Mr. CEO, You Look Strangely Familiar

”Getting an attitude, are we? You didn’t even wait for me or get me any breakfast.”

Chloe Marshall said nothing, just kept eating, completely ignoring him.

”I’m talking to you. Did you hear me?”

She looked up. ”I heard you.”

He retorted, ”If you heard me, then why aren’t you getting my breakfast?”

”Of course, Boss Ellsworth. Just a moment.” What a formal reply.

Ethan Ellsworth looked uncomfortable. ”Talk to me properly.”

She got up to get his breakfast. A few minutes later, she placed the tray in front of him. ”Boss Ellsworth, please eat.”

He didn’t move. He just looked at her. ”What’s wrong with you now?”

Chloe Marshall froze, then said, ”Boss Ellsworth, are you planning to rekindle things with Miss Grant?”

”Who told you that?” he asked, taking a bite as he looked at her.

”I guessed.”

Only then did Ethan Ellsworth relax. ”You’re always letting your imagination run wild. Unless I tell you myself, it’s all in your head, understand?”

”Will you ever tell me yourself? Boss Ellsworth, if that day ever comes, please don’t tell me. I’ll be able to feel it, and if you say it to my face, it would be unbelievably cruel.”

A complicated look flickered in Ethan Ellsworth’s eyes, but he still managed a smile. ”Got it.”

Chloe Marshall didn’t know why, but she felt a deep sense of unease. She was so anxious that her nerves felt frayed.

’Maybe it’s the clear knowledge that, deep down, she’s more important to him than I am. Or maybe it’s because I never managed to enter his heart from the very beginning.’

’That’s why I’m so insecure.’

’Thinking about it now, every time we were about to cross that final barrier, he would stop abruptly. It’s not that he isn’t capable... it’s because I’m not Jean Grant.’

Chloe Marshall reflected on it. ’A man has had one woman in his heart for over a decade. That length of time isn’t as simple as a few days.’ She now realized she had been impulsive and lost before. It was much better now that she understood.

’He doesn’t actually love me.’

She was absolutely certain of this one fact.

Seeing her fall silent, Ethan Ellsworth’s expression grew cold.

”By the way, I have something to do tonight. Now that filming has wrapped, you should get some good sleep.”

Chloe Marshall just hummed a quiet ”Mm,” not saying anything more. She didn’t ask where he was going. ’If he wants to tell me, he will. If he doesn’t, there’s no point in asking.’

***

”Ma’am, a package for Sir arrived,” the maid announced, seeking instructions.

Zoe Ellsworth immediately asked, ”A package? Sign for it and bring it here for me to see.”

”Yes, Ma’am.”

Two minutes later, Zoe Ellsworth had the package. The courier pouch felt empty. She tore it open, reached inside, and pulled out a photograph.

The man in the photo was, of course, her husband. As for the woman—

Zoe Ellsworth thought she looked familiar. After another look, she quickly pulled out her phone and compared it to the photo she had taken of the tile on the bathroom wall in his lounge.

It was the same person.

The photo looked like it had been taken a long time ago. The woman was standing in front, and her husband was hugging her waist from behind. One of her hands was even cradling his chin. They looked incredibly intimate. If Zoe Ellsworth couldn’t figure out their relationship from this, she must be blind.

She went upstairs, clutching the photo and the delivery slip. She put the photo away carefully. The slip said it had been mailed from abroad, but there was no specific address, and the sender’s name was just a single letter: S.

Zoe Ellsworth stared at it for a long time but couldn’t figure out what the capital letter meant. ’Could it be that Herman knows?’

She couldn’t stay calm.

Ever since she saw the naked woman on the tile, she had been constantly trying to figure out the woman’s identity.

She hadn’t gotten anywhere.

With this new evidence, Zoe Ellsworth had a sinking suspicion that their relationship was definitely unusual, pointing straight to them being old flames.

’If it’s an old one, that’s one thing. But if it’s a new one, I won’t stand for it. A new one would mean I’ve lost my charm.’ She stood in front of the mirror, looking herself over from left to right. ’My body is amazing, and my face is beautiful and captivating!’

’No matter what,’ Zoe Ellsworth thought, ’I absolutely cannot give any other woman an opportunity to swoop in.’

So, she closed the door and, while taking a bath, applied two high-quality masks—one whitening and one moisturizing—to her nether regions. After she was done and saw how dewy it looked, she finally got dressed and headed to the beauty salon.

Then, she went to a lingerie shop and bought a black thong. When she got home, she had the staff prepare two bottles of fine red wine and place them in the bedroom.

Zoe Ellsworth waited for evening to arrive.

As dusk fell, she began repeatedly urging Herman Hawthorne to come home.

Half an hour before he was due to arrive, she turned the heat up high in the bedroom, then sat at her vanity to put on makeup.

The red wine was opened, waiting quietly for his return.

Hearing footsteps on the stairs, she quickly shut the door and stood behind it.

The door opened. He stepped inside and had just closed it, about to turn on the light, when she wrapped her arms around him from behind and called out coquettishly, ”Honey~~~”

That one word was enough to give Herman Hawthorne goosebumps.

He reached out, flipped on the light, and turned around. His eyes lit up. The woman before him was as captivating as a seductive little pixie.

He raised an eyebrow, a slight laugh in his voice as he looked at her. ”Were you in such a hurry for me to get back just so I could see you in this captivating state?”

She pouted her little red lips, speaking coyly. ”Not entirely, of course. I want to play a game with you next.”

He slowly stepped forward and embraced her. ”You’re so enchanting tonight.”

Zoe Ellsworth just smiled without a word, but inside she was bursting with pride. ’Of course. I did this on purpose. A smart woman has to know how to keep an eye on her man. He might be a good man, but there will always be bad women trying to steal an outstanding man like him.’

As the original wife, every time she saw stories online about mistresses successfully taking over, she would viciously complain about them.

”Honey~~ I’m so thirsty~~~”

Herman Hawthorne looked at her and couldn’t help but smile. ”Alright, then how about I come quench your thirst for you right now?”

She handed him a wine glass half-filled with red wine, downed her own in one go, and said, ”Drink up. We’ll play after you finish.”

He did as she said. Watching his Adam’s apple move, Zoe Ellsworth’s heart fluttered.

She then refilled both their glasses halfway.

”Let’s play rock-paper-scissors. The loser has to take a drink.”

”Okay.”

The two of them started playing, having a great time.

Just then, his phone suddenly rang, but she grabbed his arm to stop him. ”Don’t answer it. Let’s keep going.”

He was gentle and refined. With a sudden smile that dazzled her, he said, ”Alright. I’ll listen to you. Nothing else matters. I’ll focus on being with my dear little wife.”

But Zoe Ellsworth’s mind changed in an instant. She stretched lazily. ”I don’t want to play anymore. Honey, go take a shower. Let’s go to bed.”

He traced a finger over her nose and said, ”Alright. Whatever you say.”