loves you very much; he just doesn’t know how to show it."
Only then did the expression on Charlotte Rhodes’s face soften a little.
Rory Linden stood where she was, quietly watching the scene unfold.
Nadia Willow truly understood people and social graces far better than she did, knowing how to win over Charlotte Rhodes with such finesse.
’If I were Charlotte Rhodes, I’d definitely prefer a daughter-in-law like Nadia Willow, too.’
「On the way back.」
Sean Harrison asked if she would be willing to accompany him to the banquet on Saturday.
Rory Linden agreed at the time.
But what she hadn’t expected was that things wouldn’t go according to plan.
「The next afternoon.」
She and the department director, Keith Hawthorne, had just finished a surgery when a patient was rushed into the emergency room.
She immediately went with Keith Hawthorne to look at the patient’s cardiac angiogram.
After reviewing it, Keith Hawthorne turned to Rory Linden. "You take a look first. Tell me your conclusion when you’re done."
Rory Linden carefully reviewed the medical records—the patient’s blood pressure, ECG, cardiac angiogram, and other test reports—before reaching a preliminary conclusion:
"The patient has a Type A aortic dissection."
Keith Hawthorne nodded. "And?"
"Severe aortic insufficiency and hypertension."
Rory Linden gave her diagnosis after reviewing all the data.
Keith Hawthorne nodded and continued, "Surgical plan."
Rory Linden considered the patient’s age and post-operative quality of life, among other factors, before finally concluding, "The Bentall procedure."
This surgery is also known as a composite valve graft procedure.
It is one of the most advanced procedures in surgery.
Rory Linden had assisted in one during her doctoral studies, but this was the first time since she started working that a patient required it.
"Correct."
Keith Hawthorne affirmed Rory Linden’s recommendation and began instructing the other doctors to make pre-operative preparations, tentatively scheduling the surgery for the 31st.
Once everything was arranged, he turned to Rory Linden and said, "You’ll be first assistant. Any problem with that?"
"No problem!"
Rory Linden was extremely eager to be part of this surgery.
Only when she returned to her office did she realize that August 31st was a Saturday.
Although the surgery was difficult, its duration wasn’t particularly long—about five to six hours.
However, she would need to stay after the surgery to monitor the patient’s condition, which meant she might not be able to make it to that charity auction on time.
Rory Linden sat in her office, still agonizing over how to explain it to Sean Harrison...
Just then, the phone on her desk rang.
She hadn’t saved the number, but she already recognized it.
It was Charlotte Rhodes’s.
Rory Linden composed herself before answering the call.
"Rory Linden, this is Charlotte Rhodes."
Charlotte Rhodes’s voice came through the phone, devoid of any emotion.
Rory Linden practically sat bolt upright, cautiously asking, "Hello, may I ask why you’re calling?"
"This is during your work hours, isn’t it? In that case, I won’t beat around the bush." Charlotte Rhodes got straight to the point. "Rory Linden, if you had never been Miles Harrison’s girlfriend, then perhaps I might have accepted you as my daughter-in-law."
"..."
The meaning behind her words was perfectly clear.
Rory Linden was speechless.
"I know my son. He’s not casual about his relationships. I’m sure he’s serious about you, but I will not accept you as my daughter-in-law."
Charlotte Rhodes paused before continuing:
"Rory Linden, you lost your mother at a young age, so you should know the difference between having family and having none. You wouldn’t want my son to break ties with his own mother over you, would you?"
Charlotte Rhodes had made her intentions perfectly clear.
And her last sentence effortlessly shattered Rory Linden’s defenses.
She didn’t have a mother.
She couldn’t bear to see Sean Harrison break ties with his.
