Chapter 297: Chapter 297: "It Won’t Kill You.

That Saturday was September 1st.

Kindergarten started on Monday, September 3rd.

Leo Linden was still in kindergarten, so taking time off wasn’t an issue.

The problem was Rory Linden’s situation.

After such a major incident, the department head had reassigned all her patients to other colleagues.

The hospital director had also told her to get some proper rest, without giving a definite return date.

Her original plan was to take a week-long vacation and then go back to work.

"We can discuss it tomorrow after he wakes up."

Rory Linden didn’t make a decision right away.

She hadn’t had the chance to truly spend time with her son for so many years. This time, she would cherish it.

She knew very well that Leo Linden’s request wasn’t because he was greedy for more playtime or didn’t want to go back to school.

The little boy was young, but his heart was surprisingly perceptive.

He was afraid this would be the last trip he’d ever take with his mom and dad.

That’s why he wanted it to last longer, just a little bit longer.

-

「Veridia.」

Saturday morning.

Sherry Walsh’s 20-inch suitcase was still lying open in her room. She meticulously checked its contents, making sure she hadn’t forgotten anything.

Back when she was a new lawyer, she had never even examined case files this thoroughly.

Sherry sat on the bench at the foot of her bed, lost in thought, when something suddenly popped into her head...

’Should I bring condoms?’

’If one thing leads to another, these are absolutely essential.’

Back in college, a girl from her department had gotten pregnant. Knowing Sherry had money, the girl secretly came to her to borrow money for an abortion.

She had told Rory Linden about it.

From a doctor’s perspective, Rory had very seriously educated her on the importance of wearing condoms.

Preventing pregnancy was secondary.

The most important thing was preventing certain infectious diseases.

You could terminate a pregnancy, but if you contracted HIV, it was truly incurable.

’But I don’t have any at home.’

"Noah Sterling shouldn’t have any of those diseases, right?"

As Sherry Walsh muttered to herself, her phone rang.

As soon as she answered, Noah Sterling’s voice came from the other end. "My car is downstairs from your apartment."

"Why are you so early?"

Sherry Walsh glanced up at the clock on the wall.

They had agreed to leave at eleven, but it wasn’t even ten yet.

"I woke up and had nothing to do, so I came over. If you’re not up yet, don’t rush. I can just wait for you downstairs."

His words were incredibly considerate.

Sherry protested, "You’re the one who just got up! I’ve been up for a while. Hold on, I’ll be right down."

He immediately asked, "Do you need me to come up and help you with your luggage?"

"No, it’s just a small suitcase."

Sherry immediately refused.

She was only staying for one night, so she hadn’t packed much anyway.

She closed the suitcase and dragged it out the door.

When she got downstairs, Noah Sterling was already standing outside his car, waiting.

Seeing her approach, he walked over to take her luggage. "You can get in the car. I’ll put this away for you."

Having been chauffeured around since she was a child, Sherry was used to this kind of service and naturally handed the suitcase over.

When Noah got back in the car, he retrieved a small food container from the back seat and handed it to her. "Have you had breakfast? I made a sandwich this morning before I left. If you haven’t eaten, you can have this to tide you over."

Through the container’s transparent lid, she could see the sandwich inside.

A whole sandwich had been cut into four small pieces, each separated by a paper liner.

It looked a lot like the ones sold in convenience stores.

"You made this?"

Sherry stared at the sandwich in the container, stunned.

It was probably due to her social circle, but most of the people she knew didn’t do a lick of housework.

Maids handled everything at home, big or small.

Some of the wives would learn to cook, but very, very few of the men did.

Back then, when Rory Linden mentioned that Sean Harrison could cook...

She had specifically asked for confirmation several times, making sure he actually cooked, not just reheated food.

"Don’t worry, I ate one too. It’s edible. It won’t kill you."

Noah Sterling pushed the container into Sherry Walsh’s hands.

It felt heavy.

Sherry stared at the simple container in her hands for a long time before deciding to open it and try a piece.

She wasn’t in the habit of eating breakfast, and she wasn’t particularly hungry now.

But the sandwich was better than she had expected.

The bread had clearly been toasted. There was also some mashed potato inside, and the texture was good—he must have added some cheese.

At the very least, it was on par with what you’d find in a convenience store.

"Do you usually cook for yourself?"

Sherry asked, taking another bite of the sandwich.

"I do when I’m home alone on my days off." Noah Sterling paused, then added, "But I don’t get many days off. I work a lot of overtime."

"I figured as much."

Sherry said agreeably.

Noah asked her, "Is it bad?"

Sherry shook her head. "It’s not bad. It’s just that people in your line of work are so busy. You’re either working overtime or on your way to work overtime. How could you possibly have any days off?"

Sherry was a divorce lawyer, but she also knew some criminal defense attorneys.

Sometimes at the courthouse, she’d see their assistants using suitcases to carry case files.

One suitcase wasn’t enough; they had to bring two.

The resort was nestled in the mountains of the Veridia Suburbs.

It was only the beginning of September.

The temperature in Veridia was still no different from summer, with highs still topping eighty-six degrees Fahrenheit.

In the mountains, however, there was a distinct autumn feel in the air.

The car’s air conditioning was off.

The wind blowing in through the open windows carried a hint of coolness.

The car pulled into the resort.

Noah Sterling had just taken the luggage out of the car when...

"Noah! You guys are here!"

Kent Phelps came running over from somewhere.

"Yeah, we just arrived."

Noah Sterling pulled up the handle of the suitcase.

He had only brought a backpack, which was slung over one shoulder.

Kent chattered about the resort’s recreational activities as he led the two of them toward their room.

The resort wasn’t large. With just their group here, they had practically booked the entire place.

The amenities were simple, too: fishing, barbecuing, fruit and vegetable picking, and card games.

The three of them walked up to a small, private courtyard.

Kent pushed open the courtyard gate, went inside, and entered a passcode at the door.

He didn’t go into the house. He just placed the suitcase by the door and said, "This is the best room here. It’s a private villa, so there are no soundproofing issues. Everything you might need has been prepared inside, so it’s fine if you didn’t bring certain things."

"..."

"Got it."

Sherry Walsh looked away, flustered.

Only Noah Sterling replied.

Kent assumed Sherry was just shy and chuckled. "HEH HEH. I’ll get going, then. Everyone’s fishing by the lake. We’re having a barbecue tonight, and you’ll have to fend for yourselves for the food. Just come over when you’re settled in."

Sherry Walsh only entered the room after Kent had left.

The villa had two floors in total.

But the interior was pathetically small.

The ground floor was a small living room with nothing but a tiny two-seater sofa.

’If Noah Sterling, at six feet tall, spent a night on that, his back would probably be broken by morning.’

Without a word, Sherry went upstairs.

Upstairs was a double bed and a small wardrobe.

And that was it.

Noah came upstairs, carrying her suitcase.

He set the suitcase to the side without even stepping fully onto the second-floor landing. "I’ll wait for you downstairs," he said.

"Wait." Sherry thought back to the small sofa downstairs. "How about we switch? I’ll sleep on the sofa."