###Chapter 14: Ten Great Techniques for Seducing Your Wife
The top-floor conference room of the Hawthorne Group.
Ethan Hawthorne sat at the head of the long table, listening to an executive present the quarterly financial report, his fingertips unconsciously swiping across his phone screen.
In the pinned chat, the last ssage was from him yesterday: "What ti will you be back tonight?" Maxine Rhodes had only replied, "Sothing ca up tonight. Don’t wait up."
A whole day had passed without a single new ssage.
He furrowed his brow.
Lately, she was always so elusive. The few tis he did run into her at ho, she was either already asleep on the sofa or holed up in the study until the dead of night with her laptop.
They had the marriage certificate and lived under the sa roof, yet they barely exchanged three sentences a day. Seeing each other was a matter of luck. ’How is this any way to live?’
Sothing was wrong. Not just wrong, but ten-out-of-ten, maybe even twelve-out-of-ten wrong!
They were newlyweds, for crying out loud!
Even if... it was a contract marriage.
Ethan Hawthorne stared at the contact na "Mrs. Hawthorne" on his screen, lost in thought.
’Maybe it’s ti to... cultivate so marital affection?’
The mont the thought occurred to him, he imdiately typed into the search bar:
"How to improve a marital relationship"
"How to improve communication with wife after marriage"
"What to do when wife is too busy with work"
The answers that popped up were a motley crew:
"Hug at least three tis a day"
"Prepare small surprise gifts"
"Cultivate a shared hobby"
"Seduction"
’Seduction???’
Ethan Hawthorne’s gaze froze on the last suggestion, his brows knitting even tighter.
’What kind of improper suggestion is this? There’s no way I, Ethan Hawthorne, would ever...’
"Mr. Hawthorne?"
Erza Sinclair, who was beside him, prompted in a low voice.
Ethan Hawthorne snapped back to reality. He looked up to find everyone in the conference room sitting bolt upright, their gazes fixed squarely on him... and on his phone screen, which had sohow lit up.
On the screen, the title "Ten Great Techniques for Seducing Your Wife" was exceptionally conspicuous. And blinding.
The air was filled with a dead silence...
The tips of Ethan Hawthorne’s ears quickly turned red, but he maintained the composure of a man who wouldn’t flinch if a mountain collapsed before him.
He calmly locked the screen, placed his phone face down on the table, and looked up, his gaze as sharp as ever. "It seems you are all very interested in the topic of how to improve corporate cohesion?"
His tone was steady, as if he had just been researching corporate culture. "Then continue the report. Focus on the team-building plan for the next quarter."
The executives: "???"
Erza Sinclair silently lowered his head, his shoulders trembling uncontrollably.
’Don’t laugh! Hold it in!!!!’
That afternoon, Benjamin Sterling made a point of arriving early at the designated cafe.
Seeing Susie Sumrs arrive late, he suppressed his annoyance and forced a gentle smile. "Susie, long ti no see. I heard you just got back from Sorvino?"
"Young Master Sterling, you’re certainly well-inford." Susie Sumrs sat down gracefully and ordered the most expensive signature drink. "What did you want to see about?"
Benjamin Sterling sighed with feigned concern. "Actually, I wanted to ask about Maxine. She’s been like a different person lately. Not only has she blocked all my contact information, but her whole deanor has changed. I know you two are close, but the way she is now... I’m really worried."
Susie Sumrs gently stirred her coffee, a half-smile playing on her lips as she looked at him. "And what are you getting at, Young Master Sterling?"
Benjamin Sterling quickly said, "There might be so misunderstanding between us, but she won’t even give a chance to explain. Can you help ?"
"Help you?" Susie Sumrs raised an eyebrow. "Help you continue to manipulate her? Help you keep her as your little doormat of a maid? Help you let her keep waiting on you and your mistress?"
Benjamin Sterling’s face changed. "Susie! Watch your mouth! What does Rose have to do with this? We’re like siblings! What mistress?!"
"Oh, so defensive already?" Susie Sumrs suddenly raised her voice, drawing the attention of everyone in the cafe.
