Chapter 181: Caroline's Birthday
When the Black Widow decided to flirt without warning, there was simply no defense against it.
Ethan was completely outmatched.
What made it even worse was that Natasha had hit the nail on the head. He really was planning to go to the Williamsburg Diner that evening.
If anyone thought Ethan would get embarrassed after being exposed, change his plans, and decide not to go...
They couldn't have been more wrong.
Come to think of it, he hadn't visited Max in quite a while.
It was about time they sat down and had a proper chat.
---
At the Williamsburg Diner...
Caroline untied her apron as she spoke.
"Max, I'm going to the restroom. Watch the floor for me."
Balancing a tray in one hand, Max jerked her chin toward the dining room.
"I've already been watching."
"I've been keeping an eye on that model pretending to eat for the last thirty minutes."
Following her gaze, a woman sat with a fashion magazine in one hand and a cookie in the other. She wore a serious expression, yet the cookie had never once reached her mouth.
Max clicked her tongue.
"Every time I see people like you—skinny enough to disappear in profile and somehow able to resist food—I suddenly feel like committing a crime."
Caroline glanced over before casually waving it off.
"She's nice. Whether she eats or not, she never skimps on the tip."
"In that case, I have no complaints." Max instantly changed her tune. "Money is justice."
Caroline patted Max on the shoulder before hurrying toward the restroom.
At that moment, Han happened to walk past her.
"Everyone, guess what..." he whispered dramatically as he leaned over. "I've got a little secret."
Max looked him up and down.
"You're a woman trapped in a man's body?"
Earl, who was filling a glass of water nearby, lazily added,
"Or a man trapped in a woman's body?"
Han rolled his eyes.
"No. I'm a man... inside a man's body."
"We're not interested in whether you're inside a man or underneath one," Max replied flatly.
Han cleared his throat and forcibly dragged the conversation back on track.
"I was looking through the employee records..."
"...and I discovered something."
He deliberately lowered his voice.
"Tomorrow is Caroline's birthday."
"What?!" Max's head shot up. "Why didn't I know that?!"
"She tells me every tiny detail of her life."
"I know her menstrual cycle so well..." she said with complete seriousness, "that if I haven't gotten her pregnant by now, I feel like I'm just not trying hard enough."
At that moment, the restaurant door opened.
Ethan walked in.
After scanning the room, he spotted Max near the kitchen pass and smiled as he waved.
Han noticed Max's expression, followed her gaze, and immediately put on a knowing smile.
Max shot him an annoyed look.
Drawing out every syllable, Han teased,
"Ooooh... Tomorrow's Caroline's special day..."
"...but tonight's yours."
Ethan walked over curiously.
"What are you all talking about?"
"Max, why are you here by yourself? Where's Caroline?"
"Restroom," Max answered.
Han immediately chimed in.
"Hey, Ethan! Tomorrow's Caroline's birthday."
"Oh!"
Ethan blinked in surprise before smiling.
"So you're all secretly planning a surprise party?"
"She didn't tell any of us," Max complained.
"It's weird."
"When has Caroline ever not wanted to celebrate something?"
"She celebrates every little thing."
As soon as she finished speaking, Caroline emerged from the restroom.
She raised her voice dramatically.
"Attention, everyone! I have great news!"
Throwing both hands into the air, she proudly announced,
"I just restocked all the toilet paper!"
"Who's the biggest team player?"
"Me! Me!"
She spun around and even broke into a little dance.
Then she noticed Ethan.
His smile greeted her before he could even speak.
Caroline's eyes lit up.
"Woohoo!"
She immediately began cheering.
"Looks like Max has plans tonight!"
"Go get him, Max!"
"Whoo! Whoo!"
---
Later, while Max was grabbing supplies in the kitchen, Ethan quietly followed her inside.
"Max."
He lowered his voice.
"You know what we need to do, right?"
She gave him a sideways glance.
"Doctor..."
"You disappear for weeks, and the moment you come back, you're already this direct?"
