Mr. CEO, You Look Strangely Familiar-Chapter 26: Midnight Visitor

Nora Ainsworth quickly turned on the light. Just as she expected, the person who had snuck into her bedroom was none other than her step-brother, Nicholas Ainsworth.

"Entering your sister’s bedroom in the middle of the night. What business could you possibly have?" 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

He turned to face her, his expression unreadable. "Where were you?"

Nora stood ramrod straight.

"Are you trying to control my freedom, Brother?"

Nicholas Ainsworth paced before her. "As your older brother, from the moment you came into this family, I was bound to carry some responsibility for you. I’ve given it some thought. I’m going to make sure you get home on time every night. Seeing as I live right across the hall, it’s no trouble at all."

Nora flared up. "You don’t need to meddle in my affairs. You should just worry about yourself, Brother. Why bother with me?"

Nicholas gave her a hard look. "Don’t flatter yourself. I just don’t want some scandal hitting the news and causing me to lose face. You’re reading too much into it."

Nora fell silent, pointing to the door. "Get out. I need to rest."

The icy aura around him intensified. "Are you trying to kick me out? Don’t forget whose house this is."

"Oh, don’t you worry. I could never forget that this is *your* house. I’m just a fake heiress who’s living off your charity with my mother." As she spoke, her gaze grew cold and distant. This had never been her home; she never let herself forget it.

"Good, as long as you remember." He gave her one last, deep look before leaving the room. The moment the door clicked shut, Nora rushed into the bathroom. She ran the water scalding hot and took a long shower.

She finally emerged after a full hour. By then, the central heating had warmed the room, and the chill was gone.

Lying in bed, she couldn’t sleep. She opened her drawer, took out two sleeping pills, and swallowed them.

That night, she finally slept soundly.

Nora was up first thing in the morning and rushed off to school.

She had already told Mrs. Ainsworth that she wouldn’t be home for lunch and would eat at the school cafeteria. The prospect of spending a whole, quiet day at school had now, surprisingly, become a welcome one.

She turned her phone off, and the day flew by. She didn’t turn it back on until her last class was over.

She had several missed calls: one from home, three from Leon Lynch, and two from Quentin Grant.

Nora clutched her phone and decided to call home first.

"Mom, you called me?"

Her mother confirmed. "Hurry home. Your sister’s future in-laws are here. Everyone is. Leon’s here too. You need to get back right away."

"Okay," Nora said before hailing a cab home.

When she arrived at the entrance to the Ainsworth Residence, her feet felt as if they were rooted to the ground. She couldn’t take another step.

She clenched and unclenched her fists.

’If she could, she wanted to leave this house more than anything and find a place where no one knew her. But that was on one condition: that her mother would agree—’

Steeling herself, Nora stepped inside. She hadn’t even reached the living room door when she heard Mr. Ainsworth’s booming laugh from within.

’He only puts on this phony act when his own interests are on the line, doesn’t he?’

Nora walked in. The living room was full of people, and her sudden appearance made the parents, who had been in the middle of a conversation, fall silent.

"This is?" Mrs. Grant said hesitantly.

Mr. Ainsworth’s smile never wavered. "This is my younger daughter, Nora. She’s engaged to the Lynch family. And look, Nora’s fiancé is here as well—it’s Leon."

Nora forced a smile and gave a slight nod. "It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ma’am."