Mr. CEO, You Look Strangely Familiar

Carol Young understood this principle perfectly, yet her mother still firmly believed that, given time, he would change his mind. It’s a common folly—to understand the logic, yet fail to grasp that a leopard can’t change its spots. A person’s nature is fixed.

For several days straight, Mrs. Young couldn’t get in touch with Marlon Marshall. Exasperated, she threw open her daughter’s bedroom door and roared, ”Was it you? Did you tell Marlon Marshall not to contact me?!”

Carol Young scoffed. ”If he listened to me, he never would have gotten mixed up with you in the first place. When you die, I wonder how you’ll be able to face my sister and Dad.”

Mrs. Young hadn’t been sleeping well for the past few nights, and her daughter’s words made her even more furious.

She hmphed. ”Look who’s talking. You can’t even manage your own boyfriend. Who’s to blame for that?”

”Did you call Grandma and Grandpa to tell them Dad passed away?”

Mrs. Young replied, ”I did. They’re not well enough to travel. Your grandma is paralyzed and bedridden, and your grandpa has to take care of her.”

Carol Young pulled the blanket over her head, ignoring her. The two closest relatives she had in the world were now driven apart by a man who loved neither of them.

Life had become a monotonous routine for Chloe Marshall. Her period was late, and she couldn’t help but worry.

’This was a fear she couldn’t share with anyone. If she really was pregnant, it was obvious the baby wasn’t Silly’s. His parents would force her to get rid of it. But if she wasn’t, why was her normally punctual period so late?’

In truth, she already had a premonition.

But there were no pregnancy tests here.

’For now, only time would tell. If she was pregnant, her belly would start to show in a few months. If not, that would become clear too.’

While this topic consumed Chloe’s thoughts, Silly’s Mom was also constantly checking on their ”room-sharing” situation.

Silly always told her they had.

This gradually put Silly’s Mom at ease.

Her attitude toward Chloe Marshall improved considerably as well.

However, life here was crushingly dull, devoid of any pleasure, and escape was impossible.

To relieve her boredom, Silly would tell her happy stories from his childhood.

The more time she spent with him, the more Chloe Marshall felt that aside from being a little domineering, he was good in other ways, especially to her. But the fact remained that he was imprisoning her. No matter how well he treated her, it meant nothing compared to setting her free.

After all, she was the one who ended up eating the rest of the roast chicken he’d brought back from the river a few days ago.

Just as she got out of bed, Silly’s Mom came over and said to her, ”Take this little box and get me some of your urine.”

Chloe Marshall thought she had misheard. ”What? Urine?”

”Yes. Hurry up,” Silly’s Mom urged.

”Okay.”

Chloe Marshall did as she was told. When she awkwardly brought out the sample, she saw Silly’s Mom take out a pregnancy test and dip it into the urine.

She instantly understood what was happening.

A pregnancy test.

Chloe Marshall’s heart immediately started pounding with anxiety.

Her eyes were glued to the red line rapidly rising on the test stick.

As the indicator line shot all the way to the top, Chloe Marshall’s eyes widened.

Two red bars appeared before them.

”Guess it wasn’t a waste of a trip to the market for Silly’s Dad after all,” Silly’s Mom said, then immediately turned and shouted excitedly toward the doorway, ”Silly’s Dad, come quick! It’s positive! We have hope now!”

Chloe Marshall stood there, nearly fainting. She didn’t know what Silly’s Mom meant by ”we have hope now,” but she knew one thing: she was pregnant!

It felt as though all the blood in her body rushed upward and froze, leaving her in utter disbelief.

’This baby is Boss Ellsworth’s. It’s their baby.’

Lifting her head to the sky, she was suddenly overcome with a pang of sorrow.

But behind the sorrow was an overwhelming joy, so much so that she began to cry tears of elation.

’They had only been together once, and she was pregnant. She wondered if this was heaven’s greatest gift and solace to her.’

She didn’t realize someone had approached her side. She turned her head and met his gaze.

A smile bloomed on his face.

”Wife, are we having a baby?”

Chloe Marshall’s smile froze. She hesitated for a moment, but then nodded.

’She was lying to him. If she didn’t, there was no way she could protect this child.’

Silly grinned, looking at her. ”Wife, we have a baby. I’m gonna name him now. Don’t know if it’s a boy or a girl.”

”It’s a little early to pick a name.”

Silly’s Mom ran out of the house excitedly and said to Silly, ”Oh, my silly son, quickly help your wife to the bed so she can lie down.”

Silly nodded vigorously, helped Chloe Marshall lie down, and held her hand tightly, refusing to let go.

Chloe Marshall looked into his innocent eyes and suddenly felt a pang of guilt. ”Silly, I’m sorry,” she said.

He lay down on his side next to her. ”I’m the one who’s sorry. I’m sorry you don’t have your freedom. Wife, I’ll be good to you.”

Chloe Marshall placed a hand on her stomach. She did a quick calculation in her head. ’This baby should be about 25 days old.’

’It’s almost been a month.’

’No matter what, she had to protect this little life.’

Silly watched the gentle expression on her face, his own gaze growing deep and profound, his expression turning incomparably cold.

**

Today was the eighth of the month. Ethan Ellsworth’s acting career was officially back in full swing after being put on hold due to Chloe Marshall’s sudden disappearance.

He was now on his way to a foundation to participate in a charity event.

Dressed in a blue trench coat, his face obscured by sunglasses and a flat cap, he parked his car at the company entrance and switched to the agency’s van.

His agent, sitting beside him, asked again, ”Ellsworth, are you really going to be okay?”

He forced a smile. ”I haven’t forgotten that I’m a celebrity.”

The agent nodded, then looked at Alice. ”Your job is to screen all questions and keep them focused on the charity. Block any reporter who tries to ask about his personal life.”

Alice nodded and replied gently, ”Understood.”

The agent continued, ”Are you up to speed on all your duties as an assistant?”

”Yes, I’m familiar with everything.”

”Good.”

The van arrived at the foundation’s entrance.

A crowd of reporters who had been waiting for them swarmed forward. As usual, they shoved their microphones in his face, and Alice quickly worked with another male assistant to block them and clear a path.

All sorts of questions about his private life were thrown at him, but Ethan Ellsworth simply kept a smile on his face the entire time and didn’t say a single word.

When the event was over, he made a hasty exit.

As the car passed Angel Bride Photography, his gaze fell upon a white wedding dress in the display window. Looking at the mannequin wearing it, he instantly pictured Chloe Marshall’s face on its head.

She was standing there, smiling shyly at him.

In the blink of an eye, the image vanished.

Ethan Ellsworth pulled his gaze away. Back at the company, he checked his schedule. There was a new drama next month, but the female lead had yet to be determined, as she was to be recommended by the investors. For the rest of this month, his schedule was packed with promotional tours, television appearances, and other events all across the country.