Mr. CEO, You Look Strangely Familiar

He had delivered Quentin Grant’s terms to Nicholas Ainsworth: come back in eight days to get her.

Nicholas Ainsworth took a fuming Sharon Ainsworth home. The media was a dead end and the police were useless, so he had to rely on himself.

He registered a new social media account, and once it was verified, he published a post about the incident. But within minutes, it was inexplicably deleted.

Nicholas Ainsworth was furious.

He had no choice but to turn to Martin Grant for help, asking him to find out what Quentin Grant was really up to.

But as it turned out, Martin Grant couldn’t even get past the front gate.

All Nicholas could do was silently stew in his own anger.

No matter how dissatisfied, furious, or murderous he felt toward Quentin Grant, Nicholas Ainsworth had no choice but to wait. He would wait eight days, and then he would go get her.

It took less than two hours for Lillian Bancroft’s men to find the families of the assassins and bring them before the suspended men.

Instantly, the psychological walls of the men who had sworn to die before talking came crumbling down.

Lillian Bancroft stood with his hands clasped behind his back, observing the group before him.

"I have brought your families here. Now, tell me who ordered you to assassinate the royal father-in-law and the Empress, and cause the death of the First Lady’s unborn child?"

Hearing this, the men’s families collapsed to the ground.

One of the wives broke down completely, sobbing. "You bastard! How could you do something so monstrous!"

The families knew that after committing such an act, there was no way their men would be allowed to live.

They hugged their children, too devastated even to cry.

"I will give you one minute to think. Tell me the truth, and I will have your families sent home completely unharmed. But if you utter a single lie, I will execute them right in front of you." His voice was soft, yet carried an unyielding finality.

No one doubted that the Supreme Leader meant what he said.

They immediately agreed to tell him everything, down to the last detail.

A camera was pointed at them, recording every word. As the families listened to their husbands’ confessions, every single one of them was overcome with anger and grief.

Once the recording was complete, Lillian Bancroft gave the order. "Men, send the families home. As for these men, execute them by hanging. After death, they are not to be cremated. Throw their bodies in an unmarked grave!"

The families broke into heart-wrenching sobs, the cries of adults and children merging into a single sound of despair.

The men were dragged away. Lillian Bancroft had just returned to his private chambers when a guard reported, "Supreme Leader, The Matriarch wishes to see you."

Lillian Bancroft’s expression turned grim. He was silent for a few seconds before finally saying, "Let her in."

The Matriarch walked in and stopped a short distance behind him. With a dark expression, she demanded, "Release Jonathan."

Lillian Bancroft turned and sneered. "And you think I’ll listen to you?"

"This is my final warning. If you don’t, you’d better be prepared to face the consequences."

"And what if I am? A mutually destructive end for both of us is better than letting you keep getting away with more and more."

"Fine!" The Matriarch’s eyes narrowed. She had never imagined he would be so unconcerned about his own political power. ’Or does he simply no longer care about this important position at all?’

Right now, she couldn’t fathom Lillian Bancroft’s thoughts. ’What on earth is he thinking?’

After The Matriarch left, Lillian Bancroft took out his phone and dialed Quentin Grant’s number.

Quentin Grant was quite surprised to receive his call so late at night.

He sat up straight and pressed the answer button. "Hello."

Lillian Bancroft got straight to the point. "It’s me, Lillian Bancroft."

"I figured. What’s so urgent that you’re calling at this hour?"

"There’s going to be a coup in Harrowin in the next couple of days. I want to make a deal with you."

Quentin Grant’s heart jolted. "You’re saying..."

"..."

After listening to him, Quentin Grant nodded. "I think my superiors will be more than willing to help you through this difficult time."

Lillian Bancroft said, "Then I thank you."

"That’s it, then." He hung up.

Nora Ainsworth opened her eyes and sat up. "Who was that on the phone?"

"Lillian Bancroft."

"Him? Why would he be calling you?"

"Harrowin is about to become unstable. Isn’t that how things work between countries? It’s all an exchange of interests. He’s asking Fravia for help, so naturally, he’s offering something tempting. I have to go to the Capital now. You should get some sleep." After speaking, Quentin Grant got out of bed, threw on his clothes, and put on his shoes.

Nora Ainsworth said thoughtfully, "Alright, then. Be careful."

Quentin Grant nodded. "I will."

Meanwhile, after hanging up, Lillian Bancroft got in a car and rushed to the hospital.

He had just reached the main entrance of the hospital when a soldier rushed over. The moment his car stopped and he stepped out, the soldier bowed deeply and said with the utmost reverence, "Supreme Leader, it’s terrible!"

He frowned. "What now?"

"The First Lady... she’s not going to make it..."

Lillian Bancroft quickened his pace. "But they saved her, didn’t they?"

"It was the First Lady... She woke up... and pulled out her oxygen tube and the IV needles..."

The color drained from Lillian Bancroft’s face. He broke into a run, reaching the door to her room in under two minutes.

