Mr. CEO, You Look Strangely Familiar

When Quentin Grant heard the news, he was drinking coffee and sprayed it all over his screen.

Watching the two of them in the video, he was speechless. ”Is today April Fool’s Day or something?”

Herman Hawthorne laughed. ”Out of the three of us, I’m the first to get married. You two better have your cash gifts ready, and make sure to add extra, because I’m clearly the trailblazer here.”

Quentin Grant gave him a thumbs-up. ”You’re the man. Young Master Ellsworth, didn’t your mom bet Young Master Hawthorne’s mom on who’d get married and have a kid first? Well, that settles it. The competition’s over.”

”What’s there to bet on now? They’re getting hitched. See you guys at The Velvet Lip tonight, don’t be late. I’ve got to go shoot a scene, I’ll be back later.”

With that, Ethan Ellsworth hung up the video call and started driving toward the film studio. But not far from the set, a large crowd of fans had gathered, creating a chaotic scene. They weren’t there to cheer for their idol; instead, they were all shouting insults at Nora Ainsworth.

”Nora Ainsworth, you plastic surgery freak! You bitch, get out of showbiz!”

”Nora Ainsworth, we hate you!”

”Nora Ainsworth, you plastic surgery freak! You bitch, get out of showbiz!”

”Nora Ainsworth, we hate you!”

They chanted the same two phrases over and over. Ethan Ellsworth’s expression grew grim. He locked his car and headed toward the crowd.

’What on earth happened? I was only gone for one morning.’

A dozen or so security guards were holding the fans back from the set.

When the fans saw Ethan Ellsworth, they swarmed him. ”An autograph!”

With a security escort, Ethan finally made it inside. Chloe Marshall saw him and ran over anxiously.

”Boss Ellsworth, something’s happened.”

”What’s going on here?”

”I don’t know either. Right after you left this morning, a bunch of these protesting fans showed up at the hotel entrance, along with a ton of reporters. They were asking why Nora got plastic surgery, which producer she’s slept with, whether her illegitimate child is Young Master Lynch’s... just a ton of malicious stories about her.”

”Where’s Nora?”

Chloe Marshall lowered her head. ”Because of all this, the director blew up. He was yelling about how the series isn’t even finished shooting and there’s already a massive scandal. He told Nora to go back to her room and that they’d film her scenes tonight instead.”

Ethan Ellsworth wanted to go back to the hotel to see Nora Ainsworth himself, but he knew Quentin Grant was likely behind this. He was caught in the middle, completely torn.

”Don’t I have another scene to film? The one with Sharon Ainsworth. Come on, let’s go shoot it.”

”Boss Ellsworth, but you—”

Ethan Ellsworth shot her a glare. ”There’s absolutely nothing I can do to stop this, so hurry up.”

Chloe Marshall didn’t understand why he would say that, but she fell silent and followed him.

He walked ahead while she trailed behind. They walked a good distance, and she still hadn’t said a word. He turned around to find her staring at the ground, still walking forward, right until she bumped into him.

She looked up, startled like a frightened deer, and called out his name pitifully, ”Boss Ellsworth—”

”You think I should have stepped in to help, don’t you?”

”All these insults they’re hurling at Nora... it’s a complete distortion of the truth. Nora is naturally beautiful, what plastic surgery? I think those fans are just morons.”

”Mm, go on.”

”Boss Ellsworth, every time I see Nora, I feel a little sad. She and Young Master Grant... they love each other, but they just end up torturing each other. It’s so hard watching her love him so painfully. I can’t help but want to do something for her, but in the end, I realize there’s nothing I can do. She has to carry it all by herself.”

Now it was Ethan Ellsworth’s turn to be silent. He mulled it over for a long moment before saying, ”If you really want to do something for her, then convince Nora to quit acting after this series is finished. Tell her to find a place where nobody knows her and just live her life.”

With that, he walked away.

Chloe Marshall mulled over Ethan Ellsworth’s words. Suddenly, her head shot up as if she’d just had an epiphany.

Nora Ainsworth sat on the edge of her bed, phone in hand. She’d been sitting in silence for who knows how long when the door opened. Leon Lynch walked in with a glass of warm milk and handed it to her. ”Drink this, and don’t think about anything. As if I wouldn’t know whether you’ve had surgery or not. People who don’t know you will just spread baseless rumors. You don’t have to pay them any mind. Worst case, I’ll take care of you.”

She was clearly in a foul mood. No matter how proudly she held her head up in front of others, back in her room, she could finally be herself, her carefully constructed facade crumbling away.

She took the milk. ”Thank you.”

He leaned down and kissed her on the cheek.

”I’ve told you before, if you’re going to be so formal with me, I won’t be so courteous in return.”

Nora Ainsworth downed the milk, set the glass on the table, and wiped the spot on her cheek where he’d kissed her. ”Leon Lynch, you really have a thing for kissing people, don’t you?”

”Probably only when it comes to you.”

”I have something to give you.”

”A gift for me?”

She lowered her head and took off a diamond ring hanging from a chain around her neck. Leon Lynch recognized it at once. It was the ring he had once offered her—the one she’d refused, agreeing only to keep it for him.

”You’re giving it back to me?” The light in his eyes dimmed considerably.

”I know I can never be the one to wear this, so I’d rather give it back to you. Leon, I have a feeling things are about to get very rough for me. It would be best if you stayed far away from me so you don’t get dragged into my mess. That’s the only way I won’t feel guilty.” She said all this in a perfectly level tone.

”Nora Ainsworth, it’s not that you can’t wear it. It’s that you won’t even give me the slightest chance—not even for a second.”

Nora Ainsworth took his hand and placed the ring in his palm. ”Give this to a woman who can spend the rest of her life with you. That isn’t me. I’m more than happy to be your friend, but Leon, I’m never going to marry anyone. I have a man that I love with all my heart. I didn’t leave him because I stopped loving him. I left him because I loved him too much.”

Tears burst from her eyes, tracing a salty, bitter path to her lips.

This was the first time Leon had ever heard Nora Ainsworth admit she was in love with someone.

It was also the first time she had let him see her so completely vulnerable.

”It’s Quentin Grant, isn’t it?”

Nora Ainsworth looked at him. She’d always assumed he didn’t know, but it turned out he’d known for a very long time.

”So you knew—”

”If you hadn’t brought it out into the open, I would have kept pretending I didn’t,” he replied.

”It’s better to be open and honest like this. So, Leon, I can’t accept this ring. It doesn’t belong to me. Keep it safe, and give it to the woman who can make you feel both joy and sorrow.”

”Tell me, why aren’t you with him?” His gaze was intense. He had to know the answer.

”We’re worlds apart.”

”That’s not the real reason,” Leon Lynch said, looking at her. ”Nora, your eyes never lie.”

”It’s a secret, one I hope stays buried forever. Leon, please don’t make me dig it back up, okay?”