Mr. CEO, You Look Strangely Familiar

"Young Master... Sterling? What are you doing here?"

Aaron Sterling stood up and patted the police chief on the head. "Took you long enough. These are cult members. What are you waiting for? Arrest them. This is the evidence."

He tossed the book from the table, ’God’s Handiwork’, into the chief’s arms. "If you read this, you’ll get brainwashed too. They’re criminals who endanger society, and they look pretty damn disgusting. You know how to handle this officially, right?"

"Of course. Maintaining social stability and security is our duty as law enforcement."

"Mm."

The three men and two women were taken away, and the coffee shop instantly fell quiet.

The coffee shop manager came over sheepishly. "Ah, it’s Young Master Sterling. We didn’t realize it was you."

"I won’t blame you for being blind. But, Manager, this is a well-known coffee shop. You don’t even have a single security guard? That’s ridiculous, isn’t it? Your security is absolute garbage. If something had happened here, I bet you’d still just call the police and an ambulance, while a crowd of people stood around watching. It’s just like back in the day, when a few foreign invaders could march thousands of our own people to their deaths. Thousands of people, unable to fight back against a handful. It’s just pathetic." He straightened the manager’s tie. "Don’t worry, I will absolutely never come back here again. I find this place too filthy."

He stood up. "Sierra, let’s go."

"Young Master Sterling..."

Aaron Sterling turned back. "What is it?"

"I did try to pull them apart. See? My arm got bruised by that man. After that, I didn’t dare get any closer, because none of the other bystanders were doing anything."

"Alright."

He and Sierra Ainsworth left and got into the car.

"That really spoiled the mood."

Sierra Ainsworth smiled. "You were very heroic back there. That’s how a real man should be."

Aaron Sterling’s gloom instantly vanished. He looked at her. "Really?"

"Of course, it’s true. I even recorded it. I’ll show it to my sister when we get home so she can praise you."

He grew even more excited.

"Sierra, I... I love you!"

Sierra Ainsworth froze. "What?"

"I’ve wanted to tell you for a long time, actually. I just... I didn’t have the courage..."

"Oh."

"What do you... think... of me?"

Sierra Ainsworth lowered her head. "You’re... you’re a good person. It’s just... I’m not perfect. And, I have a physical imperfection. Do you mind?"

Aaron Sterling’s mind went blank. "An imperfection? Don’t tell me... you can’t have sex?"

Sierra Ainsworth feigned anger. "You’re the one who can’t have sex!"

"As long as you’re not, that’s fine! And even if you were, I wouldn’t mind. There are surgeries for that, you know."

Sierra Ainsworth turned her face away and opened the car window. "Drive!"

"Tell me, what’s your imperfection?"

"I don’t want to talk about it." Her tone suddenly hardened.

Aaron Sterling said sheepishly, "Sierra, I misspoke just now. I didn’t mean anything by it. Please don’t be angry."

Sierra Ainsworth watched the scenery outside the window as the wind whistled past her ears.

Only when they reached the gate of the Ainsworth estate did she let out a breath. "I’m not angry."

"That’s good. You scared me to death."

Hearing this, Sierra Ainsworth couldn’t help but press her lips together. She looked at him and decided to tell the truth. "Alright, I’ll be honest with you. One of my feet... is fake."

His expression was calm. He didn’t look surprised at all.

Sierra Ainsworth was a little surprised. "You don’t believe me?"

"I believe you." He turned sideways and placed both hands on her shoulders. "I’ve known about this for a long time."

"How... how did you know?"

"I’ll be honest with you, too. Back when you were living in the dorms, I came to see you once. You were taking a nap, and I saw your foot was sticking out from under the blanket. I was worried you’d get cold, so I went to cover it for you. But when I touched your foot, I felt... a jolt."

"So you knew all along..."

"Just now, I was only joking. Sierra, I want to know your answer."

His burning gaze made her face flush and her heart race.

"Since... you already know... I guess we can give it a try."

The excited flame leaping in his eyes was impossible to hide.

He pulled her into a sudden hug and captured her lips. Their lips pressed together, but neither of them moved. They just stared at each other, eyes wide open.

It felt as if Sierra Ainsworth’s heart had stopped beating.

Then, she threw open the car door and fled in a panic.

He sat in the car, watching her figure disappear into the courtyard, and couldn’t help but break into a wide, happy smile.

They were a couple.

Sierra Ainsworth entered the living room, not expecting to find them still awake.

"Sierra..."

Before anyone could ask, she confessed, "Sis, Aaron Sterling and I are together now."

She walked over. "Oh, right. Let me show you a video of what happened at the coffee shop tonight."

The group watched it together. When it was over, Nora Ainsworth was full of praise. "That’s amazing!"

"Sis, he knows about my foot, and he still wants to be with me. I want to give it a try."

Nora Ainsworth had no objections. "Of course you can. Dad, what’s your opinion?"

"I have no objections either. All that matters is that Sierra is happy."

She put her phone away, deleted the video, and then said, "I’m going to head upstairs to bed."

Dylan Grant stood up too. "Auntie’s face is as red as a tomato."

Sierra Ainsworth patted her cheeks. "It’s a little hot in here."

The others couldn’t help but chuckle, all knowing exactly what was going on.

Everyone went back to their own rooms to sleep, but a disagreement arose between Quentin Grant and his sons.

His idea was for the two boys to sleep in another room, while he would sleep with Nora.

But the sons’ idea was that they hadn’t seen her in so long, missed their mommy terribly, and wanted to share a bed with her.

But Quentin Grant would not agree to the four of them sleeping in one bed. It would be very inconvenient.

And so, therein lay the problem.

Nora Ainsworth couldn’t exactly split herself in two.

Since she had missed her children so much, she decided to sleep with them tonight to keep them company.

Lying in the middle with a child on each side, Nora Ainsworth’s longing over the past days was finally fulfilled.

"Mommy thought you were really gone. I cried so much my eyes almost went blind."

Dylan Grant replied, "If Mommy’s eyes really had gone blind from crying, then in my next life, I would give my eyes to you."

Nora Ainsworth’s heart felt like it was melting. She sniffled. "As long as you two are safe in this life, that’s all Mommy needs."

"Mommy, while my brother and I were away, did Daddy ever tell you he wanted to have another baby to replace us?"

Nora Ainsworth couldn’t help but laugh. "Your daddy was too sad. He didn’t have the time to think about that."

"Hmph. I bet Daddy always uses that as an excuse to sleep with you. What was he saying just now? That he wanted to make a little sister with you for us. He’s said that so many times before, we don’t believe him anymore."

Hiding by the door and eavesdropping, Quentin Grant asked himself, ’Have I really said that too many times? Why don’t I remember it that way at all?’

As the night grew heavy with dew, the mother and her two sons snuggled closely together, drifting off to sleep as they chatted. Only the man at the door was finally forced to trudge dejectedly back to his own room.