Mr. CEO, You Look Strangely Familiar

Chapter 79: Chapter 77: I Love Her, but I’ve Never Dared to Let Her Know (6)

Soaked by the rain, Leon Lynch’s mind was still relatively clear. He took a towel and began drying her hair, so carefully and gently it was as if Nora Ainsworth were a piece of ancient porcelain he was afraid of accidentally shattering.

Nora Ainsworth leaned lazily against the back of the seat, muttering something under her breath.

After he finished drying her hair, she suddenly called out his name, ”Leon Lynch.”

He answered, ”Yes, I’m here.”

”You’ve been such a free spirit all these years. Have you ever truly loved a woman?”

Leon Lynch looked at her, his smile charming, his voice so low he could barely hear it himself.

”Yes.”

”Then how much do you love her? How much?”

He looked at her but didn’t answer.

When she didn’t get an answer, Nora Ainsworth opened her eyes.

In the dim light, he was gazing at her. His face was flushed pink from the alcohol, and his normally narrow, almond-shaped eyes were brimming with emotion.

And it was all directed at her.

”I love her. I love her so much I wish I could just rip out my heart and give it to her. I love her so much that every night, I stand at my window and gaze in her direction. I love her, but I never dare let her know, because I’m afraid that if she found out, she would only drift further and further away from me.”

Nora Ainsworth watched him, motionless. ”Aren’t you a free spirit? Aren’t you suave? Don’t you have countless women who would die for you? You have so many options, so why waste your heart on a woman who doesn’t appreciate it?”

Leon Lynch gave a bitter smile. ”Doesn’t appreciate it? You’re right, she doesn’t. But once you’ve given your heart away, you can’t take it back.”

The rain pattered against the car windows, and the air in the cramped space felt thin.

When Leon Lynch looked up again, Nora Ainsworth had already fallen asleep.

He reached out to touch her lips, but he couldn’t bring himself to pull his hand away.

As he looked at her face, a flicker of pain crossed his eyes.

The banquet was still in progress.

Herman Hawthorne didn’t go back inside; instead, he drove away from the venue.

At the banquet, Ethan Ellsworth was also looking for an excuse to leave, but he couldn’t find one.

His gaze drifted over to Jean Grant from time to time.

But she clearly hadn’t noticed him.

Ethan Ellsworth was driven mad with jealousy at the thought that she might be texting Marlon Marshall.

Despite his inner turmoil, his expression remained perfectly calm.

He had been fond of Jean Grant for a long time now.

Even though she wouldn’t give him the time of day, he wasn’t in a rush. Haste makes waste, as the saying goes.

Seeing that his other two friends were gone, Ethan Ellsworth thought for a moment, then nonchalantly walked up behind Jean Grant and suddenly peeked over. Lost in thought, Jean Grant jumped in surprise.

”What is wrong with you?” she glared at him.

Ethan Ellsworth admonished, ”A woman should be gentle. You should speak more civilly. You’re not acting like a lady at all.”

Jean Grant had no interest in engaging with him. ”Do you need something? If not, get lost. Aren’t all these beauties your favorite type? Go hit on one of them.”

Ethan Ellsworth sat down and picked at his ear. ”What beauties? I’m tired of looking at them. A homely thing like you, on the other hand, is a novelty.”

”Do you even know how to talk like a human? If not, then get the hell out of the human race.”

Ethan Ellsworth glanced at the phone in her hand. ”Texting your boyfriend again?”

Without looking up, Jean Grant replied, ”None of your damn business.”

”Jean Grant, listen to me. One look at your boyfriend and I can tell he’s a pretty boy with ulterior motives. I’m a great judge of character. Don’t end up losing your money and regretting it. When that day comes, you’ll be crying and won’t even have a tissue to wipe your tears.”

”Oh, and you’re the one with pure intentions? Who was it in middle school that snuck into the girls’ bathroom early, then swaggered out during a busy time just to send all the girls scattering in fear? Even as your junior, I felt ashamed to even know someone like you. I haven’t forgotten a single one of your ’glorious deeds,’ so don’t embarrass yourself further.” She mercilessly exposed his cringeworthy past.

Ethan Ellsworth cleared his throat. ”Right, well, you go back to your texting. I’ve got some cute girls waiting for me, so I won’t waste my breath on you.”

He walked away dejectedly, his heart feeling like it had been torn to shreds.

He wandered around for a bit. Even though the women he saw were wearing masks, he could tell just by their chins that they were either products of plastic surgery or simply unremarkable.

Feeling annoyed, he dodged Mrs. Ellsworth’s gaze, finally made it out of the elevator, and saw Quentin Grant and Catherine Callahan at the hotel entrance.

He quickened his pace and shouted, ”Young Master Grant!”

Quentin Grant turned around. ”You haven’t left yet?”

”My mom practically had her eyes on me the whole time. I just barely managed to escape,” Ethan Ellsworth said meaningfully. ”Herman and the others left a long time ago.”

Catherine Callahan chimed in, ”Quentin and I are about to leave as well.”

Ethan Ellsworth’s heart skipped a beat, and he immediately looked to Quentin Grant for confirmation. ”You guys are leaving too? Where are you going?”

Catherine Callahan offered a rare smile. ”Where else? We’re going back.”

Her words were ambiguous.

Quentin Grant explained, ”It’s pouring. I’m taking her home.”

”Hold on, I need to ask you something.” Ethan Ellsworth grabbed Quentin Grant, pulled him aside, and lowered his voice. ”Did you two get back together?”

Quentin Grant knew he would ask that. ”No.”

”Then what were you two talking about all this time?”

”What needed to be said.”

Ethan Ellsworth gave a wicked grin. ”And you didn’t do anything you weren’t supposed to?”

Quentin Grant simply turned and walked away, refusing to answer the question.

By the time Ethan Ellsworth realized what was happening, Quentin had already opened an umbrella and gotten into the car.

As the car slowly pulled away, Ethan Ellsworth popped a piece of gum into his mouth, chewed it a few times, and spit it into a nearby trash can. ’What kind of crappy, cliché story is this? Why doesn’t it follow the standard melodramatic plot? In all the TV dramas, doesn’t the old flame’s return mean they get back together? Or does that rule not apply here?’

When Nora Ainsworth woke up, she found Leon Lynch asleep as well, leaning back in his seat.

Outside, the heavy rain was relentless.

The heat was on inside the car, however, so it wasn’t cold in the slightest.

She didn’t know when her seat had been reclined, but the two of them were now sleeping side-by-side.

She pulled her clothes tighter around herself, glanced around the car, and spotted a spare umbrella in the back seat.

Grabbing the umbrella, Nora Ainsworth got out of the car.

Her bare feet landed in the rainwater as she walked cautiously forward.

After rounding an intersection, Nora Ainsworth finally squatted down by the roadside to slowly put her high heels back on.

There were hardly any cars on the street this late at night.

She walked for a long time but was unable to hail a taxi.

She took out her phone and saw that it was already past ten.

There were no missed calls on the screen. Gripping her phone tightly, Nora Ainsworth felt a pang of disappointment rise from nowhere.

Just then, a car honked behind her. She turned around as blinding headlights washed over her. Nora Ainsworth shielded her eyes with her hand and could just barely make out the people inside.

Quentin Grant and Catherine Callahan.

Nora Ainsworth’s lips trembled. She quickly turned her head away and kept walking.

Quentin Grant narrowed his eyes. The car slowed, pulled up alongside her, and stopped.