It took Rory Linden a mont to realize that the "boyfriend" Nadia Willow was referring to was actually Ryan Sterling!
"No, he’s my son’s teacher."
As Rory Linden explained, she felt a little bad for Ryan Sterling.
’After all, she was a divorced woman with a child.’
Ryan Sterling was different. He was young and vibrant, a graduate student at the Celestria Academy of Fine Arts.
’Being linked to her was completely unfair to him.’
"Is that so?" Nadia Willow turned to Ryan Sterling. "Could I trouble you to watch the little one for a mont? Miss Linden and I would like to have a quick word."
Ryan Sterling didn’t know what the relationship between Rory Linden and Nadia Willow was.
Seeing their resemblance, he assud they were relatives and happily agreed. "Go ahead and chat. I’ll look after Leo."
’When Nadia had mistaken him for Rory’s boyfriend just now, his mood...’
’...hadn’t been particularly opposed to it.’
’Of course, he was also well aware that nothing was likely to happen between them.’
Rory Linden told Leo to be good, then walked to a corner of the exhibition hall with Nadia Willow.
It was the height of sumr, and the morning temperature was already soaring.
The two of them didn’t leave the exhibition hall.
Rory Linden finally took a good look at Nadia Willow.
The woman was completely different from how she was a few years ago. She no longer imitated Rory’s way of dressing and had found her own style.
Her entire aura had changed significantly as well.
Nadia Willow could sense Rory Linden’s guard was up, and she smiled.
"Miss Linden, don’t get the wrong idea. I didn’t find out you were back in Celestria and co here specifically to ambush you. I just have so business here."
Rory Linden believed her.
Her coming to this exhibition with Ryan Sterling was a completely random event.
Even Sean Harrison couldn’t have found out, let alone Nadia Willow.
"Yes, I know. If you have sothing to say, just say it."
Rory Linden glanced in Leo’s direction.
Even though Ryan Sterling had taken Leo skateboarding alone a few tis, she still wasn’t completely at ease leaving the two of them by themselves.
"That’s Sean Harrison’s son, right?"
Nadia Willow’s gaze followed hers.
At that mont, Leo was still standing next to Ryan Sterling by his sculpture.
The two of them were taking a picture together.
"..." Rory imdiately grew wary. "If you sought out just to confirm that, Miss Willow, then we have nothing to discuss."
"You don’t have to be so hostile toward . After you left, I pursued Sean Harrison for a few years myself. But no matter what I did, he was completely indifferent. I suddenly realized how pointless it all was."
Nadia Willow’s gaze drifted into the distance, her words tinged with the mory of her past actions.
’All she felt was that she had wasted a ton of ti on a lost cause.’
"You don’t need to tell these things. I’m not interested."
Rory Linden stated her position bluntly.
She didn’t want to know what happened between Nadia Willow and Sean Harrison in the years she was gone.
Just as she was about to leave, Nadia Willow spoke up. "Have you seen Evan Hollis?"
That one na was enough to command Rory Linden’s full attention.
Her first reaction was, "You two know each other?"
’Logically, Nadia and Evan shouldn’t know each other.’
Nadia Willow smiled. "Let’s just say my conscience got the better of . I’m telling you to be careful of that man."
"You know him?"
Rory Linden pressed.
’Anyone who knew Evan Hollis seed to have a positive impression of him.’
’At worst, they’d just think he was too nice for his own good.’
’When sothing happened to Charlotte Rhodes, Rory was almost certain Evan Hollis was involved. Yet Keith Hawthorne still felt he didn’t seem like the type to do sothing like that.’
"I used to think he was just starved for affection, but then I realized he’s..." Nadia Willow gently tapped her chin, searching for the right word. "Crazy."
A single word sumd him up.
"Crazy?"
"Yes. But then again, Sean Harrison went crazy back in the day, too."
Nadia Willow’s expression was obviously different when she ntioned Sean Harrison.
If it were the old her, Rory Linden would have definitely pressed for details about Sean Harrison.
But now, she had let go.
No matter what Sean Harrison had done in the past, or what he had experienced, she no longer wanted to care.
Nadia Willow continued, "That woman, Charlotte Rhodes, seems to have so sort of magic. She looks perfectly normal, but she effortlessly drove both her biological son and her godson insane."
"Is that all you wanted to tell ? If so, I understand."
Rory Linden could see that Nadia Willow probably wouldn’t give her any more information.
Seeing her reaction, Nadia grew curious. "You secretly ran off abroad and had Sean Harrison’s son. I thought you ca back to get together with him."
Rory Linden turned to look at Leo in the distance. "He’s my son."
’Hers, and hers alone.’
’He had nothing to do with Sean Harrison.’
Nadia Willow teased, "Well, in that case, I think that young wolf over there is a pretty good catch."
Rory Linden’s gaze subconsciously shifted to Ryan Sterling at the side.
The young man was standing beside his sculpture, bent over to speak with Leo.
The fluorescent lights of the exhibition hall shone down from above, catching in the young man’s slightly tousled hair. The lighting made his face seem exceptionally pale.
As if sensing her gaze, he looked over at Rory.
When he saw her looking at him, he raised a hand and waved.
When the young man smiled, his bright, clear eyes held an unmistakable boyish charm.
Rory Linden waved back, repeating to Nadia, "He’s my son’s teacher."
"I can see your son really likes him. It wouldn’t be so bad if he beca your son’s new dad."
Nadia said bluntly, "Of course, I don’t really care about you two. I just want to see Sean Harrison end up old and alone."
Her aning was obvious.
’Sean Harrison would have no one but Rory Linden.’
Rory Linden shook her head. "Ti heals all wounds. He’ll eventually forget and et soone new."
Nadia Willow shot Rory a sidelong glance. "Well, I’m not getting involved in your business anymore. I’ll be going."
Rory then returned to Leo’s side.
Ryan Sterling pursed his lips and asked cautiously, "Ms. Rory, do you want to have lunch together?"
"No, thank you. I have things to take care of this afternoon. Sorry."
Rory Linden’s attitude towards Ryan Sterling was always polite and distant.
Ryan Sterling wasn’t stupid; he could sense her attitude toward him.
’To put it bluntly, she wasn’t interested in him at all.’
Ryan Sterling opened his mouth as if to say sothing, but ultimately swallowed his words.
He just said dryly, "Okay."
-
「That afternoon.」
Rory Linden went to Elysian Hospital by herself.
When she arrived, Keith Hawthorne was just coming out of surgery. He handed her Charlotte Rhodes’s lab reports before heading off to change.
The layout of Elysian Hospital hadn’t changed in these few years.
’Only now, Rory no longer had a desk here, so she had to wait in Keith Hawthorne’s office.’
She held the reports, poring over them.
In just a few days, Charlotte Rhodes’s condition had deteriorated.
’At this point, there was only one treatnt option for her condition...’
Keith Hawthorne returned to the office after changing.
Rory Linden stood up from the sofa. "Director Hawthorne, given Charlotte Rhodes’s current condition, we need to decide on a treatnt plan imdiately. What is the hospital’s recomndation?"
Keith Hawthorne didn’t beat around the bush. "A heart transplant."
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