My Clingy CEO Husband

Chapter 114: Chapter 114: Creating a Greater Public Opinion

###Chapter 114: Creating a Bigger Scandal

The entire office was deathly silent.

Everyone stared, wide-eyed, watching the scene unfold in disbelief.

The force of the blow snapped Maxine Rhodes’s head to the side. Her long, dark hair fell in a messy tangle, hiding the instantly swelling cheek as she froze in place, utterly motionless.

A split second later, a fiery, stinging pain erupted on her left cheek, accompanied by a sharp ringing in her ears.

It hurt.

But the humiliation that instantly washed over her was even sharper.

In her own company, right after leading her team to a breakthrough, in front of all the partners and employees she cherished...

She had been slapped by her own mother in the most brutal, insulting way imaginable.

"Ms. Rhodes—!!!" Coco was the first to scream, tears bursting from her eyes as she tried to rush forward like a madwoman.

Seeing this, several female colleagues covered their mouths, their eyes turning red.

After striking her, Susan Miller herself froze for a moment. But then, seeing her daughter’s pathetic state and the reactions of those around her, a wave of twisted satisfaction washed over her.

She pointed at Maxine Rhodes. "Come on! Everyone, take a look! This is my unfilial daughter! She deserved that! Maybe a good slap will wake her up!"

Maxine Rhodes turned her head back with agonizing slowness. She gently tucked her loose hair behind her ear, revealing the clear, red imprint of a hand on her pale skin. The sight was shocking.

But her face was devoid of any expression.

There was only a bottomless, deathly stillness.

She looked at Susan Miller—the woman who had given her life and also endless pain—her gaze terrifyingly calm.

Then, she raised a hand, signaling the security guards nearby.

Six security guards moved with swift professionalism, instantly restraining the still-shouting Susan Miller and the other two.

"Let go! Do you know who I am?! I’m your boss’s own mother!!!"

"Maxine Rhodes! You animal! You damned beast! How dare you treat your mother like this! You’ll die a horrible death—!!"

"What a disgrace to the family... a disgrace..."

The shouts pierced the hallway, growing more distant before finally being cut off by the heavy fire door.

Maxine Rhodes walked to the window and watched the figures being led away by security downstairs. The brilliant sunlight shone on her, yet it seemed unable to penetrate the depths of her eyes. fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm

After a long time, she finally spoke, her voice soft with exhaustion and a hint of hoarseness. "Sorry you all had to see that. Let’s continue the meeting."

...

Susan Miller was half-carried, half-dragged out by security, still wailing uncontrollably. Felix Rhodes’s face was ashen, while Hugo Rhodes struggled and hurled curses back at Maxine Rhodes.

Just then, Benjamin Sterling hurried over.

He rushed forward to help Susan Miller up. "Auntie! Uncle! Hugo! Are you alright? I’m sorry I’m late!"

Susan Miller clung to Benjamin Sterling’s arm as if it were a lifeline, her face a mess of tears and snot. "Benjamin! You have to help us! That damned girl... not only does she refuse to acknowledge us, she had security throw us out! She’s trying to drive us to our deaths!"

Hugo Rhodes added furiously, "Ben, Maxine Rhodes has completely lost it! She’s disowned her own family!"

Benjamin Sterling glanced around. A few office workers and employees from other companies in the building had stopped to watch curiously. He sneered inwardly; this was exactly the effect he wanted.

He lowered his voice, but kept it loud enough for people nearby to hear. "Auntie, Uncle, don’t panic. Don’t cry here, it’s not good for your health. And... and you don’t want people to laugh at you."

The mention of being laughed at only made Susan Miller more distraught, and her voice grew louder. "What do I care about being a laughingstock! My daughter is about to have me sent to jail! What’s the point of me even living anymore!"

Benjamin Sterling quickly placated her. "That won’t happen, Auntie. Maxine is just confused right now. She’s been completely bewitched and controlled by that man. Don’t worry, we can’t just stand by and watch her make a huge mistake, and we certainly can’t let you suffer this injustice!"

