Mr. CEO, You Look Strangely Familiar

”Ahem. I hear foreign men are pretty strong and well-built. Just imagine if Zoe brought a foreign boyfriend back with her. That would be a sight to see,” he said, fanning the flames.

Herman Hawthorne’s expression tensed, and he gave a dry laugh. ”How is that possible? Zoe spent three years in high school abroad and never had a boyfriend. You think she’s going to find one and bring him back after just a day or two?”

”You never know. Fate works in mysterious ways.”

”Ha. Young Master Grant, it’s easy for you to say that when it’s not your problem. On behalf of the general public, I utterly despise you for pouring salt on the wound.”

”My pleasure. Don’t mention it.” Seeing Herman on the verge of losing it, Quentin Grant had to stop himself from bursting out laughing.

Herman calmed himself and then asked, ”Tell me... does Zoe love me?”

Quentin Grant offered the same two-word reply: ”Who knows?”

”How can I tell if she really loves me? Hurry up and tell me. Back then, with you and Nora, how could you tell?”

Quentin Grant shook his head. ”That’s a secret between the two of us. How could I share it with you? Besides, Nora and Zoe have completely different personalities. Even if I told you my method, it wouldn’t necessarily work on Zoe. It could even backfire completely. You’re better off not pinning your hopes on this.”

”Some friend you are.”

”However,” Quentin Grant continued, ”if you were to deliberately flaunt another woman in front of her, you could probably tell. If she loves you, she’ll definitely get angry and jealous. Of course, it could also cause an irreparable situation. She might have been on the verge of getting together with you, but after seeing that, she could decide to give up on you for good. Who can figure out a woman’s mind? It’s a mystery.”

Herman was torn. ”So, you think I should give it a try?”

”That’s for you to decide. But if it fails, don’t come blaming me. I’m not telling you to do anything; it’s all on you. On the other hand, if you succeed, you can find a way to thank me.”

Herman Hawthorne pointed an index finger at him. ”Devious.”

”Takes one to know one.”

He stood up. ”I’m a little tired. I’m heading back to get some rest.”

With that, he turned to leave Quentin Grant’s office.

”Tough workout last night?” Quentin Grant’s voice called out from behind him.

Herman Hawthorne paused at the door and spat a single word at Quentin Grant. ”Scram.”

”Hahaha.”

Herman Hawthorne drove home.

He took a bath, and when he lay down on his bed, he actually fell asleep.

He was jolted awake by a call from one of his subordinates.

”What is it?”

”...”

He shot up in bed. ”Keep a close eye on her. I’m taking the private jet over there right now.”

After hanging up, fury blazed in Herman Hawthorne’s chest. ’Just as I thought! The moment I’m not watching her, she starts playing the field!’

A three-hour flight brought him abroad, to the capital of a country near Alveria.

Herman Hawthorne quickly made his way to his subordinate’s location.

Inside a hotel.

Zoe Ellsworth was in the middle of a dinner meeting with her regular wholesale suppliers—two men and another woman.

When she suddenly saw Herman Hawthorne standing in the doorway, she thought her eyes were playing tricks on her.

But her eyes weren’t deceiving her; it was really Herman Hawthorne.

”How did you know I was here?”

He smiled from the doorway. ”Aren’t you going to invite me in for a bite? I haven’t eaten.”

Zoe Ellsworth was left speechless by his audacity. ”Come on in, then.”

Herman Hawthorne sat down beside her. ”You spent three years studying abroad and had to rely on translators the whole time. Zoe Ellsworth, for someone who didn’t learn a thing, you’ve got a lot of nerve, having dinner with a bunch of foreigners.”

”What’s the big deal? So what if I don’t speak the language? The translator does. Can’t you see there’s a female translator right here?” As she said it, Zoe Ellsworth felt a pang of embarrassment. Other people studied abroad and came back perfectly fluent. She, on the other hand, was clueless about everything beyond simple phrases like ”hello” and ”I’m sorry.”

Herman Hawthorne brushed it off. ”It’s one thing for a woman to be a little slow, but if she’s disobedient on top of that, then she’s just hopelessly dumb.”

He had just finished speaking when one of the male wholesalers across the table asked, ”Is this gentleman a friend of Miss Ellsworth’s?”

The translator was about to interpret, but Herman Hawthorne waved her off. ”No need. I can speak it.”

He then began conversing with the man opposite him in the fluent foreign language that Zoe Ellsworth so envied.

”Yes, I am her friend.”

”Oh! I’m surprised you speak our language. Miss Ellsworth looks so young, I thought you were her boyfriend.”

Herman Hawthorne chuckled. ”I’m not her boyfriend. I’m her husband.”

The man’s expression froze, and he let out a dry cough.

Zoe Ellsworth couldn’t understand a word they were saying. She leaned in and whispered to Herman Hawthorne, ”What in the world are you saying to him?”

Herman Hawthorne leaned close to her ear and murmured, ”He said you’re very young and that he wants to get you into bed. So I asked if he was married, and he said he already has three kids.”

Zoe cringed, looking at him doubtfully. ”Is that true? For some reason, I find that hard to believe.”

Herman Hawthorne shrugged magnanimously. ”Believe it or not, it’s the truth. If you don’t trust me, go ask the translator.”

As if she would ever ask a question like that.

The other wholesaler spoke up. ”I had no idea Miss Ellsworth was already married. It’s hard to believe. To think such a beautiful and poised woman is already off the market. I was just about to mention that I’m single.”

Herman Hawthorne gave a subtle smile. ”I’m afraid that won’t be possible. My wife is very particular about appearances. A face that’s just barely achieved a human form like yours simply wouldn’t meet her standards.”

The man was doused with cold water once again.

Thanks to Herman Hawthorne’s interference, the dinner meeting wrapped up quickly, though they did manage to sign the partnership agreement in the end.

When Zoe Ellsworth returned to her hotel room, Herman Hawthorne naturally followed her in.

She confronted him directly. ”What exactly did you say to them? I got the feeling they were really unhappy when they left.”

He wrapped an arm around her shoulder, holding her firmly despite her struggles. ”It’s a good thing they were unhappy. If they’d been happy, now *that* would have been a tragedy.”

After he closed the door, Zoe Ellsworth spun around to face him. ”What are you doing here?”

”Fucking you.”

Zoe Ellsworth rolled her eyes. ”I’m tired. I’m going to sleep.”

”Well, I’m not. I slept on the way here.”

Zoe Ellsworth shook him off, kicked off her shoes, and climbed onto the bed. Closing her eyes, she warned, ”If you touch me, you’re a beast.”

Herman Hawthorne took off his shoes as well and lay down beside her. ”And if I don’t touch you, I’m not a man.”

Zoe Ellsworth rolled onto her back. ”Herman Hawthorne, I heard the woman you love got married. Did you finally get tired of her?”

”I’ve only been with you since we got married. You’re the one who’s profited from this deal, so don’t play innocent.”

”Is that so?” She opened her eyes. ”So you’re that eager to wait on me hand and foot every day, without even getting paid for it?”

”...” He chose not to answer that.

”Actually, I forgot to return something to you.”

”What?”