Love at First Sight? Mr. Harrison Has Been Scheming All Along-Chapter 9: Reasonable Treatment

Lucy Shaw spotted Rory Linden before anyone else did.

The instant Lucy saw her, she slipped her hand around the arm of the man beside her and rested her head lightly on his shoulder, with a look of girlish coyness on her face.

Rory had always thought that even if she was completely over him, a sight like this would still make her sad. After all, they had so many years of being together.

And yet, she felt nothing at all.

In fact, she found it almost laughable.

She was laughing at herself for once being so foolish over such a man who looked down on her.

’To think I kept trying to convince myself, kept making excuses for his behavior.’

Completely ignoring Lucy’s gaze, Rory strode to Miles’ side and said, "Young Master Harrison."

A pleased expression appeared on Miles’ face when he heard her form of address.

He tilted his head to look at Rory, reaching out to take the clothes she was holding.

Rory handed him a shirt, followed by a scarf and a tie. "Young Master Harrison, these trousers would go better with the scarf. However, considering you might have an important event today that requires a tie, I brought one along as well."

"Alright."

Miles glanced down at the tie and scarf in his hands, then turned to pass them to Lucy Shaw.

With both hands clinging to his arm, she clearly didn’t understand the gesture.

Miles couldn’t help but frown. "Hold these," he prompted.

Lucy glanced at Rory, then retracted her hands to smooth her hair, making no move to take the clothes. "Miles, I’m your girlfriend, not your maid. I don’t do that kind of thing."

Miles’ frown deepened.

He was used to ordering his girlfriends around like maids.

And he was used to them being compliant.

Seeing the two of them at a standoff, Rory knew exactly what Miles would do next.

She took out her phone, immediately made two separate bank transfers of one hundred thousand to Miles, and then sent him a digital copy of the expense log she had been keeping.

Once she was done, Rory held out her phone to Miles. "Young Master Harrison, thank you and the Harrington Family for taking care of me for the past twenty years. I started keeping a log of expenses around the third grade, and I’ve recorded nearly every penny the family has spent on me. The total I’ve logged is 167,300. I’ve transferred 200,000 to you to cover that, plus interest. From now on, if the Harrington Family needs my help, I will be there without hesitation. But Young Master Harrison, if you need a maid, please find someone else."

Miles froze.

He had understood her meaning instantly.

But he still felt he must have gotten it wrong.

After a moment’s thought, Rory added, "If Young Master Harrison feels it’s not enough, I’ll owe you the rest. I can pay you back next year once I start earning money."

It had never occurred to Miles to ask Rory to pay the money back.

Before he could open his mouth, Lucy spoke up. "Miles told me you both went to the same international school since you were kids. Two hundred thousand wouldn’t even cover a single year of tuition."

"Young Master Harrison knows perfectly well how much was spent on my schooling over the last decade or so."

Rory couldn’t be bothered to engage with Lucy.

She didn’t have a major issue with her personally.

The fact that Lucy was now Miles’ girlfriend was Miles’s own doing.

"It doesn’t matter how much was spent. You still went to the school, didn’t you? The tuition must have..."

"Shut up."

Lucy was halfway through her retort to Rory when Miles cut her off.

Miles had witnessed it himself, so he knew better than anyone that Rory Linden had spent almost nothing on her education over the years.

She didn’t just win scholarships. Apart from her school uniform, most of her clothes were hand-me-downs from classmates.

He’d even lost his temper with her over it.

Lucy never expected Miles to treat her with such an attitude.

’And it was all because of this maid’s daughter!’

"Miles, get it straight! I’m your girlfriend!"

Lucy was so angry her face flushed red.

Ordinarily, she would have turned and stormed off.

But she couldn’t leave.

Today, it was Miles’ uncle who had invited them to dinner.

Her father happened to be at this very hotel for a meeting, and he was waiting for an opportunity to come over, offer a toast, and build a connection with Miles’s uncle.

Rory didn’t need Miles to defend her. She looked at Lucy. "Miss Shaw, from elementary school all the way through high school graduation, my excellent grades meant that all twelve years of my tuition were waived, and I also received several scholarships. The Harrington Family did spend some money on me beyond that, and I have recorded every single expense. If Young Master Harrison, or you, feel that what I paid isn’t enough, I will make up the difference later, as long as you can provide proof of the expense."

Whether Miles and Lucy’s relationship was good or bad had nothing to do with her.

But they couldn’t be fighting, at least not at a time like this.

Otherwise, if he and Lucy ever broke up, he would most likely blame it on today’s incident, considering how terrible his personality was.

Before Lucy could reply, Miles glanced toward the entrance, his expression instantly shifting to one of eager deference. "Uncle!"

The two women followed his gaze.

Sean stood nearly six-foot-three, with sharp, defined features. A perfectly tailored suit accentuated his long limbs, and his every gesture exuded an aristocratic air.

Standing in the bright, spacious lobby of the Azure Peak Hotel, he was a presence that was impossible to ignore.

"Th-that’s your uncle?"

Lucy’s voice trembled slightly.

She had never met Miles’ uncle before.

In her mind, Miles’s uncle was supposed to be a pot-bellied, middle-aged man in his fifties.

She never imagined he would be a young man with such exceptional charisma and looked that could rival a movie star!

Miles paid no attention to what she was saying. He shoved the shirt into her hands and hurried forward to greet him.

Sean’s eyes first landed on Miles, then his dark gaze lifted slightly to settle on Rory, who stood behind him. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

At that exact moment, Rory was also looking at him.

Just as their gazes met, Lucy patted Rory’s shoulder. "Rory, I misunderstood you just now. We’re about to have dinner with Miles’s uncle, you should join us. It’ll be my apology to you."

Her voice was soft, as if she were the one who had been wronged.

Rory suddenly understood why Miles liked her.

Her intentions were completely transparent, yet she was still willing to adopt a vulnerable tone.

As Lucy was speaking, the two men walked over.

Sean’s gaze swept over Rory’s face before he shot a sidelong glance at Miles. "What is Rory Linden doing here?"

"I asked her to drop off some clothes for me."

Miles acted as if this was completely normal.

As if it was only natural for Rory to perform such services for him.

A flicker of clear displeasure crossed Sean’s cold, stern face. "Miles, if Rory’s mother hadn’t given her life to save one of ours back then, who knows which of us would be the one without a mother today. The debt we owe for a life saved is immeasurable. No matter how well the Harrington Family treats her, it is what we ought to do, and it can never make up for the pain of her losing her mother."

"I—I know," Miles hastily agreed.

"And another thing. Our family hired Rory’s mother, not Rory herself. If I ever find out you’re ordering her around again, you can forget about participating in any more of the head company’s projects."

Sean’s voice was as calm as the deep, still ocean, but one could feel the powerful currents swirling beneath the surface.