###Chapter 111: Just Rember to Take With You
Maxine Rhodes was startled. She snapped her head up to see a familiar figure walking in, casually flipping the main light switch by the door.
CLICK.
Warm, bright light instantly dispelled the suffocating gloom that had filled the room.
Ethan Hawthorne walked to the window and, with a sharp SWISH, pulled the heavy blackout curtains wide open.
The flowing cityscape outside the window rushed in, its light and life crowding out the oppressive darkness from monts before.
"The view from your office isn’t bad," he comnted, his tone casual.
"You’re here?" Maxine Rhodes looked up at him.
He nodded, his gaze falling on her slightly clenched fists.
"Why are your hands so cold?" He reached out naturally and took her fingertips in his. His palm was dry and warm, a reassuring heat.
Using that grip, he gently guided her up from her chair.
"Co on, help test sothing," Ethan Hawthorne said.
"Test what?" Maxine Rhodes asked instinctively, her attention partially diverted by him.
"There’s a new perfu shop downstairs. The Perfur is quite interesting. He’s blended a few versions, and I can’t decide."
As he spoke, he picked up the jacket she had draped over the back of her chair and naturally held it open for her. "Your nose is better than mine. Go take a sniff."
Seeing she was still a bit dazed, he added, "If you don’t like any of them, we can go for a walk by the river. The wind is calm tonight."
Maxine Rhodes let him guide her arms into the jacket. "Is the perfu shop still open at this hour?"
"The owner is a friend of mine. He left the door open for us."
Ethan Hawthorne answered calmly, taking her bag. His other hand still holding hers, he led her out of the office.
As the elevator descended, the mirrored walls reflected their side-by-side figures. Maxine Rhodes looked at her own pale face in the reflection, then at the calm, focused profile of the man beside her. It felt as if his silent, steady companionship had found a loose thread in the tangled ss in her heart, ready to be unraveled.
The perfu shop was just in the next block. It had a small storefront, and a warm light shone from behind the glass door.
Just as Ethan Hawthorne had said, an elegant, middle-aged Perfur was waiting. When he saw them enter, he gave a smiling nod. Without any unnecessary pleasantries, he led them directly to the fragrance testing counter in the back room.
Five or six scent strips were laid out on the counter, along with a few bottles of unbottled concentrate.
Ethan Hawthorne gestured for Maxine Rhodes to step forward. "Want to take a sniff?"
Maxine Rhodes leaned forward slightly, picked up the first scent strip, and fanned it gently under her nose.
A sharp, cold fragrance entered her nostrils. It did have a hint of a frigid night’s air, but it was too piercing.
She shook her head, put it down, and picked up the second one.
The aquatic notes were more prominent, carrying a damp floral scent, more like a garden after the rain.
She tested them one by one, imrsing herself in the scenes constructed by the different scents.
Ethan Hawthorne leaned against the counter, watching her lightly trembling eyelashes and the gradually relaxing line of her shoulders. He said softly, "Scents are more honest than people. They are what they are. They don’t pretend, and they don’t betray."
"If you like it, you like it. If you don’t, you move on. It’s that simple."
Maxine Rhodes mulled over the aning of his words. She closed her eyes, sensing the image that the wisp of fragrance sketched in her nose and mind, and remained silent for a long ti.
"This one," she finally said, her voice a little clearer than before. "What’s it called?"
The Perfur smiled. "It doesn’t have an official na yet. If Miss Rhodes has any inspiration..."
Maxine Rhodes turned to look at Ethan Hawthorne, who was also watching her, a faint smile in his eyes. "You say."
"Let’s call it..." She considered for a mont. "How about ’Daybreak’?"
Ethan Hawthorne’s eyes deepened slightly. He nodded. "Very good."
He said to the Perfur, "We’ll go with this one. And use that na."
Leaving the perfu shop, the night air seed much fresher than before. The faint, warm, and grounding base notes from the scent strip still lingered on Maxine Rhodes’s hand.
"Now," Ethan Hawthorne took her hand again, "do you want to walk by the river, or go straight ho?"
Maxine Rhodes felt the warmth spreading from his palm and looked up at the sparsely starry night sky.
