### Chapter 62 Lydia Thorne Gets Slapped
Maxine Rhodes walked out expressionlessly, each step carrying an icy, oppressive aura.
She walked straight to the sinks and turned on a faucet, the water gushing loudly.
In the mirror, her gaze drifted past the pale, trembling faces of Sonny and Ron before finally landing on Lydia Thorne.
Lydia Thorne feigned composure, her tone dripping with sarcastic wistfulness. "Director Rhodes, please don’t misunderstand. They’re just a bit loose-lipped; they an no harm."
She sighed, her performance masterful. "It’s just that, seeing you now, I can’t help but rember how you used to trail after President Sterling like an obedient dog, wagging your tail at the slightest treat. And now you’ve gotten so good at using n. It’s both heartbreaking and... disgusting!"
Before she could finish—
SLAP!!!
A crisp, resounding slap landed squarely across Lydia Thorne’s face!
The force of the blow sent her staggering, her lower back slamming hard against the cold tile wall. A bright red handprint instantly blood on her cheek.
Deathly silence descended upon the bathroom, broken only by the sound of running water.
Maxine Rhodes turned off the faucet, then slowly pulled out a paper towel. She began to ticulously wipe the hand she had just used for the slap, as if she had touched sothing utterly foul.
Sonny and Ron were scared out of their wits. They clamped their hands over their mouths, shrinking into a corner and holding their breath.
Lydia Thorne’s face stung hotly. Shocked and enraged, she instinctively raised her hand to retaliate, but Maxine Rhodes caught her wrist in a precise, iron grip. She couldn’t move. Maxine’s hand was cold and strong, squeezing until Lydia’s bones ached in protest.
"Next ti," Maxine Rhodes leaned in, her voice low and her eyes eerily calm, sending a chill straight up Lydia Thorne’s spine, "rember to wash out that filthy mouth of yours before you speak."
She flung Lydia Thorne’s hand away and took a step forward, staring down at her rival’s instantly panicked eyes. Her voice was quiet, but every word was crystal clear. "Since Vice President Thorne is so fond of reminiscing, why don’t I help you recall a few things? Rember how you knelt outside Professor Coleman’s office for that spot in the overseas exchange program? How you clung to his leg, saring snot and tears all over his trousers, saying you would do *anything*... So how did Young end up with that spot? Oh, that’s right—because Professor Coleman found you... too filthy."
She tilted her head, a cold, suprely mocking smile playing on her lips. "As for how you managed to find another way abroad after that... well, only you know the truth. After all, if you spend too much ti on your knees, you forget how to stand up straight."
With that, Maxine Rhodes tossed the crumpled paper towel with pinpoint accuracy into the trash can beside Lydia Thorne. Ignoring Lydia’s devastated, deathly pale face—the look of soone stripped bare in public—she turned and walked away.
Lydia Thorne and her two stunned colleagues dazedly shuffled out of the bathroom.
Just as they stepped out, they ran into Coco, who had apparently heard the commotion and was about to rush in to the rescue.
Coco froze when she saw Maxine Rhodes erge unscathed. Then her eyes swept over the ashen faces of the trio trailing behind her, zeroing in on the bright red mark on Lydia Thorne’s cheek. Realization dawned, and her eyes went wide.
Maxine Rhodes didn’t break her stride, rely giving her a cool glance. "Coco, we’re leaving."
Her gaze flickered to the half-open door of the nearby break room as she added pointedly, "Instead of wasting effort teaching parrots to mimic, one should spend more ti teaching dolphins to jump. At least... the latter has a future."
Coco caught on instantly, grinning as she hurried to catch up. "You got it! Lowering myself to argue with people on a different intellectual plane... I guess I was being petty!"
While walking, she whipped out her phone, fingers flying across the screen, already desperate to share the earth-shattering gossip with Bubbles.
Lydia Thorne and her two ashen-faced colleagues remained frozen in place, their complexions cycling between flushed and pale, as if they had all just received a silent, yet deafening, collective slap in the face.
SLAM!
Lydia Thorne stord back into her office, slamming the door shut behind her. The explosive sound made her assistant in the outer office jump.
