Chapter 5

I thought working under Ethan would be absolute torture.

But surprisingly, he barely paid attention to me. In fact, I rarely even saw him.

After laying low for two weeks and getting friendly with my coworkers, I began to subtly gather gossip.

I dug up everything—from the history of the Vance family to Ethan’s legendary moves in the business world.

During our afternoon coffee break, I sat with a few girls and steered the conversation toward Ethan. "So... do you guys know what kind of girls Mr. Vance likes?"

One of the senior employees paused, looking thoughtful. "Actually, I think Mr. Vance likes..."

She stopped mid-sentence.

I was so close to getting the answer! I couldn’t just let her stop there. I pressed, "Likes what? What kind of girls?"

"Are you really that curious about my type?"

Hearing that familiar voice, my entire body froze.

I slowly, mechanically turned around, and my soul almost left my body.

When did Ethan get here?!

I frantically winked at my coworkers, silently begging them to rescue me.

But they only gave me "rest in peace" looks and scurried away, leaving me to my fate.

At that moment, I genuinely wanted to die.

Was there anything more embarrassing than talking behind your boss's back and getting caught red-handed?!

Looking at Ethan’s intense gaze, I forced a weak, guilty smile and laughed nervously. "Mr. Vance! You... you misheard. I have so much work to do, I'll just go..."

I tried to slip past him, but he stepped in and blocked my path.

Before I could react, he used his height advantage to corner me, placing his hand on the wall right next to my head, effectively trapping me. He looked down at me with a smirk playing on his lips. "If you’re so curious, why didn't you just ask me? Hmm?"

Looking at his insanely handsome face so close to mine, I swallowed hard. My heart skipped a beat.

If I didn’t know better, I might have actually fallen for him right then and there.

But unfortunately, he was already targeted by a wealthy heiress.

While my mind was running wild, he reached out and gently flicked my forehead. "What's going on in that head of yours? Speak."

The slight sting made me frown, and before I could stop myself, I blurted out, "Fine, what kind of girls do you like then?"

"I like..."

He stared at my face and suddenly smiled, his eyes narrowing slightly.

His hand reached out, playing with a strand of my hair. Those gorgeous, sultry eyes never left mine as he leaned closer. The distance between us shrank until I could feel his warm breath on my face. I tried to lean back, but my back was already pressed against the wall. There was nowhere to run. As he leaned in even further, I put my hands on his chest to stop him, turning my head away. "Don't... don't get any closer!"

Ethan let out a soft chuckle and stopped. Just as I was about to turn my head back, his face brushed against my ear, and his deep voice vibrated through me.

"I like... pretty ones."

His breath tickled my cheek, and my face instantly flushed red.

He gave me a teasing look, smirked, and walked away.

Leaving me standing there, completely frozen for several seconds.

Then, it hit me.

Was he basically calling me ugly?!