Billionaire's Match (by Tangy Candy) novel Chapter 286

Chapter 286

After stepping out of the conference hall, Clarice was immediately followed by the butler. She gave a few curt instructions regarding the Starr family. “Handle it as quickly as possible. I want a full report by tomorrow.”

“Yes, ma’am,” the butler replied, then hesitated before adding, “By the way, Young Master Ethan is still kneeling in the punishment chamber. It’s been four hours. Do you want to check on him?”

Only then did Clarice remember Ethan. Ever since Khloe’s return, his competence seemed to have vanished completely. Several attempts to deal with Khloe had ended in humiliating failures. This latest blunder had even affected her business, testing her patience to its limit.

Clarice had no desire to see him, but recognizing he still had some utility, she changed direction and headed toward the underground chamber.

The chamber had been built as a bomb shelter when the estate was first constructed. It was usually used to store miscellaneous items. After Clarice arrived at the Morrison residence, she had converted it into two rooms: one a bedroom, the other a study.

The rooms were sealed tight, unventilated, unbearably hot in summer, freezing in winter, damp and musty- designed specifically for punishment. From a young age, whenever Ethan misbehaved, he would be locked inside. Clarice believed in strict discipline, thinking only a well-regulated child could grow into a controlled adult.

Whenever Ethan erred as a child, he would kneel in the chamber under a servant’s watch, confined to reflect on his mistakes. The longest he had ever been held was two weeks. Yet he had a sharp memory; once punished, he rarely repeated the same error. By adulthood, Clarice seldom had cause to discipline him.

The door to the chamber swung open. Ethan’s upper body was bare, his hair and skin soaked with sweat. He knelt rigidly in the corner of the study, his head bowed. On the wall hung the seventy-eight rules Clarice had set for him since childhood.

“Young Master Ethan, Madam has arrived,” the butler whispered. Ethan slowly raised his head and murmured, “Mother.”

“Stand up,” Clarice said, her tone softening slightly at the sight of his disheveled state. She hadn’t visited the chamber in a long time-it was stiflingly hot, and four hours of kneeling was indeed punishing.

Ethan tried to rise, but his legs were numb from kneeling so long. He pressed against the wall, rising slowly. The butler instinctively moved to help him, but Clarice’s sharp glance stopped him,

“Do you understand where you went wrong this time?” she asked coldly, her voice routine but authoritative.

“Yes,” Ethan said hoarsely. “Negligence… underestimating the situation.”

Clarice drew in a slow breath. “You’re already grown. Is it unreasonable for me to have you kneel four hours for making mistakes?”

“No, Mother. The punishment is deserved. I am at fault.” His head remained lowered; his voice, though calm and humble, revealed no trace of resentment.

Clarice’s satisfaction softened her expression. “From the day I adopted you, I told you I do not raise

incompetents.”

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“I was wrong. I will not disappoint you, Mother.”

“Go take a shower, change your clothes, and come to the study to see me.” Clarice inspected him briefly, her anger completely spent. She spoke gently, then turned and left.

As soon as she left, the butler hurried to support Ethan. He had long since lost the strength to stand; his weight pressed entirely against the servant. He had been hungover since the previous night and was forced awake by Charlotte that morning.

He had planned to rest briefly, but he hadn’t expected Clarice’s people to track him down immediately. Barely out of Charlotte’s presence, he was intercepted on the way.

Half an hour later, Ethan had recovered his usual poised, refined demeanor and arrived at Clarice’s study.

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Chapter 287

“You’re going to help me with something.”

Clarice handed Ethan a freshly printed document. He glanced at it, a flicker of surprise passing through his eyes.

“You want me to… take action against the Hunt family?”

“Mind your own business,” Clarice said coldly. “You just follow orders. If this fails, I will be utterly disappointed in you.”

Ethan knew exactly what being a disappointment to Clarice meant. Years of striving for recognition, everything he had in the Morrison family and Morrison Group-it could all vanish in an instant.

“But… the company, my work…” Ethan hesitated. Handling the task itself wasn’t difficult, but crossing the Hunt family could very well backfire. He wasn’t willing to gamble with that kind of risk.

“You’re suspended for a few days. It’ll also serve as an explanation to Khloe. If you can’t do your job properly, I won’t have the energy to cover for you. Follow company regulations-Khloe can’t touch you.”

Clarice left him no room to argue. She hadn’t expected him to be so incompetent that he couldn’t even handle a subordinate of Khloe’s without creating a mess. He needed to learn this lesson.

“Alright,” Ethan said, resigned. “I’ll go back to the office and hand over my current tasks first.”

“Go.” Clarice raised her chin and didn’t look at him again.

After Ethan left, she opened her laptop and reviewed the encrypted files on George once more. Ten years ago, George had offended a powerful underworld organization. To have a son pay for his father’s debt… it was only natural.

By evening, Ethan returned to the office to wrap up his work. As he was about to leave, he noticed movement inside the office. Opening the door, he found Charlotte.

She was dressed differently than usual. Normally in casual attire, today, she wore a form-fitting knit dress that outlined her slender, delicate figure, lending a new allure to her youthful, almost schoolgirl-like face.

Ethan narrowed his eyes and leaned against the doorframe. “Looking for me?”

Charlotte, clearly waiting for him after work, nodded. “Yeah… about last night…”

“I was drunk and out of line,” Ethan snorted. “You’re not going to accuse me of harassing you, are you?”

He barely remembered what had happened, but the thought of drunkenly confronting Charlotte made him feel a pang of self-inflicted regret.

“I’m not.” Charlotte lifted her eyes to meet his and hesitated for a moment before saying, “I… wanted to invite you to dinner.”

“Invite me to dinner?”

“Yes…”

Before she could finish, Ethan’s large hand covered her forehead.

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