Mr. CEO, You Look Strangely Familiar

Everyone nodded in unison.

"You can go now."

At Nora Ainsworth’s command, the group of over twenty people instantly bolted for the exit like unbridled horses. Only Saphira Sutton couldn’t run; Monty had coiled around her leg, trapping her. Everyone else was busy scrambling for their lives—no one could spare a thought for her.

By the time everyone had fled Quentin Grant’s villa, they realized Saphira Sutton wasn’t with them. Not daring to go back and knock, they had no choice but to wait for her by the gate.

Meanwhile, Saphira Sutton was frightened out of her wits. Monty had slowly coiled itself around most of her body, its head now level with her waist. On the verge of tears, she looked at Elmer. "Young man, I know I was wrong. Can you please get it off me?"

Elmer sneered. "If my mommy hadn’t stopped me, I would’ve put a bullet in you long ago. Since I can’t kill you, what’s wrong with playing with you for a while?"

Saphira Sutton despaired. ’This isn’t "playing"! He’s going to be the death of me!’

"I’ve been afraid of snakes my whole life, and a python is even..."

"Good. I’d be worried if you weren’t." Elmer gave her a chilling smile. "Monty, give her a welcome gift."

Monty craned its head forward and flicked its forked tongue across her face. The moment it touched her skin, Saphira was certain the massive snake was about to swallow her whole.

Then, Monty’s mouth began to open wide, right in front of her.

"AHHH!" Saphira Sutton shrieked, her body trembling violently. Then, her eyes rolled back into her head, and she fainted from sheer terror.

"So boring. I thought you were tougher than that."

Elmer gestured to the python. "Come on, Monty. Let’s go."

"Young Master, what about her?"

"Splash some cold water on her and get her out of here." With that, Elmer walked off, and Monty immediately slithered along at his heels.

When Saphira Sutton finally stumbled out of the main gate, her legs were so weak she could barely walk.

Her mother saw her and yelled, "What took you so long? We need to get home, now!"

Saphira Sutton walked over. "Where are the others?"

"They all left. They waited for a little while, but when you still didn’t come out, they decided to go."

And so, Saphira Sutton went home with her mother.

After taking a long shower and changing her clothes, she collapsed onto the sofa, only then beginning to recover from the shock.

"That huge python was just terrifying."

Mrs. Sutton let out a long sigh. "This business with your brother ends now. Stop picking fights with the Grant Family. We could kill ourselves trying and we still wouldn’t win."

Mr. Sutton, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up. "If we keep fighting them, we won’t even know what hit us. They paid a lot of money, after all. Let’s just put an end to this. What if they had decided to kill us all tonight? Their child might be dead, but then we’d be dead too. Would that be a better outcome than this? That Nora Ainsworth is surprisingly magnanimous. She said she’d let Saphira go, and she did."

Mrs. Sutton nodded. "That’s right. Tonight, I could see she was scared, too. Saphira, you listen to me and you listen good. Don’t you go getting any more ideas. If you cause any more trouble and drag down three generations of our family, I’ll be the first one to kill you with my own hands."

"I know, I know," Saphira Sutton said impatiently. "I’m not an idiot. If you’re both saying it’s over, then obviously I won’t continue. It was your son who died, anyway, not me."

At her words, Mr. and Mrs. Sutton’s hearts ached with grief, but what good would that do? It was all useless now.

*

"Dylan..." Nora Ainsworth called out softly.

Dylan’s eyes fluttered open, his voice hoarse. "Mommy."

Nora Ainsworth nodded. "Mommy’s here, sweetie. You scared Mommy to death. I don’t know what our family would do if something had happened to you."

Dylan tried to sit up, but Nora wouldn’t let him. "Don’t get up. You’re still weak. The kitchen is making you a restorative broth. Once you’ve eaten, we can have a proper talk."

Dylan nodded.

Just then, Chloe Marshall arrived with Dorothy. When Elmer saw Dorothy, his eyebrows shot up and he snorted. "Dorothy? You still have the nerve to show your face here?"

Dorothy Ellsworth pressed her lips together, then said, "I came to see Dylan, not you. Why shouldn’t I be able to come? I know I did something wrong, and I’m here to apologize."

"It’s a good thing my brother is okay. If something had actually happened to him, what good would your apology be?"

"If something had happened to Dylan, I wouldn’t want to live anymore either! Is that what you want to hear?"

Elmer turned his head away with a huff. Nora said, "Elmer, Dorothy is just a child, and she’s not the one who hurt Dylan. Don’t be so harsh. It seems your aunt and I need to give you three a proper lesson on safety. Dorothy, come on, you can talk with Dylan for a while."

Dorothy Ellsworth stepped forward and looked up at Dylan. For some reason, though she had been putting on a brave face, the sight of him made tears well up in her eyes. "Dylan, you have to get better soon. I brought you some sweet gummy candies. I’ll unwrap one for you. They’re really yummy."

She looked down, took a few gummies from her dress pocket, peeled open a wrapper, and gently placed the candy in his mouth.

Dylan managed a small smile. "Dorothy, your candies are always the sweetest."

He reached out and wiped away her tears. "Don’t cry, you silly girl. You’ll look ugly if you keep crying."

Watching this unfold, Nora couldn’t help but think, ’These two have been so attached to each other since they were little. I can’t even imagine what they’ll be like when they grow up.’