His performance immediately garnered the sympathy of some onlookers who didn’t know the truth, and their gazes toward the floor where Stellar Tech was located turned condemnatory.

Benjamin Sterling took the three of them to a nearby diner and ordered some food.

Just after they ordered, his phone rang.

The screen displayed: Rose.

Rose Joyce had been trying to contact him occasionally recently, but he had been ignoring her. He wasn’t going to answer this time either, but a sudden idea flashed through his mind, and he stepped aside to take the call.

"Benjamin, you finally answered my call!"

Rose Joyce’s voice was a mix of excitement and worry. "I... I’ve heard some bad news recently, about Maxine. It sounds like there’s some trouble at her company? And it involves her family... Are you okay?"

Benjamin Sterling said, "Mm, so you’ve heard. Maxine had a huge falling out with her parents. She just had security kick them out."

"What?! How could she do that!"

Rose Joyce’s voice shot up, filled with righteous indignation. "But those are her own parents! Even if they have disagreements, she can’t be so heartless! Benjamin, you must have gotten soft and tried to help them, didn’t you? You’re just too kind..."

Benjamin Sterling got to the point. "By the way, Rose, I remember you mentioned you know a lot of people in the media, right?"

Rose Joyce understood immediately. "Yes! I do! And I’m good friends with them! With this kind of thing, just talking is useless. You have to use the power of public opinion! Let everyone see her true colors! Benjamin, are you thinking...?"

She didn’t finish her sentence, but her meaning was perfectly clear.

A flash of triumph crossed Benjamin Sterling’s eyes. "I didn’t want to blow this out of proportion, but Maxine went too far this time. Her parents are just pitiful. Rose, if your friends could report on this objectively and let the public be the judge, maybe it would put some pressure on Maxine to wake her up. It would also be a way to get some justice for her parents."

"I get it! I totally get it!"

Rose Joyce’s voice trembled slightly with excitement. "This isn’t blowing things out of proportion, it’s exposing the truth! We’re helping her parents, and we’re helping her see the error of her ways! Benjamin, don’t you worry, leave it to me! I absolutely can’t let Maxine stray further down the wrong path!"

"Then... I’ll have to trouble you, Rose. You’re so considerate, always knowing how to help me with my burdens."

His praise of her being "considerate" and "helping with his burdens" was like honey, making Rose Joyce completely dizzy with devotion and even more hopelessly loyal.

"It’s no trouble at all! Your business is my business!" Rose Joyce eagerly promised. "I’ll go contact them right now! Wait for my update!"

Benjamin Sterling didn’t just want to destroy Maxine Rhodes’s career and reputation; he also wanted to viciously retaliate against Ethan Hawthorne for all his past humiliations!

He planned to expose Maxine Rhodes as Ethan Hawthorne’s mistress. Not only would this tarnish Ethan Hawthorne and his family’s name, but it could also drive a wedge between Ethan Hawthorne and his mysterious wife. It was a perfect plan to kill three birds with one stone!

After hanging up, Benjamin Sterling returned to his seat. The grave expression on his face remained, but his eyes now held a hint of sinister certainty.

"Benjamin, who was that? Did you figure something out?" Susan Miller asked eagerly. frёewebnoѵēl.com

"A friend from the media," Benjamin Sterling said, choosing his words carefully. "She’s also very sympathetic to your situation. She said that in cases like this, just having family talk about it is useless. You need more people in society to know, to build public pressure. Only then will Maxine see the error of her ways."

"Public pressure?"

Felix Rhodes seemed confused.

"It means getting on the news! Letting everyone judge for themselves!" Hugo Rhodes’s eyes lit up.

"Yes, that’s the idea," Benjamin Sterling nodded. "But we have to be strategic about this, we can’t just be reckless. My friend is a professional. She’ll teach you what to say and do to attract the most attention and sympathy."

He took out his phone and pulled up the contact information Rose Joyce had just sent him for several local human-interest news programs and popular online relationship influencers.

"Auntie, Uncle, Hugo, listen to me." He lowered his voice and began to lay out his plan. "Tomorrow, we’ll start by doing this... Then, my friend will simultaneously get things started online..."