"So you've been learning bad habits out there?"
A dangerous smile slowly spread across her face.
"But since you're finally willing to try something new..."
"...I'd hate to discourage your enthusiasm."
She slowly began undoing the buttons on the front of her uniform.
"Come on..."
"...?"
The atmosphere had certainly reached that point.
Maybe...
Ethan hurriedly shook the thought out of his head.
No.
Absolutely not.
"I'm here to talk about Caroline's birthday."
"We need to throw her a birthday party."
Max instantly stopped moving.
Her expression collapsed.
"Your ability to kill the mood should be considered a medical miracle."
"I hate birthdays."
"I don't even know when my own birthday is."
"My mom could only narrow it down to somewhere within two weeks in June."
"We've never celebrated it."
"That's only because we haven't been together long enough to celebrate one," Ethan argued.
"So your birthday's in June?"
"I'll remember that."
"No!"
Max immediately became alert.
"Delete that dangerous idea from your brain."
"Raising expectations only leads to disappointment."
"You celebrate with me this year..."
"...what about next year?"
"Ten years from now?"
"If you never expect anything..."
"...you'll never be disappointed."
"But you're Caroline's best friend," Ethan insisted.
"A best friend should throw her a birthday party."
Max narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
"Why are you so invested in this?"
Ethan shrugged.
"Fine."
"Han asked me to help."
"Doctor, I'm broke."
She spread her hands.
"And Caroline would never touch the diner savings fund."
"You have money."
"So you be her best friend."
"I know exactly which day she'll be easiest to win over."
"..."
Ethan sighed.
"Thanks, but I'd rather become friends with Caroline..."
"...so I can find out which day you're easiest to win over."
"No need."
She shrugged casually.
"Win me over, and I'll tell you."
"And by the way..."
"...five more days."
"Okay! Okay!"
Ethan quickly dragged the conversation back on topic.
"We don't even need to spend money."
"The clinic's patients have given me plenty of champagne and wine. I'll bring some tomorrow."
"You secretly bake Caroline a birthday cake."
"Han provides the ingredients."
"Oleg helps for free."
"Earl's bringing a homemade chocolate pie."
"He swears it's the best chocolate pie in the world."
"That's more than enough."
"Oh?"
Max stared at him in surprise.
"You planned all that in just a few minutes?"
Ethan grinned proudly.
"So?"
"Pretty capable, aren't I?"
"Before today..."
"...I'd have said you were adequate."
She looked him up and down leisurely.
"As for whether you're really capable..."
"...we'll find out tonight."
---
When Ethan and Max walked out of the kitchen, Caroline was chatting with a Korean customer.
She jogged over excitedly.
"Max!"
"Edwin finished designing our website!"
"Come look!"
Max gave her a mischievous smile.
"So..."
"You've been having business meetings with the web designer every day for a whole week."
"Doesn't that strike you as... suspicious?"
Then she added with a wicked grin,
"Besides the website..."
"...I'm guessing something else has gotten pretty well-developed too?"
Caroline burst into laughter.
"We're strictly talking business."
"Sure."
Max shrugged.
"You paid him two hundred bucks."
"Might as well get some extra benefits."
She smirked.
"Why not let him browse your Yahoo while he's at it?"
Caroline laughed so hard she could barely stand.
Turning to Ethan, she pleaded,
"Ethan, can you please make Max behave herself?"
Ethan silently wondered if Caroline had somehow misunderstood who Max was.
As if I could control her.
His eyes drifted toward the web designer.
Then something caught his attention.
"Hmm..."
"He seems to be using Windows."
"So?" Max and Caroline asked together.
Ethan answered with perfect seriousness.
"Micro... Soft."
For a split second...
They both stared blankly.
Then they exploded with laughter.
---
Just as the restaurant was preparing to close, Sophie walked in.
Expensive perfume.
A luxurious fur coat.
Designer sunglasses.
And the unmistakable aura of someone who expected applause simply for entering the room.
