Chapter 364
“I’ll let you handle him, Ethan. I’m leaving.”
With that, Charlotte wrenched her hand free from Ethan’s grasp and strode out.
Ethan felt a twinge of irritation-he had just been about to follow her-but Leonard tried to intervene, babbling another apology.
Without hesitation, Ethan kicked Leonard squarely in the knee.
The older man crumpled to the floor in pain, unable to rise even with his assistant’s help.
“Tomorrow, hand in your resignation. People like you are a hazard to this position. Don’t blame me if I make life difficult for you.”
His words were sharp, laced with impatience. In that moment, the gentlemanly poise he usually carried vanished entirely. He sounded less like a corporate executive delivering justice and more like a villain passing
sentence.
Stepping outside, Ethan scanned the area, assuming Charlotte had already left. To his surprise, she was waiting just around the corner.
“Waiting for me?”
Without hesitation, he moved behind her, naturally enveloping her in his arms. But the moment he touched her, Charlotte pivoted with precision, avoiding contact entirely. 1
“Ethan… what are you doing here?”
Always playing her part, Charlotte immediately assumed a defensive, uneasy posture. Ethan had anticipated this reaction, and the corner of his mouth twitched in a faint smirk.
“Let’s talk outside.”
She lowered her head but said nothing. This time, however, she followed obediently, staying quietly behind him. Ethan, noting her aversion to being touched, suppressed the urge to reach for her.
By the time they stepped out of the hotel, the evening air had grown chill. Ethan noticed Charlotte shivering slightly.
She wore a pale pink, mid-thigh, strapless dress that clung to her curves. Her slender, fair limbs were exposed, her neck bare-she looked cold.
Ethan scowled inwardly. He wasn’t the type to drape his jacket over a woman just for warmth-unless there was a benefit to it. But when he caught Charlotte sneaking a glance at him from the corner of her eye, he shrugged off his coat and draped it over her shoulders.
“What are you doing?” Charlotte immediately sidestepped.
“You’re cold, aren’t you?” he asked.
“Yes, but I don’t need you doing this. Between us… we should maintain some boundaries.”
1/2
Chapter 364
+25 Bonus
The words left her mouth, scented with a polite distaste that almost made her gag-but Ethan clearly enjoyed them. A soft laugh escaped him, his eyes sparkling.
“Boundaries? And yet, just now, you kept looking at me… constantly teasing me. What was that about?”
“I wasn’t teasing!” Charlotte quickly clarified. “I just… I was worried you’d do something. Your perfume is way too strong-it makes me feel dizzy, that’s all.”
Her voice was gentle, yet each word cut like a blade without drawing blood. Ethan’s face went pale.
“This perfume… is expensive.”
He murmured awkwardly, pulling the coat back onto his arm. Inside, he felt a small twinge of self-conflict. Did he really wear that much perfume normally?
When he offered to drive her home, Charlotte immediately refused.
Ethan’s pride flared. He promised, on his honor, that he wouldn’t touch her-and only then did she reluctantly get into the car.
VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABEL
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Billionaire's Match (by Tangy Candy)