Chapter 278: Chapter 278: "If Anything Happens to Rory Linden...

Rory Linden had often worked shifts before, sometimes not coming home for two days in a row.

Growing up, Leo Linden had gotten used to this.

Only...

Today, he had a vague sense that his father’s expression was unusually grim, as if something very important was going on.

He nodded obediently. "Okay."

"I’m going to call your godmother. Just a minute."

Sean Harrison stood, scanned his surroundings once more, then walked toward the door.

The office was spacious and bright.

Leo Linden sat alone on the sofa.

Only when he reached the door did Sean Harrison dial Sherry Walsh’s number.

He had gotten the number from Noah Sterling, and this was the first time he had ever called her.

Noah Sterling had just given Sherry Walsh a heads-up.

Sherry Walsh picked up and immediately asked, "President Harrison, is there something I can help you with?"

Her tone was anything but friendly.

As Rory Linden’s best friend, she still hadn’t forgiven him for what had happened years ago, blaming him for all the suffering Rory had endured.

"Rory Linden has been kidnapped."

Sean Harrison got straight to the point.

The other end of the line was quiet for two seconds before Sherry Walsh asked, "What did you say?"

"Rory Linden has been kidnapped," Sean Harrison repeated. "I need to deal with this. Can Leo stay with you for a couple of days? After I get Rory back, I..."

"What do you mean?! Who kidnapped Rory? Did you piss someone off and get her dragged into it?"

Sherry Walsh’s temper flared instantly.

"Yes, this is my fault."

Sean Harrison took the blame.

Sherry Walsh was frantic. "Who kidnapped her? Do you have any leads? What do the police say? Have you confirmed she’s safe?"

Then she cut herself off. "Never mind, never mind. Where are you? I’ll come pick up Leo now. Just tell me when this is all over, and I’ll bring him back."

Sherry Walsh knew asking all those questions was pointless; she couldn’t really help with any of it.

It was better to do the one thing she could.

"Thank you," Sean Harrison said. "I will bring Rory Linden back safely."

"You’d better do what you say. If she doesn’t come back, don’t you dare come for Leo. From now on, Leo will be my son! I’ll raise him!"

Sherry Walsh always wore her heart on her sleeve, and her raw emotions poured through her words.

Sean Harrison was silent for a moment, then said, "If I can’t bring her back, I’m not coming back either."

About half an hour later, Sherry Walsh arrived downstairs at Stellar Group.

She took the elevator upstairs.

"Godmother."

Leo Linden quickly walked over.

"Leo."

Sherry Walsh swept Leo into a hug, then looked up at the approaching Sean Harrison. After a moment’s hesitation, she said, "You can rest assured with Leo at my place. Nothing will happen to him. Go on and get busy."

"Okay, thank you."

Sean Harrison politely thanked her.

Leo tilted his head up. "Dad, if you and Mom are busy, you should go. I promise I’ll be good and listen to my godmother. You don’t have to worry."

"Such a good boy, Leo." Sherry Walsh picked him up with a smile. "How about your godmother takes you to Pizza Hut later, huh?"

"Okay, thank you, Godmother."

"Oh, you’re so sweet. Your godmother just loves being with you."

Sherry Walsh cuddled affectionately with Leo.

She was also doing this to demonstrate her close relationship with Leo, hoping to put Sean Harrison’s mind at ease.

Sean Harrison said, "Lawyer Walsh, I’ll entrust Leo to you." 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

"Alright, leave him to me, you can rest assured." Sherry Walsh looked at the man and said meaningfully, "When the time comes, I’ll only give Leo back to you if you and Rory come to pick him up together."

"I know."

Sean Harrison knew what that sentence meant.

She was demanding Rory Linden return safely.

’What if something happens to Rory...?’

Sean Harrison refused to even consider the possibility for a second.

He didn’t dare let himself think about it.

His arrogance had already forced her to struggle for five years.

Her life was just starting to get a little better. ’If something were to happen to her now because of this kidnapping...’

He refused to think about it.

He wanted to believe that Evan Hollis still had some lingering affection for Rory, that he had only kidnapped her to use as a bargaining chip in negotiations with him.

Whatever demands Evan Hollis made, as long as it was within his power, he would agree to them.

Once he confirmed that Sherry Walsh had left with Leo, Sean Harrison got in a car and headed for the police station.

While the car was still on its way, the phone in his pocket began to ring.

Charlotte Rhodes’s name was displayed on the screen.

"What’s wrong with Evan Hollis? Why are the police looking for him again? What on earth happened to him?"

The moment the call connected, Charlotte Rhodes fired off one question after another.

Sean Harrison’s knuckles turned white as he gripped his phone. He decided not to hide it. "Evan Hollis kidnapped Rory Linden."

The line instantly fell silent.

A moment later, Charlotte Rhodes finally spoke. "What? That can’t be true, can it? How could he..."

"I might joke with you about Evan Hollis, but I would never, ever joke about Rory Linden!" Sean Harrison struggled to contain his rage. "It’s all crystal clear on the surveillance footage. He rammed Rory’s car with his own and dragged her away!"

By the end of his sentence, his voice was trembling uncontrollably.

He had stopped caring about motherly love long ago.

And he certainly didn’t care if Charlotte Rhodes treated him well.

"But... why would Evan kidnap her? They don’t even..."

"He’s a criminal! He smuggled drugs illegally, he’s a spy who stole national secrets! The combined charges are enough to make him rot in prison for the rest of his life. He doesn’t want to go down alone, so he’s looking for someone to drag down with him! It’s that simple!"

To Sean Harrison, Evan’s motive was painfully obvious.

As for why he chose Rory Linden.

It was simply because he wasn’t capable of hurting Sean himself, so he chose Rory instead.

Evan Hollis had been in the hospital for so long; he must have been well aware of the shift schedule in Rory’s department.

That knowledge made it easier for him to act.

"He, he... how could he be a spy... he’s clearly a good kid..."

Charlotte Rhodes wasn’t particularly surprised that Evan Hollis was smuggling drugs.

She just couldn’t understand why Evan Hollis would be a spy.

"He’s not from Celestria. Is it so strange that he’d be a spy for money?" Sean Harrison’s voice was frigid. "A ’kid’? He’s in his thirties, perfectly capable of independent thought. He knows exactly what he’s doing!"

There was another silence on the phone.

Charlotte Rhodes seemed to think of something. "Do you have evidence for this? Could you have been mistaken? I don’t believe he would do such a thing."

Deep down, she had already made up her mind, but she was acting like an ostrich burying its head in the sand.

She was completely unwilling to accept the truth.

In Charlotte Rhodes’s heart, Evan Hollis was an obedient, sensible, and filial son.

How could the man who did all those things for her be a spy? How could he kidnap Rory Linden?

"Let me make one thing crystal clear." Sean Harrison cut through the nonsense. "If anything happens to Rory, and you dare pull that ’I’m going to kill myself’ routine again, I swear, I don’t care if I go to prison for it—I will personally send you to the crematorium."