"It's only been ten years. I doubt you'd forget," Ethan said with a soft smile. "That girl's name was Claire Peng, right? Seventeen years old—a time of innocence and first crushes…"
"All right, that's enough," Isabella interrupted him.
"You don't want me to keep going?" Ethan asked, smiling as if amused.
"How did you find out about that?" Isabella countered, her tone sharp.
"Trade secret," Ethan replied with a grin, though he had no intention of revealing that she had once told him herself.
In one of Ethan's previous cycles, he had spent quite a lot of time with Isabella, learning more about her each day. Over those cycles, they had become close, often with her sharing snippets of her past. One night, after a lighthearted conversation about her intense charisma, Isabella had revealed this teenage episode with Claire Peng, a classmate who had a brief crush on her. As a girl of striking beauty and a cool, assertive attitude, Isabella was the undisputed queen bee in school, someone many admired and some secretly adored.
Her moment with Claire had been innocent yet confusing. Isabella was often mistaken for being indifferent toward boys, and some girls, like Claire, found themselves drawn to her unique charisma. Isabella recalled that she'd even felt a brief confusion toward Claire's attention—a fleeting sense of excitement from the newness of it all. Ultimately, though, her attraction toward men remained unchanged, but the memory was one she seldom revisited, almost a forgotten relic of her youth.
Staring at Ethan now, Isabella tucked her hair behind her ear. With a reserved expression, she asked, "Do you think you know too much? You've unearthed things I had nearly forgotten."
"Are you warning me?" Ethan replied calmly, then added with a smirk, "How about a million dollars to keep me quiet?"
For the first time, Isabella showed a flicker of unease. Ethan's vast knowledge was unsettling, as if he could uncover anyone's hidden stories. And if he could dig up her long-buried teenage crush, it suggested he might know far more about her life than she'd like anyone to know.
This was exactly the impression Ethan aimed to give—a sense of quiet power that would challenge Isabella's need for control. He was fully aware that a woman like her would respond to strength and intelligence; she valued individuals who didn't falter under her gaze. And by keeping Isabella slightly off-balance, he could subtly influence her, building a sense of respect and fascination that could eventually lead to her trust.
In maintaining this delicate balance, Ethan knew he would have to allow her a sense of control, even as he kept her guessing. He'd cleverly let Isabella believe that she could rely on wealth to influence him, appealing to her conviction that money could move anyone, given enough incentive. And while he would keep this dynamic alive, his end goal was always clear: to be the one she truly respected, even in the face of her own formidable strength.
"Is money the only thing on your mind?" Isabella sighed, watching him closely before glancing subtly around the restaurant to ensure no one was eavesdropping.
"Don't give it to me, then," Ethan replied coolly. "But if you're going to ask questions, you'll have to accept the answers. If you don't ask, I won't say a word."
Without responding to his statement, Isabella's gaze drifted to a woman descending the stairs, an elegant young lady in her twenties.
"Do you know her?" Isabella asked, nodding in the woman's direction.
Following her gaze, Ethan replied smoothly, "Yes. Claire Du, twenty-three years old, youngest daughter of Cliff Du, the CEO of East Wine Group. She's five-foot-six, a vegetarian, and has a British shorthair cat named Pickles. At nineteen, she had her appendix removed, which left a faint scar about two inches long on her abdomen. She got married this March, and the wedding was held in May. Her husband…"
"And what about her?" Isabella cut him off, her gaze now directed at a well-dressed woman in her thirties, standing at a nearby table toasting her companions.
"Laura Hao, thirty-two, PR manager at Changxing Industrial. Married, with an eight-year-old son. She's been in a long-standing affair with Changxing's VP, Norman Yang. Every Saturday afternoon, she goes to a salon on West City Street for skincare treatments."
"You win. Let's just eat," Isabella muttered, shaking her head. Though usually unwilling to concede, she found herself quietly impressed and perhaps slightly overwhelmed by his knowledge.
She stopped her questioning, satisfied that Ethan's expertise was, indeed, remarkable. They continued their meal, and to maintain appearances, Isabella even helped serve Ethan food from time to time, occasionally glancing around the room, her thoughts inward.
"Can you guess my measurements?" she asked suddenly, almost under her breath.
Without missing a beat, Ethan replied, "32-22-34."
She paused for a moment, her expression unreadable, then asked, "Any other distinguishing features?"
"You're a White Tiger," Ethan said softly, referring to a discreet detail only she would understand.
Her chopsticks slipped from her hand, clattering onto the table.
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]