Mr. CEO, You Look Strangely Familiar

Nora Ainsworth sat at the head of the table, looking at the preschool teachers and four cafeteria ladies. She began, ”Our preschool isn’t large—we only have a few dozen children—but our top priorities must be safety and a warm, caring environment. Safety primarily means educating the children about it, protecting them, and stopping anyone who might wish them harm. Additionally, there’s food safety. Starting today, I will be hiring a professional chef to prepare all three meals for the children. While the chef is cooking, the four of you must set the tables with dishes and utensils in advance. Furthermore, we will have staff at the cafeteria entrance to check if you are carrying anything that could be harmful to the children. Someone will also be assigned to monitor the security cameras at all times. The teachers must be patient with the children. Families have fewer children these days. Our own children are treasures, but so are everyone else’s. If one of our children gets into a conflict with another, you must treat them equally. This is non-negotiable.”

She unscrewed a bottle of water, took a few sips, and continued, ”Employees must supervise one another. If you discover anything that threatens a child’s life, you can report it directly to me. Once the situation is verified, in addition to termination, I will ensure the person faces the most severe punishment. I absolutely will not go easy on them. The person who reports it will receive a cash bonus, which will be included with that month’s salary.”

This last part sent a chill down Saphira Sutton’s mother’s spine. ’I thought working in the cafeteria and serving the children’s meals would make my plan so easy,’ she thought. ’I never expected this newcomer, Nora Ainsworth, to be willing to spend so much money on this.’

”Director, isn’t the tuition for these children less than what you’re paying the people you’ve hired? Will you even make a profit this way?”

Nora Ainsworth smiled. ”It’s not expensive. They’re family. They were just idle at home anyway. Besides, our school isn’t accepting new students this year, and we’ll only accept fifty next year. You are not allowed to tell the other students in the class that Dylan and Elmer Grant’s mother is the director. You must adhere to this. The children are young, so it’s normal for them to be noisy and squabble. Don’t put any extra pressure on them.”

”Director, how will our salaries be calculated?” one of the teachers asked.

”I’ve reviewed the salaries the previous director was paying you, and I’ll be giving everyone a significant raise. The teachers’ original monthly salary was 1,800; it will now be 3,000. The cleaning staff was originally paid 1,200 a month, so from now on, that will be raised to 2,000.”

Upon hearing this, everyone beamed with joy, and their favorable impression of Nora Ainsworth grew even stronger.

Nora Ainsworth stood up. ”All right, the children are getting restless in their classrooms. Teachers, please hurry back to your classes.”

The six teachers stood up, full of vigor, and left the meeting room.

The two teachers for the middle class walked into their classroom together, and the room immediately fell silent.

One of the teachers looked toward Dylan and Elmer Grant and smiled brightly. Harding spoke up, ”We were just in a meeting. There are only about ten minutes left of class, so you can all play freely. Next period, we’re going to have an outdoor activity.”

The children erupted in cheers.

「That afternoon.」

Sierra Ainsworth brought gifts with her as she and Aaron Sterling returned to his family’s home.

From the moment she met Mrs. Sterling, Sierra could tell from the look in the older woman’s eyes that she was not welcome.

She greeted her, ”Hello, Mrs. Sterling.”

Mrs. Sterling responded coolly. ”Have a seat.”

Aaron Sterling and Sierra Ainsworth sat across from Mrs. Sterling, both of them tense and reserved.

”Yesterday, Aaron told his father and me about you. He said you have a prosthetic leg. Is that true?”

”Yes, it’s true.”

”I could tell. Your walk is a bit unsteady, and you have a slight limp. But our family doesn’t mind things like that.”

Aaron Sterling didn’t believe Mrs. Sterling’s words, and Sierra Ainsworth certainly didn’t either.

Although Sierra understood the truth, she didn’t call her out on it. ”This is the main reason my parents had Aaron tell you and your husband about it. If his family looked down on me for it, my parents would never let me marry into a home where I’d be judged.”

Her frankness made Mrs. Sterling slightly uncomfortable.

”Haha, of course not. The Lynch family has always cared more about a girl’s inner qualities. Aaron says you’re very kind, and that’s more than enough.”

Aaron Sterling put his arm around Sierra Ainsworth’s shoulder and said, ”My parents are very open-minded; they won’t look down on you for this. Besides, you’re a wonderful girl, and we’ve known each other for a while now. You know what kind of person I am. Sierra... why don’t we get married?”

Mrs. Sterling’s expression flickered, but she maintained her smile. ”Aaron, you and Sierra are still young. You haven’t even graduated from college yet. Why don’t you wait until after graduation to get engaged?”

Eager to marry Sierra Ainsworth, Aaron naturally didn’t want to wait. ”Mom, I’ve decided. Sierra and I are getting married this year.”

Sierra Ainsworth didn’t comment. When it came to marriage, she preferred to let things take their natural course. If he set a date, she wouldn’t have any objections.

”Let me discuss it with your father, all right?”

”Okay. I’m going to take Sierra home, and I’ll mention this to her parents while I’m there.”

Mrs. Sterling’s expression hardened with anger. ”You, come with me. I need to talk to you.”

