Chapter 81: Chapter 81: Men Are Easy to Handle

### Chapter 81: Men Are Easy to Handle

Maxine Rhodes quickly locked her screen and took the glass of milk. Her eyes darted away. "It’s nothing. Susie Summers just told me a joke."

Ethan Hawthorne noticed the pink tips of her ears but didn’t press the issue. He simply sat down beside her, picked up the soothing essential oil from the table, and said naturally, "Turn around. I’ll give you a back rub."

Maxine Rhodes obediently turned. "Okay."

His palms settled firmly on the sorest part of her lower back. Maxine Rhodes sighed in contentment as the air filled with the sweet fragrance of the essential oil and an unspoken intimacy.

"By the way," Ethan Hawthorne’s voice broke the silence of the living room, "the board unanimously approved your proposal today."

This news immediately perked Maxine Rhodes up. She tilted her head slightly. "So soon?"

"Mhm." His knuckles kneaded her stiff muscles with just the right amount of pressure. "Your data was solid, and your creative was innovative. No one could find fault with it."

Feeling the perfect pressure on her back, Maxine Rhodes couldn’t help but chuckle. "Is Mr. Hawthorne complimenting me?"

A hint of a smile touched Ethan Hawthorne’s voice. "Just stating facts."

He leaned in closer, his warm breath tickling her ear. "When the time comes, I’ll bring my team over to sign the official contract."

The proximity was too intimate. Maxine Rhodes could smell his faint, personal scent mingling with the fragrance of the body wash she used. She subtly leaned forward. "Okay, I’ll be ready."

"Don’t move." His hand gently pressed her shoulder with a tenderness that brooked no refusal. "I’m not done with this spot."

His fingertips resumed their work on her neck and shoulders. Ethan Hawthorne gazed at the soft glow of her profile in the light and suddenly murmured, "Benjamin Sterling’s face when he sees the contract should be priceless."

Hearing this, Maxine Rhodes’s lips curved into a triumphant smile. "I’ve been looking forward to it for a long time."

「Two days later.」

The Hawthorne Group’s board of directors formally passed a resolution to enter a strategic partnership with Sterling Enterprises for the Celestia project. The news sent a wave of jubilation through Sterling Enterprises.

Benjamin Sterling was ecstatic. He immediately invited Lydia Thorne into his office and personally poured her a glass of red wine. His face was beaming with undisguised admiration. "President Thorne! You’ve truly rendered a meritorious service this time! I know better than anyone how difficult a man Ethan Hawthorne is. I can’t believe you actually pulled it off! Quick, tell me, how did you get him to say yes?"

Lydia Thorne was a bit stunned by this sudden credit. Ethan Hawthorne had been avoiding her lately, and she had been on the verge of despair. Who knew things would take such a turn?

In a flash, she remembered the explicit text messages she’d sent him, which had received no reply. ’That’s it, it must have been the texts!’

’I knew it. My intuition and charm never fail. All that talk about him being uninterested in women, about keeping his professional and private lives separate—it’s just a front Ethan Hawthorne puts up.’

’Men, especially a man like him at the pinnacle of success... what haven’t they seen? They crave a little novelty, a little excitement, something special that breaks the rules.’

’My texts must have pierced right through his sanctimonious facade, showing him I’m different, that I’m determined to win.’

’He’s a married man, after all, so of course he couldn’t be too obvious. He had to use this multi-hundred-million-dollar project to tacitly approve of my advances and acknowledge my worth.’

’He’s so adorably repressed.’

Lydia Thorne took the wine glass, elegantly swirling the dark red liquid with her fingertips.

"You’re too kind, President Sterling." Her voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. "Mr. Hawthorne... outsiders see him as untouchable, but in reality, he has his own... preferences."

She paused deliberately, savoring the look of piqued curiosity that instantly appeared on Benjamin Sterling’s face.

"I didn’t do anything special. I just didn’t treat him solely as Mr. Hawthorne. Men, no matter how powerful, still need a little personal validation that goes beyond business. I just happened to be his type."

’So the rumors that have been floating around the office are true,’ Benjamin Sterling thought, his mind racing. ’Their relationship really isn’t ordinary.’

When Lydia Thorne stepped out of the president’s office, she was immediately surrounded by a crowd of colleagues eager to curry favor.

"Vice President Thorne, you’re incredible! You actually managed to win over Mr. Hawthorne!"

"Does Mr. Hawthorne... show you special favor?"

"Those rumors about you and Mr. Hawthorne... I guess they weren’t so baseless after all, huh? Was this whole partnership settled on your account?"

"President Thorne, come on, tell us your secret!"

Lydia Thorne basked in the feeling of being the center of attention. She lifted her chin, her voice dripping with undisguised triumph. "I told you all our relationship was special. As for the secret..."

Her voice was crisp and clear, with a victor’s sharp edge. "This isn’t something you can learn by reading a few books on ’communication skills’ or pulling all-nighters to finish a proposal."

She glanced around the circle, her eyes filled with blatant superiority and pity. "None of you could ever learn how."

As her words fell, a subtle silence descended upon the group by the breakroom. Just then, the soft click of an opening door came from the adjacent hallway.

Maxine Rhodes walked out slowly, holding her personal mug. She acted as if she hadn’t heard the smug performance, her expression calm as she headed straight for the coffee machine.

Lydia Thorne’s smile widened when she saw her.

She sashayed over, her voice cloyingly sweet. "Director Rhodes, what a coincidence. You heard all that, didn’t you?"

She deliberately blocked the path between Maxine Rhodes and the coffee machine, leaning in. "Let me, as someone with more experience, give you a piece of friendly advice. Sometimes a woman can’t be so headstrong. You have to know when to be soft. You see, even a man like Mr. Hawthorne... isn’t he just..."

She cut herself off at the perfect moment, leaving the rest unsaid with a meaningful smile.

Maxine Rhodes finished filling her mug and slowly straightened up. Without looking at Lydia Thorne, she lowered her gaze and gently blew on the steam rising from the hot coffee.

"Vice President Thorne’s pearls of wisdom have certainly been eye-opening for me. I heard Mr. Hawthorne will be coming in person to sign the contract. After all the effort Vice President Thorne has put into this project, you’ll finally get your direct reward in front of everyone. I’m really looking forward to seeing that~"

With that, she carried her mug, calmly walked past Lydia Thorne, and went straight back to her office.

The triumphant smile on Lydia Thorne’s face faltered for a second, but it was instantly replaced by an even deeper look of disdain.

’She’s just putting on an act because she’s jealous. When she sees me standing next to Mr. Hawthorne on the signing stage tomorrow, I bet she won’t be able to keep up even this last shred of forced composure.’

Maxine Rhodes had just gotten back to her desk when the internal line rang. It was Benjamin Sterling’s secretary. "Director Rhodes," the voice said, all business, "President Sterling would like to see you in his office now."

Maxine Rhodes picked up the fresh cup of coffee, brought it to her lips, and took a small sip.

’This is never-ending.’

Benjamin Sterling sat behind his desk, watching as Maxine Rhodes pushed the door open and entered.

He deliberately adjusted his posture, leaning back slightly in his chair to assume a superior air.

"Ah, Director Rhodes. Have a seat."