Mr. CEO, You Look Strangely Familiar

It wasn’t until she was breathing in the crisp, cold outside air that she could finally take a deep breath and calm her nerves.

That was terrifying.

She pulled her clothes tighter around herself and headed back to her bedroom.

Halfway there, she remembered her arrangement to meet Ethan Ellsworth tonight.

’Where are we meeting?’

She made a point of going near the dining hall, only to find that, just as she’d suspected, Ethan Ellsworth wasn’t on duty tonight.

With a shift in her thoughts, Chloe Marshall returned to her bedroom door. She had a premonition, a feeling from nowhere, that he was somewhere nearby.

She glanced at the soldiers guarding her bedroom door before pushing it open and stepping inside.

’He can’t possibly be in the room,’ she thought. ’The security here is too tight. They wouldn’t even let a mosquito in, let alone a person.’

’But he said we would meet. Where could it be?’

Chloe Marshall sat down and took out the note. She studied it carefully, thinking for a moment, then burned it. Putting on her hat, she opened the door once more.

”Ma’am, do you have any instructions?”

She calmly shook her head. ”No instructions. I just can’t seem to sleep. I’m going for a walk.”

”Very well.”

Her pace was deliberately slow, as always. She eventually made her way to a small grove. The tree trunks were bare, but the area was pitch-black and had no security cameras.

Standing at the edge of the woods, she scanned her surroundings, her heart pounding with fear.

Then, she slowly walked inside.

She had only taken a few steps when a pair of arms suddenly wrapped around her from behind. Chloe Marshall nearly screamed, her heart leaping into her throat.

But she knew, almost instantly, that the person holding her was Ethan Ellsworth.

She would never forget his scent, could never mistake it.

”Boss Ellsworth, is... is that you?”

Still, she had to be sure.

He was breathing heavily, his arms tightening around her.

”It’s me.”

Chloe Marshall turned, and in the faint moonlight, she saw his face.

It was really him.

Tears streamed from her eyes.

Then, she threw her arms around him, choking out, ”Boss Ellsworth.”

Tears fell from his eyes as well as he cupped her face in his hand.

”You idiot. How could you be so foolish? You got lost and couldn’t find your way home.”

Chloe Marshall placed her hand over his as it cupped her cheek. His hand was freezing.

”Boss Ellsworth, I missed you so much.”

Her words made all the questions Ethan Ellsworth had wanted to ask vanish in an instant. He captured her lips, and she responded with equal passion.

In the cold night, a lingering warmth blossomed.

A warmth he brought to her.

His hand brushed past her ear, her hair slipping through his fingers. He pressed the back of her head, deepening the kiss.

She had never felt so safe, so at peace.

Chloe Marshall felt that true happiness was being by his side. As long as he was there, her world was filled with light.

Then, he held her tightly.

She curled up in his arms.

They held each other’s hands tightly, afraid that a single moment of carelessness would tear them apart again.

Chloe Marshall told him everything, from the moment she was kidnapped to her current situation. She recounted all the details, but when it came to Lillian Bancroft, she only spoke in passing, avoiding the deeper issues.

”The child...” He finally brought it up.

Chloe Marshall wanted to tell him the truth right away, but she hesitated.

It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Ethan Ellsworth, but she was afraid he would tell the Ellsworth family. If word of this ever got out, how could Lillian Bancroft possibly face the people of Harrowin?

He had pushed her and her daughter into this high position; it wasn’t a role they could simply be removed from.

”The child is mine.”

”I know she’s yours—”

Chloe Marshall quickly interjected, ”Today on Dorothy’s phone, I saw a photo. The resemblance to Young Master Grant was ninety percent. The child’s mouth looks just like Nora’s, and the child’s surname is Grant. What a coincidence.”

As she’d hoped, joy lit up Ethan Ellsworth’s eyes. ”Are you serious?”

”Yes. I was shocked when I saw it. I couldn’t believe a child could look so much like Young Master Grant. It’s as if the child is his.”

He grew thoughtful. ”It’s not out of the question. It’s been a long time since Nora left Young Master Grant. It’s entirely possible she was pregnant and had his child.”

This was the first Chloe had heard of this, and she couldn’t quite process it. ”Then where did Nora go?”

”I heard she’s right here in Harrowin.”

”Then you have to go to Dorothy’s preschool and see for yourself someday.”

”I will,” he promised. ”I have to.”

”How is our Zeke doing?”

For a moment, Ethan Ellsworth was at a loss for words, unsure how to tell her.

”He’s gone too. I sent people to search for a long time, but we couldn’t find him.”

Chloe Marshall was filled with worry. ”Zeke left? Where did he go? My situation has been all over the internet for so long. Do you think Zeke has seen it? Do you think he’ll try to find me? He must have, he just can’t get in here.”

Her distress made Ethan Ellsworth feel a pang of guilt.

”If it weren’t for me, none of this would have ever happened.”

Chloe Marshall shook her head. ”Don’t blame yourself.”

”The child...” he began again. ”Is she... his?”

Chloe Marshall desperately wanted to shout, ’No!’

But she couldn’t bring herself to say it.

”I’ll tell you in the future.”

Ethan Ellsworth fell silent, his grip on her hand tightening. ”I only want you.”

Chloe Marshall’s nose stung with the threat of tears. ”Right now, so many things are out of my control. Boss Ellsworth, I’ve realized something... loving each other isn’t always enough to be together.”

Just then, the phone in her coat pocket suddenly rang. Inside the Imperial Palace, only she, Lillian Bancroft, and Dorothy were allowed to have cell phones.

She frantically pulled it out, shushing Ethan Ellsworth beside her before pressing the answer button.

”Where are you?” Lillian Bancroft’s voice was laced with anger.

”I’m taking a walk.”

”I asked, where are you taking a walk?”

”I’m on my way back.” She forcibly ended the call.

Then she said, ”Boss Ellsworth, I have to go.”

He hated this, this control over her. He stood up. ”I’ll find a way to get you out.”

Chloe Marshall thought for a moment, then said, ”If you can get me and Dorothy out together within a month—”

She trailed off.

The truth about the child and everything tied up with it couldn’t be explained in just a few words.

She turned. ”Boss Ellsworth, I’ll explain everything about the child properly in the future. I hope... I hope we’ll have a day when we can be together again.”

”It doesn’t matter if she’s my child or not. I love you.”

Chloe Marshall nodded and walked out of the darkness.

She navigated the winding paths back to her bedroom alone. This was the only place she had accidentally discovered that was free of both guards and cameras.

Just as she was about to go up the steps, she saw him—Lillian Bancroft.

He was standing at the entrance. He didn’t look like he’d been sleeping at all.

She walked up to him. ”Weren’t you going to sleep?”

His expression was frosty. ”Where did you go? Answer me!”

Chloe Marshall answered calmly, ”I already told you. I went for a walk.”