"The river," she said. "You said the wind is calm tonight."
"Alright."
They walked side by side toward the river.
He didn’t ask if she was feeling better, nor did he press her about anything. He just held her hand and walked with her through the quiet night.
But Maxine Rhodes knew he understood everything. He understood that she needed to be pulled out of that mire, that she needed sothing new to distract her, and that she needed an undisturbed, quiet space to slowly recover.
He had done nothing, and yet he had done everything.
Reaching the railing by the river, they were greeted by the sight of the wide, slowly flowing water. A gentle, misty breeze brushed against their faces. It was indeed calm. In the distance, the city lights reflected on the river’s surface, shattering into a field of shimring specks.
Maxine Rhodes leaned against the railing, gazing at the water, and finally let out a long, complete sigh of relief.
The foul air that had been stuck in her chest seed to finally drift away with the river breeze.
Ethan Hawthorne stood beside her, also looking out at the river. After a mont, he spoke, his voice soft, lting into the wind. "If you ever feel suffocated in the office again, you can leave work anyti. Go test perfus, go to the river, or go anywhere else you want."
He paused and turned to look at her. "But, just rember to take with you."
A warmth spread through Maxine Rhodes’s heart.
"Mm," she humd softly in agreent.
Ethan Hawthorne raised an arm, wrapped it around her shoulder, and pulled her closer into his embrace as they looked out at the tranquil river together.
Tonight, the night was gentle, and so was the wind.
The morning after the disastrous financing eting, Maxine Rhodes arrived at the company before eight o’clock.
The office building was empty and silent. She walked down the dim hallway and swiped her card to open the doors to Stellar Tech.
She thought she’d be the first one in—perhaps even the only one for the next three days.
However, when the motion-sensor lights switched on with a WHOOSH, she froze.
In the open-plan office, almost everyone was there.
Bubbles was there, a piece of bread dangling from his mouth, his fingers flying across the keyboard. A complex coding interface filled his screen.
Coco and a few other won were gathered by the coffee machine, discussing sothing in low voices, printed user feedback reports in their hands.
A few key mbers of the tech team were wearing headphones, frowning at test data.
Hearing the door open, everyone looked up in unison.
The air fell silent for a second.
Bubbles swallowed the bread in his mouth, raised a hand in greeting, and spoke as casually as on any other workday. "Morning, Ms. Rhodes. The stress test data for the north-region server was a little abnormal. I just rebooted it. Can you check the logs in a bit?"
Coco jogged over and pressed a steaming latte into her hand. "Ms. Rhodes! Made it just how you like it, with a tiny bit of sugar~"
Maxine Rhodes clutched the warm coffee cup, heat spreading through her fingertips.
She opened her mouth, but it felt as if sothing was caught in her throat. The words, ’Didn’t I tell you all to take a vacation?’ swirled on the tip of her tongue but ultimately ca out as a very soft, trembling, "Thank you."
"Thank us for what!" Bubbles said without looking up. "Those bastards don’t understand tech because they’re blind. We’ve still got our own work to do. The delivery date for Blue Ocean Machinery isn’t getting pushed back."
"Exactly," a young programr said, scratching his head. "Might as well co to the office and code."
There were no grand declarations, no deliberate words of comfort—just this simple, direct attitude of ’get back to work.’ But that was precisely the most solid, most undeniable form of support.
Maxine Rhodes lowered her head and blinked rapidly, forcing back the swelling bitterness in her eyes.
When she looked up again, all that remained in her eyes was a brighter, more resolute light.
"Alright." Her voice was steady again, even stronger than usual. "Bubbles, get the stress test report in half an hour. Coco, reprioritize the user feedback. We’ll have a short eting. Everyone, nine o’clock, Conference Room One. Let’s sync up."
Indeed, if you love a horse, don’t try to chase it; you’ll never catch it. Instead, you should plant grass and flowers. When the season of lush grass and soaring birds arrives, the horse will naturally co back to find you.
And if it doesn’t co back?
It doesn’t matter. You’ll have your grass and flowers, your own unique charm and capital. If that horse doesn’t return, others will.
The team hadn’t fallen apart. Their spirit was still there. And that was enough.
*****
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