Free Web NovelChapter 28: Chapter 28: One-Month Anniversary of Getting Married
### Chapter 28: One-Month Anniversary
Rose Joyce approached as usual, reaching for Benjamin Sterling’s sleeve out of habit. But the moment she was about to touch him, she keenly sensed him pull back slightly.
This subtle avoidance made Rose Joyce’s heart clench. She studied Benjamin Sterling’s expression carefully. His brows were furrowed and his gaze remained locked on the documents on the desk; he didn’t even get up to comfort her as he usually did.
"Benjamin, are you still mad at Rose?" she asked tentatively, her voice growing more aggrieved. "I ran into Maxine in the hallway just now, and she didn’t even look at me... Are you two blaming me for this?"
"She’s just in a bad mood," Benjamin Sterling cut her off, his voice laced with an unprecedented irritation. "Can’t you be a little more considerate and not cause trouble at a time like this?"
Hearing this, Rose Joyce froze in place, completely at a loss. Tears welled up, clinging to her lashes, ready to fall at any moment. Benjamin Sterling had never used such an impatient tone with her before.
"I... I just wanted to help you..."
She let the tears slide down her cheeks with practiced ease.
Seeing her cry, Benjamin Sterling instinctively softened. He reached out to wipe her tears. "Okay, Rose, I didn’t mean to be harsh with you."
"Why don’t you head home for now? We can talk after I’m done with all this, okay?"
Rose Joyce’s heart sank. But she knew that pressing the issue would only annoy him more.
"Okay." She quickly composed herself, replacing her tears with a thoughtful smile. "I’ll go home now, then. I’ll make your favorite food and wait for you."
The moment she turned to leave, the gentle expression on Rose Joyce’s face vanished. Her nails dug deep into her palm. ’It’s all that bitch Maxine Rhodes’s fault! If this keeps up, Benjamin will definitely get back together with her!’ freeweɓnøvel.com
As evening fell, the lights of Kingsland began to twinkle, resembling a fallen river of stars.
In a sky-view restaurant, Maxine Rhodes rested her chin in her hand, her gaze slowly shifting from the brilliant nightscape outside the window back to the man sitting opposite her.
She couldn’t resist asking for the third time, "Mr. Hawthorne, you still haven’t answered my question. What exactly is so special about today that you had to treat me to dinner?"
Ethan Hawthorne was meticulously placing her napkin for her. At her words, he lifted his gaze to meet hers, and in the flickering candlelight, his normally composed dark eyes rippled with an indescribable tenderness.
"Our one-month anniversary," he finally replied.
"Hm?" The confusion in Maxine Rhodes’s eyes deepened.
Ethan Hawthorne poured her a glass of red wine from the bottle nearby, then explained unhurriedly, "One month ago today, we reached our cooperation agreement. As is customary in business, milestone achievements are worth reviewing, and... appropriately incentivizing."
Maxine Rhodes was so amused by his deadpan delivery of this nonsense that she almost laughed. "So, Mr. Hawthorne, are you this ceremonial with all your business partners?"
"No," he leaned forward slightly, the candlelight dancing in his eyes. "Only with the most important strategic partners."
Maxine Rhodes smiled knowingly. She casually lifted her wine glass and gently tapped it against his.
"Alright, then," she laughed, her eyes shimmering. "I’ll follow Mr. Hawthorne’s arrangements."
The dinner continued to the sound of a melodious piano.
Maxine Rhodes had only just glanced toward a condiment bottle a little ways away when Ethan Hawthorne’s long, slender fingers were already pushing it to her side.
She looked up at him in surprise, but he simply offered a gentle smile and went back to cutting his steak.
This kind of silent understanding continued throughout the entire dinner.
She merely thought her wine was a bit cool and furrowed her brow, and he immediately beckoned a waiter over, instructing in a low voice, "Excuse me, could you please get this lady a slightly warmer glass?"
She had only to lightly dab the corners of her mouth with a napkin, and he would promptly refill her water glass with warm water.
Maxine Rhodes quietly watched him do all of this. His actions were natural, without the slightest hint of trying to curry favor, yet they exuded a meticulous, subtle care in every detail.
She raised the glass of red wine he had specially requested for her, now at the perfect temperature, and took a small sip. The warm liquid slid down her throat, and its warmth seemed to quietly seep into her heart.
She gazed at the man opposite her, who looked exceptionally handsome and gentle in the candlelight. It was hard to reconcile this man with the rumored Ethan Hawthorne of the business world—the one said to be decisive, cold, and iron-fisted in his methods.
’So this is what this man is like in private.’ A faint ripple stirred in her heart.
He was composed, considerate, and astonishingly perceptive. Being with him provided a comfort so profound it was almost intoxicating.
’However, is this all because of the torch he’s been carrying for that woman he’s cherished for a decade?’
The thought flashed through her mind. ’Is it because he loved someone so long and so devotedly that he has since honed this thoughtfulness and gentleness into instinct?’
She didn’t know, nor would she ask him about such private matters.
She had always been level-headed, keenly aware that everyone has their own stories and boundaries. She appreciated the comfort and rapport of the moment, but she also knew clearly that some lines need not be investigated, let alone crossed.
Maxine Rhodes set down her wine glass and met his gaze, which was still warm and smiling. She returned a polite, poised smile of her own.
Outside the window was a glittering river of man-made stars, and inside was a perfect warmth. For her, this was more than enough.
As the meal drew to a close, Ethan Hawthorne glanced at his watch, feigning casualness.
He said to Erza Sinclair, who had been standing quietly nearby the entire time, "Don’t you have something else to attend to? You can take my car."
Erza Sinclair paused for a fraction of a second, then immediately put on a look of sudden realization. "Ah, right, right! Thank you for the reminder, Mr. Hawthorne. There’s an urgent meeting with the tech department that I need to log on and coordinate immediately. So, about this..."
Ethan Hawthorne furrowed his brow slightly, musing for a moment before replying in a very understanding tone, "Work comes first. Go on, and don’t worry about coming back to get us when you’re finished."
"Thank you for your understanding, Mr. Hawthorne!" Erza Sinclair replied crisply. He then turned to Maxine Rhodes, bowing slightly. "Mrs. Hawthorne, my apologies, but I must take my leave."
Watching Erza Sinclair’s rapidly departing figure, Maxine Rhodes raised an eyebrow at Ethan Hawthorne. "Mr. Hawthorne’s special assistant really is an incredibly busy man."
Ethan Hawthorne picked up his coat, his expression unruffled. "He’s always been highly efficient."
As he spoke, he had already walked to her side, where he smoothly picked up her handbag. "Now that the driver is gone, it looks like we’ll have to get home on our own tonight."
