Mr. CEO, You Look Strangely Familiar

Mrs. Lynch sighed. ”You just got married and you’re already protecting your wife. It’s true what they say, ’a son forgets his mother the moment he gets a wife.’ I regret not having a couple more children back then. If I had, would you still dare to use this against me?”

”It’s not too late to have more now. Science is so advanced, I’m sure it’s possible...”

Mr. Lynch was the first to blush. ”What are you talking about, you little brat!”

Mrs. Lynch immediately looked uncomfortable as well. ”We’re too old for that. What’s this talk about having more kids? Just you behave, and that’ll be enough for me. No matter what happens, you need to remember that I’m still your mother!”

”Yes.”

”Alright.” Mrs. Lynch waved her hand dismissively. ”It’s your wedding day. You’ve been on your feet all day, so you must be tired. Eat and get some rest. However, do not drag the Lynch family into Holly Wood’s family matters. Handle your own business yourselves. And if there’s something you can’t handle, give that girl’s family a sum of money and force her to get rid of the baby. Since there’s no intention of marrying her, it’s better to deal with it sooner rather than later.”

Holly Wood nodded. ”Thank you, Mom. I understand.”

Leon Lynch took Holly Wood’s hand. ”Okay. We’re really tired, so we’ll head upstairs first.”

After the two went upstairs, Mr. Lynch watched them disappear at the top of the stairs and turned to Mrs. Lynch. ”Now that the kids are married, you should try to rein in that temper of yours. You only have one daughter-in-law, yet you treat her like an enemy. This isn’t some feudal society, so don’t put on such airs. Otherwise, you’ll only push Leon and Holly Wood further and further away.”

Surprisingly, Mrs. Lynch actually took her husband’s words to heart.

Perhaps she considered that she would, in fact, want her daughter-in-law to treat her well in her old age. So, for once, she agreed. ”As long as she stays in her place, I won’t go out of my way to cause trouble.”

”A harmonious family prospers. If you and Holly Wood don’t get along, it puts our son in a very difficult position. Besides, a woman shouldn’t get upset during the early stages of pregnancy. Leon said they’ve already started trying for a baby. You should make some nourishing soups for the kids when you have time. Don’t you want to hold a grandchild sooner rather than later?”

Mrs. Lynch stood up impatiently. ”You and your grand principles. I get it, I get it. I’ll go make her a nourishing soup with my own two hands right now. Happy?”

Mr. Lynch chuckled, pushed his glasses up his nose, and picked up the newspaper beside him to read.

Upstairs, the young couple lay on the bed, not wanting to move a muscle.

”Are you hungry?”

”Mhm.”

Leon Lynch got up. ”I’ll have someone downstairs make us some noodles.”

A moment later, he returned with a plate of delicate pastries. ”Have some of these to tide you over. We can eat again when the noodles are ready.”

Holly Wood sat up, took a pastry, and popped it into her mouth. It melted instantly, filling her senses with a sweet fragrance. She smiled and nodded. ”This is delicious.”

”If you like them, eat more. They’re all for you.” He set the plate on the table and watched her eat, unable to resist saying, ”My mom just has a sharp tongue but a soft heart. The things you should listen to, listen. The rest, just pretend you didn’t hear it. Just assume her menopause isn’t over yet.”

Holly Wood burst out laughing. ”Who talks about their own mother that way?”

”I do. I just did. By the way, what was Nora whispering in your ear today?”

Holly Wood looked at him. ”Do you really want to know?”

”Of course.”

”She said you’ll be a great husband, and that you’ll be very, very good to me.”

Leon Lynch chuckled confidently. ”Does that even need to be said?”

Holly Wood laughed softly, then added, ”That’s what *I* said.”

Leon Lynch asked in return, ”Then what did *she* say?”

”Nora said you’re a women’s issues specialist who can cure any complicated problem. Whenever a woman is in a bad mood, you just have to find some jokes online for her. She said some of the jokes aren’t that funny on their own, but they’re hilarious when you’re the one telling them.”

”PFFT!” Hearing this, even Leon Lynch himself couldn’t help but laugh.

”There was a time when Nora and Quentin were giving each other the cold shoulder for a while, and she was in a really bad mood. I told her jokes to cheer her up. I can’t believe she still remembers that.”

As he spoke, he reached out and wiped a pastry crumb from the corner of her mouth. ”Eat slowly.”

Feeling his gentleness, Holly Wood gave a shy smile.

Just then, the sound of Mrs. Lynch clearing her throat came from the doorway.

The couple looked towards the door in unison.

They saw Mrs. Lynch standing there holding a bowl, with a maid holding another bowl right behind her.

Leon Lynch and Holly Wood both stood up and walked toward the door.

Holly Wood took the food from Mrs. Lynch, a little surprised that her mother-in-law had brought it herself. ”Thank you, Mom.”

”Mm,” Mrs. Lynch replied noncommittally.

Leon Lynch chuckled. ”See? I told you our mom has a sharp tongue but a soft heart. She’s just used to being domineering, but she’s actually very kind.”

Mrs. Lynch snorted. ”Just hurry up and eat. The other bowl is a nourishing tonic for Holly Wood to drink. Aren’t you two trying for a baby? It’s about time you had one. Holly Wood might be young, but Leon is about to turn thirty.”

Holly Wood took the initiative to reply, ”I know, Mom.”

Mrs. Lynch said no more, turning to the maid. ”You wait here by the door. Once the Young Master and Young Madam are finished eating, bring the dishes downstairs.”

