Overprotected By My Tsundere CEO

Chapter 821 - 533: Mechanism City [03] Nora Scott: I Dreamed You Cheated

"Where are you?"

As soon as the call connected, Nora Scott spoke coldly, with a hint of anger.

"Hmm?"

Pedro Langley, who was used to receiving calls from Nora, was instantly alert by her tone and promptly responded, "I’m sorry."

Nora snorted, "What are you sorry for?"

Pedro quickly replied, "I’m sorry for not being by your side when you needed me."

"Holding another woman in your arms, whispering sweet nothings—do you even have a heart?" Nora sneered, throwing a baseless accusation at Pedro.

Pedro was bewildered, "When did I ever have another woman in my arms?"

Nora turned over in bed and said matter-of-factly, "In my dream."

"..." Pedro was speechless for a moment, then admitted with a mix of crying and laughing, "It’s still my fault for not giving you enough security. Will getting a beating help?"

Nora gritted her teeth, still angry, "Can’t reach you to beat you."

Pedro chuckled, "Want a boyfriend that descends from the sky?"

"Hmm?"

Nora opened her eyes completely, feeling much clearer.

Pedro explained, "I’m on a business trip in the northwest."

"...Never mind, I’ll be back soon," Nora said with little enthusiasm.

They chatted for a bit.

Suddenly, Pedro asked softly, "Have you sobered up yet?"

Her head was throbbing, and Nora lay down flat, massaging her temples, surprised, "How did you know?"

"I asked Marcus Shaw. Didn’t you see how many calls I made to you?" Pedro’s voice held a low laugh, lingering gently in her ear, though the next moment it carried a hint of grievance, "I thought my girlfriend might have time to chat with me after work, but I waited all night without a call. Not to mention the dozens of calls I made, none were answered. I was beginning to think after filming a program she might have shifted her affections."

Nora squinted at the call log, and indeed saw the missed calls from Pedro.

—There weren’t dozens, just a few.

This man, twisting the truth.

Nora frowned, complaining, "My head hurts."

"Want to drink more?"

"Yes."

Nora simply replied with one word.

Pedro laughed softly, his tone naturally indulgent and pampering, "I told Marcus Shaw to make you some hangover soup and left it in an insulated cup at your door. It should still be warm now; go get it."

Sitting up, pressing her temples, Nora was quite surprised, "That’s thoughtful of you."

Sighing, Pedro pretended, "I’m useless, except for this one merit."

Nora clicked her tongue.

She pulled back the covers, slipped on her slippers, and walked outside. Pulling the door open, she indeed saw an insulated cup at the door. She bent down to pick it up, then closed the door and walked back inside.

"You’ve suffered these past few days; is there anything you’d like to eat?"

Tilting her head in thought, Nora casually said, "Hotpot."

"As you wish."

Pedro wasn’t surprised at all.

Hotpot and barbecue—foods that Nora could never give up. No matter how picky she was, she’d make do with these when put in front of her.

...

After drinking some hangover soup and chatting with Pedro for another half an hour, when Pedro was completely awake, sleepiness crept upon Nora again. She promptly abandoned her boyfriend on the phone, and without even hanging up, fell asleep.

The boyfriend on the other end of the call heard the gentle breathing and couldn’t help but chuckle.

"Goodnight, girlfriend."

A soft voice floated through, tinged with light laughter.

*

The next day, Nora slept until eight, then spent half an hour waking up and another half getting ready before heading to shoot a short film with the program crew with Buddha.

"Where’s Nora?"

Clement Winter rubbed his eyes, yawned, and seeing Marcus Shaw and Oliver Scott in the yard, asked instinctively.

Oliver glanced at him and explained, "She’s shooting another short film."

"Oh."

Clement nodded dejectedly.

His tolerance for alcohol was poor; after two glasses last night, he had slept until just now. If he had known, he wouldn’t have drunk; he could’ve seen Nora in the morning.

Oliver asked, "Are you leaving, Mr. Winter?"

"Yeah."

Thinking about leaving soon made Clement even more downcast.

Pedro walked over, took out his phone and said, "Sis said there’s something you might like."

Clement looked up, his eyes brightened.

Pedro pulled off the phone case that Clement had been coveting for a long time, and handed it to him, "Here. Sis said it’s for you."

