My Clingy CEO Husband

### Chapter 85: This Is How You Should Thank Me Next Time

Noah Sutton pointed to a nearby sofa piled high with several luxury gift boxes of various sizes.

"These are all the new limited-edition Hermès bags, complete with three silk scarves!"

"This is a lipstick set with all of this season’s popular shades. I didn’t know which one you’d like, Maxine, so I bought them all!"

"This is a complete set of ’Starry Sky’ series jewelry. I feel like only you are worthy of it, Maxine!"

"And this one’s from Elias Grant. So boring. Said it’s some out-of-print book he found at an auction. He said you could use it for your projects..."

Elias Grant sneered. "More practical than your bags. Maxine is a woman of action, unlike you, who only knows how to flatter people with flashy things."

Noah Sutton: "Flashy? I’m just enthusiastic! Hawthorne, you be the judge!"

Ethan Hawthorne was carefully scalding the bowls and chopsticks for Maxine Rhodes, not even looking up. "You’re both as bad as each other. Leave the gifts. Now you can shut up."

Maxine Rhodes looked at the dazzling pile of gifts on the sofa, her eyes curving into a smile.

She stood up gracefully. "I love the gifts. Thank you both. When you have time, I’ll treat you to dinner. I know a private kitchen where the owner is eccentric, but his cooking is out of this world."

Noah Sutton was instantly placated and overjoyed, practically puffed up with pride. "Maxine, you’re the best! Did you hear that, Grant? Maxine is treating *us* personally! Hawthorne, you can get in the back of the line!"

A genuine hint of a smile appeared in Elias Grant’s eyes behind his glasses. He raised his glass in a toast. "You’re refreshingly direct, Maxine. I look forward to it."

Ethan Hawthorne watched as Maxine effortlessly turned the tables and won over his two difficult friends. The pride and satisfaction in his heart nearly overflowed.

"The dinner is her treat. The bill is on me."

With one sentence, he honored Maxine’s gesture while asserting his own place. Then he looked at his two friends. "Now, can we eat?"

Noah Sutton pouted, immediately scooting over to sit on Maxine’s other side and pouring her a glass of red wine. "Maxine! To celebrate you ridding the world of a menace... uh, I mean, to congratulate you and Hawthorne, you have to down this!"

But Ethan Hawthorne’s hand shot out first, moving the glass of red wine aside and replacing it with a glass of warm milk.

"She’s had a bit of a cold these past two days. She can’t drink."

His tone was even as he also casually removed the chilled fruit juice from beside her hand.

Noah Sutton & Elias Grant: "???"

Noah Sutton’s eyes widened, his finger trembling as he pointed at the milk. "Ethan Hawthorne! That’s Romanee Conti! And you’re swapping it for milk?! Have you been possessed?!"

Maxine Rhodes felt a little embarrassed as well and said in a low voice, "I’m not actually—"

"Be good."

Ethan Hawthorne’s two words landed softly, laced with tender affection. After speaking, he diligently picked out all the chopped green onions garnishing her plate.

Noah Sutton clutched his chest and collapsed dramatically toward Elias Grant. "Grant, quick, my nitro pills... This PDA is a lethal dose!"

Elias Grant shoved him away in disgust, but the look he gave Ethan Hawthorne was also incredibly complicated. "I understand your desire to show off, but please be mindful of your methods. There are still two living, single people here."

Only then did Ethan Hawthorne look up. He leisurely poured himself a glass of wine, swirled it gently, and looked at his two friends. "Sorry. Now that I have a wife, I forget."

"..."

Noah Sutton was suffocating.

Elias Grant silently picked up his wine glass and filled it to the brim.

Under the table, Maxine Rhodes gently kicked Ethan Hawthorne. Her cheeks were warm, but her heart felt soft and fuzzy.

She picked up the milk, took a cooperative sip, and then flashed a sweet smile at Noah Sutton and Elias Grant. "Seeing as it’s so rare for him to be this thoughtless, can you two cut him some slack?"