”Yes, ma’am.”

After Mrs. Lynch left, Leon Lynch closed the door and pulled Holly Wood over to the table to eat.

”I can tell just by looking that Mom made this tonic herself. It has a different taste.”

Holly Wood picked up her spoon, gently scooped up some of the soup, and took a sip. ”Mom is such a good cook. I should learn how to cook properly too, so I can make meals for you and the kids in the future.”

”Mhm, just focus on being a good housewife. I don’t need you to earn money, Holly Wood. As long as you manage the household well, that’s enough. We have maids, so you don’t have to do chores, but a bit of cooking is fine.”

”Okay.”

”Leon, do you... prefer a girl or a boy?”

”A girl.”

”Why? You’re the only son in our family...”

”I already have two godsons, so I’d like a daughter. Besides, I think we should just let nature take its course. A daughter can carry on the family line just as well...”

His words relieved some of Holly Wood’s pressure.

Seeing her silence, he said, ”I know you must feel a lot of pressure to have a boy, being married into a family with an only son like mine. It doesn’t have to be that way. A boy or a girl, they’ll both be my child. Holly Wood, my mom may prefer boys, but she’s not so extreme that she’d demand a divorce if you can’t produce a son. So please, relax.”

Holly Wood nodded, and the two continued their meal together.

After they finished, they had the maid clear the dishes.

The two sat snuggled together on the bed, watching TV and digesting their food. It wasn’t good to be too active right after a meal.

Just as they finished watching a show, an entertainment news segment came on.

”Today is the wedding day of Lynch Group’s President, Leon Lynch. As he happily takes home his beautiful bride, Mr. Lynch’s past love life has also been brought to light. Aside from his several former girlfriends, his most well-known relationship was with Nora Ainsworth. According to our sources, Nora Ainsworth once lived under the Ainsworth Family’s roof, and the two were engaged at the time due to their parents’ matchmaking...”

As the anchor reported the news, a very old photo of the two of them was displayed on screen.

Leon Lynch immediately switched off the TV with the remote. ”This is so boring. They’re always dredging up the past to make news.”

Holly Wood put her phone aside. ”I just checked my phone. There’s no trace of what happened at the wedding today online. We really have President Grant to thank for that.”

”Yes. But I think the real issue is that this June Walsh is not someone to be taken lightly. That baby she’s carrying... the sooner it’s dealt with, the better. We can’t procrastinate. Delaying won’t solve anything.”

”She definitely won’t get rid of the baby willingly. I don’t know why she’s doing this, or why she’s so stubborn, when she knows it won’t do her any good.”

”If she’s not willing to get rid of it, then we’ll help her get rid of it...”

Hearing this, Holly Wood subconsciously blurted out, ”You mean we should force her...”

”Do you think there’s a better way right now? Besides, once her belly starts showing and that baby is born, it’ll be a tangled mess for the rest of our lives.”

’If two people who don’t like each other at all are tied together for life...’ Holly Wood thought of the deeper implications. ’Once that baby is born, my brother will never be able to escape her entanglement for the rest of his life...’

’If he wants to find a woman he truly loves in the future, this will always affect him...’

’It would be better to...’

”Leon, I’ll listen to you. But I think I should try talking to her first. If there’s absolutely no other way, then we can do it your way. Is that okay?”

”Alright. But for now, let’s not think about any of that. Tonight is our wedding night. Shouldn’t we...”

”Mmm...”

Nicholas Ainsworth had been far from his usual energetic self these past few days. For one, he was bogged down by negative press, and on top of that, something had happened to Toby Dalton. For the moment, he couldn’t even get in touch with him.

He discussed it with Martin Grant and decided to go to Grestin to check on Toby Dalton himself. It wasn’t convenient for Martin Grant to go, so Nicholas had to make the trip personally.

”Nicholas, try looking for Miss Callahan again.”

Nicholas Ainsworth didn’t want his father to keep obsessing over Catherine Callahan. ”Dad, you probably won’t be able to see her again.”

”Why? Is it because she doesn’t want to see me anymore?”

”That’s not it. Even if she wanted to see you, it’s impossible now.” Nicholas Ainsworth said this while packing, placing his laptop into his bag.

”Then why?” Mr. Ainsworth guessed. ”Did something happen to her? Or did she get married?”

”Marriage is probably impossible for her. To be frank with you, her mother has already been secretly disposed of, and she’s been dealt with as well. She won’t be alive. The person she offended is no ordinary figure.”

”Who could be so ruthless as to do such a vicious thing?”

Nicholas Ainsworth looked at him. ”It was Quentin Grant. And Nora.”

”What?! What grudge could they possibly have to murder someone as kind as Miss Callahan?”

”It’s a long story, and it wouldn’t do you any good to know.”

”Nora... Is she getting revenge on me...”

When this thought occurred to Mr. Ainsworth, a chill ran down his spine. ”After all, the way I treated her and her mother back then...”

”If Nora really wanted revenge on you, she would have done it long ago. I doubt that’s it. Stop overthinking it. That Miss Callahan was just putting on an act with you, anyway.”

”The more I think about it, the more suspicious it seems...” Mr. Ainsworth stood up and started walking out.

”Dad, where are you going?”

”Don’t worry about it,” his voice echoed from a distance.

Nicholas Ainsworth was in a hurry to catch his flight, so he didn’t have time to ask for details.