Mr. CEO, You Look Strangely Familiar

”Daddy! Stop it! Don’t torture Mommy anymore! Don’t eat her, Mommy’s about to die!” Dorothy Ellsworth shot up in bed, her little fists clenched and her face scrunched up as she yelled indignantly.

The couple, startled from their passionate entanglement, quickly pulled the covers over themselves, stunned by their darling daughter’s sudden appearance.

”Dorothy...” Chloe Marshall looked utterly embarrassed. ”Weren’t you supposed to be asleep?”

Dorothy Ellsworth puffed out her cheeks. ”I’m always doing my homework all by myself, and you never keep me company, Mommy. Look at how Daddy’s torturing you! I’ll stand up for you.”

Ethan Ellsworth burst out laughing. ”Sweetheart, do you want a little brother or sister?”

”Of course I do.”

”This is how Mommy and Daddy make you a little brother or sister. You misunderstood me.”

Dorothy Ellsworth looked at Chloe Marshall. ”Mommy, is Daddy telling the truth?”

Chloe Marshall nodded. ”That’s right.”

Dorothy Ellsworth climbed off the bed and fidgeted awkwardly. ”Well then, Mommy, Daddy, you can continue. I’ll... I’ll go back to my room... I hope you have a little sister for me to play with soon.”

Ethan Ellsworth was taken aback. ’She wants a toy?’

”Alright. Good night, Dorothy.”

She kept looking back as she left. ”Good night, Mommy and Daddy.”

Then she hurried out and closed the door.

Chloe Marshall lay there and huffed, ”Great. Now your daughter has seen us. What a terrible influence.”

Ethan Ellsworth lay down beside her, his hand roaming over her body. ”She’s young. She won’t remember. Especially since her intelligence is on par with yours.”

Chloe Marshall was clearly not pleased. ”You’re insulting my intelligence!”

”I’m just stating facts, you silly goose. I’m talking about you.” He then moved on top of her. ”My dear, let’s continue that important task we left unfinished.”

”Turn off the light.”

”I’m leaving it on. This is the only way I can be sure I’m not dreaming, that this is real. Chloe, you’re so beautiful. Why didn’t I realize it sooner?”

”That’s because your eyesight is terrible, Boss Ellsworth.”

”Maybe... perhaps... possibly...”

The next day, Chloe Marshall got up early since Dorothy had kindergarten. She prepared breakfast for her family of three herself.

Once breakfast was ready, the father-daughter duo still hadn’t gotten out of bed, so she went upstairs to wake them.

First, she went to wake Dorothy.

Chloe Marshall pushed open her bedroom door and pulled back the curtains, letting the early morning light stream in.

Then, she leaned over the bed and whispered softly in Dorothy’s ear.

”Time to get up, sleepyhead. Can’t you hear your rooster alarm clock going off?”

Dorothy Ellsworth rolled over and went back to sleep.

Chloe Marshall tried again. ”Dorothy, hurry up and get out of bed. We have to go to kindergarten. If we’re late, your teacher won’t be happy with you.”

Still no response.

Chloe Marshall had no choice but to set off the rooster-shaped alarm clock. A voice blared from it: ”COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO... I’m the big rooster, the big rooster here to wake you up! COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO... Wake up, lazybones... Wake up, lazybones... I’m the big rooster...”

Dorothy Ellsworth sat up, her hair a mess. She rubbed her eyes, glared at the squawking alarm clock, and grumbled, ”What does a big rooster have to do with me? It’s not like I’m a hen.”

Chloe Marshall was speechless. ”...”

After finally managing to get Dorothy out of bed, Chloe Marshall had to go wake the big one.

She did the same in their room, pulling back the curtains before sitting on the edge of the bed. She placed a hand on his hair and ruffled it. ”I just woke up the little sleepyhead. Isn’t it time for the big sleepyhead to get up, too?”

Ethan Ellsworth opened his eyes, his gaze still drowsy. He looked at her and gave a devastatingly charming smile. ”You fool. It’s so nice to wake up and see you every morning.”

Chloe Marshall nodded. ”Me too. Waking up and seeing you first thing every morning.”

They shared a kiss, and he sat up. ”What a beautiful day.”

When they went downstairs for breakfast, Ethan Ellsworth had just sat down at the table when he picked up a newspaper that was lying there.

He opened it and handed it to Chloe Marshall.

”Take a look. It’s about Lillian Bancroft.”

She took it. The headline read: Harrowin’s Supreme Leader Confirms First Spouse; Wedding Date to Be Announced, Sparking Nationwide Celebration.

The paper featured a photo of Lillian Bancroft and Quinn Sullivan.

Chloe Marshall set it aside. ”They’re a great match. I’m happy for him.”

Ethan Ellsworth considered this for a moment. ”He was overbearing, but I’m still grateful he was willing to let you go in the end. Chloe, we should send him a gift. At the very least, it will show him that letting you go was the right decision.”

Chloe Marshall considered this, looking thoughtful for a moment before nodding seriously. ”Okay.”

”Leon Lynch is the godfather to Young Master Grant’s two children. Why don’t we ask Lillian to be Dorothy’s godfather, too? After all, she did call him ’Daddy’ for over two years. Let’s be fair—there are still things I can learn from the way he operates.”

Chloe Marshall nodded. ”Actually, besides restricting my freedom and Dorothy’s, he was very good to us. I really hated him back then, but looking back, he’s the most tragic figure in all of this. We lived together for several years. You can’t just erase those memories. I’m glad you understand, Boss Ellsworth.”

Ethan Ellsworth took her hand. ”No matter how he confined you in the past, if it weren’t for him, we might never have met again. In that respect, I’m grateful to him.”

”I’ll prepare a very special gift for him,” Chloe Marshall said with a gentle smile, and the family started their breakfast.

Dorothy stopped after just a few bites. Chloe Marshall asked, ”Why have you eaten so little this morning? Is that enough to fill you up?”

Dorothy Ellsworth shook her head. ”Mommy, last night I heard you telling Daddy to eat the health tonic Grandma sent. Daddy said he ’had no stomach for it’ and couldn’t finish. Well, I have no stomach for this either, so I can’t finish! A girl has to maintain her figure, otherwise, nobody will like her when she grows up.”

Chloe Marshall couldn’t help but laugh. ”You manage to learn all the useless things but none of the good ones. What figure does a little girl like you need to maintain? Hurry up and finish your milk. People will like you if you eat well and are healthy and strong.”

She patted her little belly. ”But Mommy, look, my tummy is so chubby. Mommy, tell me, now that I’m getting fatter, will Dylan still like me?”

Chloe Marshall corrected her. ”When someone likes you, they like you for who you are, not for your looks. Besides, I need to correct you on something else. You’re several months older than Dylan. You’re the big sister, so you can’t call him ’big brother.’ You should be calling him ’little brother.’”

Dorothy Ellsworth was unfazed. ”But Mommy, I just want to call him my big brother. He’s taller than me, he protects me, and he gives me all the best snacks. Why didn’t you have me a few months later? It would’ve been better if I was like those two, born just a few minutes apart.”

”No more calling him ’big brother.’ You’re the big sister. As the big sister, you’re the one who should be giving good snacks to your little brothers. Do you understand?”