Sierra Ainsworth watched Aaron Sterling follow his mother into a room. She couldn’t help but feel that something was amiss. ’You can always tell with perfect clarity whether someone likes or dislikes you from their tone of voice, their eyes, and their attitude.’

As soon as mother and son were in the room, Mrs. Sterling shut the door and said, ”You’re only twenty-two, and you’re still in college! What’s the rush to get married? Besides, if you regret it later, you won’t get another chance to marry someone else.”

”Mom, I’m not going to find another girl. I’m going to spend the rest of my life with Sierra! So what if I’m a college student? As long as we can be together forever, it doesn’t matter if we get married sooner or later. It just means we get to start our life together earlier.”

Mrs. Sterling poked him with her finger. ”I think you’re completely bewitched by her. Just do as I say. Get engaged after graduation, and we’ll talk about marriage later. Don’t even think about it right now.”

”Mom, I can see you still have a problem with Sierra.”

”That’s right, I do. But considering her family’s background, I’ve already been very polite to her. A disabled person wants to marry my son and become my daughter-in-law? What is he, so desperate he can’t find a wife?”

”Mom!” Aaron exploded with anger. ”How can you be so discriminatory? Sure, other girls might be more able-bodied, but in what other way could they possibly compare to Sierra! Why do you only see her shortcomings and none of her strengths?”

”Oh, I see her ’strength.’ She was born into the right family, wasn’t she?”

”Mom... you’re being completely unreasonable!” Aaron Sterling spun around. ”I’m making my own decision on this. You stay out of it!”

”Aaron, if you dare to go through with this, then don’t ever set foot in this house again! You’re not my only son!”

Her words struck a painful blow to Aaron Sterling’s heart. Without another word, he walked out of the room.

Sierra Ainsworth could see the grim look on his face; he was clearly suppressing his anger.

”We can just postpone the wedding,” she said. ”There’s no need to rush and make your mother uncomfortable.”

He took her hand. ”I just want to be with you sooner. Come on, I’ll take you home.”

Sierra Ainsworth nodded.

「Back home.」

Faye Sinclair asked, ”Did you meet Aaron’s parents?”

Sierra Ainsworth sat down beside her. ”I didn’t see his father, just his mother. It’s obvious she doesn’t like me.”

”That’s why I wanted you to tell them beforehand, so I could know in advance if you would be mistreated. If she doesn’t like you, there’s no reason you have to marry him. Sierra, as long as Aaron is completely on your side, your relationship can continue. But if he shows even the slightest hesitation, I will absolutely not approve.”

Of course, Sierra Ainsworth knew that. ”Mm, I know. We’ll let things take their course. We have plenty of time.”

Saphira Sutton’s mother got home, soaked to the bone by the rain. Summer weather was always so fickle; the afternoon had been bright and sunny, but by the time work let out, a downpour had begun.

She had tried calling Saphira Sutton, but there was no answer.

When Mrs. Sutton came in, she saw Saphira lying on the sofa eating grapes. She was watching a variety show on TV, a huge grin on her face.

She closed the door. ”Didn’t you hear me calling?”

”Yeah, I was in the bathroom,” Saphira said.

Mrs. Sutton dried her hair with a towel and said, ”I think we should just drop this business with your brother. The Grant family paid a lot of money in compensation, so there’s no need for us to keep pursuing it. Not only could we lose our lives, but what about our future?”

Saphira Sutton shot up from the sofa like an enraged lioness. ”Mom, what are you saying? My brother’s death was a terrible injustice! Why shouldn’t we get revenge for him? Besides, the Grant family is loaded. What’s a few million to them? It’s not even a drop in the bucket! Can you put a price on my brother’s life?”

”But even if you get your revenge, it won’t bring your brother back. Why can’t we just live our lives in peace?”

Saphira was even more baffled. ”Mom, everything was fine when we talked on the phone. Why the sudden change of heart the moment you get back?”

”You don’t understand. I don’t see any chance of harming those two little brats. Their mother’s management style is completely watertight. Not only is there someone assigned to watch the monitors at all times, but her people are everywhere. You have to go through a full-body scan to enter the cafeteria. I doubt you could even sneak a fly in.”

Saphira sat back down on the sofa and thought for a moment. ”I think there’s only one strategy we can use.”

”What is it?”

”Boil the frog slowly.” Saphira looked up at her mother. ”When the children come to the cafeteria, you need to talk to them more. Get friendly with those two. That part is crucial. Then, you can begin, step by step. That way, you won’t make them suspicious, and the plan will be foolproof.”

”I still think it will be very difficult.”

Just then, the door to the other bedroom opened, and her daughter-in-law came out with her grandson.

Seeing them, Mrs. Sutton immediately opened her arms. ”Sweetheart, come to Grandma.”

Her grandson ignored her completely, clinging to his mother’s hand.

Mrs. Sutton could only ask, ”Is he upset again today?”

The daughter-in-law replied, ”He was out playing today, and a group of kids made fun of him for not having a father. He came home and cried his eyes out. Tell me, if his father were still alive, who would dare bully our little boy!”