Chapter 25: Chapter 25: Catching a Cheater at an Anniversary Scene
Chapter 25: Crashing an Anniversary Party to Catch a Cheater
Benjamin Sterling floored it to the hotel. Once there, they used the precise tip and key card provided by one of Rose Joyce’s friends to quickly head upstairs.
Benjamin Sterling wore a dark expression the entire time. Rose Joyce, in her high heels, practically had to jog to keep up, her face alight with an unconcealable excitement, eager to witness the sordid scene.
Outside the Cloudscape Suite at the end of the hall, there was indeed an exquisite room service cart, on which remained scattered rose petals and an empty champagne bucket.
Standing outside, they could faintly hear a man’s and a woman’s voices through the door, followed by some rustling, indistinct sounds. Finally, a woman’s low moan—one of pleasure and relaxation—came through clearly!
That moan was like a clap of thunder. Benjamin Sterling’s eyes widened in fury, and the last shred of his sanity finally snapped.
"Fuck!!!!"
Blood rushed to his head, his eyes turning crimson. Unable to hold back any longer, he swiped the key card and threw all his weight into bursting through the door.
"BANG—!"
The moment the door flew open, Benjamin Sterling charged in like a husband catching his cheating wife, roaring, "Maxine Rhodes! You shameless slut—"
His roar died in his throat as if choked off the moment he saw the scene inside the room.
It was the complete opposite of the salacious, sordid scene he had imagined. In fact, it was warm and harmonious, yet it made him feel as if he’d been plunged into an icy abyss, leaving him utterly dumbfounded.
Maxine Rhodes was indeed in the room, but she was elegantly sipping tea on the sofa.
Seeing Benjamin Sterling burst in, she merely raised a delicate eyebrow, not even shifting her posture.
And beside her, Finn Finch was gently helping a graceful, gentle-looking woman sit up on a massage table.
A professional massage therapist had just finished a soothing set of shoulder and neck stretches for Mrs. Young, who had just gotten off a flight. That was the source of the moan.
On a nearby table sat fresh roses and an exquisite cake with "Happy 1st Anniversary" written on it.
This wasn’t the scene of an affair at all! This was clearly a surprise anniversary celebration, brimming with love and affection!
Finn Finch looked at Benjamin Sterling, who had just burst in, and the person behind him clearly filming with a phone. He protectively shielded his wife, his usually gentle face now as dark as a thundercloud. His gaze was like a pair of ice picks, stabbing straight at Benjamin Sterling.
"President Sterling," he said, his voice laced with ice. Every word was like a slap across Benjamin Sterling’s face. "What are you doing barging into my private room with your people, filming with professional equipment?"
His sharp gaze swept over the person behind Benjamin Sterling, who was frantically trying to hide the camera. A deeply mocking smile touched his lips. "Are you here to provide some special entertainment for my wife and my anniversary, or is this the latest underhanded business development tactic from Sterling Enterprises?!"
Benjamin Sterling froze on the spot, his mind a complete blank, all the color draining from his face.
Rose Joyce was scared out of her wits as well, her face as white as a sheet, and she instinctively backed away.
In the dead, awkward silence, Rose Joyce seemed to grasp at a lifeline. She threw herself toward Maxine Rhodes, her voice breaking into a sob. "Sister! Sister, can you please explain this for us?"
She pointed frantically at Benjamin Sterling, her voice trembling. "Benjamin just cares about you too much! We were just worried you were being tricked... This is all a misunderstanding!"
Maxine Rhodes gently brushed her outstretched hand away. Her gaze shifted between Benjamin Sterling and Rose Joyce. "A misunderstanding?"
"Showing up with a professional cameraman, finding this exact room, and breaking down the door..."
Her voice was still calm, but every word was a dagger. "I must say, I’ve never seen such a well-orchestrated misunderstanding before."
Maxine Rhodes then turned to Finn Finch and his wife, her tone shifting to one of sincere apology. "Director Young, Mrs. Young, I am so sorry. Because of me, some irrelevant people have disturbed your anniversary."
As she spoke, she took a business card from her purse and handed it to the hotel manager standing by. "Manager Archer, for all subsequent matters of compensation, please contact President Sterling of the Sterling Group directly."
After saying this, she didn’t spare the pathetic pair another glance. She gave a slight nod to Finn Finch and his wife. "I won’t disturb your celebration any longer. I’ll take my leave now."
With those crisp, decisive words, Maxine Rhodes turned and walked away, leaving Benjamin Sterling and Rose Joyce standing there, completely hung out to dry.
"Maxine Rhodes! You get back here!" Benjamin Sterling finally snapped out of it, chasing after her out of the room in a rage fueled by shame and anger.
He grabbed her by the wrist, questioning her with a mixture of shock and fury. "What the hell is going on?! Why are you here?!"
Maxine Rhodes forcefully shook off his hand, the coldness and disgust in her eyes undisguised. "What’s going on? Benjamin Sterling, are you blind? It’s their first wedding anniversary. As an old friend and a project partner, I came to give them a gift and thoughtfully arranged for a professional massage. Is there a problem with that?"
Benjamin Sterling knew he was in the wrong but forced himself to remain composed. "I... I didn’t know it was like this! Who told you to do things that are so easily misunderstood! Besides, I was deceived, too! It was Rose! She swore to me that you were having a private rendezvous with Finn Finch here! She said she had photo evidence! She kept saying she was worried you were going down the wrong path and begged me to come talk some sense into you!"
Rose Joyce looked at Benjamin Sterling in disbelief as he shifted the blame, and tears instantly welled up in her eyes. "Benjamin, you..."
Maxine Rhodes scoffed, cutting off his clumsy performance. "Benjamin Sterling, in what capacity, and under what law, do you have the right to ’catch me cheating’? Even if I were with someone, what business is it of yours, my ex-boyfriend, to meddle?!"
This barrage of questions left Benjamin Sterling beet red, his mouth hanging open. He couldn’t utter a single word in rebuttal. The unprecedented humiliation was about to swallow him whole.
Rose Joyce tried to argue, but a sharp glare from Maxine Rhodes instantly silenced her.
"And you, Miss Joyce." Maxine Rhodes’s tone was dripping with sarcasm. "An outsider with no proper standing, getting endless amusement out of meddling in other people’s lives. Since you love being so involved in all of President Sterling’s affairs, why not have him give you an official position? Captain of the Adultery Investigation Squad sounds like a perfect fit for you."
Tears of grievance streamed down Rose Joyce’s face. She instinctively looked to Benjamin Sterling for protection, only to find that this time, his face was ashen, and for the first time ever, he didn’t immediately jump to her defense.
"Benjamin..." She tugged at his clothes.
"Enough! Everybody just shut the fuck up!" All of Benjamin Sterling’s shame and anger finally erupted. He turned on the cameraman in an impotent rage. "And you! Delete that footage! Now! Immediately!"
The cameraman: ?
Maxine Rhodes watched the end of this self-directed farce with cold eyes. Then, she turned elegantly and, with a calm and composed gait, disappeared down the end of the hallway.*****
