Billionaire's match novel

---- Chapter 625 Ethan's presence pressed close, heavy and inescapable. Charlotte barely had time to react. As Ethan's lips drew near, she instinctively raised her hand to shield her face. Ethan had only been teasing-until the warm breath of his mouth spilled against her palm. He deliberately flicked out his tongue, and the heat against her skin made Charlotte's expression twist in surprise and discomfort. "Ethan..." she murmured. Seizing the moment, he gripped her wrist and nipped at the side of her neck.

Startled, Charlotte reacted like a frightened little animal, scrambling away with all her strength. Her shopping bags tumbled to the floor, and she barely had time to step on them in her retreat. But Ethan was relentless. He closed the distance with long strides, pinning her against another shadowed corner. "What's this? You bring yourself here to negotiate, and before we even finish, you want to leave? Do you think I'm that easy to provoke?" He pressed his fingers against her cheek with measured force. ---- Charlotte frowned, her voice sharp and controlled.

"I'm here to negotiate terms, not to make some sordid deal. | suggest you show some restraint, Ethan." She knew the space was public; he wouldn't dare cross the line. But his desire to push boundaries was obvious. "Fine," he said, letting a trace of amusement creep i talk terms. What can you offer me?" Charlotte lifted her gaze, her smile faint but confident. "| might be able to help you... gain some freedom from Clarice's control." "Oh?" Ethan chuckled. "You want freedom, don't you? All the fame, wealth, power, and happiness you crave-must they all come from bending to someone else's will?

Without true freedom, you always feel empty, unsatisfied, right?" Her words cut straight to the point, no detours, no sugarcoating, To an outsider, discussing "freedom" with someone like Ethan might seem naive, even laughable. But she had a way of striking at the heart of things. He snorted. "Freedom? Without my mother, | have nothing. You talk to me about freedom? Any fool would choose wealth over freedom." ---- "Then what if you didn't have to choose?" Charlotte's eyes twinkled. He frowned. "You've got quite the nerve.

Tell me, how exactly would you help me achieve this freedom?" Charlotte's confidence bordered on insolence, yet he couldn't stop himself from listening. "I haven't figured out all the details," she admitted, "but | know this: if you ally with Khloe, when Clarice's influence wanes, you'll at least safeguard your position in the Morrison Group." Her words sounded convincing, but in reality, it was a lure. His feud with Khloe was already sealed; once she secured her place, what claim would he have? After Clarice left, he was next in line.

Charlotte had no real loyalty to him-this was purely calculated advantage. "Let me beg for favor with Khloe? That might secure a back door, but I'd still be pandering to others. Where's the freedom in that? If it's all about pleasing people, why should | abandon the woman who raised me to chase someone else?" "Because | think Clarice isn't as good for you as Khloe is." That single sentence darkened Ethan's face like storm clouds. His jaw clenched, a brief, stifled moment of shock. ---- Charlotte continued, "You'd rather sleep on my floor than go home.

Doesn't that show how Clarice has become a shackle in your mind? The Morrison family mansion feels like a cage, and Clarice-more than just a strict mother-is a manipulator. "But Khloe is different. She's your superior at Morrison Group, yes, but with her, you can be in a cooperative, mutually beneficial relationship. You have full freedom to govern yourself.