My Clingy CEO Husband

###Chapter 94: I Was Wrong!!

"What other crisis could there be?!" Benjamin Sterling roared, the veins in his temples throbbing.

"The marketing department, the sales department, the project department... more than half of our core staff submitted their resignations this morning, all at once!"

"And our three main suppliers we had deals with, plus five major clients we were in talks with—they all sent notices within the last half hour, demanding to terminate or re-evaluate their partnerships with the Sterlings!"

"Manager Archer from the bank just called. He was asking about the company’s PR situation and project changes, implying that our previous loan amount might need to be re-evaluated..."

"Also, the tech department reported that the core databases for several related projects on the server... they were encrypted, locked, and then wiped. Most of the backup files they left behind can’t be opened..."

With every sentence Roy Miller spoke, the color drained further from Benjamin Sterling’s face.

He staggered as he pushed open his office door. Inside, Lydia Thorne, her face deathly pale, was trying to use a computer, but the screen was constantly flashing with "Insufficient Permissions" or "File Corrupted" errors.

Rose Joyce was huddled on a sofa in the corner, her face devoid of color, her eyes vacant.

Seeing Benjamin Sterling enter, Lydia Thorne lunged at him like he was her last hope. "President Sterling! This... this must be Maxine Rhodes’s doing! It was all premeditated! She betrayed us..."

"Shut up!"

Benjamin Sterling flung her away, the force of it sending Lydia Thorne stumbling into the corner of a desk.

His eyes blazed with fury, as if he wanted to devour her whole. "Betrayal? Premeditated? It was you! You two idiots! Using such dirty tricks to forge documents and force her out! Are you happy now? The Hawthorne Group’s statement of credibility, the lawyer’s letter! The clients are gone! The team is gone! The projects are gone! What’s left of the company?! Tell me! What’s left of the company?!"

He screamed until his voice was raw.

Lydia Thorne cowered from his yelling, and Rose Joyce was so terrified she burst into tears.

’It was supposed to be foolproof.’ Who could have known the tables would turn so quickly, so unexpectedly?

Benjamin Sterling collapsed into his chair, utterly defeated. A huge, belated realization washed over him like a tidal wave.

’Maxine Rhodes had been ready for this all along.’

From the moment he agreed to let her run the project independently, or perhaps even earlier, she had been quietly transferring the core resources, talent, and clients, step by step.

And that memo he had personally signed, the one intended to sever his liability from hers, had become the perfect springboard for her to legally take everything with her.

She wasn’t some kicked-out stray dog. She was a hunter who had planned this long ago, patiently weaving her net, and with one final, gentle pull, uprooted everything.

And he, Benjamin Sterling, along with his once seemingly sturdy ship, was now just a magnificent but hollow shell, rapidly taking on water after she had removed its keel and engine.

Just then, the abrupt, clear sound of footsteps approached from a distance and stopped outside the office door.

Two law enforcement officers in dark uniforms, their expressions grim, entered the room.

"Mr. Benjamin Sterling? Is Ms. Lydia Thorne here?"

The lead officer showed his badge, his voice authoritative. "We’ve received a report from the Hawthorne Group and its affiliates. We have preliminary evidence, and we are hereby summoning the suspect, Lydia Thorne, for questioning in connection with commercial defamation, forgery of corporate seals and documents, and unfair competition. Please cooperate."

The air in the room instantly froze.

The last trace of color drained from Lydia Thorne’s face, leaving it as white as a sheet. She took a sharp step back, her back hitting the cold desk. Her lips trembled, but she couldn’t utter a single word as immense fear flooded her eyes.

Rose Joyce’s crying stopped abruptly as if her throat had been squeezed shut. Her eyes widened in terror, and she instinctively shrank deeper into the sofa.

’Retribution comes so quickly.’

Lydia Thorne’s legs gave out, and she nearly collapsed. "I... I didn’t... It was Maxine Rhodes! Yes! She framed me! Why aren’t you arresting her?!"

She was rambling, still trying to struggle.

"You can save it for the station," the officer said coolly.

Lydia Thorne’s eyes went vacant. She finally broke down completely as she was led out of the office.

Rose Joyce watched the entire scene unfold, scared out of her wits.

A dead silence fell over the office once more, but this time it was even more suffocating.

Benjamin Sterling stared in the direction Lydia Thorne had been taken, stunned, for a full minute.

He had only one thought now: find Maxine Rhodes! He had to find Maxine Rhodes immediately!

Only she could save the company! Only she still had the projects, the clients, and the team!

If she would just come back, if she would just agree, there was still a chance to salvage everything!

He could apologize. He could admit he was wrong. He could take back everything he’d said!

’After all, they had been together for five years. She couldn’t possibly feel nothing for him! He was the one who had hurt her before; she was just doing this to make him admit his mistake!’

This thought sustained him. He drove to the coffee shop he remembered Maxine Rhodes frequenting, but she wasn’t there.

Then he rushed to her old apartment, frantically ringing the doorbell, but there was no answer.

He called everyone who might know her whereabouts, but all he got were evasive answers or people hanging up on him directly.

Benjamin Sterling was like a chicken with its head cut off, searching fruitlessly for any trace of Maxine Rhodes in the vast city.

His calls wouldn’t go through, his messages vanished without a trace, and every channel of communication had been cut off.

Meanwhile, at the company, Roy Miller was sending him worse news every few minutes. Suppliers were demanding payment, clients were terminating contracts, the calls from the bank were endless, and he could no longer hold back the board of directors—their inquiries and fury were about to drown him.

For the first time, he realized with stark clarity just how fragile the Sterlings was without Maxine Rhodes. It was like a magnificent shell with its core eaten away, teetering on the verge of collapse at the slightest breeze.

Just as he was about to be consumed by anxiety and panic, his phone screen lit up. A text message from an unknown number. It contained only an address.

There was no name, but his heart leaped. His intuition told him it was from Maxine Rhodes.

Like a dying man clutching his last straw, he immediately spun the car around and raced toward the location, heedless of everything else.

The elevator ascended smoothly, the floor numbers ticking by. Benjamin Sterling faced the polished, reflective wall, trying to fix his messy hair and straighten his suit, attempting to salvage some shred of his shattered dignity.

He mentally rehearsed what he was going to say. No matter what, he had to move her.

The elevator doors opened to a spacious, bright reception area with a modern design.

Maxine Rhodes stood there, dressed in a sharply tailored, light gray skirt suit. Her long hair was tied up, revealing a smooth forehead and an elegant neckline.

Benjamin Sterling shot to his feet, the sudden movement making him dizzy.

He rushed forward, his voice hoarse with desperation. "Maxine! I was wrong!" 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

*****