Noah Sutton slammed his hand on the table. "Maxine! If you keep spoiling him like this, he’ll think he can walk on water!"

Elias Grant nodded. "He already has. It’s visible to the naked eye."

Under the table, Ethan Hawthorne caught the foot Maxine had kicked him with. He gently caressed her ankle with his fingertips. His expression remained composed, but when he looked at her, the smile in his eyes could no longer be hidden—it was fragmented and bright.

The rest of the dinner became a stage for Ethan Hawthorne to subtly show off his wife and a scene of suffering for his two friends, who were forced to consume a top-tier meal of public affection.

All sorts of meticulous service, all sorts of considerate care, all sorts of casual flaunting.

Noah Sutton wailed, "Hawthorne! That’s enough! Do you even remember our pure, brotherly bond?!"

Ethan Hawthorne finally looked him in the eye, thought for a second, and then answered earnestly, "Brotherly bond? Did we have one?"

Noah Sutton: "...Friendship over!"

Glasses clinked under the warm lights. Outside the window, the city remained cold and brilliant, but inside was a world of warmth, filled with laughter, banter, and lively energy.

Maxine Rhodes had never thought this is what it would feel like to be so earnestly welcomed into someone’s life, along with his genuine and lovable friends. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

’It’s not so bad, actually.’

By the end of dinner, Noah Sutton was already tipsy, clinging to Elias Grant and rambling nonstop. Grant, with a cold expression, kept pushing him off while maintaining his last bit of sobriety to call a designated driver on his phone.

Ethan Hawthorne took Maxine Rhodes’s coat and carefully helped her put it on.

Seeing this, Noah Sutton struggled to poke his head out from behind Elias Grant, shouting with a thick tongue, "Haw... Hawthorne the Bastard! You... you have to treat our Maxine well! Or else I... I’ll be the first to object!"

Elias Grant pressed a hand to his forehead, pushing Noah back down while saying to Maxine, "My apologies, Maxine. He’s always like this when he drinks. I had a great time today. Let’s get together again next time."

Maxine Rhodes smiled and nodded. "Definitely. I had a wonderful time today, too."

Ethan Hawthorne wrapped an arm around her shoulder and nodded to his two friends. "We’re leaving. Elias Grant, watch him."

The car pulled away from the bustling restaurant and merged into the silent midnight traffic.

Maxine Rhodes leaned against the seat, her cheeks still warm from the laughter and commotion. But both her body and mind felt a faint weariness that comes after deep relaxation.

She turned her head, watching the play of light and shadow on Ethan Hawthorne’s profile as the city lights streamed past the window.

"Tired?" he asked suddenly.

"A little," Maxine Rhodes admitted honestly. "But I had a lot of fun. Your friends are very interesting."

"A couple of clowns," Ethan Hawthorne said, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly. "As long as you’re happy."

The car entered the garage, and the elevator ascended.

In the small space, only the sound of their soft breathing could be heard.

After they entered the apartment, the motion-sensor lights turned on automatically. As Maxine Rhodes bent down to change her shoes, Ethan Hawthorne was already crouching, naturally picking up her slippers and placing them by her feet.

"Thanks," Maxine Rhodes said out of habit.

As she straightened up, Ethan Hawthorne didn’t move away. He simply remained at that close distance, looking down at her.

Warm light shone from behind him, casting his tall silhouette over her. Their breaths mingled in the warm air.

"I thought we agreed you wouldn’t be so polite?"

Maxine Rhodes paused for a moment, then a smile bloomed in her eyes. "Ah, right. In that case, I..."

Before she could finish, Ethan Hawthorne had already leaned in. A gentle, brief kiss, light as a feather, landed on her lips, silencing the rest of her words.

"Next time..." He pulled back just an inch, his nose almost touching hers, his breath warm. "If you want to thank me, you can do it like this."

*****