She rushed to her desk and swept everything onto the floor, her chest heaving with uncontrollable rage. The clear handprint on her face still throbbed, but what hurt far more was the feeling of having her dignity utterly crushed under Maxine Rhodes’s heel.
"Maxine Rhodes... Maxine Rhodes!" she snarled through clenched teeth, her eyes so venomous they looked like they could drip poison. "You bitch! As long as I, Lydia Thorne, am here, you are finished! I will destroy your reputation, get you kicked out of Sterling, and make you kneel and beg for rcy!"
She gulped down a large glass of ice water, forcing herself to calm down. ’re office politics clearly aren’t enough,’ she thought. ’Maxine Rhodes is tougher than I anticipated. I’ll need to use more drastic asures.’
In President Sterling’s office, Roy Miller placed an exquisitely designed invitation on Benjamin Sterling’s desk.
"President Sterling, the invitation for the annual Starlight Charity Gala has arrived. It’s a very high-profile event this year; many titans from top corporations will be attending."
Benjamin Sterling picked up the invitation, tapping his fingers lightly on its surface as an idea began to form.
He pressed the intercom button. "Have Director Rhodes co to my office."
Maxine Rhodes entered, her expression serene.
"Maxine," Benjamin Sterling slid the invitation across his desk, leaning back in his chair with a magnanimous air. "This is the most prestigious charity gala of the year. All the city’s socialites and industry titans will be there. I’ve given it so thought. This is a good opportunity for you to broaden your horizons, so you’ll accompany ."
He paused deliberately, thinking, ’She might look calm, but she must be ecstatic on the inside.’ After all, the spot by his side at events like this, with their pri networking opportunities, had always been reserved for Rose Joyce.
’This decision,’ he mused, ’not only showcases my generosity and willingness to ntor her, but it will also make Maxine Rhodes so grateful that she’ll be firmly back under my control.’
"Rember," he added, his tone admonishing, "prepare yourself properly. Don’t embarrass the company."
Maxine Rhodes glanced at the invitation. ’I see what you’re doing,’ she thought, but her expression remained impassive. "Thank you, President Sterling. I will be there on ti."
The news quickly reached Rose Joyce, who imdiately burst into Benjamin Sterling’s office, her eyes red.
"Benjamin!" she cried, her voice choked with tears even as she tried to sound reasonable. "Didn’t you promise you wouldn’t take my sister to events like that? Besides, it’s such a high-class affair. Soone like her... soone so uncultured... won’t she be completely out of her depth and embarrass the company?"
Seeing Rose Joyce’s tear-streaked face, Benjamin Sterling quickly soothed her. "There now, Rose, be good. This is business. You have to be understanding."
Though he said that, the main reason was the recent glut of rumors circulating in their social circle about him and Rose Joyce—gossip about his "adoptive sister" really being his lover, and their inappropriate relationship. He was worried that being seen with her would reflect poorly on him.
Rose Joyce lifted her big, watery eyes, forcing an obedient smile. "Then... can I go with Lydia? I won’t get in the way of your business, and it won’t give the gossips anything to talk about. I promise, I’ll just stay quietly on the sidelines and won’t cause you any trouble at all."
Looking at her pitiful, brave-faced act, Benjamin Sterling gave in, reaching out to ruffle her hair. "Alright. Then it’s settled."
Rose Joyce lowered her head to hide the vicious glint in her eyes. ’Maxine Rhodes,’ she thought, ’you think you can climb the ladder by pushing aside? Just you wait. I’ll show you who really belongs in this world!’
「anwhile」Lydia Thorne had also learned about the charity gala. She stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows in her office, a cold smirk playing on her lips.
’Maxine Rhodes, do you really think getting in on Benjamin Sterling’s coattails will magically transform you into a princess? In that top-tier social circle, a country bumpkin like you, with no background to speak of, won’t even be able to get a word in edgewise!’
She was already fantasizing about how she would dazzle everyone at the gala with her fluent command of foreign languages, her impeccable etiquette, and her sharp insights into international trends, making the stiff and awkward Maxine Rhodes look like an ugly duckling by comparison.
The difference between them was as vast as that between the heavens and the earth!*****
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