My Clingy CEO Husband

###Chapter 59: Ex-Boyfriend’s Flowers, Meet the New Man

Lydia Thorne slowly and deliberately organized her documents and was the first to stand up. She didn’t even spare Maxine Rhodes another glance. That utter disdain was more insulting than any words could be.

She walked to the door, then stopped as if she had suddenly remembered something. Turning her head halfway, she spoke to the air, "Director Rhodes, have the supplementary documents on my desk before work tomorrow."

Rose Joyce hurried to catch up. As she brushed past Maxine Rhodes, she shot her a look mixed with pity and delight, the corners of her mouth twitching into a smirk she couldn’t control.

After everyone had left, Bubbles’s shoulders slumped. He let out a long sigh, his voice still tinged with unresolved grievance. "That was suffocating! They should give me an Oscar for Best Actor! My cheeks are sore from clenching my jaw..."

Coco unclenched her fists, patting him lightly with approval. "Your acting skills have improved! You get an extra chicken drumstick when we get back."

Maxine Rhodes was the last one to leave the conference room. As she walked out, her eyes briefly met Benjamin Sterling’s in his office.

She quickly averted her gaze, turning away with a hint of pique. Her back was straight, yet she somehow looked a little lonely.

Watching her retreating back, Benjamin Sterling felt a growing sense of satisfaction. He even leisurely brewed himself a cup of tea.

’He was absolutely certain now. Maxine Rhodes was like a sulky child, just waiting for him to coax and validate her.’

’And he was more than happy to enjoy this feeling of being cared about, of having someone rack their brains just to get his attention. As for those flaws in the data? They were just deliberate mistakes she’d made to stir up trouble, nothing serious.’

He completely relaxed his vigilance over Maxine Rhodes. When a man thinks he has a firm grip on the kite string, why would he worry about the kite flying away?

’He just needed to give the string a gentle tug when she flew too far, and she would naturally return to the path he’d set for her.’

But what Benjamin Sterling didn’t know was that the moment Maxine Rhodes returned to her office and closed the door, all traces of fatigue and frustration vanished from her face, replaced by a cold, sharp focus.

’They were fighting over a single well, but what I want is the drilling rights to the entire oil field.’

After work, just as Maxine Rhodes was walking through the company’s revolving doors, Benjamin Sterling strode up with an exquisitely wrapped bouquet of red roses, blocking her path.

"Maxine," he said, deliberately adopting a gentle tone. "President Thorne is strict in her work demands; it’s just part of her job. I know you’ve been wronged lately. I’ve been under a lot of pressure defending you to her."

He offered her the flowers, his tone a blend of pity and condescending magnanimity. "Think of these flowers as a small compensation. In the workplace, you shouldn’t be so petty. You need to think bigger."

’Benjamin Sterling thought he had given her a graceful way out; she should know when to accept it and back down.’

Maxine Rhodes was just about to refuse when, out of the corner of her eye, she saw a familiar black Maybach slowly pulling into the reserved CEO parking spot not far away.

The car door opened, and Ethan Hawthorne stepped out, his long legs first. The setting sun cast a cold, golden edge along the sharp lines of his shoulders.

His gaze swept over casually, happening to catch Benjamin Sterling offering the flowers and the distinct coldness on Maxine Rhodes’s face.

"Mr. Hawthorne! What are you doing here!"

Benjamin Sterling immediately put on an enthusiastic but awkwardly strained smile, his body leaning forward slightly without him realizing. "Are you here about the collaboration Special Assistant Sinclair mentioned last time? I was wondering why Special Assistant Sinclair never got back to me. We couldn’t possibly trouble you to come in person!"

Ethan Hawthorne’s gaze didn’t fully leave Maxine Rhodes as he casually interrupted him. "I’m here for a meeting next door."

Benjamin Sterling’s fawning words got stuck in his throat.

Then, as if recalling some trivial matter, Ethan Hawthorne added in a perfectly flat tone, "Oh, right. That collaboration you mentioned. After evaluation, it’s been canceled due to personal reasons concerning President Sterling."

The smile on Benjamin Sterling’s face froze instantly. A mortified blush crept up from his neck to his cheeks.

Ethan Hawthorne’s eyes shifted to the roses, his voice betraying no emotion. "President Sterling seems to have a lot of free time. Enough to stand at his own company’s entrance and offer his subordinate some... pastoral care?"

His tone was even, but every word was barbed.

