Mr. CEO, You Look Strangely Familiar

He turned, putting his arm around Nora Ainsworth as he quickly walked out.

Claire Sinclair’s face was ashen. ”Is that your son? Has he been bewitched by that little vixen?”

Mrs. Grant said, her head aching, ”Tell me about it.”

Claire Sinclair sat down again. ”Later, we’ll go do the DNA test. If it’s successful, we’ll leave this place. I’ve owed Catherine for so long, I need to make it up to her properly.”

Mrs. Grant nodded. ”Of course. You should go upstairs and see her.”

Claire Sinclair nodded, rose with poise and elegance, and headed upstairs.

She arrived at Catherine Callahan’s bedroom, locked the door behind her, and walked step by step toward the bed.

”You knew I was here, yet you didn’t come down.”

Catherine Callahan slowly sat up. ”What are you doing here?”

Claire Sinclair retorted, ”If I hadn’t come, would you have been able to get out?”

”I don’t want to see you.”

”No matter how much you don’t want to see me, I’m still your mother. It’s been so long. Can you still not forgive me? Besides, your father is already gone...”

As if triggered, Catherine Callahan thrashed about, her eyes brimming with tears. ”If it weren’t for you, would he have died? When you threw yourself at that man, did you ever think about him? Did you ever think about me?”

Claire Sinclair fell silent for a moment. ”If I hadn’t been thinking of you, would you have been able to stay so comfortably in Alveria?”

”Don’t give me that sanctimonious crap. From the moment you abandoned my father and me, we were no longer mother and daughter.”

A pained expression crossed Claire Sinclair’s face. ”I didn’t do all this just for myself, Catherine. Mom did it partly for you. You’re my only child. I fought for all those things not just because I refused to accept my lot, but also because I wanted you to have a good life. Don’t you want to live a life of luxury forever?”

Catherine Callahan lay there, her eyes staring blankly into space. ”Don’t say it was for me. It was only for yourself. Are you here to take me back with you? To take me back out in the open? Aren’t you afraid he’ll get suspicious?”

”Catherine, Mom would never hurt you. If they really find that child, you’ll lose your chance forever. In the beginning, how could you have gotten close to Quentin Grant without Mom’s help? Then you, you silly girl, gave up on your own. Mom didn’t say a single word of complaint. When you came back still wanting to be with him, Mom did everything she could to support you in secret. These last few days, I hadn’t heard from you, so I knew something must have happened. I investigated and was shocked to find Quentin Grant had locked you up. If I hadn’t come, you’d still be in there. Catherine, stop being angry with Mom. Just listen to me, okay? I’ll never harm you. If you still want to be with Quentin, I’ll send people to kill his two sons and that woman. We’ll force him to stay by your side. How does that sound?” Claire urged earnestly.

Catherine Callahan looked at her. ”If you get rid of those two bastards and Nora Ainsworth, I have no objection. But as for Quentin... I don’t think he would get back together with me, even without Nora Ainsworth.”

”If you’d just let him go, Mom can introduce you to other men, men just as outstanding as he is. Can’t you just consider someone else?”

Catherine Callahan said nothing. Then, she looked at Claire Sinclair. ”Mom, let’s make a deal. If you kill Nora Ainsworth and those two kids without leaving a trace, I’ll forgive you for everything you’ve done.”

Hearing her call her ”Mom” again, Claire Sinclair felt a thrill of excitement. ”What’s the big deal? Killing them will be a piece of cake.”

”Nora Ainsworth is extremely cautious when she goes out, and she’s protected by a large number of Men in Black. The two kids are also heavily guarded. Quentin has gone to great lengths to protect them.”

Claire Sinclair stood up and paced back and forth. ”No matter how tight the security, there are always holes. To deal with a woman like her, you just need to go after the children. Even if we can’t act at her home or on the road, the kindergarten is always an option. In short, there’s always a chance. There’s a saying that’s ugly but true: flies only swarm a cracked egg. Just leave it to me.”

”You can go now. I’m going back to sleep.” Catherine Callahan’s tone was much better than before.

”Alright, you get some more sleep then.” Claire Sinclair stood up and walked out.

In the afternoon, accompanied by Mr. and Mrs. Grant, Claire Sinclair and Catherine Callahan went to a DNA testing center. The results came out a few hours later: they were mother and daughter.

Mrs. Grant’s heart was finally at ease. She said repeatedly, ”This is truly wonderful news. Oh, I can finally let go of more than twenty years of guilt. All these years, it’s been like a nightmare, constantly reminding me.”

”Catherine and I will be heading back together tomorrow. We won’t trouble you any longer.”

”Why not stay a few more days? What’s the rush?”

”Things are quite busy over there, so it’s best we head back early.”

Mrs. Grant could only say, ”Well, if that’s the case, I won’t insist.”

”Nora, I’m sorry.”

Nora Ainsworth took a deep breath. ”It’s no big deal. It was just a slap, right? I’ll just pretend a pig bit me.”

She felt calm as she said this.

”Young Master, your mother is on the phone.”

Nora Ainsworth looked at him. ”Go answer it. Your cell phone is off, so she’s calling the house line.”

He stood up, turned and walked out of the bedroom, and went downstairs.

”What is it?”

”...”

”Got it.”

He hung up before Mrs. Grant could finish, then went back into the bedroom.

”The DNA results confirmed they’re mother and daughter. Tomorrow, Catherine Callahan is leaving with her mother. They’re leaving town.”

Nora Ainsworth felt no joy.

”Quentin, why don’t I feel happy? Instead, I feel really uneasy.”

He sat down beside her. ”I had a bad feeling yesterday, too. But, Nora, they’re gone. They’ve left. Our lives should be peaceful now.”

Nora Ainsworth shook her head. ”No, I don’t think it’s that simple.”

”What do you mean?”

”I think... this is the calm before the storm.”

Quentin Grant’s expression grew heavy. ”Nora, your feeling is the same as mine. It feels like something big is about to happen.”

Nora Ainsworth nodded. ”Quentin, some premonitions don’t just come from nowhere.”

”It’ll be fine. Maybe we’re just overthinking things.”

「Today was the day of the bidding.」

That morning, Jean Grant tied Nicholas Ainsworth’s tie, smiling as she said, ”So handsome.”

Perhaps because he was in a good mood, he gave Jean Grant a good-morning kiss.

”I’m skipping breakfast, but make sure you eat later.”

His gentle voice filled Jean Grant with warmth.

”Okay.”

In high spirits, Nicholas Ainsworth drove to the office.

Once all the preparations were complete, he and his team arrived at the bidding location.

As he got out of the car, he saw another flashy car pull up beside his.

It was Quentin Grant.

”Big Brother.”

Quentin Grant walked up to him. ”Feeling confident about today’s bid?”

Nicholas Ainsworth replied humbly, ”It’ll come down to luck. But with you here, Big Brother, I don’t think I stand much of a chance.”