Rory Linden was still worried the man’s fever would return because he had taken a shower.
As her mind processed what she had just heard, her hands, which were gathering the bath towel, paused.
She looked up, asking the question on her mind almost without thinking, "Mr. Harrison, you didn’t take a shower while sick just to keep from leaving, did you?"
She regretted the question as soon as it was out and was about to apologize.
"Yes."
Sean Harrison uttered a single syllable.
He ran his fingers through his damp hair, then reached out and took the bath towel from Rory Linden’s hands. "But that’s my own business," he said as he walked away.
Rory Linden was slightly taken aback.
Sean Harrison tossed the towel into the laundry basket in the bathroom, then sat on the bed and looked at the woman standing a few feet away. "You were Miles’s girlfriend. I thought the next ti we t, you’d be calling ’uncle.’ I didn’t expect it to be a completely different situation."
The scene from that night in the bar’s restroom replayed in her mind.
’She must have been mad with desperation that day. As a doctor who prized hygiene, she had stripped both of them of their clothes in a place like that and even kissed him...’
Sean Harrison gazed at her with his dark eyes, sighing to himself. "When I found out you and Miles had broken up, my initial thought was just to help you out. But that day, my car followed your bus as it circled the city. When I saw you sitting at the bus stop, looking so dejected, I just wanted to keep you by my side. With my resources, I can at least make sure you never have to feel that way again."
If there was one mont after she started college that had brought her to her breaking point, it was those few hours spent on the bus, too afraid to go ho.
It had left her with a sense of powerlessness, as if no matter how hard she tried, she could never escape the constraints of her family background.
Rory Linden was deeply grateful to Sean Harrison for reaching out to her that day.
Sean Harrison gestured for her to co closer. Once she was beside him, he asked, "Is there soone you like?"
Rory Linden looked up at the man before her.
’She already had an answer in her heart.’
Sean Harrison didn’t wait for her answer and continued, "How about you try liking ?"
Rory Linden silently watched Sean Harrison. The man’s dark eyes were like the mysterious depths of the ocean; even though she might not know him well, she found herself willingly drawn to him.
"Mr. Harrison," Rory Linden finally said, "I’m guessing you think I’m a decent person because of what happened at Sumrwind Estate over a decade ago. But really, I’m not that great. Your mory might have embellished who I am."
In the end, Rory Linden couldn’t bring herself to do as Sherry Walsh had suggested and just love without reservation.
’She longed to be Sean Harrison’s girlfriend. She yearned to be able to see and contact him without needing an excuse. She craved a more intimate relationship with him.’
’But she was also afraid that the person Sean Harrison liked was the version of her from his mory. She feared that if they actually got together, he would discover she was nothing more than an ordinary woman.’
"That’s possible." Sean Harrison reached out, the web of his hand easily closing around her slender wrist. "But are you sure you haven’t idealized ?"
His fingers curled, the pads gently caressing her palm. "Have you ever considered that the man you see is just an act I’m putting on for you? All with the goal of making you fall for and willingly stay by my side."
Rory Linden thought back on recent events and said earnestly, "Mr. Harrison, so things can be faked, but others can’t. I may not have t many people since I graduated, but I’m certain that you are a good person."
People always have many sides to them.
’She believed that, at his core, Sean Harrison had to be a good person.’
Sean Harrison’s lips curved into a smile. "Well, think it over. I won’t pressure you. Also, I’ve picked out an apartnt downstairs. I’ll take you to see it in a bit. If you like it, I’ll buy it. If you don’t want to live with , you can move in there."
"No, thank you. I’m fine living here. I’ll give it so serious thought." Rory Linden’s refusal was almost instinctual.
She had learned a bit about the complex during her stay. While the price per square foot wasn’t exceptionally high, all the units were large, and none of them cost less than eight figures.
"Alright."
"Oh, right. There’s one more thing."
Rory Linden then rembered sothing important she hadn’t ntioned.
She recounted what she had just seen in the hospital parking lot.
She didn’t ntion the relationship between Andre Jennings and Lucy Shaw.
Sean Harrison’s fingers tightened slightly on her wrist, his gaze pointedly probing. His first question was, "You’re very concerned about Miles."
"What?" Rory Linden was surprised he would think that. "No, it’s not that. It’s just... that man looked suspicious. Young Master Harrison is your nephew, after all. I thought you could... pass the information along. That’s it."
"Alright, I’ll ssage his father in a bit and let him know." Sean Harrison then added, "But from what I know, Miles doesn’t really have any enemies. And even if soone were planning sothing, they wouldn’t choose a place like Elysian, which is covered in surveillance caras."
But Rory Linden persisted, "Actually, I’ve seen that man before. I think he knows Miss Shaw, but I’m not sure if I’m mistaken."
"You don’t need to worry about it. I’ll send the ssage. After that, even if sothing does happen to Miles, it won’t have anything to do with us." Sean Harrison’s hand slid down to hold hers. "Instead of worrying about them, let’s think about what’s for dinner."
"Okay."
Rory Linden thought what he said made sense.
’What did it matter to her if sothing happened to Miles Harrison?’
-
The bad news ca quickly.
At eleven o’clock that night, Evelyn Irving called Sean Harrison, crying. She told him that Miles Harrison’s brakes had failed and he’d been in a serious car accident. By the ti he reached the hospital, he was already unconscious.
Miles Harrison’s father, Sean Harrison’s second-eldest brother, Ronan Harrison, was away on business year-round.
With Miles in trouble, she had no one to call but Sean Harrison.
Rory Linden had already changed and was about to go to sleep when Sean Harrison knocked twice on her bedroom door. He stood in the doorway and said, "Sothing did happen to Miles. I’m going to the hospital to check on him."
"I’ll go with you!" Rory Linden quickly shouted to Sean Harrison outside. "Wait for ! I’ll change and go with you."
There was a half-second of silence from outside the door before the man replied, "Alright. Take your ti."
Thankfully, it was sumr. Rory Linden quickly threw on a long dress. Her freshly washed hair wasn’t completely dry, so she simply let it hang loose.
When she opened her door, Sean Harrison was leaning against the wall outside, head bowed as he typed a ssage on his phone.
He looked up at the sound of the door opening. His eyes landed on her, and he opened his mouth, but only said, "Let’s go."
Rory Linden hurried to catch up.
The two of them took the elevator downstairs together.
As they approached the car, Rory Linden hesitated for a mont before saying, "Why don’t... I drive?"
Sean Harrison looked over at her. Without a word, he handed her the keys.
In the car, just as Rory Linden was buckling her seatbelt, Sean Harrison, seated in the passenger seat, spoke up. "It seems you still care about Miles a great deal, don’t you?"
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