"Sherry!"
Rory Linden was shocked!
She never imagined Sherry would say all this in front of him.
"Was I wrong? If a guy that rich and handso was helping out, pretending to be my boyfriend, and even coming to pick up personally after I had dinner with a friend, I’d totally fall for him!" Sherry Walsh stared at Rory Linden. "Are you made of stone or sothing? How could you not be moved by that?"
"That’s because you’re a hopeless romantic."
Rory Linden retorted.
"So what if I’m a hopeless romantic? What’s wrong with that when soone treats so well?" Sherry looped her arm through Rory’s.
Sean Harrison waited for the two friends to finish their bickering before speaking up. "I’m not a good liar, so even if we’re just acting, we have to make it a complete performance."
The man’s words had many layers of aning.
’This so-called ’complete performance’...’
’Did it an doing everything a boyfriend should do?’
’Or did it also include...’
’Actually liking her?’
Rory Linden knew it had to be the forr.
She tried to suppress that flicker of wishful thinking and smiled at Sean Harrison. "Once my father’s situation is resolved, I won’t have to trouble you like this anymore, Mr. Harrison."
Sherry warned Rory seriously, "In that case, you absolutely can’t develop feelings for him. This guy is even harder to handle than Miles Harrison."
Sean Harrison turned and opened the rear passenger door.
Rory Linden waved to Sherry. "I won’t. Don’t worry."
The two got into the car, and it started to move.
Sean Harrison turned his head to look at the woman beside him and asked, "What did you two talk about tonight? Your friend seems to have a big problem with ."
"No, not at all. Sherry is my only best friend. She doesn’t have a problem with you; she’s just worried about ."
Rory Linden was afraid Sean Harrison would hold a prejudice against Sherry.
After all, the social circle in Veridia was only so big, and Sherry’s father might have to cooperate with him in the future.
"Is that so?"
"Yes. I’ve never attended a large banquet before, so I asked her if there was anything I should be aware of. I don’t mind embarrassing myself, but I was worried I might embarrass you."
Rory Linden sounded very sincere.
In her heart, she was truly grateful for all the help Sean Harrison had given her recently.
But that was all.
She didn’t dare to overstep her bounds by even half a step.
Sean Harrison said, "It’s not as complicated as you think. It’s just everyone sitting down for a al together."
Rory Linden knew this was just the man’s way of comforting her.
After all, Miles Harrison had often complained to her about not wanting to attend these kinds of events, which were full of spoken and unspoken rules.
-
The next day was the day of Charlotte Rhodes’s discharge from the hospital.
Besides the family’s housekeeper, only Evelyn Irving ca to pick her up.
Rory Linden wasn’t surprised.
After all, on the day of the surgery, after Sean Harrison arrived, every word Charlotte Rhodes had said was like a knife.
If it had been her, she probably wouldn’t have co today either.
The discharge process required settling the bill and other complicated procedures. Since Evelyn Irving didn’t know the process, Rory Linden had no choice but to accompany her.
When the two of them were in the elevator, Evelyn Irving finally said, "Rory, actually, I know your relationship with Sean is fake."
Rory Linden kept her eyes lowered and said nothing.
She wasn’t sure if Evelyn Irving was trying to trick her.
Evelyn Irving didn’t wait for a response and continued, "Sean has been in love with a woman for many years. Her na is Nadia Willow. I think she’s a year or two older than him. She was his senior when he was studying abroad. Sean had a difficult ti overseas those years, and this senior took good care of him. But it seems Nadia didn’t like him back, and she later married soone else."
Rory Linden’s eyes were fixed on the numbers on the elevator’s LCD screen.
When the number changed to [1], she held the elevator door open with her palm and said to Evelyn Irving, "Auntie Irving, let’s go take care of the paperwork."
She pretended to be uninterested in those words.
Evelyn Irving sighed. "I know what you’re thinking—that it’s all in the past. But during the New Year this year, my mother-in-law was pressuring him to get married. Sean said he had no plans for that, but when she brought up Nadia Willow again, Sean didn’t admit it, but he didn’t deny it either. What does that tell you?"
Rory Linden acted as if she hadn’t heard a word.
She led the woman to the paynt window, then turned and held out her hand to Evelyn Irving. "Auntie Irving, give the docunts. I’ll handle it for you."
While waiting for the paperwork to be processed inside, Evelyn Irving spoke again. "Rory, I know Miles wasn’t a good match, but Sean has soone else in his heart too. In the future, Auntie will introduce you to better n..."
"Sister-in-law."
Evelyn Irving was cut off before she could finish.
Rory Linden turned at the sound of the voice.
Sean Harrison had arrived at the inpatient departnt at so point. He first explained, "Sorry, sothing held up. Are you already processing the discharge paperwork?"
Just then, the nurse at the counter handed the finalized bill to Rory Linden.
"It’s done." Rory Linden lowered her head, quickly organized all the docunts in her hand, and gave them directly to Sean Harrison.
The man took the docunts without looking at them, his gaze falling on Evelyn Irving’s face. He seed to ask casually, "What were you two just talking about? How co you stopped the mont I walked over?"
The atmosphere instantly grew silent.
Sean Harrison shifted the docunts from one hand to the other, freeing his right hand to take Rory Linden’s.
He looked at the woman and asked in a level tone, "Sister-in-law, you weren’t bad-mouthing , were you?"
"No, Auntie Irving was just thanking for taking care of Grandma Rhodes recently."
Rory Linden was not a good liar.
She didn’t even look at Sean Harrison’s face as she spoke.
Evelyn Irving smoothed things over. "If it weren’t for you, the Harrington Family wouldn’t be where it is today. You handled everything for Miles’s engagent party all by yourself. I don’t have enough ti to thank you, let alone bad-mouth you."
Sean Harrison said, "Good."
As the man’s voice faded, his grip on the woman’s hand tightened slightly.
’It was as if...’
’He was very concerned about her having heard sothing she shouldn’t have.’
Afraid her lie would be exposed, Rory Linden found an excuse to leave as soon as they reached the sixth floor.
-
The qipao she had ordered from Clara Chapman arrived on Saturday morning.
Along with the qipao, a large box was also delivered.
When Rory Linden received these items, Sean Harrison wasn’t ho, but he had sent a ssage that a professional hair and makeup artist would be coming to the house in the afternoon to help her get ready.
In fact, Rory Linden had specifically bought a few basic makeup products yesterday for this engagent party.
’Now it seed...’
’They wouldn’t be needed.’
The hair and makeup artist arrived at four in the afternoon and gave Rory Linden so light makeup and styled her hair in a side chignon.
Afterward, the artist helped her change into her outfit.
When everything was nearly ready, the artist ntioned that Sean Harrison had said so jewelry was delivered with the clothes and that they should choose sothing to match.
Only then did Rory Linden realize that the contents of the large box were actually jewelry.
The hair and makeup artist brought the box over.
She opened it, layer by layer.
Inside the huge box lay three complete, neatly arranged sets of jewelry, each made of a different material.
They were Australian white pearls, jadeite, and mutton-fat jade.
In addition to the three complete sets, the lower layer held several jade bracelets, an antique watch, and a separate long pearl necklace.
The hair and makeup artist’s eyes went wide, and she couldn’t help but exclaim, "Mrs. Harrison, Mr. Harrison is too good to you! To give you three sets of such rare jewelry all at once."
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