Mr. CEO, You Look Strangely Familiar

Quentin Grant nodded. ”I’ll start making arrangements now. I’ll be waiting downstairs for you. Get ready and come down as soon as you can.”

Nora Ainsworth went back into the room and pulled out her phone to call the director. She told him to film the other actors’ scenes first and that hers would have to wait until she returned. The director immediately agreed. Nora quickly packed some clothes for herself, the two boys, and Quentin Grant, then carried the luggage downstairs.

They took a car to the airport.

Two hundred Men in Black boarded the private jet first; the rest would fly out that night.

Mr. Grant and everyone else called Quentin Grant and Nora Ainsworth. They were all doing their utmost to find the children.

When Herman Hawthorne learned that Quentin Grant had gone to Valeria, he prepared to temporarily hand off all his current affairs so he could take his own men and follow.

Ethan Ellsworth and Chloe Marshall had gone on their honeymoon. They had said they wanted a quiet trip with no interruptions, so their phones were off and they weren’t watching the news. For now, they were still unaware of the situation.

Only Herman Hawthorne knew that Quentin Grant and Nora Ainsworth were headed to Valeria. To avoid exposing their route, they hadn’t even told Mr. Grant.

Seven hours later, the group of children arrived on Valerian soil.

They were locked directly in a basement.

The children, all between two and five years old, had been suddenly abducted. A cacophony of crying filled the noisy basement.

Only the Grant brothers sat together, their expressions calm. Perhaps they subconsciously knew their daddy and mommy would come to rescue them.

Overwhelmed by the constant crying, the guards were at their wit’s end and decided to put sleeping pills in the children’s food to make them drowsy.

However, the two Grant boys secretly threw their dinner away. As they watched their little companions, who had cried themselves to exhaustion, lie down and fall asleep one by one, the two of them became certain there was something wrong with the food.

The only light in the pitch-black basement came when meals were delivered. Now, it was utterly dark. Without the children’s clamor, it was unnervingly quiet.

The two boys huddled closely together. Dylan Grant saw that Elmer Grant was truly exhausted, so he soothed him. ”You sleep for a bit. I’ll sleep later while you keep watch. We can’t both be asleep at the same time.”

Elmer Grant nodded. ”Okay.”

Around midnight, a RUSTLING sound of footsteps began. Elmer Grant quickly and quietly nudged Dylan Grant, and the two children listened cautiously.

A moment later, footsteps descended the stairs. It sounded like two people.

The two boys looked over in unison. The figures were holding flashlights, their movements extremely light, as if they were afraid of waking the children.

”Elmer, pretend you’re asleep. We’ll play it by ear.”

Elmer Grant nodded. They both curled up, feigning sleep.

Sure enough, the two people were coming for them.

Each man picked one of them up and carried them out of the basement. Dylan Grant squinted, scanning the surroundings for any memorable landmarks.

The men brought them to a relatively clean room where a woman was sitting.

”We brought them. I thought we were supposed to kill them? Why are we...” one of the men asked, confused.

”The Madam gave orders. Killing them is easy, but pointless. If we raise them as our own, won’t we be able to take down the Grant Group itself in the future?”

”Oh, I see...”

”All right, you two can leave. I need to start brainwashing them now. They’re very clever; they remember their parents and their phone number. I’m going to make them memorize a lot of new names and numbers to erase their old memories.”

”Understood. We’ll be outside. Let us know if you need anything.” The footsteps faded away. Hearing the door close, Dylan Grant pretended to wake up, rubbing his eyes.

Seeing him wake up, the woman approached and said softly, ”Awake, little one?”

Dylan Grant nodded and patted Elmer Grant, who immediately sat up.

Seeing the woman before them, Elmer said, ”Miss, you’re so pretty.”

The woman chuckled. ”Such a sweet talker. Really? I’m in my thirties, and no one has ever complimented me like that.”

”But miss, you look like you’re in your twenties.”

The woman was absolutely delighted. She sat down. ”Come, children, sit. Today, I’m going to teach you some names. By the way, do you know what your daddy and mommy are called?”

The two shook their heads in unison. ”We don’t know.”

The woman relaxed slightly. She began teaching them various names over and over, attempting to make them forget the family members’ names stored in their minds.

Finally, she made them memorize phone numbers—many different phone numbers. This was an attempt to make them forget their own family’s phone number.

After a long session, the woman finally left.

The door closed, and the two boys finally breathed a sigh of relief.

”Dylan, that woman was so busted, with those gross yellow teeth.”

Dylan Grant sat there quietly. ”It doesn’t matter how gross she is. We do whatever she tells us to. As long as we stay alive, Daddy and Mommy can rescue us.”

”I’ll take a look outside,” Elmer Grant said, jumping off the bed. He pulled back the curtains. It was pitch-black out, but a few lights twinkled in the distance. They were in a high-rise building—a very tall one. ’That must be why there aren’t any security bars on the windows,’ he thought. A visual estimate put them at least thirty stories up.

Elmer Grant turned around. ”Dylan, it’s really high.”

”It will be hard for us to get out of here. Any two adults could just pick us up and carry us off.”

Elmer Grant clenched his fists. ”Damn it all! When will I get to be as tall as Daddy?”

”You will one day. You’re not a balloon that gets bigger just by blowing air into it. Don’t be in such a hurry. You’ll get there.” Dylan Grant’s composure was extraordinary for a child his age.

They talked for a little while longer before lying down, giving each other words of encouragement.

*

「Inside a villa」

At the head of the dinner table sat Luna Ainsworth. Though over forty, his handsome features made him look much younger, not at all middle-aged.

To his left sat Claire Sinclair, and next to her was Catherine Callahan. Across from them sat Sierra Ainsworth. She had melancholy eyes and very long, dark, straight hair, which looked as if it had been growing since she was a little girl.

She was the second daughter of Faye Sinclair and Luna Ainsworth.

”Now that our family is finally reunited, a great weight has been lifted from my heart. Come, let’s have a toast.” Luna Ainsworth raised his wine glass.

Claire Sinclair looked overjoyed. ”Yes, a toast.”

Four glasses clinked together with a clear, crisp sound.

Luna Ainsworth looked at Sierra Ainsworth. ”Your sister is back now. You should spend some quality time with her.”

She murmured a soft ”Mm,” as quiet and delicate as a lotus blossom.

Claire Sinclair said with a wide smile, ”Sierra, dear, your sister just got back. After dinner, you two should have a nice, long chat. And for tonight, how about you sleep in the house I prepared for you, and let your sister have your room? Is that all right?”

Sierra Ainsworth nodded, as obedient as a puppet. ”Of course.”

Luna Ainsworth was very satisfied watching this harmonious exchange between them.

For some at the table, the meal was a joyous occasion. For others, it was an unbearable ordeal.