Beauty Behind the Bullet: A Stepmother’s Tale

Chapter 4

Sarah Mitchell was a bit dazed.

"Late... and I got the wrong person?" she mumbled under her breath. Did she understand this correctly?

At that moment, the text on the man’s head changed again:

"Oh my god, the internet lagged for ten minutes. The subtitles meant for John Crawford ended up on this handsome guy instead?"

"Is the plot falling apart?"

"+1"

"Did Sarah get the wrong guy for the blind date? But the man does look familiar... is he the mysterious character who shows up later?"

"Exactly! He's the one they call the cold and aloof, never into women, and never married Commander! But wasn’t he supposed to avoid the blind date in the plot? Why is he here, getting trashed by the worst stepmother ever?"

Sarah watched the screen, her expression changing. She didn’t completely understand the first few comments, but the one in the middle was crystal clear.

Her blind date had been the wrong person? This man in front of her wasn’t John Crawford? Then who was he? The problem was, no matter who he was, she had already insulted him!

Her face turned bright red, burning with embarrassment, wishing she could just vanish into the floor.

Daniel Crawford quietly observed her, the woman in front of him with delicate features, her face changing expressions, clearly embarrassed. Sarah gave him a glance and awkwardly stretched out her hand, saying, "Uh, if I say I can explain, would you believe me?"

Daniel frowned slightly, wanting to decline, but out of politeness, he motioned for her to come in. "Then go ahead and explain."

Sarah felt like she was making a complete fool of herself. She had walked into the wrong room, and now she was desperately trying to explain. Could she tell him she saw the future and mistakenly insulted him?

As she was thinking, the text on the screen changed again:

"Look at her acting so careful—Sarah knows the cold and aloof man likes this kind of 'weak' routine, huh?"

"This has to be on purpose, right? Flirting +1!"

Sarah: "...Flirting?"

At that moment, a female staff member passed by outside the door and remarked, "Hey, why are the numbers for rooms 203 and 204 switched?"

Suddenly, Sarah had a lightbulb moment. "John Crawford?"

"Emily?" John seemed to realize what was happening, nodding slightly with a cold smile.

The two of them made eye contact and seemed to both understand the mix-up.

"I’m not—" they both said at the same time.

Once they realized they weren’t each other’s blind date, Sarah quickly bowed and explained, "Sir, I’m so sorry, it was the room number mix-up that made me think you were my date. I truly apologize!"

She bowed, exposing her slender, pale neck. From Daniel’s angle, the curve of her neck was beautiful, her skin radiant. He realized what he was thinking and quickly looked away, muttering, "Mm."

Just one word, and Sarah couldn’t figure out if he accepted her apology.

The awkward tension grew thicker, but just then, a girlish laugh echoed from the hallway: "Mr. John Crawford, it’s truly an honor to meet you. Don’t worry, when we get married, I’ll treat the kids like my own."

Sarah leaned in toward the door, listening. She peeked through a gap and saw that Emily was the one speaking. It suddenly clicked in her mind.

She leaned toward Daniel and whispered, "That’s your blind date."

The warm breath brushed Daniel’s ear, soft and low, making him pause. He glanced toward the door and immediately understood, "So your blind date is out there too?"

Sarah’s face fell. She nodded and quietly said, "Why don’t you go find Emily, and I’ll… handle my side?"

Daniel replied flatly, "You really want to continue the date with her?"

"No," Sarah shook her head, "But there are some things I need to figure out."

They were still whispering when they heard John Crawford’s voice again, deep and magnetic: "Emily, you truly are impressive—gentle and talented. You’d make the perfect wife for me."

His words were full of praise, but they made Sarah’s blood boil. She knew he was just putting her down while lifting Emily up.

Fuming with anger, Sarah opened the door and coldly stared at the two of them. John Crawford, dressed in work clothes, had sharp features, but his temples were slightly graying, showing his age. This man was her ex-husband, the one who had ruined her life.

A flash of disdain crossed Sarah’s eyes, and anger surged within her.

"Here we go, this is the classic plot!"

"Look at Sarah’s expression—doesn’t it scream ‘deep affection’?"

"Sarah: 'Dear John, I love you!'"

Sarah nearly laughed in anger. Love John Crawford? In her dreams!

John, seeing Sarah’s expression, mistakenly thought she was smitten with him. He said in a low voice, "Miss, do we know each other?"

Just as Sarah was about to retort, Emily quickly interjected, "Isn’t this our first meeting? Right?" She glanced at Daniel, curious about the handsome stranger.

Sarah didn’t bother with her fake act and coldly responded, "Emily, are you sure this is our first meeting?"

The question caught Emily off guard, and her face turned pale. She thought she had won, but Sarah had ruthlessly exposed her scheme.

Emily had pride; she was a top student, and the thought of doing something this low—stealing another woman’s husband—didn’t sit well with her.

But then she remembered her dream: In the past, she had been a sent-down youth, stuck in the countryside with no future, eventually marrying a poor farmer and living the rest of her life in the rural fields.

Meanwhile, Sarah had a charmed life, spoiled by the Mitchell family. Forced by Tom Richardson, Sarah had married a divorced man—who would later become a billionaire.

And then there were John Crawford’s two kids. Both were geniuses who grew up to shine in their respective fields.

The stark contrast made Emily, who had seen the future in her dream, start plotting. She wasn’t going to keep her countryside husband and kids. She was going after John Crawford, the future billionaire’s wife—and the two genius kids.

But she never expected the blind date in her dream to not show up at the meeting.

So why was he here?

"Are you... Daniel Crawford?" Emily swayed in disbelief.

"Your matchmaker told me you were a knowledgeable, elegant, and talented person. Looks like that’s not quite the case," Daniel said coldly.

Emily’s face turned ashen, and she clenched her fists instinctively.

John, seeing this, glared at Sarah and coldly said, "Miss, we’re just here for a blind date. Please don’t make this more complicated."

Sarah smirked. "Who’s making it complicated? Emily, you’ve already gotten your blind date. Is that enough for you?"

Emily’s face turned green with frustration, but she couldn’t argue.

John, with a slight smile, coolly asked, "Mr. David, is this lady your blind date?"

David froze, his expression stiff as he didn’t know how to answer.

"Does it really matter whether he is or isn’t? Emily, you’ve already gotten your blind date, haven’t you?"

"Congratulations, Emily!"

John Crawford finally realized—he’d been in the wrong blind date scenario. The beautiful woman in front of him was actually his blind date—Sarah.

That was why she had such animosity toward Emily.

So Sarah had been trying to compete for him!

A hint of satisfaction stirred within John as he thought, "No matter who was supposed to be whose blind date, before marriage, we’re all single. And it’s clear that Emily and I have a better connection. In that case—"

"Sarah, please stop interfering," he said coldly.

Sarah: "?"