Mr. CEO, You Look Strangely Familiar

Chloe Marshall snorted. ”Yeah, right. You can have any woman you want. Why don’t you just collect every woman in Alveria? You’re nuts.”

With that, she took a step forward and walked off ahead of them.

Ethan Ellsworth was dumbfounded. ’What did that girl just say?’

’Nuts?’

”I have you!”

Chloe Marshall stopped in her tracks and turned to look at him. ”Boss Ellsworth, what did you say?”

”Didn’t you say I was nuts? I said I have you. *You’re* the one who’s nuts.”

Chloe Marshall looked up at the sky in exasperation. ”Boss Ellsworth, it’s too dark now, so it’s too late to go to the hospital. How about we check into a psychiatric hospital first thing tomorrow morning?”

Ethan Ellsworth gritted his teeth. ”You idiot, how dare you—”

Chloe Marshall broke into a jog, leaving him and Zeke Marshall behind.

Back in her room, Chloe Marshall quickly bolted the door from the inside and finally let out a sigh of relief.

She felt a little pang of jealousy. ’”Any woman he wants”?’

’Doesn’t he think of me as his girlfriend at all?’

With this thought, Chloe Marshall flopped onto her bed in a huff.

A moment later, someone started pounding on the door. ”Idiot, open up!”

Chloe Marshall kicked her feet petulantly, pulled the covers over her head, and refused to answer.

The knocking continued for a little while before falling silent.

She got up, went to the bathroom feeling agitated, closed the door, and turned on the heater. Then, she stepped into the tub and turned on the hot and cold water, letting it gush out.

Once the tub was half full, she turned off the cold water, leaving only the hot running.

Soon, the bathroom was filled with swirling steam.

She was only halfway through her bath when she suddenly heard a door open. She shot up, grabbed a bath towel to wrap around herself, and hastily opened the bathroom door.

Their eyes met. Chloe Marshall’s heart began to race. Noticing the open balcony door and seeing the man she had admired for so long standing before her, she was stunned. ”Boss Ellsworth? Did you... climb over from the balcony?”

He advanced on her. ”What do you think?”

”Are you insane? This is the eighth floor! What if—” Chloe Marshall didn’t dare finish the thought.

”It’s all because you wouldn’t open the door. If you don’t open it for me next time, I’ll just jump over again. And if I really do fall—”

”Don’t say that!” she cut him off. ”I’ll open the door next time. I will.”

A smile played on his lips, and his eyes sparkled as he looked at her. ”What were you so angry about earlier?”

Chloe Marshall looked up, suppressing the turmoil in her heart. ”I wasn’t angry.”

”You were angry. You think you can fool me?”

She lowered her head. ”I admit it, I was angry. Boss Ellsworth, do you even think of me as your girlfriend?”

”What makes you say that?”

”If you thought of me as your girlfriend, how could you be so inconsiderate of my feelings? Going on about how many women want you... If so many women want to be with you, why don’t you just go find one of them?!”

Ethan Ellsworth chuckled. ”If I really went and found one of them, wouldn’t you end up crying?”

He gave her a meaningful look. Soon, Chloe Marshall understood what he meant, and her heart began to pound. ’Could it be? Is Boss Ellsworth...’

The thought left Chloe Marshall completely flustered.

She lowered her head, not daring to meet his intense gaze.

”Chloe.” This was only the second time he had ever said her name. The first was during her interview for the assistant position. He had looked at her ID card and said thoughtfully, ”Chloe Marshall?”

Seeing the heartthrob she had only ever seen on TV in person for the first time, Chloe Marshall had been so excited she didn’t know what to do. She had quickly bowed and said, ”Yes, yes! I’m Chloe Marshall.”

Ethan Ellsworth, silhouetted against the light, had looked her over. ”What an awful name. Even calling you ’Idiot’ sounds better.”

Though Chloe Marshall had been taken aback, she had still replied with a beaming smile, ”If you’d like, Boss Ellsworth, you can call me ’Idiot’ every day.”

And from that day on, he had indeed called her ’Idiot’ every single time, without exception. Until now, when he had finally said her name again.

Chloe Marshall slowly raised her head and met his gaze. ”Yes, Boss Ellsworth?”

He slowly leaned in and kissed her. His eyes were so clear and bright, the dark pupils standing out starkly. It was those eyes that had made Chloe Marshall fall completely into his orbit.

But just as they reached the crucial moment, he stopped.

He was so close to her, yet all he did was look.

Seeing him make no further move, a question popped into Chloe Marshall’s head. ’Could it be that Boss Ellsworth... can’t perform in that department?’

In fact, the thought had barely formed before she blurted it out loud.

The moment she said it, Chloe Marshall regretted it, because Ethan Ellsworth’s face had become unusually dark and stormy.

”What did you just say?”

Chloe Marshall gave a strained laugh, her eyes darting around. ”Boss Ellsworth, I didn’t say anything. Did I say something?”

”I heard you,” he huffed. ”So don’t bother denying it.”

Chloe Marshall had no choice but to press on. ”Boss Ellsworth, is it true you can’t... you know? Because I keep getting the feeling that you can’t.”

Ethan Ellsworth looked like he wanted to strangle her.

He stood up, strode out, grabbed a nearby bathrobe to throw on, and walked out of the bathroom.

Chloe Marshall watched him storm off like an angry bird and couldn’t help but laugh.

Just like that, her good mood returned.

*

Nora Ainsworth had just unlocked the door and stepped inside with Quentin Grant when she flipped on the lights, and the smile on her face froze.

Leon Lynch was sitting on the edge of the bed. On the nightstand was a bowl of nourishing soup, but it had already gone completely cold. It looked like he had been waiting for a while.

When two outstanding men meet, jealousy is bound to run high. Both, however, concealed their hostility so skillfully that it seemed Nora Ainsworth didn’t notice a thing.

”Leon, when did you get here?” Nora Ainsworth asked.

”Not long ago. You haven’t been well, so I had someone make you some soup, but it’s gone cold. I’ll have them bring up a fresh bowl in a bit.”

Before Nora Ainsworth could respond, Quentin Grant cut in. ”That won’t be necessary. I’ll take care of my own woman. No need for you to trouble yourself.”

Leon Lynch smiled calmly. ”You must be joking, President Grant. Nora is my fiancée. It’s only natural that I should be the one to care for her and not neglect her. You’re such a busy man, President Grant, with a thousand things to manage every day. I, on the other hand, am completely idle. I have all the time in the world to be with her.”

Now, Nora Ainsworth could hear the hostility lacing their words.

”Fiancée?” Quentin Grant gritted out the word, then placed a hand on Nora Ainsworth’s waist. ”Why don’t you ask her if she agrees with that title?”

”She’s my fiancée whether she admits it or not. That’s a fact. You, on the other hand, President Grant... getting married one minute, engaged the next. Who knows how many hearts you’re toying with? Our Nora won’t be one of the people you manipulate.”

Quentin Grant couldn’t be bothered to waste his breath arguing. He gave a cold smirk. ”If *I* don’t get to have my way with my woman, do you think *you* do?”

Leon Lynch’s eyes curved into a smirk. ”If you’re offering, President Grant, I’d be more than happy to oblige.”

Quentin Grant snorted. ”Nora and I have important business to attend to, so Young Master Lynch should stop being a third wheel. I know our Nora is an exceptional woman, but that doesn’t mean you can covet her.”

Seeing his arrogance, a surge of anger rose in Leon Lynch. ’Important business? In the middle of the night? What kind of important business could they possibly have?!’

”You’re right,” Leon retorted, his gaze fixed on Nora. ”It is late. Let’s go to sleep.”