Chapter 307: Chapter 307: "My Nephew Is Fighting You Over a Woman Again?

Ryan Sterling turned his head and saw Sean Harrison. His expression flickered with surprise, and he straightened his posture almost instinctively.

They were roughly the same height.

But he couldn’t help but feel that he was at a disadvantage.

When he looked back at Rory Linden, her gaze was fixed on the bouquet. Besides surprise, there was a faint, almost imperceptible hint of delight in her eyes.

The bouquet was truly beautiful.

He didn’t know much about flowers, only recognizing the few Teddy Bear sunflowers in the arrangement.

It was the same variety featured in Van Gogh’s famous "Sunflowers" paintings.

He thought he had already come to terms with it.

’You can’t force matters of the heart.’

’At least we can still be friends.’

But when he heard that Claire Jenkins was hospitalized today, he couldn’t stop himself from rushing over. He had even made a point to explain things so Rory Linden wouldn’t get the wrong idea.

But now, seeing Sean Harrison...

The man was significantly older, and his features were naturally more mature.

But more important than his looks were his sturdier, more imposing build and his steady, composed air.

"Thank you."

Rory Linden accepted the bouquet naturally.

She then turned to Ryan Sterling and said, "If you’re not busy, why don’t you stay and keep Claire Jenkins company? She’s in the hospital alone waiting for surgery, so she’s bound to be scared."

Ryan Sterling was silent for a moment before saying a single word: "Okay."

He watched the two of them leave.

The evening was still young. Even as their figures receded into the distance, they weren’t walking closely nestled together.

Even so, Ryan Sterling felt they were a better match.

-

Once they had walked a short distance, Rory Linden asked, "Why did you buy flowers?"

When he left that morning, he had promised he would come pick her up in the evening.

Rory Linden had also messaged him before she finished work.

"Are they beautiful?" Sean Harrison smiled. "Our son and I picked them out together."

"They’re beautiful."

Rory Linden looked down at the bouquet, her praise genuine.

Leo Linden was waiting in the car.

As soon as they got in, Leo Linden, clutching the seatbelt of his booster seat, craned his neck and asked, "Dad, did you ask Mom about the sports day the teacher mentioned?"

"Sports day?"

Rory Linden looked at Sean Harrison.

"Leo’s kindergarten is holding a family sports day later this month. Parents are required to attend, and there’s no limit on how many can go," Sean Harrison added. "I’ll definitely be there, but you don’t have to go if you’re busy with work."

Leo Linden leaned forward slightly, his big, dark eyes fixed on Rory Linden. "Will you go, Mom?"

He thought for a moment, then added, "If you’re busy with work, Mom, it’s okay if just Dad goes."

Rory Linden knew her son definitely wanted her to go.

And she wanted to go, too.

A child only has one childhood, and she didn’t want to miss too much of it. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"I’ll go, as long as there are no emergency surgeries that day."

Rory Linden replied.

"Yay!" Leo Linden grabbed his backpack from the side and pulled out a drawing. "Mom, this is a picture I drew at kindergarten."

Rory Linden took it.

On the small sheet of paper was a drawing of a bamboo forest with an adorable little panda in it.

The entire drawing wasn’t as polished as an adult’s, but it was filled with a child’s unique innocence.

As Rory Linden was still studying the drawing, Leo Linden spoke up. "Mom, can I give this picture to Grandma?"

As soon as their son finished speaking, both Rory Linden and Sean Harrison looked over at him.

"My teacher said I drew it really well. Grandma isn’t feeling well, so I hope she’ll feel happier when she sees my picture."

Leo Linden said this very seriously.

He didn’t understand the affairs of adults.

He only knew that his grandma was his dad’s mother.

He assumed the relationship between his father and grandmother was the same as his own with his mother.

He wanted his grandma to get better so his dad wouldn’t be sad.

Rory Linden glanced at Sean Harrison before saying, "Well... how about we keep this in my office for now, or in Dad’s car? Then the next time you visit, you can give it to Grandma yourself. How does that sound?"

Rory Linden felt it would be more meaningful for Leo to give the drawing to Charlotte Rhodes himself, rather than have her deliver it for him.

She had also looked at Charlotte Rhodes’s chart at work today.

The elderly woman had just undergone an artificial heart transplant and was already showing signs of rejection.

There had been no news about Evan Hollis since his incident.

The series of blows had taken a huge toll on her health.

Given her current condition, it wouldn’t be long before she would need to be on life support.

This was something she wanted to find time to discuss with Sean Harrison.

"Okay!"

Leo Linden immediately agreed.

-

Back at home.

The first thing Rory Linden did was find a vase for the bouquet.

Sean Harrison was in the garden, calling Noah Sterling.

He got straight to the point. "Your nephew is an art student, right? Send him abroad to study. I’ll cover all the costs—not just tuition, but buying property overseas as well."

A long silence followed on the other end of the line.

"Is my nephew trying to steal your woman again?" Noah Sterling sighed. "He can’t win against you. You don’t have to be so defensive."

"He’s disrupting Rory Linden’s work."

Sean Harrison stated.

"He’s disrupting Dr. Linden’s work? Give me a break." Noah Sterling wasn’t buying it. "If Rory Linden were that easily distracted, she wouldn’t have achieved what she has at her age."

Noah Sterling had recently been handling Evan Hollis’s case.

In the process, he had learned quite a bit about Rory Linden.

That included the details of the artificial heart transplant she had performed on Charlotte Rhodes.

He had done a lot of research and consulted with professionals in the field.

There were only ten to twenty surgeons in the entire country capable of performing that operation.

Most of them were in their fifties and sixties. The two youngest were already in their forties.

Only Rory Linden was unbelievably young.

Sean Harrison didn’t elaborate, simply saying, "At his age, studying abroad would be good for him. Just tell me which school he wants to attend. You don’t have to worry about anything else."

"President Harrison, the kid’s just being foolish. I’ll go talk some sense into him right now. Don’t lower yourself to his level."

Noah Sterling’s tone was grave.

He knew Sean Harrison.

A man didn’t reach his position at this age by luck, but by following—and exploiting—the law of the jungle.

He never hesitated to strike when necessary.

Most heads of companies wouldn’t dare to go head-to-head with his corporation.

But there were always a few who were reckless enough to try.

The final result was predictable.

"Mm, there’s one more thing I need to tell you..."

Sean Harrison then briefly mentioned the situation with Auntie Wagner.

He made it sound as if he was casually moving on from the previous topic.

But Noah Sterling knew the truth was the exact opposite.

After hanging up, Noah Sterling immediately called Ryan Sterling.

When he learned his nephew was still at the hospital where Rory Linden worked, his temper flared.

And he wasn’t even sure if Rory Linden was at the hospital today.

"That’s it! Get out of that hospital right now! I’m driving over to pick you up!"

Noah Sterling spat out the words and hung up.

He went downstairs, got in his car, and drove straight to the hospital.

When he pulled up to the hospital entrance, Ryan Sterling was already standing by the side of the road.

The young man was around six feet tall, with slightly long hair and a tall, slender build.

Standing at the bustling hospital entrance, he was still conspicuous.

He pulled the car over.

Ryan Sterling opened the door and got in the front seat without buckling his seatbelt. "What are you doing? I drove here. I have to drive back later."

Noah Sterling asked him directly, "I’m giving you two choices. One, stay far away from Rory Linden. Two, pack your bags and go study abroad next month."