She led Chloe out of the room. "He’ll be fine after a few days of rest," she said as they walked.

Chloe Marshall sat down beside her, a hand pressed to her chest. "Nora, this whole thing scared me to death. If something had really happened to Dylan, I can’t imagine the guilt our Dorothy would have to bear. Thank goodness he’s alright."

"You can never be too careful," Nora said. "Chloe, children like ours need to be prepared for anything, starting from a young age. I’m planning on signing them up for martial arts and marksmanship classes on the weekends."

"Sign Dorothy up, too."

"Okay."

The two women came to an agreement.

The climate in Valeria was rather cold year-round.

So while Fravia sweltered through a hot summer, the people in Valeria were still wearing long sleeves.

It rained again in the evening, making the air even colder.

Aaron Sterling had been waiting at Sierra’s front door for quite a while before she finally emerged, wrapped in a shawl.

Before she could speak, he grabbed her hand. "Come on, I’m taking you somewhere."

He pulled Sierra Ainsworth into the car. "Where are we going?"

"You’ll know when we get there."

The car left her neighborhood, following the main road until they reached downtown. After parking, he took her by the hand, led her through a set of doors, and into an elevator.

As the elevator ascended smoothly, Sierra stood there, so close to him she could feel his breath. Feeling a little self-conscious, she averted her gaze.

The elevator climbed all the way to the top—the 120th-floor rooftop of the tallest building in the city.

Standing up there and looking down, the view was breathtaking. This was the highest point in the city, a place normally off-limits to the public for fear of accidents on the open-air rooftop.

It was Sierra Ainsworth’s first time here. She stood there, a chilly breeze whispering past as she took in her surroundings. The city’s nightscape was truly a sight to behold.

"It’s so beautiful."

Aaron Sterling stood beside her, turning his head to gaze at her profile. "They say it’s lonely at the top, but the view you get from up here is the most beautiful of all."

He pulled her into an embrace. "Sierra, please have faith in me. My feelings for you are true. I won’t let you down, and I won’t disappoint your family’s expectations of me."

Sierra stood there, speechless. Suddenly, a dazzling display lit up the sky as fireworks began to explode, one after another.

He took a ring from his pocket and slipped it onto her finger. In the light of the fireworks, the ring glittered with a unique brilliance.

’He was proposing.’

Sierra finally spoke. "Did your mother approve?"

"She did. I had a long talk with her yesterday and told her how I felt. She came around. Her main concern was that I was too young; she wanted me to establish my career before settling down."

"That’s good."

At her words, Aaron Sterling’s eyes lit up. "Sierra, does that mean you’ll marry me?"

"Yes, I will. You should bring your parents to my family’s home tomorrow to make the formal proposal and set a date."

"Okay!" He excitedly swept her up into his arms. Once his emotions had calmed slightly, he kissed her until her cheeks burned. Then, cupping her face with one hand and holding her hand with the other, he met her gaze and smiled.

’He still remembered the first time he saw Sierra Ainsworth. He had been stunned. Her face was pure and elegant, but her eyes were like a stagnant, lifeless pool—so deep you couldn’t see the bottom, as if no ripple would ever stir their surface again.’

’That moment had shaken his devil-may-care heart.’

’Later, as he got to know her, he realized that despite her quiet and reserved nature, he was still deeply drawn to her.’

’It was not long after he and his then-girlfriend had broken up.’

On the way back from the skyscraper, Sierra Ainsworth held a bouquet of roses that Aaron Sterling had waiting for her in his car.

He had prepared them in advance. They were blue roses, not red ones. He said that she, like the blue rose, was noble and elegant.

At least, that was how he saw her.

Sierra turned, a smile playing on her lips, and entered the living room. Seeing her good mood, Faye Sinclair asked, "From Aaron?"

"Yes. Mom, he proposed to me."

"What did you say?"

Sierra held out her hand, showing her mother the ring. "I accepted."

Faye Sinclair nodded. "Marriage is a serious matter. As long as your heart is in it, your father and I will respect your choice. I trust your judgment, and I believe Aaron will be a good man. But Sierra, I have a bad feeling about his mother. You’ll need to be careful with her."

"I understand, Mom. How many matrons of wealthy families aren’t like that? You’re probably the only exception."

Faye Sinclair began, "Your sister isn’t even married to your brother-in-law yet, but when they first got together, his mother didn’t know who your sister was and gave her a very hard time. I feel so much guilt toward you two girls. All I want is for you and your sister to live happy lives. Seeing you both married off is my greatest wish."

Sierra Ainsworth put an arm around her mother’s shoulders. "Mom, all your wishes will come true. Look at my sister—my brother-in-law loves her more than life itself, and their two kids are so wonderful and well-behaved. And now, I’ll be getting married soon, too. In fact, my sister and I hope that you can live the rest of your life in peace and happiness. You’ve suffered so much. It took so long for our family to finally be reunited, and we can’t let anything shake that. Mom... about Dad... the one he has always loved is you. I’ve seen it with my own eyes these past few days. If you can find it in your heart to give him a chance, please do."

Faye Sinclair suddenly fell silent. Sierra looked at her and gently shook her shoulder. "Mom... what could possibly be more wonderful than our family finally being together?"

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