Chapter 313: Chapter 313: "The next time we meet, I won’t really have to call her Young Aunt, will I?

Emotion swirled in Sean Harrison’s ink-black eyes.

Just then, the phone in Rory Linden’s pocket rang.

She glanced at the caller ID on the screen and showed the phone to him. "It’s a call from my department. I have to go."

She waved at him and started walking toward the door as she answered the call.

-

The next day, Rory Linden took a flight out of Veridia.

During her three-day business trip, she and Sean Harrison had almost no contact.

She spoke with Leo Linden on the phone a few times, and her son always said, "Daddy’s very busy. I haven’t seen him."

On the last night before her return to Veridia, Rory Linden hesitated for a long time before finally saying, "Leo, you’re a big boy now, so Mommy has decided to tell you something."

"Okay, Mommy, you can tell me! I’ll definitely keep it a secret!"

The little boy clearly didn’t understand what Rory Linden was about to say, thinking she was going to share some little secret.

"It’s not something that needs to be kept secret," Rory Linden explained. "Leo, Grandma—Daddy’s mommy—passed away. Daddy has been busy with her funeral arrangements these past few days, which is why he hasn’t had time to pick you up or drop you off."

"Grandma?" Leo Linden’s innocent voice came through the phone. "Which grandma? The one we saw the other day?"

"Yes, that’s right," Rory Linden said.

After a brief silence on the line, Leo Linden asked again, "Mommy, does ’passed away’ mean she died? Is that right?"

Rory Linden thought for a moment before explaining, "Yes. It means she left this world to go live in another one. But we won’t be able to see her ever again."

The little boy had only a vague understanding of "death."

Rory Linden explained it in a way a child could understand.

"Oh..."

The little boy’s voice came through, his tone clearly showing he didn’t fully grasp it.

Before her trip, Rory Linden had discussed it with Sean Harrison, and they both decided not to bring Leo Linden to the funeral.

There were many reasons for this.

Although Charlotte Rhodes’s funeral was small in scale, quite a few people would still be attending.

Sean Harrison was a powerful and influential man. If Leo Linden, his only son, drew too much attention at such a young age, he might not be able to live a normal life like he did now.

They wanted Leo Linden to grow up like any other ordinary child.

To be able to go wherever he wanted and do whatever he pleased.

Without people with ill intentions paying attention to him.

"Also, Daddy is very sad right now because he just lost his mom. If you see him, remember to give him a hug," Rory Linden said.

"Okay!"

The little boy’s voice was cheerful and firm.

He didn’t quite understand why his mommy was asking him to do this.

But he liked the mission.

Not long after the call ended, Sean Harrison returned home.

Hearing the sounds from downstairs, Leo Linden, wearing his slippers, scampered down the stairs.

When he saw the man walking toward him, he broke into a run.

Seeing his son approach, Sean Harrison instinctively bent down and picked him up. Although exhausted, he still forced a smile.

Once he was picked up, Leo Linden wrapped his little arms around the man’s neck and planted a big kiss on his cheek.

It was so forceful it made a loud "SMACK!"

Then, he nuzzled his little face against the man’s cheek and said in his sweet, childish voice, "Daddy, I love you."

Sean Harrison didn’t understand why his son had suddenly said that.

He looked at his son, puzzled.

"Mommy said Grandma passed away and Daddy’s in a bad mood, so I should give you a hug when I see you."

The little boy relayed his mother’s words in a sweet, singsong voice.

Hearing his son’s words, Sean Harrison could already imagine the tone in which Rory Linden had said them.

They hadn’t been in contact for the past few days.

He had been afraid that his bad mood would make him unable to control his tone, and he’d end up passing his negative emotions on to her.

And yet, Rory Linden was just as concerned about him.

"Thank you," Sean Harrison said, taking a step while holding his son. "And thank Mommy, too."

The father and son went upstairs together.

When they reached the second floor, Leo Linden asked to be put down.

With his feet on the ground, he turned and waved to Sean Harrison. "Daddy, I’m going to sleep now. The auntie can take me to kindergarten tomorrow. I can take care of myself, so you and Mommy don’t have to worry about me."

The little boy, just over three feet tall with a face full of baby fat, was talking like a little adult.

He didn’t wait for Sean Harrison to reply. After a quick "Good night," he ran back to his room.

-

The next day was Charlotte Rhodes’s funeral.

Rory Linden took the earliest flight back to Veridia.

The weather forecast had predicted heavy rain, possibly even a downpour, in Veridia today.

Due to the weather, the plane arrived in Veridia two hours later than scheduled.

After getting off the plane, Rory Linden didn’t bother with anything else and took a taxi straight to the cemetery.

By the time she arrived, the funeral seemed to be over.

She got out of the car and, pulling her suitcase behind her, was about to head inside.

Someone called out to her, "Rory."

Rory Linden looked in the direction of the voice.

Miles Harrison and his parents, a group of three, were all dressed in black, their expressions solemn.

Rory Linden had no time for pleasantries and asked directly, "Is Sean Harrison still inside?"

"Yes." Evelyn Irving glanced at the suitcase in her hand. "Did you just get back?"

"Auntie Irving, I don’t have time to explain right now. I need to find Sean Harrison first."

Rory Linden didn’t have time to answer Evelyn Irving’s question and headed inside, pulling her suitcase.

Miles Harrison stood rooted to the spot, his gaze fixed on Rory Linden’s retreating back.

’Even so, her every move, everything about her, seemed just the same as before.’

Miles Harrison was suddenly reminded of a morning at the start of a semester in high school, many years ago.

Evelyn Irving had to call his name a dozen times before he finally woke up.

Looking out his bedroom window, he saw Rory Linden dressed in a plain T-shirt and jeans, carrying an old backpack he had discarded.

When she saw him, she couldn’t help but say, "Young Master Harrison, if you don’t come down now, I’m leaving without you."

He leaned against the window, a nonchalant look on his face. "My family’s driver won’t take you unless I say so. Otherwise, you can just run there yourself."

’The school was a few miles away.’

’How long would it take to run that far?’

’She’d definitely be late if she started now, so she might as well wait for him.’

Back then, he had taken it for granted that she would back down.

But to his surprise, Rory Linden didn’t even seem to think twice about it. She just turned and started running.

He was on the second floor, utterly stunned. Before he could even call out to stop her, the girl had already vanished from sight.

’It was as if she had planned to do that from the very beginning.’

"Son. Son."

Evelyn Irving had to call out a few times before Miles Harrison snapped out of his daze.

Seeing the look on her son’s face, she couldn’t help but sigh. "Let’s go."

Miles Harrison remained standing there. He could no longer see the woman’s back. He said with a self-mocking laugh, "The next time we meet, I’m not really going to have to call her Auntie, am I?"