Maxine Rhodes seized the opportunity to push the flowers back at him, her tone strictly professional. "President Sterling, company policy explicitly forbids managers from privately giving valuable gifts to one another to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings. Please take them back."

Hearing this, Ethan Hawthorne let out a soft scoff. He toyed with his car keys as he spoke to Benjamin Sterling, "It seems President Sterling’s company bylaws need to be revised to be more rigorous. After all,"

he paused, looking pointedly at Benjamin Sterling, "a sense of propriety isn’t something everyone is born with."

A muscle in Benjamin Sterling’s cheek twitched. A knot of frustration tightened in his chest, but he still had to force a smile. "You’re right, Mr. Hawthorne. We... we will certainly strengthen our management!"

Watching Ethan Hawthorne turn and walk away, the frustration in Benjamin Sterling’s heart quickly morphed into a different kind of certainty.

’The only reason Maxine Rhodes rejected him just now was because Ethan Hawthorne showed up. She panicked, not daring to give a top-tier tycoon like him any reason to gossip, so she had no choice but to act all high and mighty!’

’Deep down, she definitely still wanted his flowers.’

Just then, Rose Joyce was coming out of the building and took in the entire scene at the entrance.

She gripped her purse strap tightly, her eyes fixed on the bouquet of roses in Benjamin Sterling’s hand—the bouquet that was supposed to be for her.

After Ethan Hawthorne left, she immediately walked up, her eyes red-rimmed. Her voice was full of grievance. "Benjamin, didn’t you promise you’d only ever give flowers to me?"

Benjamin Sterling, already annoyed after being rebuffed by both Maxine Rhodes and Ethan Hawthorne, simply shoved the flowers at her. "If you like them, you can have them. It’s just a bouquet."

He didn’t notice that he had crumpled the wrapping paper in his grip.

After Benjamin Sterling and Rose Joyce had left, Ethan Hawthorne tilted his head toward Maxine Rhodes, his gaze flicking toward his car.

Maxine Rhodes understood and got into Ethan Hawthorne’s car.

Meanwhile, behind the glass doors of the company building, two heads peeked out, one above the other.

"OH MY GOD!!!"

Bubbles clapped a hand over his mouth, his eyes wide as saucers. "That’s Ethan Hawthorne, right? The super-hot tycoon from the cover of the financial magazines! Our Max Darling actually knows a big shot of that caliber?!"

Coco gripped Bubbles’s arm, her voice trembling with excitement. "I saw it! She got into the passenger seat, and Mr. Hawthorne opened the door for her himself! And the way Maxine carried herself, it was like they were total equals!!"

"Exactly!" Bubbles stamped his foot excitedly. "That presence, that profile, that physique... he’s like, eight hundred levels above Sterling the Scumbag! Now that’s a man worthy of our Max Darling! Sterling the Scumbag is still trying to emotionally blackmail her with a few measly flowers, while our Max Darling is already hobnobbing with a top-tier tycoon! That’s class! That’s a whole other level!"

Coco nodded vigorously, her eyes shining with adoration. "I knew it! That’s why she’s been so steady lately! She’s already moved on to a higher-level battlefield! For her, dealing with Sterling the Scumbag and Lydia Thorne must be like playing on easy mode!"

Bubbles clasped his hands to his chest, beaming with vicarious pride. "Now that’s the Max Darling we know! Always carving out her own path through blood and fire! But—"

He gave a mischievous wink. "They do look really good together!!"

Coco nodded furiously. "They’re so easy on the eyes!!! But our girl probably doesn’t want too many people to know they know each other. We have to keep it a secret for her."

Bubbles immediately made a zipping motion across his lips. "Absolutely!"

Inside the car, Ethan Hawthorne slowly started the engine, which let out a low rumble.

Maxine Rhodes fastened her seatbelt and glanced at his sharp profile, her tone tinged with a hint of teasing. "So, is Mr. Hawthorne’s meeting canceled?"

Ethan Hawthorne kept his eyes forward, reversing the car with one hand. "Canceled."

He paused slightly, then added, "But I’ll be coming over for meetings more often from now on."

Maxine Rhodes raised an eyebrow, asking deliberately, "It seems Mr. Hawthorne places great importance on the projects over here?"

The traffic light turned red. He brought the car to a slow stop, then turned his head to look at her, his tone flat but admitting no argument. "No."

He looked at her, articulating each word clearly. "I’m placing importance on my personal assets."