Mr. CEO, You Look Strangely Familiar

He immediately called Ethan Ellsworth. ”Quentin was staying in the presidential suite at Hotel Helene in Taryn. It’s chaotic over there. There was an attack on the hotel—34 dead, 212 injured. Why haven’t there been any reports about it back home?”

”It’s possible the news has been blocked overseas. Get a helicopter ready. I’m heading over right now.”

”Okay. But aren’t you in the middle of shooting the finale?”

Ethan Ellsworth swore, ”Fuck, do you think I’m in any mood to work right now? I’m scared to death. It’s such a mess overseas. Why would he go out at a time like this?”

”Okay, I’ll get it ready immediately. Come over. And hey, bring your assistant and Nora. I have guns here. Nora is an excellent shot.”

Ethan Ellsworth grunted in acknowledgment and hastily hung up. He immediately went out and knocked on Chloe Marshall’s door. ”Idiot, get a move on! Your boss is giving you a mission.”

After saying that, he rushed to Nora Ainsworth’s door without a second’s delay. ”Nora, open up!”

”What’s wrong? Why are you in such a panic? Is it him—”

Ethan Ellsworth said nothing. ”Come with me.”

Nora Ainsworth immediately shut her door and followed him and Chloe Marshall out of the hotel.

They got into the van and headed directly for Herman Hawthorne’s private airfield.

”Hey, Director, Nora and I need to take a week off.”

Hearing this, Cecelia Willow was taken aback. ”Ellsworth, you can’t! The show is a hit right now, and we’re about to film the finale. Can’t you wait until we’re done shooting?”

”No. We’ll do as I say. We’ll be back within a week. Film everyone else’s scenes first and save the ones with the two of us for last. I did the math—we have enough filmed footage to air for about twelve days.”

Hearing the resolute tone in his voice, Cecelia Willow had no other choice. ”Ellsworth, you can’t just flake on me. You have to be back within a week, or this show will be ruined because of you!”

”Got it.” He hung up, his expression grim.

”Boss Ellsworth, what on earth happened?” Chloe Marshall was dying of anxiety. She had never seen him look so grim.

”The hotel where Quentin was staying was attacked. Thirty-four people dead, over two hundred injured. We haven’t heard a single thing about it back home. I’m worried he—”

At these words, the color drained from Nora Ainsworth’s face, and she couldn’t say a word.

Tears quickly welled in her eyes, but she said firmly, ”That’s impossible. I don’t believe it.”

”I don’t want to believe it either. But whether we believe it or not, we have to find him first. Until we see him with our own eyes, no one knows what really happened at that hotel a few nights ago.”

Chloe Marshall said, ”Boss Ellsworth, could it be that the news did reach our country, but they’re keeping it under wraps because of Young Master Grant’s status? Maybe they’re waiting for the results of the investigation over there before making an announcement.”

”That’s possible. We’re meeting up with Young Master Hawthorne now to get to Taryn as fast as we can. Once we’re on the plane, he’ll have guns for you. You’ve both been trained. It’s really chaotic over there. Don’t hurt anyone, but make sure you can protect yourselves.”

Ethan finished his instructions. Twenty minutes later, the van pulled up to the airfield.

The three of them got out of the van. Herman Hawthorne was already waiting for them on the plane.

Not daring to waste a moment, the plane took off quickly, heading for Taryn.

The atmosphere was extremely oppressive.

Herman Hawthorne briefed them on the potential situations they might face and equipped each of them with two silenced pistols and fifty rounds of ammunition.

In Taryn, citizens were allowed to carry firearms—it was stipulated by national law that citizens had the right to protect themselves.

The flight was an agonizing wait for the four of them.

Unsure if the Grant Family knew about the situation, they didn’t dare say anything rashly.

After a five-hour flight, they finally reached the capital of Taryn in the middle of the night.

The people meeting them at the airport were Herman Hawthorne’s subordinates. The group hurried to Hotel Helene, which, by this time, had already resumed normal operations.

Wary of potential trouble, the four of them checked into a single presidential suite. It only had one bed, so the plan was for Nora Ainsworth and Chloe Marshall to sleep for two hours before switching with the two men.

「At dawn.」

With limited sleep, the four of them went to the hospital where the victims had been taken. After checking on all 212 of the injured, their expressions grew even grimmer.

They entered the hospital morgue. Inside lay thirty-four bodies.

Led by a doctor, they moved from one gurney to the next. Every time they lifted a white sheet, it was an agonizing moment, each of them fearing the next body would have the face they dreaded seeing.

Chloe Marshall held tightly to Nora Ainsworth’s hand. Both of their hands were trembling slightly.

When they had checked every last body, Ethan Ellsworth let out a long breath. ”He has to be okay.”

”But where in the world is he?”

Herman Hawthorne voiced the question on everyone’s mind. ”We can’t truly relax until we see him with our own eyes. As far as I know, Quentin didn’t bring many people with him on this trip.”

”I’ll call the Grant family to double-check.” Ethan Ellsworth pulled out his phone and quickly dialed the number for the Grant Estate. After a few rings, Mrs. Grant’s voice came through. ”Hello, who is this?”

Ethan Ellsworth kept his tone normal. ”Mrs. Grant, it’s me, Ellsworth.”

”Oh, Ellsworth. Why are you calling so early in the morning?”

”Well, it’s like this—is Quentin home?”

”He’s still on his business trip abroad; he’s not back yet.” Mrs. Grant’s words made Ethan Ellsworth’s heart sink. ”Alright then. I’ll talk to him when he gets back.”

”So he’s definitely not in the country, and he’s not at the hospital. There’s only one possibility. He’s still here somewhere, we just don’t know his exact location.”

”Either he’s safe, or he’s been...” Herman Hawthorne didn’t finish, instead stating grimly, ”It’s hard to say. He doesn’t normally turn off his phone. The fact that it’s off is not a good sign.”

Nora Ainsworth’s eyes were vacant. ”We have to find him.”

”First, let’s go to the local police to get the latest on the hotel attack investigation,” Herman Hawthorne suggested.

The other three unanimously agreed.

They hurried to the police station and learned what had happened. On the night of the attack, the scene was utter chaos. The police had shot and killed twelve assailants on the spot. There had been about thirty to forty attackers in total, all wearing uniforms. None were captured, and the police feared some might still be hiding in Hotel Helene. An operation was already underway to capture the fugitive criminals.

They then reviewed the hotel’s security footage. They did indeed see Quentin Grant’s figure entering the hotel, but he was never seen leaving, right up through the attack.

Furthermore, all the available footage from the time of the attack until the present moment showed no sign of him. However, the surveillance cameras in the hallways and elevators had been destroyed; only the ones at the main entrance were intact.

The hotel had no back entrance. Herman Hawthorne guessed that he might be in one of the other rooms.

Of course, they couldn’t rule out the possibility that he had left from a balcony via helicopter.

If that were the case, it would be a huge false alarm, but one that would make everyone incredibly happy. The fear was that it wasn’t...

The four of them, famished, returned to the hotel to eat, their minds still a tangled mess of confusion.

Just as they were all sitting on the sofa waiting for news, one of Herman Hawthorne’s subordinates called.