Mr. CEO, You Look Strangely Familiar

"Quentin," Nora Ainsworth began, deciding to test her theory. "Mr. Dalton just told us he’s going to assassinate Lillian Bancroft in a little while."

After she spoke, she watched the man opposite her closely. He truly was a veteran of the criminal underworld; he didn’t show the slightest hint of tension.

"Miss Ainsworth, why would I be foolish enough to say something like that in front of you? You must have a very low opinion of my intelligence."

’Just as I thought. Shameless!’

He wouldn’t admit it. And without an admission, Quentin Grant couldn’t do anything to him. Acting without concrete evidence was a major taboo in their world.

Even though both sides knew the truth perfectly well.

Nora Ainsworth’s hand froze for a moment before she broke into a smile. "You’re right. It was just a slip of the tongue."

Chloe Marshall suddenly stood up, her face scrunched in a grimace. "Nora, I got my period!"

Nora Ainsworth said hurriedly, "Then hurry to the restroom."

Toby Dalton knew she was lying, but he couldn’t very well forbid someone from using the restroom.

He turned to the four men beside him. "Show Miss Marshall the way."

He clearly didn’t want Nora Ainsworth going with her.

Nora Ainsworth’s face darkened. She exchanged a look with Chloe Marshall, then suddenly smiled. "I’m going to buy a pack of pads, that should be fine, right?"

Toby Dalton smiled inscrutably. "Miss Ainsworth, my men can handle a small errand like that. Besides, Young Master Grant and I have business dealings. It’s been a few years since we last met. My flight is at nine tonight, so we have to have a proper drink. It would be a shame otherwise."

But Chloe Marshall refused. "Sorry, I don’t want to stay here. It’s too dangerous to use the restroom here. It’s better if we just go home."

Before Toby Dalton could speak, Quentin Grant stood up and took out his phone to make a call.

As he dialed the number, he realized there was no signal at all.

There was no way there’d be no signal here unless it was being deliberately jammed.

He pulled a walkie-talkie from behind his back. "A, come here. The Young Madam and Mrs. Ellsworth are going home. Escort them!"

Toby Dalton’s pale fingers tightened around his wine glass, his eyes darkening. He knew he and Quentin Grant were one step away from an open confrontation. If he continued to obstruct them, his interference would be far too obvious.

The door burst open, and A entered with a group of Men in Black, awaiting orders.

And so, Nora Ainsworth and Chloe Marshall left.

Toby Dalton didn’t dare say anything more.

The two successful men sat drinking together, each lost in their own thoughts. The conversation was painfully dull, as they had nothing in common to talk about.

Meanwhile, Nora Ainsworth and Chloe Marshall went straight to the airport. Just as they walked through the entrance, they heard the terrifying sound of gunshots.

The two exchanged a grim look and said to the men behind them, "Find the Supreme Leader of Harrowin first! Once you find him, you must escort him to safety. Hurry!"

They charged straight inside.

Inside the airport, panicked people were scrambling in every direction. Screams were incessant.

There was no sign of Lillian Bancroft anywhere.

What Nora Ainsworth and Chloe Marshall hadn’t expected was the sheer number of assailants. They were all in plainclothes. Recalling Toby Dalton had said he’d prepared for years, a chill ran down their spines. ’There must be a huge number of them outside the airport, too!’

This was no longer a simple assassination; it was escalating into an open declaration of conflict.

Airport security moved in quickly but were clearly outnumbered. The Men in Black fought valiantly, taking down many of the attackers. The terminal was now empty of travelers, with only the two factions left, locked in a deadly battle. Lillian Bancroft was still nowhere to be seen.

More of Toby Dalton’s men poured in from outside, obviously reinforcements.

Nora Ainsworth immediately called the captain of the Men in Black at the luxury apartment complex. Upon receiving her orders, two thousand men were swiftly dispatched.

Logically, after Quentin Grant reported this to the higher-ups, a large number of soldiers should have been dispatched to protect Lillian Bancroft. However, Nora Ainsworth didn’t see a single one.

The large-scale battle was costing Toby Dalton a significant number of men. Compared to Quentin Grant’s forces, the quality of their training was a tier below.

「In the bar」

Toby Dalton received a phone call, and a spike of fury shot through him.

"You sent over two thousand men to the airport?"

Quentin Grant chuckled. "Young Master Dalton, what kind of joke is that? Haven’t I been sitting right here in front of you the whole time?"

"It was your woman," Toby Dalton said through gritted teeth. "Young Master Grant, let me be honest with you. Stay out of what doesn’t concern you. Otherwise, the consequences will be severe!"

Quentin Grant’s eyes narrowed. "Young Master Dalton, this isn’t Grestin. You’re in my city, Alveria, and your actions are despicable. After all, we’re the ones being set up to take the fall. You say it doesn’t concern me? I’m a citizen of Fravia. How could I just stand by and watch? I wouldn’t say a word if you killed someone, as long as it wasn’t right under my nose. But why did you have to go after my woman first? Why are you trying to frame my country for this? I’m sure you know that if Lillian Bancroft dies here, it won’t just be Fravia’s international reputation that suffers from other countries’ criticism. The people of Harrowin would undoubtedly hate our nation. Do you really think I’d just watch you do as you please?!"

