Mr. CEO, You Look Strangely Familiar

He would rather have nothing than settle, and he would never compromise.

”Godfather, you should stop liking our mommy. She already belongs to our daddy. It’s not right for you to act this way.”

Leon Lynch came over and washed their hair. ”Godfather doesn’t have feelings like that anymore.”

”Then we’re relieved,” Dylan Grant said, then added, ”Godfather, you don’t know this, but our daddy is a total jealousy freak. He gets jealous at the drop of a hat, and the consequences are dire. You’d better be careful from now on.”

Leon Lynch smiled faintly. ”Look at you two, acting like you know it all.”

His eyes grew dim. He pursed his lips. After he finished bathing the two little ones, he took them home.

He drove home alone.

As he was driving down the street, a figure suddenly darted out. Leon Lynch’s eyes widened, and he immediately slammed on the brakes.

Then, he pushed the car door open and got out.

He looked ahead. ”Are you alright?”

The girl he had almost hit was scared out of her wits. She dazedly shook her head.

Leon Lynch thought she looked a little familiar. He leaned to the side to get a better look and realized it was the same young woman from the movie theater, the one who had been in front of Nora Ainsworth.

”It’s you.”

The young woman lifted her head and slowly got to her feet, her eyes red.

”I’m sorry.”

”Are you heading home? I can give you a ride.”

She nodded, her voice a little shy. ”Okay, thank you.”

Once she was in the car, Leon Lynch fastened her seatbelt for her and then drove off.

”Where do you live?”

”Oh, in the Prosperity District in Westgate.”

Leon Lynch mused for a moment. ”Did you just come from the hospital? What about your friend?”

”Mhm, she already went home. She’s mad at me.”

”It wasn’t a big deal, and she didn’t get hurt. Try to relax and not overthink it. Get a good night’s sleep tonight. When you go to school tomorrow, you’ll see that the sun is still shining.”

”I don’t go to school anymore.”

Leon Lynch turned his head and gave her a once-over. ”How old are you? You’re not in school anymore?”

”I’m eighteen. I’m not a kid anymore, I just look a bit younger for my age.”

’The world has really changed,’ Leon Lynch thought. ’How can an eighteen-year-old look so petite? She looks more like she’s fourteen or fifteen.’

He coughed drily. ”I thought you were still in middle school.”

”I dropped out when I was fifteen. Now I work at a flower shop.”

”How much do you make a month?”

”Eight hundred.”

Leon Lynch looked at her again, incredulous. ”You make eight hundred a month, and you’re still treating people to the movies?”

”Tomorrow’s my birthday. I was planning to treat her then, but she insisted on today, so I just said we were celebrating early. Besides, two movie tickets aren’t that expensive.”

”That’s not a high salary. Is eight hundred a month enough for you to live on?”

She smiled shyly. ”Of course it’s enough. I can’t even spend it all. My job provides meals. I keep one hundred a month for spending money and give the rest to my mom.”

He had to admit, Leon Lynch found this rather incredible.

’In his world, a hundred a month for spending money was a pitifully small amount—not even enough for a pack of cigarettes.’

”So after buying two movie tickets, that’s pretty much your whole budget for the month, isn’t it?”

”The two tickets were eighty. That’s the biggest splurge I’ve made in the three years I’ve been working. And a fifteen-a-month subscription lets me read novels for the whole month. I still have five left over, which is enough to get by.”

’This girl is so down-to-earth,’ Leon Lynch suddenly thought.

”So, your biggest hobby is reading novels?”

She nodded enthusiastically. ”After work, I read for a bit, and then I go to sleep.”

”It’s pretty commendable that you still pay to read the official versions.”

”You shouldn’t say that. We work hard, but the authors work hard too. It’s not that expensive, and it’s so fulfilling for me. I think it’s worth it. It’s my only hobby, and it’s not like I have anywhere else to go after work.”

They chatted idly. Through her words, Leon Lynch felt he was meeting such a refreshingly simple girl for the first time.

When they reached the entrance of the Prosperity District in Westgate, he stopped the car. He noticed the complex was old and dilapidated, with no streetlights.

He switched on his high beams, which happened to illuminate the path to her home. He had no idea that this simple act was like a ray of light shining directly into her heart.

”You should head back. It’s getting dark.”

”Okay, thank you so much.” She turned to leave.

”What’s... your name?”

She turned back with a small smile. ”I’m Holly Wood. And you?”

”Leon Lynch.”

”Well, I’ll... head back now, Mr. Lynch. Thank you for the ride. Sorry for all the trouble. Drive safe.”

”Alright. Goodnight.”

He got back in his car and drove off.

Holly Wood watched his car disappear, slowly pulling herself from her reverie. ’A man like that, one of heaven’s favored sons... he’s not someone a person like me can even dream of.’

Leon Lynch drove off. As he drove, he was still in a state of disbelief. ’Is she really eighteen? She just seems like a kid. Am I getting old?’

He thought of her name. ’Holly Wood...’

’Isn’t that the name of a flower?’

’The language of that flower is something like ’gentle persistence.’ It blooms in the morning and wilts by dusk, but each time it withers, it’s only to prepare for an even more brilliant bloom the next time. Those who understand love will also persist with gentleness, because they know that ups and downs are unavoidable. Nothing can shake them from the choice they first made; their faith in love is eternal.’

’So that’s the meaning her name carries.’

’So, will this young woman be like her name?’

Lost in thought, he arrived home.

He walked into the living room and was greeted by the same old sight.

”Done having your fun for the day?” Mrs. Lynch demanded, her face stern. ”Leon, you’re not young anymore. When are you going to settle down? You’re the only heir in this family. If you keep going on like this, when will I ever get to hold a grandchild?”

”Mom, you don’t need to be in such a rush. You’ve been rushing me ever since I was engaged to Nora. You’ve been rushing and scheming this whole time, and it’s led to nothing. So please, stop worrying about my love life.”

”How can I not worry about you? The day you marry Maeve Sutton is the day I’ll stop worrying.”

Leon Lynch sighed. ”My ears are about to bleed from hearing you say that. Stop nagging. My answer is the same as it’s always been: I can’t marry a woman I don’t love. That’s it, I’m going up to bed. Leave me alone.”

Mrs. Lynch wanted to say more, but his words effectively shut her down, leaving her speechless.

Leon Lynch went upstairs, sat on the edge of his bed, and opened a drawer.

He had done this—opening this drawer—countless times before.

Every time he opened it, he saw the same red box lying inside. It held two rings: one he had worn, and one Nora had worn.

The one Nora had worn, however, was fated to never be given away again.

He lay there, his expression filled with a unique sort of cold desolation.

A sliver of the waning moon outside cast a faint glow, illuminating his face.

*