Mr. CEO, You Look Strangely Familiar

A painful lump formed in Nora Ainsworth’s throat. She stared straight ahead, her heart bleeding while the truth hovered on the tip of her tongue.

”Yes.” After a long pause, she finally uttered the single word, yet it carried devastating power.

Seeing the hurt in his eyes, she couldn’t stop herself. ”You already knew the answer, yet you still had to ask. How can you blame me for being cruel? Quentin Grant, no matter how intimate we become, I will never be willing to have your child.”

Quentin Grant looked at her and suddenly laughed—a chilling, heartless sound.

”You’re like an onion. You have no heart,” he said. ”Nora Ainsworth, you’re destined to be alone forever.”

”You don’t need to worry about that. After all, you’re just a passing traveler in my life. On any train journey, someone is bound to get off halfway.”

Quentin Grant turned the key, stepped on the gas, and said nothing more to her.

He didn’t speak again until the car stopped at the hotel entrance. ”Even so, the only place for you is in my bed. Unless you die.”

Nora Ainsworth got out. He didn’t follow, instead driving off into the distance.

She watched the distinctive license plate until it vanished from sight, then turned and stepped into the hotel.

Nora Ainsworth felt as if all her strength had been drained from her body.

Completely depleted, she walked into the hotel.

Upstairs, Zeke Marshall walked up to her. ”Nora, you’re back? I thought you’d be longer.”

She shook her head. ”No. Zeke, could you get me a cup of warm milk?”

”Of course, Nora. Go wait in your room. I’ll go buy some and bring it right up.”

Nora Ainsworth nodded. ”Thanks, Zeke.”

”Don’t mention it.”

After opening her door, Nora collapsed onto the bed, utterly exhausted. Her mind replayed the night’s events and the conversation between them.

She had a feeling that tonight, the last fragile thread of hope between them had been irrevocably severed.

’Even the most devoted man would be disgusted with her now, right?’

’Then again, maybe that was for the best.’

Nora Ainsworth didn’t know it, but her words would prove prophetic.

After Zeke Marshall delivered the milk to her room, he left, thinking she hadn’t looked well. He decided to find Chloe Marshall and ask if something had happened that he wasn’t aware of.

He knocked on the door. Chloe Marshall’s voice came from inside. ”Who is it?”

”Sis, it’s me. Open the door.”

Chloe Marshall replied with feigned calm, ”I’m sleeping. Whatever it is, we can talk about it tomorrow.”

”Sis, open up! I have something important to talk to you about.”

Chloe Marshall glanced at Ethan Ellsworth beside her and steeled herself. ”Even if the sky is falling, it can wait until tomorrow.”

”It’s about Nora.”

Chloe Marshall shot up and pointed to the closet, signaling for Ethan Ellsworth to hide inside.

He slipped on his shoes, walked out onto the balcony, and crouched down.

Chloe Marshall slid the balcony door shut before going to open the room door.

Zeke Marshall pushed his way in. ”Sis, what took you so long?”

”I was in the bathroom,” Chloe Marshall said. ”What’s wrong with Nora?”

”I just brought her some milk, and she looked awful. Sis, did something happen to her?”

Chloe Marshall’s eyes darted to the side. ”Nothing happened, why?”

Remembering that Nora had gone out with Quentin Grant, Chloe said, ”Don’t let your imagination run wild. What could have happened? You should go get some sleep. I’ll go check on her in a bit.”

Zeke Marshall nodded, then started walking toward the balcony. ”My room doesn’t have a view. I’ll just take a look from your balcony.”

Chloe Marshall grabbed his arm. ”What’s there to look at? It’s the middle of the night, and I want to sleep. Hurry up and go back to your room.”

”I just want a quick look.”

”Not even a quick one. Go back!”

Zeke Marshall had no choice but to give in. ”Fine, I’ll head back to my room.”

Only after he left did Chloe Marshall finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Ethan Ellsworth came in from the balcony. ”What’s wrong with Nora?”

Chloe Marshall threw on a down jacket. ”I’m going to check on Nora. She’s hurting more than anyone knows.”

Ethan Ellsworth didn’t understand. ”What’s there to be upset about? Being with Young Master Grant is a great thing.”

Chloe Marshall’s brow furrowed. ”Boss Ellsworth, you don’t get it. I’m going to see her.”

When Chloe knocked and entered Nora’s room, she took a close look at her friend and saw that her eyes were red.

She closed the door and pulled Nora down to sit on the edge of the bed. ”Nora, tonight... you and Young Master Grant—”

”He’s gone,” Nora Ainsworth said. ”He took me to an amusement park tonight.”

”Isn’t that a good thing?” Chloe Marshall asked, forcing a smile.

”Chloe, the things that seem happiest are always the quickest to slip away. Tonight, he asked me...” She choked back a sob. ”He asked if I was on birth control, because there wasn’t any sign of a pregnancy.”

”What?!” A pang of pain shot through Chloe Marshall’s heart.

”What did you tell him?”

”I told him yes, that I didn’t want to carry his child.”

Chloe Marshall’s mouth fell open. ”Young Master Grant must have been furious! Nora, you should just tell him the truth. Why keep up this pretense?”

Nora Ainsworth shook her head. ”If it were anything else, I might tell him, but this... this is different. I know exactly how important a child is to the Grant Family. I can’t ruin his life. I can’t even ovulate, so IVF and other treatments are out of the question. I’m destined to be alone forever.”

Chloe Marshall fell silent. Right now, no words could express what she was feeling.

The heart of a woman.

”Nora, you’re sacrificing yourself for his sake.”

”We’ve walked into a dead end. If I don’t do this... it’s like we’re being chased by killers with nowhere to run. The only way to avoid a humiliating death is to wound yourself. Chloe, I think if you were in my shoes, you’d do the same.”

Chloe Marshall hugged her. ”Yes, I would make the same decision. Nora, you don’t have to feel alone. You still have me. I’m your family, your friend, and your sister. We’ll get through this together.”

Nora Ainsworth’s nose stung with unshed tears. She nodded. ”Okay.”

The door opened, and Ethan Ellsworth saw that Chloe Marshall had been crying. He was confused. ”What are you crying about?”

Chloe Marshall sat on the edge of the bed and glanced back at him. ”Because I felt like it.”

Ethan Ellsworth found this amusing. ”You have to have a reason to cry, don’t you? Or did you get kicked in the head by a donkey?”

”There’s no reason. I just couldn’t help it.”

”Alright, alright. Cry if you want to cry.” Ethan Ellsworth lay down, lacing his hands behind his head. He looked at her. ”I’m starting to get addicted to sleeping in your room these past few days.”

Chloe Marshall went to the bathroom to wash her face. When she came out, she asked, ”How long will this addiction of yours last?”

”Hard to say.”

Chloe Marshall kicked off her bunny slippers. ”I think I’m addicted, too. Lying next to you, Boss Ellsworth, makes me feel so safe all night. I’m afraid that if you get married one day, this addiction of mine will be hard to break.”

”Then I’ll let you sleep here for a lifetime.”

Chloe Marshall turned on her side to face him. ”Even if you’re only joking, I’m choosing to believe you right now.”

Ethan Ellsworth’s eyes burned into hers. ”Do you have feelings for me?”