Mr. CEO, You Look Strangely Familiar

Chapter 78: Chapter 76: I Love Her, but Never Dared to Let Her Know (5)

Mrs. Lynch jumped, her face livid as she pointed at Nora Ainsworth. ”What are you doing here?! Get out, now!”

Leon Lynch’s eyes lit up, his gaze fixed on Nora Ainsworth, unable to look away.

Nora Ainsworth replied calmly, ”You’re being quite harsh, Ma’am. This is a public venue, and I was invited. Besides, the Lynch Family isn’t hosting this event. Why should I be the one to leave?”

Mrs. Lynch was speechless for a moment. ”I’d love to know who invited you.”

A grim expression crossed Herman Hawthorne’s face. ”I did.”

Mrs. Lynch was left without a retort, but her voice carried a tone of warning. ”There are plenty of fish in the sea. Why waste your time on this jinx of a woman?”

Nora’s eyes narrowed. ”I was wondering who was spreading rumors about me. I shouldn’t have been surprised it was you. I’ve always respected you as an elder and treated you with politeness. I never thought that after trying to keep me and Leon apart back then, you’d now try to ruin my future happiness as well. What exactly are you trying to do?”

Mrs. Lynch noticed the stares from the other guests and shot back, ”You watch your mouth! What do you mean, I’m spreading rumors? You are what you are. Nora Ainsworth, you’re bad luck, and I’m just telling the truth! I’d rather my son be a bachelor for the rest of his life than let him marry you!”

Leon Lynch said bluntly, ”Mom, can you please stay out of my love life? Didn’t we agree? I get to make my own decisions.”

”We agreed you can marry any woman in the world, but not her!”

Listening from the side, Mrs. Ellsworth found the whole thing tiresome. ”Alright, alright, what’s all the arguing about?”

Mrs. Hawthorne looked at her own son. ”Take your date and leave. I’ll let you off the hook for today.”

’She so badly wanted her son to pick a bride he actually liked here,’ she thought. ’But it was clear his date was nothing but trouble.’

Herman Hawthorne nodded and was about to turn and leave when Leon Lynch quickly said, ”Nora, I need to talk to you.”

Mrs. Lynch grabbed her son’s arm. ”What is there to say? You have nothing to say to her!”

Nora looked at him. ”We’ll talk some other time.”

She turned and walked away. Mrs. Lynch’s shouts followed her. ”You little vixen! ’Some other time?’ Don’t you ever see my son again! You bitch!”

She had completely revealed her true colors to everyone. The other guests stared at her, dumbfounded. By the time she realized what she’d done, it was too late.

Leon Lynch’s expression was grim. ”Mom, what are you doing?”

Mrs. Lynch huffed. ”What am I doing? You’re forbidden from seeing her again. I’ll find you a good woman within three months. Leon, you will just behave yourself and wait for your wedding.”

Leon’s face went cold. His gaze on his mother darkened, and his tone left no room for argument. ”Mom, I’m saying this for the last time. Don’t throw any more parties to pick a daughter-in-law for me. I’ll find my own wife. Just stay out of it!”

With that, he strode toward the exit.

Mrs. Lynch was furious. ’He’s not even married yet, and he’s already siding with his wife-to-be,’ she thought. ’Once they’re married, I won’t have any say at all. I have to find a daughter-in-law who will listen to me.’ The more she thought about it, the more determined she became.

Outside the hotel, Nora’s expression darkened.

She looked at Herman Hawthorne, her face calm. ”I’m heading back now. Thank you for the dress and shoes. I really like them.”

Herman was a little worried. ”Nora, are you really okay?”

”What could be wrong with me? I was prepared for this long ago. Don’t worry.”

”Then go home and get some sleep. Text me when you get there,” he instructed.

She nodded and turned to leave.

After walking a short distance, she looked up at the sky. It was gloomy, looking as if it was about to rain.

Nora Ainsworth took off her high heels and walked barefoot on the asphalt road.

”Nora Ainsworth!”

Leon Lynch pulled his car up beside her. ”Quick, get in.”

She looked at him. ”Young Master Lynch, shouldn’t you be looking for your other half instead of following me?”

Leon Lynch opened the car door, got out, and pulled her right into the car before shutting the door.

He leaned over to fasten her seatbelt. ”My other half can only be you. You’re here, so who else would I follow?”

Nora was dazed for a moment. Her gaze drifted out the window. ”Leon, we both know we already missed our chance. What are we still struggling for?”

”My fiancée, you’re just imagining things. The truth is, we’re still going.” He had fastened her seatbelt, but his body was still leaning in close to her.

Seeing him play dumb, Nora felt like banging her head against a wall.

She was in a terrible mood, so she simply leaned back against the seat and closed her eyes to rest.

She lay there quietly for a while. When she opened her eyes, she found Leon Lynch’s impossibly handsome face less than an inch from her own.

Their eyes met. Nora leaned to the right. ”What are you doing?”

”What do you think?”

”Leon Lynch, I’ve noticed you’ve been acting crazy for months now. You know, if you’re sick, you should get treated. Don’t give up on finding a cure!”

”You think I’m acting crazy?” He broke out in a sweat. ’Am I really that unbelievable?’

”Aren’t you?”

Leon Lynch sat back in his own seat and said casually, ”Nicholas Ainsworth has been asking about you recently. He was there tonight, too. You didn’t see him, did you?”

The image of Nicholas Ainsworth’s stone-cold face immediately popped into Nora’s mind. She shivered and said with relief, ”That’s great. I’m glad I didn’t see him.”

Leon was surprised. ”Great? You don’t want to see him?”

”Why would I want to see him?” Nora retorted. ”He’s Psycho Number Two. The guy is just plain weird.”

”Psycho Number Two? Then who’s Psycho Number One?” Leon frowned. ”It’s not me, is it?”

Nora deliberately avoided the complex feelings in her heart and simply smiled.

”Want to get a drink?”

Leon let out a low, husky laugh. ”Aren’t you afraid that if we get drunk, I might... you know... do something to you?”

Nora’s face darkened. ”Is your brain filled with nothing but perverted thoughts?”

”Not at all. But since it’s a rare occasion for you to invite me for a drink, how could I refuse to join you? Let’s go.”

The car started and then stopped at a barbecue stand.

The two of them sat at a small table, ordered a large bunch of lamb skewers, two clay pot dishes, and opened two bottles of beer.”

Gradually, they opened more and more bottles of beer, and soon, they were both drinking uncontrollably.

Nora’s mind grew hazy. Her face was flushed, and her eyes gradually lost focus.

Leon could hold his liquor, but even he couldn’t keep drinking like this. He wasn’t completely wasted, but he was far from sober.

It started to rain. The cool, light drizzle turned into a downpour.

The streets were deserted. A black mist shrouded the trees.

A chill rippled through the summer night.

The owner of the stand was about to close up, so the two finally got to their feet, muttering to themselves.

Nora couldn’t even stand steady. Leon had to help her into the car.