Mr. CEO, You Look Strangely Familiar

Her tears soaked his clothes. Leon Lynch reached out and patted her shoulder. ”Tell me, what happened?”

”They’ve been demanding money from me. I just got paid, so they started asking for it every day. I gave my mom eight hundred, and I needed to save the rest to pay you back. So, every day at noon, they would drag me in here and demand money.”

Leon Lynch never expected something like this could happen within the company.

”This won’t happen again. I promise.”

She nodded, then suddenly stiffened and sheepishly pulled away from him. ”I’m sorry, I... I didn’t mean to do that.”

”I know you did it on purpose.”

Her face instantly flushed red. ”You... I... I didn’t do it on purpose!”

”Then you did mean to do it.” Leon Lynch chuckled for some reason.

Holly Wood stood up and straightened her clothes. ”Mr. Lynch, I’ll be heading home now.”

”I’ll take you.”

She shook her head. ”That’s alright. Taking the bus is very convenient for me.”

Leon Lynch didn’t insist. ”Alright, then.”

The two of them left the restroom, one after the other. They hadn’t gone far when he saw the last person he wanted to see.

”Leon!” Maeve Sutton came jogging over, carrying a lunch box.

”What are you doing here? Did my mom... ask you to come?”

Maeve Sutton shook her head. ”No, your mother didn’t send me. She won’t even let me visit your house anymore. I came on my own.”

Leon Lynch shot her a look, his tone blunt. ”In that case, get out of my sight.”

He waved her away dismissively and turned to leave.

Perhaps Maeve Sutton was used to being rejected, because Leon Lynch’s words had no effect on her.

He walked on, and she chased after him.

Growing increasingly impatient, Leon Lynch spoke directly to the lobby security guard. ”Drag her out. She’s not allowed in here from now on.”

Maeve Sutton yelled, ”Leon, you can’t treat me like this! I’m completely devoted to you, how can you just turn a blind eye?”

Leon Lynch only walked faster, quickly disappearing from view as he stepped into an elevator.

Maeve Sutton was ”escorted” out.

Holly Wood watched the elevator. From inside, Leon Lynch was also looking at her. Their line of sight was severed as the doors slowly slid shut.

In the morning, Nora Ainsworth personally styled Sierra Ainsworth’s hair, pulling it all up to hide the patch where Claire Sinclair had torn some out the previous night.

With her sister’s hair tied up high, Nora Ainsworth stood behind her and looked at their reflection. ”Our eyes are very similar, don’t you think?”

Sierra Ainsworth nodded. ”Sis, your face shape is like Mom’s, and mine is like Dad’s. My nose, too. Your lips are like Dad’s, but mine are like Mom’s.”

Nora Ainsworth took a never-worn outfit from her suitcase for her. ”Our Sierra will look beautiful in this. Put it on, and I’ll take you to school.”

”But Sis, she won’t let me...”

”If she won’t let you, then I’ll make her. I’ll protect you from now on, Sis. The truth is, Sierra, I came here to find my two sons.”

Sierra Ainsworth’s expression changed. ”What happened to my two nephews?”

”She killed their kindergarten teacher and took the children. Their whereabouts are unknown. Your brother-in-law has been investigating for a long time without any leads. It’s obvious she has powerful backing.”

Sierra Ainsworth turned and hugged her sister’s waist. ”Sis, why didn’t you tell me sooner? I know she has a secret base. It’s on the thirtieth floor of the company building and in the basement. Both places are heavily guarded, it’s impossible to get in. For the past ten-plus years, she’s been secretly building up a large force of her own people. Maybe the boys are there! Sis, how old are they?”

”A little over two years old.”

Sierra Ainsworth seemed agitated by the news. ”Sis, just sitting back and waiting for clues is too passive and difficult. We should go on the offensive.”

”But we have to consider two things. First, if we provoke her, she might secretly harm the children. Second, while we know she’s responsible, we have no concrete evidence. That makes things very difficult. Your brother-in-law is trying to find a breakthrough and track down where the boys are.”

Sierra Ainsworth’s shoulders slumped. ”You’re right. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have spent all these years not knowing whether Mom is dead or alive.”

”No matter what, heaven is watching. The children will be alright.”

Sierra Ainsworth nodded. ”I’m not going back to school,” she said. ”I want to do everything in my power to find the boys. Sis, I know my help might not amount to much, but I have to try. To start, I’ll draw detailed maps of the company building and this mansion for you. You might need them.”

Nora Ainsworth nodded. ”Alright. Let’s go down and have breakfast.”

Sierra Ainsworth changed into the clothes her sister gave her, then went downstairs.

Nora sat alone on the bed when suddenly, her computer started beeping. BEEP BEEP BEEP.

She put on her headset, and the audio feed from the bug in Catherine Callahan’s room came through.

”Catherine, darling, you must wear something stunning tonight. Mom had an outfit and shoes prepared for the banquet. I guarantee you’ll have every man’s attention.”

”I know. Is there anything else? I want to get back to sleep,” Catherine Callahan replied, her tone cold.

”I’ll have extra men watch over you tonight. You must be back by nine. If necessary, I’m thinking of eliminating Nora and Sierra Ainsworth. Then, the company will belong to just the two of us, mother and daughter.”

”Whatever.”

”Fine. You get some sleep. I’m heading down now. I’ll have the kitchen prepare breakfast for you; just come down to eat whenever you get up.”

”I know. So long-winded.”

Then she heard the sound of a door closing. Nora Ainsworth took off her headset, a cold smirk on her lips.

’Just as I thought.’

She composed herself and went downstairs for breakfast.

Sitting across from Sierra Ainsworth, Claire Sinclair asked with a broad smile, ”Nora, where’s Quentin? Why isn’t he joining us for breakfast?”

Nora Ainsworth answered calmly, ”A friend of Quentin’s arrived in Draconia. He went to pick them up.”

Claire Sinclair faltered for a moment. ”What friend?”

”Someone you wouldn’t know, Godmother.”

Claire Sinclair’s mind raced. She gave a dry little laugh and said, ”There’s a singles’ party tonight. I’m having both Catherine and Sierra go. Nora, why don’t you come along and help the sisters pick out a man?”

Nora Ainsworth knew she couldn’t refuse. If she didn’t go, Sierra would still have to, and Nora couldn’t bear the thought of her sister going alone.

After what she’d heard from the bug, she was even more uneasy.

”Of course.”

A satisfied smile touched Claire Sinclair’s lips, her voice seamless. ”Eat up, Nora. You’re so thin, a strong gust of wind could blow you away.”

Nora Ainsworth smiled back. ”I may be thin, but I’m tougher than I look.”

She said no more, quickly finished her breakfast, and announced, ”I’m going upstairs.”

She gave Sierra Ainsworth a meaningful look before standing up and leaving the table.

Back in her room, Nora Ainsworth changed into a practical, efficient outfit.

Just as she was preparing her self-defense tools, Sierra Ainsworth entered.

”Sis.”

”Sierra, for the party tonight, don’t wear high heels or an evening gown. I have an outfit for you. You have to change into it before we go.”