Mr. CEO, You Look Strangely Familiar-Chapter 19: Getting Beaten

"Don’t you dare. Either lie down quietly beside me, or you can just wait to be—"

As expected, she didn’t dare move again. She closed her eyes and fell asleep.

When she woke up, Quentin Grant was in the shower.

She took out her phone. The dozens of missed calls and text messages instantly jolted her awake. She scrambled out of bed, but in her haste, her legs gave out and she fell to her knees on the carpet.

He came out of the bathroom wrapped in a bathrobe, his hair dripping wet. Seeing her kneeling there, he looked utterly refreshed and said cheerfully, "It’s not New Year’s yet. No need for such a formal greeting."

Nora Ainsworth was in no mood to banter with him. She quickly got dressed, washed her face, and headed straight for the door.

He stopped her in her tracks. She looked down at the hand on her arm and gave an embarrassed smile. "Mr. Grant, I was sleepwalking last night. Please don’t take it personally."

He played along, replying, "I won’t. You’re welcome to come sleepwalking anytime."

Nora Ainsworth wrenched herself free from his grasp, opened the door, and walked out. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

「She took a cab back to the Ainsworth Residence.」

Leon Lynch’s car was parked at the gate. Her heart sank. She walked into the courtyard, one deliberate step at a time, her legs pressed tightly together.

When the butler saw her, he let out a long sigh of relief.

"Oh, Miss," he said, "Mr. and Mrs. Ainsworth have been worried sick. You were gone all night. The whole family couldn’t sleep a wink."

Nora Ainsworth forced a faint laugh. "Butler, was my mother angry?"

The butler paused, then shook his head. "Mrs. Ainsworth wasn’t angry. It was Mr. Ainsworth who flew into a rage, which was unusual for him."

Nora Ainsworth’s heart tightened. ’This stepfather of mine... he always had a reserved smile for me in front of my mother. He never said a harsh word. But behind her back, he wouldn’t give me the time of day.’

’But ever since I got engaged to Leon Lynch, he’s become increasingly kind to me in front of Mom. So kind that I could almost believe he was my real father.’

’A fit of rage like the butler described was practically unheard of. Was he angry last night because he was genuinely worried about my safety, or was he just afraid this would ruin my engagement to Leon?’

After a moment’s thought, Nora Ainsworth walked forward. She had just stepped one foot into the living room when a teacup came flying out, smashing directly against her forehead. Blood instantly gushed from the wound.

The sharp pain snapped her to her senses. She clenched her fists and brought her other foot into the room.

"You were out all night. What are you even doing back here?"

Mr. Ainsworth’s face was a tight mask of fury as he stared at her and barked out the question.

Nora Ainsworth froze. Her gaze fell coldly on her two-faced stepfather, then shifted to Leon Lynch, who stood behind him in a sky-blue plush coat.

Sharon Ainsworth watched with cold detachment, while her mother stood frozen in place.

"I had... something important to do last night." After a long pause, she finally managed to say.

Mr. Ainsworth sneered, turning to grab a disc from the table and throwing it at her face.

"We couldn’t find you all night, so Leon pulled the surveillance footage from the street outside. The video shows you getting into a black luxury car. A car like that costs at least ten million, and it’s a global limited edition. Leon looked it up. The owner is a local university professor named Herman Hawthorne. What, exactly, is your relationship with him?"

Nora Ainsworth’s mind went blank. ’I got into Quentin Grant’s car. How could it be Herman Hawthorne?’

’A university professor? Some old man?’

’I don’t know him at all!’

’Staying silent isn’t going to solve anything.’

Leon Lynch stepped forward. "Sir, I’ll handle things with my mother."

With that, he walked past Nora Ainsworth without giving her a second glance.

Nora Ainsworth started to speak, but two sharp slaps cracked across her face. The force sent her stumbling into a nearby pillar, deepening the gash on her forehead.