Love at First Sight? Mr. Harrison Has Been Scheming All Along-Chapter 94: "I can’t accept you hiding things from me.
"Auntie Irving, what are you talking about?"
Rory Linden was stunned.
"You think his mother looks down on you because you don’t have the right background, that you’re not good enough for Sean. If you were related to Nadia Willow, or rather, the Willow Family, everything would be so much simpler, wouldn’t it?" Evelyn Irving spoke as if she knew everything. "I want to tell you, the Willow Family already looked into this. Your mother has no connection to them whatsoever."
"Auntie Irving, that’s not why."
As Rory Linden objected, Evelyn Irving gave her a knowing look.
’She’s just trying to protect her pride again.’
Rory Linden gave up trying to explain.
She ordered the food.
The dishes began to arrive one by one.
Only then did Rory Linden ask Evelyn Irving, "Auntie Irving, if I remember correctly, the family always used the same domestic help agency to hire nannies, right? Do you remember what that company was called?"
"Let me see... I think it was called something like Good Helper Domestic Agency." Evelyn Irving thought for a moment. "Oh, right! We had a phone book at home back then. The manager’s cell phone number should be in it. I wonder if it’s still in use."
"Really?!"
Rory Linden was getting excited.
Computers existed twenty years ago. If the manager saved the employee information, she might be able to find what she was looking for.
Seeing Rory Linden’s excitement, Evelyn Irving couldn’t help but say, "Oh, Rory, no matter what rumors you’ve heard, I want you to know that you shouldn’t feel insecure about your background. Look at you—you got into such a good university and have such a great job. You’re already wonderful. It’s just that Sean’s status is too high. You two are from different social classes."
This was just how Evelyn Irving was.
Once she made up her mind about something, nothing anyone said could change it.
Rory Linden could only defend herself once more. "Auntie Irving, I have never been insecure about my background, nor do I have any interest in claiming ties to the Willow Family."
Evelyn Irving didn’t press the issue. "Alright, alright. After we eat, I’ll take you back to the house to look for that phone book."
Rory Linden thanked her sincerely.
After the meal, Evelyn Irving took Rory Linden back to the house.
In less than half an hour, she had found the old phone book.
Back then, it was the wife of the eldest uncle who had been in charge of these things.
The phone book was filled with neatly recorded numbers, each with a detailed note written after it.
Appliance repair, plumbing and electricity, weed removal, garden trimming, numbers for various restaurant reservations, and so on.
The domestic agency manager’s number from back then was also listed.
In addition, the phone numbers of several of the family’s nannies, drivers, and the butler were also there.
From these few pages alone, it was clear that the eldest uncle’s wife was a meticulous and thoughtful person.
Rory Linden copied down the numbers one by one.
After leaving the Harrington estate, Rory Linden sat down on a nearby bench.
She dialed them one by one, in order.
Most of the numbers were disconnected or out of service due to unpaid bills.
A few connected, but the numbers now belonged to different people.
Only one number, belonging to a driver, was still active. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎
Unfortunately, this driver was often away and knew nothing about the Harrington Family’s affairs. He had never even met her mother.
Of all the numbers, only the butler Ivan Lowell’s went unanswered.
He was Rory Linden’s last hope.
If Ivan Lowell had changed his number too, she truly wouldn’t know where to start her investigation.
Still, she had gotten to know a few of the nannies during her time at the Harrington estate.
’If I take my time and search, I’m bound to find a clue.’
Just as Rory Linden was debating whether to try calling again...
A black sedan approached from a distance and pulled up in front of her.
Rory Linden watched Sean Harrison get out of the driver’s seat, her eyes wide with surprise. "How did you know I was here?!"
"One of the housekeepers just told me you went back to the estate with my sister-in-law, so I came out to pick you up. I didn’t expect to run into you here."
Sean Harrison made no attempt to hide his sources of information.
Rory Linden wasn’t surprised.
It was clear from yesterday’s dinner that someone was reporting every little thing that happened at the old Harrington residence to him.
Sean Harrison walked around to the passenger side and opened the door. "Get in."
’She said before that she didn’t want to tell me what she was investigating just yet.’
’So, I won’t ask.’
But just then...
As the car started to move, the phone in Rory Linden’s hand rang.
The incoming call was from none other than the butler, Ivan Lowell!
Rory Linden looked at the number, hesitated for a moment, and then answered.
"This is Ivan Lowell. I missed your call earlier. How can I help you?"
A middle-aged man’s voice came from the other end of the line, introducing himself before Rory Linden could even speak.
Ivan Lowell.
When Rory Linden heard the name, the hand holding her phone trembled slightly.
She adjusted her posture slightly and spoke in a very respectful tone. "Hello, Mr. Lowell. My name is Rory Linden. My mother was Quinn Linden, who used to be a nanny for the Harrington Family. Do you remember her?"
Sean Harrison glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.
’He had always thought Rory Linden was an easy woman to understand. Usually, he could figure out what was on her mind without her having to say a word. But this time, he couldn’t quite figure out her actions. Could it be... that there was something suspicious about her mother’s death back then? If that were true, why couldn’t she tell him about it?’
"Quinn Linden? Rory Linden?" Ivan Lowell paused to think, then said, "Oh, you’re that little one! Starry, right!"
When Rory Linden was four, her mother had brought her to the Harrington estate.
She had to stay in the nanny’s quarters and could only use the back door to come and go.
But the staff quarters were large back then, and many people lived there. A lot of the staff members had met her and were quite fond of her.
"Yes, that’s me! Uncle Lowell."
Rory Linden quickly confirmed, as if grasping at her last straw.
"It really is you! Where did you find my number?" Ivan Lowell’s tone became much friendlier. "Is there something you need?"
The things Rory Linden wanted to ask might involve some of the Harrington Family’s secrets.
She was afraid Ivan Lowell would refuse her outright over the phone.
After some thought, Rory Linden and Ivan Lowell simply agreed to meet at a coffee shop.
After Rory Linden hung up, Sean Harrison finally spoke. "If you couldn’t talk freely because I was in the car, you could have told me. I can get out anytime."
"It wasn’t because of you," Rory Linden explained hastily. "I want to ask Uncle Lowell some things about my mother, and I’d prefer to do it in person."
"Mm."
Sean Harrison responded noncommittally.
The car drove on through the night.
Rory Linden’s mind was consumed with thoughts of her meeting with Ivan Lowell tomorrow and how she would ask about the past.
’What if there was some secret, and he wasn’t willing to talk? What kind of approach could she use to make him lower his guard and tell her what happened back then? What if... what if he didn’t know anything at all?’
Rory Linden’s mind was a mess. When she looked up again, she realized the car had already stopped in the underground parking garage.
The two of them went upstairs and back to their apartment together.
Neither of them spoke the entire way.
As they entered the apartment, Rory Linden had just changed into her slippers and was about to head inside when the man grabbed her by the wrist.
The next second, he pinned her back against the door.
Rory Linden was startled. "Wh-what’s wrong?"
Sean Harrison blocked the light, and the resulting shadow drew a sharp line across his face.
He leaned down and kissed the restrained woman. "I’m discovering that I can’t stand it when you keep things from me."
