Mr. CEO, You Look Strangely Familiar

”Bro, I saw that woman fall into the pool on purpose! It wasn’t Mommy’s fault, so why did he hit her?”

Dylan Grant gripped his arm tightly and whispered, ”I saw it too. But if you go storming in like this, is it going to solve anything? You’ll just make things harder for Mommy. Come on, I have a great idea.”

He forcibly dragged Leo Grant out from the crowd of extras.

When Lillian was pulled out of the water, she was shivering all over, her lips blue.

Filming was out of the question for the morning, so they had to send her back to the hotel to rest.

Her assistant and agent supported her as they returned to the hotel.

Her agent immediately made her a cup of hot coffee and set it down.

She shook off her assistant’s hand. ”You two can leave. I’m going to take a nice, long bath.”

Her agent nodded. ”Lillian, you get some rest. We’ll resume filming this afternoon.”

Then he left with the assistant.

She crossed her arms, walked to the window, and looked down, scoffing. ’Trying to compete with me when you have no backing? Who do you think you are?’

She turned on the heat and, once the room warmed up, shed her wet clothes and stepped into the bathroom.

The door creaked open quietly, and two little figures slipped inside.

Tiptoeing carefully, the two of them took out two packets of chili powder, tore them open, and sprinkled a little onto her underwear. Since the underwear was red, the small amount they added was completely unnoticeable.

Then, they dumped the rest into the freshly made coffee, gave it a stir, and slipped out.

About ten minutes later, Lillian emerged wrapped in a bath towel, comfortably drying her long hair.

She glanced at the time and then started getting dressed, putting on her underwear and then her outer clothes.

Humming a tune, she picked up the coffee and took a big gulp, only to spit it right back out before scrambling frantically toward the bathroom.

She turned on the tap and began to rinse her mouth.

Just as she finished rinsing her mouth, a stinging pain flared up down below.

She didn’t pay it much mind and walked back out.

Just then, the director walked in.

”Lillian, are you feeling better?”

Lillian nodded. ”I’m sorry, Director.”

The director sighed. ”I can understand your little fit of pique, but you can’t go playing with your own safety like that. If something had really happened, what would we have done? Who would have been responsible?”

Lillian froze. ”Director, you know?”

The director crossed his legs. ”The camera footage shows it crystal clear. Nora Ainsworth didn’t even touch you. If this video were to get out, it would leave a stain on your career, you know.”

Lillian’s expression tightened. ”Director, you’re not thinking of—”

”Oh ho ho, I wouldn’t go out of my way to make things difficult for you. But if you don’t give me a little something for my trouble, how can I justify keeping my mouth shut? After all, I even slapped Nora Ainsworth twice for you.”

Lillian gritted her teeth, got up, and locked the door from the inside.

Just then, the pain down below made her cry out involuntarily. ”Ah!”

The director turned his head and saw her rubbing herself with both hands, her face twisted in agony.

”What’s wrong?”

Lillian could barely walk. She pointed down below, the pain searing hot.

Confused, the director got up and walked over to her, asking uncertainly, ”Lillian, what’s the matter?”

Lillian threw herself at him, collapsing into his arms. ”Director, it hurts so much! Can you help me to the bathroom?”

The director immediately nodded. ”Of course, of course.”

He helped her into the bathroom, where Lillian grabbed the sink for support. Completely ignoring the director’s presence, she frantically began splashing cold water on the burning area.

The director stood to the side, dumbfounded.

He stepped forward, hugged her from behind, and placed his hand on the area she was washing.

A wave of coolness brought Lillian considerable relief.

As a matter of course, she leaned back into his embrace.

”Mom, I know. Don’t worry, okay? I’m hanging up now.” Zoe Ellsworth hung up the phone and sat in her chair, her gaze distant.

Her mother-in-law had been pressuring her to have a child recently, and each time, Zoe could only put her off, saying it would be ”soon, very soon.”

But ”soon” always got lost in the excuse of never having enough time.

She knew he didn’t want children.

She wasn’t her nineteen-year-old self anymore.

Her thoughts were different, and she understood more now.

After living together for so many years, she understood, of course. He had kept his word flawlessly, and in doing so, had given her a marriage with sex but no love.

The initial competitiveness, the drive to defend her marriage—she no longer had that same energy anymore.

She was growing tired of the coldness that followed their intimacy.

’This empty shell of a marriage... it’s been meaningless from the very beginning.’

Bianca Rhodes’s constant pestering had also completely lost its sting.

Now, whenever Bianca showed up every few days, Zoe Ellsworth could treat her as if she were invisible.

’For someone to debase themselves so relentlessly, time and time again... it’s not something a normal person would do.’

”A big client is here. Aren’t you, the proprietress, going to get up and greet me?”

Zoe Ellsworth couldn’t even be bothered to look up at the sound of her voice.

”You call yourself a big client? After you already blew through ten million? I wonder where you scraped together this dirty money you’re flaunting now.”

Bianca Rhodes scoffed. ”Sigh. You know, you’re actually quite pitiful. I almost don’t have the heart to tell you... Of course, Herman gave me this money. He even told me not to tell you. So, your family’s money ends up with me, and I use it to buy your clothes. Doesn’t that basically mean you’re giving them to me for free?”

She couldn’t hide her smug satisfaction.

Zoe Ellsworth stood up, her expression calm as she looked at her. ”Is that so? But even if you are using my family’s money to buy my clothes, so what? I have a feeling you still won’t be able to afford them.”

Bianca Rhodes pointed. ”That dress, and that one over there. Wrap them both up for me. I’ll take them.”

A smile played on Zoe Ellsworth’s lips, but she didn’t move. ”Allow me to ask first, did you bring enough money? I’d hate for you to find out you really can’t afford them.”

Bianca Rhodes sneered. ”What, are your clothes made of diamonds? It’s just a few million. I can afford it!”

With that, she pulled a card from her purse and slapped it down in front of Zoe Ellsworth. ”Here. Run it.”

Zoe Ellsworth glanced down at the card, took it, and ran it without another word. She then handed it back. ”All set. Have a nice day, miss.”

Her voice was gentle.

Bianca Rhodes felt incredibly vindicated. She took her card and the bags and swaggered out the door.

Zoe Ellsworth stared at her retreating back and let out a cold laugh. ’So proud of yourself? Just you wait. You’ll be crying soon enough.’

Bianca Rhodes took her new clothes to Kiss & Tell, a bar where she had arranged to meet an old friend.

”Bianca, those clothes must have been expensive, right?” her friend said with envy. ”I hear most people can’t afford anything from Zoe Ellsworth’s shop.”

”So what if her stuff is expensive? I can still afford it,” she said, a wide grin spreading across her face. ”These two pieces weren’t that much, probably just two or three million.” ’After all,’ she thought, ’I have fourteen million on my card. It’s more than I can spend.’