Mr. CEO, You Look Strangely Familiar

”Bianca, you’re so rich,” a group of her friends complimented. ”We’ll just stick with you from now on.”

The envy from her friends made her feel smug. ”Don’t worry about it, it’s on me tonight. It’s nothing, really. Your only job is to eat and drink well.”

For the past two years, without any romance to speak of, she had at least gained a number of friends. This was the only place she could find any comfort.

At her words, her friends launched into another round of insincere flattery.

They ordered the most expensive wine and the priciest dishes on the menu.

They didn’t hold back one bit.

They ate, drank, and reveled in the extravagance. Time ticked by, and at eight o’clock, it was time to settle the bill.

The waiter said respectfully, ”Miss, the total comes to nine hundred sixty-six thousand, five hundred.”

She said dismissively, ”Not even a million? That’s nothing.”

As she spoke, she took out her card and handed it to the waiter with a flourish. ”Charge it!”

The envious stares from her friends made her feel like the leader of the pack. ’It feels so good to be admired,’ she thought.

But a few minutes later, the smile was wiped clean from her face.

”Miss, are you playing games with us? Your card’s balance is only a few cents.”

Bianca sobered up instantly. ”Impossible! Did you transfer the money out of my account?”

Her accusation made the waiter even angrier.

”Call the police.”

A short while later, the police arrived. After an investigation, they confirmed that her card indeed had only a few cents left and that the restaurant staff had not transferred any funds.

It was only then that Bianca realized what had happened. ’Zoe Ellsworth must have been the one who cleaned out the account.’

Furious, she tried to call Herman Hawthorne, but as usual, he didn’t pick up. Her call didn’t even go through. It was only after the police called him to explain the situation that Herman finally rushed over.

He settled the bill, and only then did the police leave.

Seeing this, her so-called friends quickly made their exit, each one scrambling to get away faster than the next.

”It was Zoe Ellsworth! I’m going to find her!”

Herman Hawthorne slammed on the brakes and shot her a cold look. ”Alveria is a huge city with countless clothing stores. You just had to go to hers. You did it on purpose, didn’t you?”

Bianca’s expression soured. He had hit the nail on the head.

She had gone there deliberately to provoke Zoe Ellsworth.

But she never imagined Zoe Ellsworth would dare to set her up so brazenly.

”But for her, a business owner, to scam a customer like this—is that right?”

Herman Hawthorne was blunt. ”You walked right into her trap, so why blame someone else? Besides, you got this money from me by threatening suicide. Did you really think I’d fall for that again? There won’t be a next time. Get out. I’m going home.”

Bianca opened the door, got out, and watched him drive away. She stomped her foot in frustration!

She then stormed off to find Zoe Ellsworth, surprised to see the shop hadn’t closed for the night.

It never occurred to her that Zoe Ellsworth was waiting for her intentionally.

”Zoe Ellsworth! You bitch! Give me my money back!”

Zoe stood up and sneered. ”Give it back? On what grounds? First, I didn’t rob you. Second, I didn’t force your hand. So why should I give it back? And let’s not forget, this money belonged to my family in the first place. But even if it didn’t, I have no obligation to give you a refund. Take a look at the sign on the wall: ’Once sold, items are non-refundable.’ You can exchange them, but you can’t get your money back. If you can’t afford things, don’t shop here.”

”You—you... scamming a customer like this! Are you even human?”

”I’d thank you to be specific. How exactly did I scam you?” She shrugged. ”While you were shopping, I gave you a friendly reminder that the clothes here are expensive. I even asked if you were sure you could afford them. You paid without a second thought. What was I supposed to do? You were the one in such a hurry.”

”But are these two worthless pieces of clothing worth fourteen million? Are they literally made of diamonds?”

”They are. The clothes here all come with diamond-level service, so of course they’re more expensive. Think about it, I personally assisted you. Are you still not satisfied? For these two pieces, charging you seven million each was actually a bargain. They were originally eight million apiece. I gave you a discount since you’re so poor. What more could you possibly want?”

Bianca was so furious she could have spat blood.

”You’re just—”

”Anything else? If not, I’m closing up for the night.”

”Of course there is! Zoe Ellsworth, I’ve watched you for two years. How is it that after all this time, you’re still the same lifeless, pathetic mess? You’ve been with Herman for so long and you haven’t even popped out a kid. The only reason Herman hasn’t divorced you is because of your family’s power and influence. Otherwise, he would’ve kicked you to the curb long ago!”

Zoe snorted. ”You’re wrong. We just don’t want children; it’s not that we can’t have them. Unlike you, who’s the one who’s truly barren. When you die, will there even be a single person to shed a tear?”

”Zoe Ellsworth!”

”I’m right here. What’s with all the shouting?” she asked, cleaning out an ear with a look of pure boredom.

Bianca looked like she was about to explode. She struggled to keep her balance as she glared at Zoe. ”If you don’t give me back my money, I’m going to sit right here in your shop and never leave.”

With that, she plopped right down on the floor, making it clear she wouldn’t budge until she got what she wanted.

But Zoe Ellsworth wasn’t the type to be intimidated.

”As much as you seem to want to be my unpaid security guard, I really don’t need one,” Zoe said. ”If you insist, you’ll be putting me in a very difficult position.”

Bianca, still on the floor, shot back, ”Oh, so you admit it’s a difficult position? Then hurry up and give me my money back! Then we can put this whole thing behind us.”

Zoe rolled her eyes. ’Give the money back? In her dreams!’

Calmly, she grabbed a handful of Bianca’s long hair and dragged her out the door. Then, amidst a piercing shriek, she shut the door, locked it, and left.

”Zoe Ellsworth, I hope you’re abandoned for the rest of your life! You bitch, I hope you die a miserable death!”

Zoe paid Bianca’s words no more mind than the ravings of a lunatic.

She got in her car and drove away.

Bianca, with a belly full of rage and nowhere to vent it, viciously kicked the shop door a few times before stalking off in miserable disgrace.

Zoe drove home and parked in front of the main gate. She was about to use her key when the gate opened automatically. Herman was standing in the doorway, watching her.

”Why are you so late tonight?”

She walked past him, replying as she went, ”Hm. Ran into a stray dog. Had to take care of it before I could come home.”

Herman followed her inside, finding himself at a loss for words.

”I heard you gave Bianca quite a bit of money,” she said, walking into the living room. She tossed her purse onto the sofa, calmly poured a cup of tea, and spoke without a trace of emotion in her voice.

”Mm,” was his only response. He didn’t elaborate.

”Herman Hawthorne, in this world, nobody is indispensable. The only thing that matters is whether I, Zoe Ellsworth, am willing to continue. If you don’t want to maintain this marriage anymore, or if you feel it’s become too difficult, just tell me directly. I won’t argue. I’ll grant your wish.”

He froze. ’Divorce?’

’He’d never even considered it.’

”I’m not going to divorce you.”

She turned and gave him a smile. ”Then I’ll divorce you instead.”