"Ah! Thanks, brother!"

Clement was pleasantly surprised, holding the phone case like it was treasure.

After pausing for a moment, he hesitantly asked, "It’s for me, what about you?"

"I can still customize mine." Pedro smiled gently, "Besides, I sent the phone case to Dad last night, he said he’ll mass-produce it, soon it’ll be widely available."

Clement was overjoyed, nodding happily.

He was a loyal customer of Ernesto Woods, every time a Zero product or Nora-related stationery and peripheral came out, Clement was the first to buy it. Even with specially customized limited editions, he found ways to get them, never missing a single one.

With Pedro’s accurate information, Clement was particularly looking forward to it. The regret and disappointment of not seeing Nora before leaving dissipated quite a bit.

He still had to rush to his schedule, couldn’t stay long, with the assistant and driver urging him on, he chatted briefly with the brothers in the yard, didn’t even have time for breakfast, and hurriedly left with the assistant and driver.

Pedro answered a phone call.

After hanging up, he said to Marcus, "Brother, Durant and Neil both said to wait for Sis to come back before seeing Clarence, should we continue waiting or go for a walk first?"

They had nothing to do.

Benjamin Durant and Eli Linfield were hanging around together, not including them.

If Oliver and Clement were there, they could play with the eagle and the man, but now Oliver was taken by Nora, Clement also left, leaving only the two of them, not knowing what else to do.

Sitting on the chair flipping through envelopes, Marcus glanced at him faintly and said, "Let’s go find Clarence."

Pedro was startled, "Not going with Sis?"

Gripping the envelopes, Marcus stood up and said, "Let’s have a look first."

"Alright."

Pedro nodded.

*

Clarence lived in the most remote corner of the village, a one-story earthen brick house, dilapidated, surrounded by wooden boards, but missing pieces here and there, the yard full of garbage and miscellaneous items, looking like an abandoned place, hard to imagine someone living there.

"Clarence? A drunkard, no idea if he’s passed out at home."

"You guys looking for him? What kind of person is he? If you don’t bring alcohol, he might not open the door for you even if you’re his son."

"I don’t know him. Heard he left in his twenties, only came back six months ago. A strange old man, haven’t seen much of him. I advise you to stay away from him."

...

Marcus and Pedro inquired around the village, getting the same feedback—drunkard, eccentric, reclusive.

Carrying two bottles of wine from the village store, Pedro looked at the dilapidated brick house not far away, and said hesitantly, "Sounds difficult to deal with."

Marcus’s eyes flashed, staring at the earthen brick house, "His writing is beautifully structured, his phrasing is tactful and gentle."

"Hmm?" Pedro was slightly taken aback, "You mean, the impression he gives might not be accurate?"

Marcus: "Could be an act."

Pedro: ?

Puzzled, Pedro’s lips moved as if to ask something, but saw Marcus stepping towards the earthen brick house. Pedro hesitated but didn’t ask further, quickly following Marcus’s steps.

...

There’s no gate in the yard, the wooden boards outside do nothing to isolate.

Standing outside the yard, Pedro symbolically called a few times, but there was no response from within.

Debating internally, Marcus had already walked into the yard and gone straight to the door.

"Knock. Knock. Knock."

No response.

The door was old, full of cracks. Marcus, unconcerned, brought his eye close, looked inside through the cracks, saw someone lying on a kang bed, scratched his head, pretending not to hear the knocking, simply turned over.

Thus —

"Knock knock knock, knock knock knock, knock knock knock—"

Marcus kept knocking, irritating anyone within. A minute later, a certain someone lying in bed pretending to be dead got up, grabbed a palm fan and walked over, cursing under his breath in dialect, definitely not pleasant words.

"...you lousy kids, are you calling souls——"

The door was pulled open.

Clarence, still cursing, raised his head, looked surprised when he saw Marcus and Pedro, his voice stopped, and frowned involuntarily.

Clarence switched to standard Mandarin, angrily asking, "Who are you guys?"

Pulling back his finger, Marcus got straight to the point, "I’m Parker Shaw’s son."

Parker Shaw...

Clarence was taken aback.

Looking at Marcus again, his gaze instantly had less aggression and anger.