Mr. CEO, You Look Strangely Familiar

”So you’re saying I’m in the Ashen Period?”

”Is there even a need to say it?” Mrs. Ellsworth grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds, cracking them as she spoke. ”I’m starting to think, that girl Jean, I really don’t know who she takes after. She’s as stubborn as a bull, and she has no brains. What’s more, to put it bluntly, she even aborted her own child when it was a few months along. If that’s not heartless, what is? Women all make mistakes in judgment sometimes, but what does that have to do with the child? I’m not that old-fashioned. I don’t care that she’s divorced, and I wouldn’t care if she’d had the baby. But what I do care about is whether or not she’s truly in love with my son. That’s the most important thing.”

Ethan Ellsworth furrowed his brow. ”You don’t think her feelings are genuine?”

”You’ve suspected it for a while, haven’t you? Why are you asking me?”

A silence fell between mother and son.

”Mom, I’m going to Yarnia tomorrow. Nora had surgery there and still hasn’t woken up. Young Master Grant is watching over her. I’m going to check on them.”

Mrs. Ellsworth looked thoughtful. ”What kind of illness does she have?”

”Early-stage endometrial cancer. But she’s had a uterine transplant now. If she can wake up, she’ll make a full recovery.”

Mrs. Ellsworth sighed deeply. ”Her mother had the same kind of gynecological cancer. I never thought she’d get it too. That child... she’s really had a rough life.”

”But Young Master Grant loves her very much. They’re in love with each other.”

Mrs. Ellsworth replied unexpectedly, ”Being in love also depends on what kind of mother-in-law you get. If it’s someone open-minded like me, that’s a good thing. But if it’s your Mrs. Grant, then it’s hard to say. I’ve heard that goddaughter of hers has been working on herself inside and out lately, all sorts of shady stuff. You can tell just by looking at her that she’s bad news.”

”Yes, I admit it. My mom is better than Mrs. Grant in every way.”

Mrs. Ellsworth sounded dejected. ”A pity I gave birth to a useless thing like you.”

It was late at night again.

Rain began to fall outside, adding to the desolate chill.

Jean Grant lay in bed, her heart pounding with excitement.

The curtains were drawn, and the room was pitch-black.

TICK-TOCK. The time crept past ten o’clock.

Just as she expected, the bedroom door was pushed open.

She opened her eyes and saw a figure.

Not daring to look again, she closed her eyes.

The long night seemed so short.

Eventually, they both fell into a deep sleep.

When Jean Grant woke up in the morning, the man was already gone.

She smiled, took a shower, and changed into clean clothes.

Leaning over the desk, she quickly scribbled a line with a pen: *You always come so late at night. I love this feeling of mystery. It’s so good. Come again tonight.*

She had a courier deliver it to Ethan Ellsworth’s office, just like before.

Ethan Ellsworth had taken Chloe Marshall to catch an early flight to Yarnia, so the package was left lying quietly on his desk.

*

”What time did you get home last night?” The two of them were sitting side by side.

”Eight o’clock.”

He put on an eye mask. ”I’m going to sleep for a bit. Wake me up when we get there.”

Chloe Marshall murmured an ”Mm,” her mind in a jumble.

The plane landed at noon.

When the two of them arrived at the room where Nora Ainsworth was recuperating, their expressions grew heavy.

Chloe Marshall’s eyes reddened. ”Young Master Grant, Nora still hasn’t woken up?”

”No.”

”Has she been fed anything? Won’t she be hungry?”

”We’ve fed her some liquid food.” Quentin Grant’s stubble had grown in, and his face was drawn and weary.

Chloe Marshall sat by the bed, looking at Nora Ainsworth’s closed eyes, and finally, tears began to fall. ”Nora, please wake up. Nora!”

The only response was silence.

She lay there silently, her long hair spread across the pillow, so still she could have been dead.

Her skin was translucently pale, her lips faint in color.

The mood among the three of them was heavy.

**

Because of their tight schedule, Ethan Ellsworth and Chloe Marshall headed back at seven that evening.

They went to the company first and opened the office door.

Ethan Ellsworth immediately spotted the package on his desk.

There was little doubt in his mind who had sent it.

But when he opened it and saw the contents of the note, he stared at it for a long, long time.

The meaning of the note was so explicit it required almost no guessing.

His expression was unbelievably dark.

He threw the package into the trash can and stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

Chloe Marshall picked it out of the trash. After reading it, her heart sank, and she recalled the look on his face.

She immediately felt that something was wrong.

She quickly chased after him, running up to the car as it sped away. ”Boss Ellsworth, give me a ride!”

His driving terrified Chloe Marshall.

The car stopped in front of Jean Grant’s villa.

The front door was slightly ajar; it clearly hadn’t been closed properly.

He got out of the car, and Chloe Marshall followed suit.

Seeing how awful his expression was, she didn’t dare go inside.

She stood there, ready to just go home.

”Don’t go. Come inside with me.”

Chloe Marshall was at a loss. There was a slight tremor in his voice.

It was vulnerability.

She nodded.

She followed him into Jean Grant’s house.

It was pitch-black.

The two of them went straight inside.

The living room was quiet.

Ethan Ellsworth led the way, steadily climbing the stairs.

Chloe Marshall followed carefully behind him, not daring to say a word.

When his foot landed on the stair at the landing, he froze.

Chloe Marshall stiffened as well.

The sounds coming from the bedroom were unmistakably from Jean Grant.

After pausing for only a few moments, he continued up.

She had no choice but to follow.

Ethan Ellsworth threw open the bedroom door, pushing with all his might.

He flipped the light switch, and in an instant, the room was flooded with light.

The sordid scene he had braced himself for unfolded before them.

Jean Grant looked from the smirking face of the man beneath her to the man at the door, her mind going blank for a second.

A moment later, all the color drained from her face.

”AHHH!!!” Like a madwoman, she began to beat Marlon Marshall furiously.

Marlon Marshall grabbed her flailing hands and sneered. ”Babe, it’s already come to this. Are you still going to deny it to the death?”

Then, he looked at Ethan Ellsworth, his provocative gaze speaking volumes.

Ethan Ellsworth could no longer describe what he was feeling.

Panicked, Jean Grant tried to break free from Marlon Marshall’s grasp, but he held her fast.

Chloe Marshall looked at Ethan Ellsworth. Although his face showed little expression, he radiated a terrifying aura.

He watched the scene with a detached air. ”Zoe was right. My love is just that cheap, cheap enough for you to wear it away time and time again. Jean Grant, we’re done. This is the end. And we will never, ever get back together. I find you... utterly filthy.”

Jean Grant, on the verge of tears but unable to cry, shrieked like a madwoman, ”Ethan Ellsworth! I didn’t know it was him! I thought it was you! Forgive me!”

Ethan Ellsworth turned around. In that moment, tears streamed down his face.

Taking a deep breath, he closed the door and went downstairs.

Chloe Marshall followed behind him, still not saying a word.

He quickened his pace, moving rapidly without stopping, and went out the main door.

His body seemed to go limp, and he collapsed into a squat right there.