She shot to her feet, pointing down at Benjamin Sterling. "That’s the most pathetic thing I’ve ever heard! Do you really think people don’t know about your sordid little affair? One of you is the queen of fake innocence, and the other is a world-class hypocrite. You two deserve each other! Just stay together and stop inflicting yourselves on the rest of humanity!"
She grew more agitated as she spoke. "’What does Rose have to do with this?’ A brain is for daily use, not an accessory. Why don’t you ask yourself what kind of sorry excuse you are? Winter’s coming, so you might as well go bury yourself instead of hopping around. You really think you’re sothing special, don’t you?"
Benjamin Sterling was so angry his face turned livid. "You... you..."
"’You, you, you’... You what?" Susie Sumrs rolled her eyes dramatically. "If you didn’t hear clearly, I don’t mind carving my words onto your tombstone!"
Having said her piece, she grabbed her purse and, just before leaving, delivered a final blow. "Look at the state of you. Your company must be on the verge of bankruptcy, right? Serves you right!"
Amid the snickers of the other patrons, Susie Sumrs spun around with a flourish, the click of her high heels sharp and powerful.
Just after she walked out of the cafe, around the corner, Maxine Rhodes was leaning against a car, waiting for her.
Susie Sumrs ran over excitedly. After getting in the car, she was still riding the high. "So satisfying! That felt so damn good! I’ve been holding that in for way too long! What’s the next step?"
Maxine Rhodes handed her a bottle of water, a slight smile on her lips. "He’ll definitely look for you again. When he’s completely out of options, you can reluctantly point him in the right direction."
As she spoke, her eyes grew cold. "And that will be when I close the net."
Susie Sumrs understood, her eyes shining with excitent. "Got it!"
It was late at night when Maxine Rhodes returned to Cloudview Apartnts.
Afraid of waking Ethan Hawthorne, she opened the door quietly, only to find the living room brightly lit. Ethan Hawthorne was working out in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows.
The man wore only a black tank top, sweat tracing paths down his bulging muscle lines, glistening sexily under the lights.
Her heart skipped a beat. ’There was no denying the man had a spectacular body.’ She forced herself not to stare for too long before asking, "You—you’re not asleep yet? Why are you working out so late at night?"
Ethan Hawthorne stopped, picked up a towel to wipe his sweat, and looked at her with a profound gaze. "What else would I be doing?"
He slowly walked closer, heat radiating from his body. "A certain soone is nowhere to be found all day. Besides working out, what else is there for to do?"
Maxine Rhodes was forced to take half a step back. She explained reflexively, "I’ve been a little busy lately..."
"Too busy to exchange three sentences a day?" Ethan Hawthorne planted a hand on the wall beside her ear, trapping her in the small space. "You’re not awake when I leave in the morning, and I’ve been waiting for you until now tonight."
His voice carried a rare hint of grievance. "Even in a contract marriage, it shouldn’t be like this, right?"
Maxine Rhodes opened her mouth, but whatever she wanted to say was caught in her throat.
Seeing his damp hair and his uncharacteristically vulnerable expression, her heart softened. "My best friend, Susie Sumrs, is back from abroad. I’ve been spending ti with her lately."
Ethan Hawthorne’s expression relaxed slightly, but he remained very close. "Then when can I treat her to a al?"
"I should et your best friend."
Thinking of how Susie had been pestering her nonstop to et Ethan Hawthorne, Maxine couldn’t help but smile. "Okay, I’ll arrange it."
"Then it’s a date." Ethan Hawthorne pressed his advantage, moving even closer. His warm breath brushed against her ear. "But before that..."
His gaze fell on her slightly flushed lips, and his voice was husky. "How about you inspect my workout results for tonight first?"
Maxine Rhodes’s heart skipped a beat.
Feeling his presence getting closer and closer, she thought fast, raising a hand to press against his firm chest. She feigned composure and said, "Mr. Hawthorne... our contract states very clearly that my skills are for hire, not my body."
Ethan Hawthorne paused. Seeing her blushing face and her attempt to feign calmness, a flicker of amusent passed through his eyes.
He leaned in even closer against the pressure of her hand, his voice low and teasing. "When I said you should inspect my workout results, I ant I wanted your professional opinion..."
He leaned down, his warm breath tickling her earlobe. "Mrs. Hawthorne, where did your mind wander off to?"
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