"Of course, of course. You can’t be too careful," Nina’s dad said quickly. "But please, don’t worry. We won’t breathe a word about this to anyone."
Nina’s Mom chid in, "Mrs. Harrison, you saved my daughter. We can’t thank you enough."
Sean Harrison replied politely, "Thank you."
The waiter continued to bring out the dishes.
Soon, the entire table was covered with food.
Leo Linden glanced from side to side before whispering cautiously to Rory Linden, "Mommy, can you tell where the restroom is?"
Sean Harrison was sitting right beside him and naturally overheard.
"I’ll take you."
The man stood up, scooped up Leo Linden, and headed for the door.
The father and son left the private room.
Nina’s Mom imdiately said, "Oh, Mrs. Harrison, Leo’s father is such a rare find. He’s not only a great businessman, but he’s also so good to you and Leo."
"...Mm."
Rory Linden agreed with a smile.
’If it weren’t for those years apart, they might truly be a happy family of three.’
Nina’s Mom added in a hushed tone, "But he tells everyone he’s not married. A lot of people have their eyes on him, you know. I think it’d be better if you two went public..."
"Ahem! The kids are right here, what are you talking about?"
Nina’s dad couldn’t help but cut his wife off.
"I was just making conversation. It’s just that I saw that news about the celebrity online."
Nina’s Mom said quietly.
Rory Linden tilted her head. "What news?"
Nina’s Mom sounded surprised. "You don’t know? Leo’s father has always told the public he’s single, and so actress nad Paige Palr has been piggybacking off his fa for publicity."
"Stop talking."
"Oh, let finish! Just a few days ago, that actress’s team was caught stalking Sean Harrison. She was taken to the police station and will probably be blacklisted from the industry."
Nina’s Mom insisted on finishing her story.
Rory Linden looked completely surprised.
She had seen that actress, Paige Palr, at Henry Lancaster’s wedding before, and had also heard Miles Harrison ntion her.
And now, hearing her na again, it was because she’d been taken to the police station over sothing like this.
"Did this... happen recently?"
Rory Linden was a little taken aback.
"Just a few days ago. Let look it up for you."
Just as Nina’s Mom took out her phone...
Sean Harrison returned to the room with Leo Linden.
The topic was dropped.
Since they had ntioned earlier that Sean Harrison had other business to attend to, the lunch didn’t last very long.
As the al was ending, Nina, prompted by her parents, raised her drink and said, "Thank you, Auntie, for saving the other day. I wish you and Uncle a long and happy life together, and I hope Leo and I can be friends forever."
Sean Harrison reached out, gently covering Rory Linden’s hand where it rested on the table. He smiled. "Thank you for your good wishes."
The lunch ca to an end.
The two families went to their respective cars.
Rory Linden buckled Leo into his car seat in the back.
"I’ll drive," Sean Harrison offered.
No one had been drinking.
Rory Linden refused instinctively. "No, it’s fine. I’ll drive you ho, and then Leo and I will head back."
"I should drive. Besides, there’s sothing I need to discuss with you."
Sean Harrison insisted.
Once they were in the car, Sean Harrison spoke first. "About Evan Hollis—the police told they’ve gathered enough evidence. They’ll arrest him when the ti is right."
Rory Linden imdiately asked, "Auntie Rhodes is still very psychologically dependent on Evan Hollis. If he gets taken away..."
"That’s out of my hands," Sean Harrison said. "According to the investigation, his cris go beyond smuggling illicit drugs. It’s espionage now. Once there’s sufficient evidence, it becos a state matter. I won’t have access to the details, and I certainly have no say in when they arrest him."
"A spy?!"
Rory Linden was stunned for a second, but then it didn’t seem so strange.
Evan Hollis grew up abroad, an orphan. As an ethnic Celestria, his command of the language was flawless. He was indeed a perfect candidate for a spy.
"He has a lot of unexplained inco from overseas. The police have had him on their radar for a long ti," Sean Harrison explained.
The police had him flagged long before the drugs were ever discovered.
Rory Linden suddenly recalled what happened that morning. "Oh, right. I ran into Evan Hollis this morning. He ntioned that he knew about the kindergarten kidnapping, and about Leo."
The car fell silent for a mont.
Sean Harrison glanced over, his eyes turning cold.
Rory Linden lowered her gaze. "He said he wasn’t a bad person, but I have a feeling he didn’t bring it up on a whim."
Rory Linden glanced at Leo in the rearview mirror. "Do you think he knows what’s coming?" she asked, her voice filled with unease. "Could he do sothing to Leo?"
Her heart began to race as she spoke.
Leo still went to kindergarten every day. If Evan Hollis really wanted to do sothing, it would be far too easy.
Even with the extra security Sean Harrison had arranged for the kindergarten, Evan could still make a move after Auntie Wagner picked Leo up.
Before Rory Linden could say anything, Sean Harrison proposed, "Leo should stop going to kindergarten for a while. Let him stay with ."
"Won’t that affect your work?"
Rory Linden trusted Sean Harrison.
She trusted him to guarantee Leo’s safety.
But she also worried that if Sean Harrison had to take Leo everywhere, it would interfere with his work.
"It won’t. Don’t worry. No matter where I take him, people will be nothing but welcoming."
They stopped at a red light, and Sean Harrison turned to look at Leo in the back seat. "Leo, would you like to spend the dayti with for a while? I can take you to visit Bianca’s factory and see how robots like her are made."
"Really?!"
Leo Linden, who had been on the verge of sleep, snapped awake, his eyes wide and round.
Bianca was the robot dog.
He’d been playing with the robot dog nonstop for the past two days since getting ho and absolutely adored it.
For him, this was an offer he simply couldn’t refuse.
Rory Linden could see it too. The invitation was a killer move.
"Mm," Sean Harrison said, turning his gaze to Rory Linden. "You should move in with us for a while, too. You can look after Leo, and it’ll be safer for you."
"..."
"Don’t worry," he added, "we’ll stay at my house in the northern district. It’s not far from your hospital, the security is better, parking is easy, and there are plenty of rooms."
Sean Harrison preemptively addressed all of Rory Linden’s likely concerns.
Rory Linden thought for a mont. "Evan Hollis couldn’t possibly do anything to , could he?"
In her eyes, Evan Hollis was just an ordinary anesthesiologist. Even if he was colluding with so foreign powers, his own capabilities had to be limited.
The light at the intersection turned green.
Sean Harrison started the car. "Not necessarily. My injury at the bar all those years ago might have been connected to Evan Hollis. When you went to the countryside for that dical outreach program, that’s why Henry Lancaster went to investigate him."
Rory Linden froze.
Five years ago, the first ti she and Sean Harrison had t again as adults was when he, injured, had stumbled into that bar’s restroom.
The knife wound on his arm had been deep, right down to the artery.
As if sensing her disbelief, he recounted the situation again.
"We couldn’t find any solid information back then. The surveillance only caught a curly-haired man in the shadows. While everyone else was scrambling to get away from the fight, he alone was abnormally calm," Sean Harrison said.
Rory Linden’s expression was fraught with worry. "You an he’s been targeting you all this ti?"
"I’m not sure," Sean Harrison said, seizing the opportunity. "But I hope you’ll agree to move into my place with Leo for the ti being."
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