The room was full of doctors. When they saw him enter, they all dropped to their knees.

His gaze fell on the hospital bed. Quinn Sullivan was taking huge, gasping breaths, her eyes already starting to glaze over.

He gripped her hand tightly, his expression grave. "Quinn? Why would you do this?"

Her lips parted as if to speak. He seemed to understand what she wanted to say and answered immediately, "I’ve already executed those men. And I swear, I will execute the person behind this."

With tears in her eyes, she nodded.

Her breathing grew ragged as she seemed to use up all her remaining strength. "My parents... died because of me... I’m... defiled... and the baby... my baby..."

"We can have another child... We’ll have more children in the future..."

She shook her head, sweat beading on her forehead. "I can’t... spend my life... with a man I don’t love... and who doesn’t love me..."

With those words, she gently closed her eyes. Her lips remained parted, as if there was more she wanted to say, but her short, young life had come to an end.

Lillian Bancroft stared at her, calling her name again. "Quinn? Quinn Sullivan?"

There was no reply.

The doctors kneeling on the floor trembled, not daring to utter a single word.

Lillian Bancroft spoke. "The First Lady was murdered. Do you understand?"

The doctors quickly agreed, not daring to ask any questions.

Then, doctors and nurses carried Quinn Sullivan’s body away, leaving Lillian Bancroft alone in the room.

He sat by the empty hospital bed, suddenly remembering the first time he had met Quinn Sullivan. ’That lively, cheerful, and recklessly bold girl is gone, just like that.’

’Perhaps she isn’t leaving this world alone. Her child and her parents are with her.’ But for the first time, Lillian Bancroft truly realized that in this game of political power, a young woman and her parents had become collateral damage.

It had all happened too suddenly, too unbelievably. And yet, it had happened all the same.

In the blink of an eye, everything was gone.

He stood, pulled open the door, and addressed his subordinate outside. "Go and make the announcement. The First Lady and her family have died as a result of a plot by Jonathan Bancroft and The Matriarch."

"Yes, sir."

Lillian Bancroft walked down the corridor, his figure solitary and proud. He moved with extreme slowness, as if every motion was a struggle for his hollowed-out shell of a body.

He gradually disappeared into an elevator.

The events in Harrowin became front-page news across the globe.

When Chloe Marshall saw the news, she simply couldn’t believe it was real.

After a long moment, she finally looked at Ethan Ellsworth and asked repeatedly, "Boss Ellsworth, is this real? Is it really? Tell me, is it true?!"

Ethan Ellsworth pressed his lips together. "Honey, try to calm down. We’ll go to Harrowin and find out what’s really going on."

"It’s too cruel." She stood, rushed upstairs to pack a couple of outfits, and called Mrs. Ellsworth to ask her to come stay with Dorothy. Then, she and Ethan Ellsworth boarded a plane for Harrowin.

It was already afternoon by the time they arrived.

Lillian Bancroft himself was there to greet them at the main gate of the Imperial Palace. He also informed them that Quentin Grant had already arrived.

Ethan Ellsworth was confused. "Quentin? He’s here too?"

"Yes. Let’s talk inside." His expression was grim. Chloe Marshall wanted to ask him something, but she held her tongue, deciding to wait until they were indoors.

When they reached his office, Ethan Ellsworth and Chloe Marshall saw that Quentin Grant was indeed there.

"When did you get here?"

Quentin Grant replied, "I just got here myself. You two arrived right after."

Chloe Marshall asked anxiously, "Silly, what on earth is going on? Is Quinn really..."

Lillian Bancroft nodded, his voice heavy. "It’s true... They had managed to save her, but she... she pulled out her oxygen tube and the IVs herself."

Chloe Marshall gasped and clutched her chest. She knew a woman would only do such a thing for one reason: because she was so heartbroken, so utterly bereft of hope, that she had lost all will to live...

Although she had only met Quinn Sullivan a handful of times, Chloe Marshall’s heart ached for her. Her death was such a tragedy. To be cut down in the prime of her life...

And her five-month-old baby... the poor child never even had the chance to see the world before it was gone.

"Was it Jonathan Bancroft and The Matriarch?"

He nodded. "I’ve already had Jonathan Bancroft detained. It seems the old hag is about to launch a coup, so I requested aid from Fravia. I was even willing to cede Morne Island to them."

From what Chloe Marshall knew, Morne Island was a small, uninhabited island under Harrowin’s jurisdiction. It wasn’t large, but it was still territory.

In that sense, it wasn’t really a loss for Harrowin. After all, if this move could strip The Matriarch and Jonathan Bancroft of their power in one fell swoop, the Imperial Palace would become the one true, unrivaled authority.

Chloe Marshall also knew that Lillian Bancroft was indifferent to his position as Supreme Leader. He was consumed by the need for revenge—for his foster parents, for himself, and now, for Quinn and her family. That was why he was so desperate to destroy the mother and son, no matter the cost.

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