My Clingy CEO Husband

### Chapter 37: I Won. The Bet Is On.

Dexter Chandler, drenched in wine, was absolutely furious. He sloppily wiped the liquor from his face and pointed a finger at Benjamin Sterling, roaring, "Benjamin Sterling! What the hell is wrong with The Sterlings? You don’t want this partnership anymore?!"

Benjamin Sterling’s face went deathly pale. He grabbed Maxine Rhodes’s arm. "Haven’t you made enough of a scene? Apologize right now! Mr. Chandler is a major client our company cannot afford to offend!"

Maxine Rhodes gently pulled her arm free. Meeting his furious gaze, she said calmly, "President Sterling, how about we make a bet?"

Before he could respond, she continued, her voice clear and firm, "Let’s bet on Mr. Chandler’s project. I bet that tonight, I can get him to sign that contract willingly."

Benjamin Sterling looked as if he’d just heard the funniest joke in the world. "Are you kidding me? You humiliated Mr. Chandler in front of everyone, and you still expect him to sign?"

"That’s right." Maxine Rhodes’s eyes burned with intensity, and every word she spoke was deliberate. "If I win, then starting today, all employees of The Sterlings will have the right to refuse any non-essential drinking parties with clients. Furthermore, this rule will be written into company policy, effective permanently."

She leaned forward slightly, her voice low yet filled with pressure. "And if I lose, I will immediately resign from my position as Director. So, what do you say? Do you dare take the bet?"

Benjamin Sterling’s breathing quickened. He’d long wanted to strip Maxine Rhodes of her power. Now, looking at her confident expression and then glancing at the apoplectic Mr. Chandler, he quickly ran the numbers in his head. ’This is a bet I’m guaranteed to win.’

"Fine!" he agreed, almost eagerly. "I’ll take that bet!"

Dexter Chandler, having just finished toweling the wine off his face in humiliation, heard the talk of a bet. He slammed the towel on the table and pointed at Maxine Rhodes’s nose. "You bitch! I’m telling you, you’re going to lose! I, Dexter Chandler, am telling you right now: if I sign this contract with The Sterlings, then my name isn’t Dexter Chandler!"

Lucy Coleman and the other two young women turned pale with fright, their palms slick with cold sweat. They were all terrified for Director Rhodes.

Just as Dexter Chandler was gloating, waiting to see Maxine Rhodes admit defeat, she suddenly turned and asked in a casual tone, "Oh, by the way, Mr. Chandler. Forgive my asking, but for your Brookside Gardens project in the southern district, have the land-swap procedures... been approved yet?"

Hearing this, it was as if a hand had clamped around Dexter Chandler’s throat. He froze, the fury on his face hardening into disbelief. "You... H-How do you know about that?!"

"I don’t just know about that," Maxine Rhodes took a step forward, her gaze calm but possessing a piercing intensity. "I also know that to pull some strings, you hosted a special banquet last Wednesday night at the Elysian Pavilion for Director Vaughn of the planning bureau."

The color instantly drained from Mr. Chandler’s face, his eyes filled with terror. ’That was an extremely private dinner. How could she possibly know?!’

Maxine Rhodes didn’t give him a moment to recover. She tapped her phone screen, and a clear document summary appeared.

"As it so happens, the team I’m on is the third-party reviewer for the new district’s development plan."

She turned the screen to face Dexter Chandler, the bright red official seal clearly visible. "According to the final approved draft, the land you have your eye on, as well as all the subsequent plots in your development plan... will all be rezoned as permanent, protected ecological green space after the public announcement next Monday."

She paused, looking at Mr. Chandler’s instantly ashen face, and delivered the final blow, word by word. "Which means all of your preliminary investments, including the connections you’ve already paid to secure... I’m afraid, Mr. Chandler, that it’s all about to go down the drain."

Her words struck him like a death sentence. Mr. Chandler’s portly frame swayed, and he nearly lost his balance.

His greatest weakness, the very venture he had staked his entire fortune on, was now held effortlessly in this woman’s grasp.

His previous arrogance vanished without a trace, replaced by an overwhelming fear. The muscles in his face twitched, contorting into a sycophantic smile that was uglier than a grimace. His voice changed completely. "D-Director Rhodes! You... You see, I was blind and failed to recognize your importance! A misunderstanding! This is all a terrible misunderstanding! The project! The project you mentioned, we’ll sign it right now! Any conditions, whatever you say!"

Maxine Rhodes put her phone away. She leisurely picked up an empty glass, filled it slowly, and slid it in front of Mr. Chandler.

"The contract will be signed, of course." Her voice, however, carried an undeniable authority. "But before that, Mr. Chandler, don’t you think you owe my colleagues... a toast and an apology for your earlier behavior?"

Mr. Chandler trembled, staring at the glass as if it were a death warrant.

With trembling hands, he picked up the glass. Instead of drinking, he turned to the still-shaken Lucy Coleman and the others and bowed nearly ninety degrees.

"I’m so sorry! To all of you, it was me, I was the bastard! I’m an asshole! I will punish myself! I am here to atone for what I did!"

With that, he tilted his head back and downed the strong liquor in one go. The harsh liquid made him cough violently, his face turning beet red. He was a pathetic sight.

Only then did Maxine Rhodes pick up the contract she had prepared beforehand and place it gracefully in front of him.

"Sign it, Mr. Chandler."

Five minutes later, Maxine Rhodes held the signed contract and turned to face Benjamin Sterling.

Benjamin Sterling’s face was ashen, his lips trembling, unable to utter a single word.

Maxine Rhodes slapped the contract down in front of him. Her voice was clear and strong. "Benjamin Sterling, I won."

"The bet is now in effect." 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Without another glance at him, she turned away sharply.

When her gaze fell on her three female colleagues, the icy expression on Maxine’s face instantly melted, her eyes softening. "Let’s go. We’re going home."

Only after the door to the private room closed did Noah Sutton snap out of it. "Holy crap! How... how did she do that? She knew all of Dexter Chandler’s secrets!"

Ethan Hawthorne’s gaze followed the direction Maxine had gone, his eyes full of admiration. "A highly efficient intelligence analysis, executed using her professional expertise and business acumen. My woman is just that brilliant."

"Then why did you prepare so many backup plans?"

Noah Sutton pointed to the message on Ethan Hawthorne’s phone, which had been fully composed but never sent.

Ethan Hawthorne put his phone away, a faint smile on his lips. "That was for me. It had nothing to do with her."

With that, he headed for the door.

"Hey!" Noah Sutton called after him. "You promised you’d give me a ride home!"

Without turning back, Ethan Hawthorne gave a dismissive wave, his voice fading down the hall. "I’m busy. Find your own way back."

Noah Sutton was left speechless.

Outside The Grandeur Hotel, Maxine Rhodes made sure each of her colleagues got safely into a car. Only after she watched the vehicle drive away did the tension finally leave her ramrod-straight spine.

After such intense mental focus, a wave of exhaustion washed over her. She hadn’t had a chance to eat dinner, and now, as the night breeze chilled her, she felt a faint, nauseous churning in her stomach.

She subconsciously pressed a hand to her stomach, her brow furrowing slightly.

"Director Rhodes."

A familiar, deep voice spoke from beside her.

*****