He SLAMMED his hand on the table and stood up, glaring coldly at him. "I don’t care how much of a badass someone is. If they cross me here, I’ll obliterate them until not even a trace is left! If you know what’s good for you, you’ll quit while you’re ahead."

He turned and strode away.

A muscle in Toby Dalton’s face twitched; he was clearly seething with rage.

He had calculated everything, planned for every contingency, but he never expected Quentin Grant to interfere and ruin it all.

He took out his phone, holding his breath in fury, and finally spat out an order. "Have a few men stake out his plane. If he doesn’t head back, pull out. If he does, kill him on the spot!"

「The once clean and tidy airport terminal had instantly become a slaughterhouse.」

Nora Ainsworth and Chloe Marshall ran deeper inside and saw an injured Lillian Bancroft.

Chloe Marshall’s face went pale. She bent down to help him up. "Where are your bodyguards? Are you okay?"

When Lillian Bancroft saw it was her, he waved his hand without speaking, signaling that he was fine.

Nora Ainsworth helped Chloe Marshall move Lillian Bancroft to a hidden spot, then went out to meet up with the Men in Black.

Chloe Marshall felt something was strange. No matter what she asked or said to Lillian Bancroft, he remained silent, which was very unlike him.

"Is the plane still there? If so, I’ll take you to it. You should go back immediately."

He nodded. The two of them left their hiding spot, went down the stairs out of the waiting area, and headed toward the airfield where a plane—Lillian Bancroft’s private jet—was parked.

Chloe Marshall’s eyes lit up, and she hurriedly helped the injured man toward the jet.

Just as they were about to reach the plane, the expressions on their faces changed abruptly.

Standing at the cabin door were Toby Dalton’s men. They wore matching uniforms, and as soon as they saw Chloe and the decoy, they started running down the stairs, raising their guns.

The two of them quickly turned and ran back.

Lillian Bancroft was injured, after all, so he ran a little slower. But at that exact moment, Chloe Marshall, running in a panic, sprained her ankle.

With a THUD, she fell to her knees and shouted at Lillian Bancroft, who was a few steps ahead, "Run!"

But he didn’t keep running. Instead, he turned back, intending to pull her up. At that moment, gunshots rang out from behind, aimed directly at the two of them.

At that critical moment, Lillian Bancroft threw his arms around Chloe Marshall, his back instantly shielding her from the bullets.

Chloe Marshall’s mind went blank. Sounds whistled past her ears, and she realized someone was protecting her.

Shot after shot—more than thirty in total—rang out by her ear before suddenly stopping.

The men retreated quickly.

The area was instantly plunged into silence. Chloe Marshall trembled uncontrollably.

"You... silly...?"

His body suddenly collapsed to the ground, blood spilling from his mouth.

"Madam... as long as you’re all right..."

His words and voice made Chloe Marshall freeze again, and her eyes quickly filled with tears.

’So, he wasn’t Lillian Bancroft. It was a voice she had almost forgotten, but hearing it now, it was so familiar.’

She looked at him again, but he was no longer breathing.

Reaching out, she gently peeled a mask from his "Lillian Bancroft" face. It was one of the soldiers who used to guard her bedroom door at the Imperial Palace.

No wonder he hadn’t answered anything she said earlier. If he had spoken, she would have recognized him immediately.

Sitting beside him, Chloe Marshall thought about what he had just done, feeling both moved and heartbroken. A human life is precious; no one is born with the obligation to shield another person from bullets with their own body.

**

News of the airport massacre shocked the entire nation in a very short time.

Reporters from all over rushed to the scene, and government forces arrived, surrounding the airport and trapping Toby Dalton’s men who hadn’t managed to escape, like shooting fish in a barrel.

Dozens of police cars arrived and arrested all the perpetrators. Paramedics quickly transported the injured to the nearest hospital for treatment.

The bodies were also cleared away swiftly, and the gruesome scene was cleaned up.

This time, not only was Toby Dalton’s plan a complete failure, but his losses were devastating. His men had all been killed by single, fatal shots.

Because of their superior professional training, Quentin Grant’s Men in Black lost only about twenty men. Toby Dalton, however, lost several hundred. Other casualties at the scene included airport security, a few travelers, and the soldiers brought by the fake Lillian Bancroft. All of them perished; there were no survivors.

The incident shocked the country’s top leadership, who immediately ordered a swift investigation to apprehend the mastermind.

When Nora Ainsworth and the others found Chloe Marshall, she was still sitting there, her face covered in tears.

Seeing the mask and the dead man lying behind her, Nora Ainsworth instantly understood what had happened.

Just then, Quentin Grant pointed into the distance. "A plane is coming. I’m afraid this is the real Lillian Bancroft."

Sure enough, a few minutes later, the person who disembarked from the plane was none other than Lillian Bancroft. Following him were Harrowin’s current First Lady, Quinn Sullivan, and many armed soldiers.

They approached slowly, walking right up to them.

Lillian Bancroft looked down and saw Chloe Marshall sitting there, hugging her knees.

He crouched down and looked at her. "Chloe."

Through blurry, tear-filled eyes, Chloe Marshall pointed at the dead decoy behind her. "He... he was so brave. He shielded me with his own body. Maybe he wouldn’t have escaped even if he hadn’t, but as he was falling, he said, ’Madam, as long as you’re all right.’ He died for you and me."