While tidying up, Max called out,
"Sorry, Sophie."
"We're closed."
"Oh, come on."
Sophie waved dismissively.
"I'm just grabbing a slice of cake to go."
"I'll be out in a minute."
Then...
Her eyes landed directly on Ethan.
"Oh..."
"My..."
"God."
She slowly removed her sunglasses.
"What is this?"
Clicking across the floor in high heels, she walked straight to Ethan's table.
"Max."
"When did this place start serving men this handsome?"
Caught off guard, Ethan politely smiled.
"...Hello."
Sophie immediately clutched her chest dramatically.
"He said hello to me."
"He's not just handsome..."
"...he actually has manners."
"This is unbelievable."
Sophie looked Ethan up and down without the slightest attempt to hide it.
"Nice shoulders. Nice eyes. And that face..." She sighed dramatically. "It reminds me of my third husband."
Max immediately chimed in.
"I thought you had four ex-husbands."
"Exactly," Sophie replied matter-of-factly. "That's why I said the third one. The fourth was a mistake."
Ethan was speechless.
Leaning closer, Sophie's voice softened into something almost seductive.
"So, handsome... what do you do?"
Before Ethan could answer, Max cut in.
"He makes a living with talent. Not his face, and definitely not luck."
Sophie raised an eyebrow.
"A male stripper?"
Ethan sighed.
"I'm a doctor."
The restaurant fell silent.
Sophie's expression froze.
"...What?"
"A doctor," Ethan repeated.
She leaned back, studying him from head to toe as though seeing him for the first time.
"A doctor? Then why on earth are you eating here?"
Ethan silently turned to look at Max.
Following his gaze, Sophie looked at Max, whose expression hovered somewhere between amusement and resignation.
She slowly turned back toward Ethan.
"Max..."
"He looks like that..."
"...and he's a doctor?"
She shook her head dramatically.
"That's a terrible waste of society's resources."
Ethan blinked in confusion.
Is that the rich-lady version of 'you're too good for this'?
Max rolled her eyes.
"He's not mine."
"Oh?"
Sophie's smile instantly became mischievous.
"Then what exactly are you two?"
"Exes," Max answered without hesitation.
Ethan turned to look at her.
Keeping a perfectly straight face, she added,
"A mutually beneficial kind of ex."
Sophie's eyes lit up.
"I see."
"So you traded sex... for premium healthcare."
She looked back at Ethan, suddenly serious.
"Since you're a doctor, you must be wonderful at taking care of people."
"If you ever get tired of... mutually beneficial relationships..."
"...you should consider moving into a more upscale market."
Max answered before Ethan could.
"He doesn't date women with ex-husbands."
Sophie shrugged.
"Maybe he'd prefer a woman with an inheritance."
Ethan simply rubbed his forehead.
"..."
Finally remembering why she'd come, Sophie sat down in a booth.
"Max, my cake."
"I'm heading to the twenty-four-hour gym."
"I'm putting that cake on the treadmill to motivate myself."
"Life is full of temptation."
Picking up her designer handbag, she stood.
"My limousine is parked outside."
"Want me to give you all a ride home?"
"No thanks," Max replied immediately.
"We still have to clean up and take out the trash."
"Besides..."
"Ethan has a car."
Just then, Oleg wandered out of the kitchen.
Sophie glanced at him once.
"Oh."
"Looks like the trash just took itself out."
"The romance continues."
Completely unfazed, Oleg slipped a business card into Sophie's handbag.
"My phone number."
"I sincerely invite you to call."
"If you need someone to talk to..."
"...call the hotline."
"If you get drunk and need a hookup..."
"...one phone call and I'll be there."
Sophie slowly turned toward Max.
"I also need a small garbage bag."
"Not for the cake."
"I'm about to throw up."
---
The lights inside the Williamsburg Diner finally went out.
Closing time.
Ethan let out a long sigh of relief.
Together, Ethan, Max, Caroline, and the Korean web designer, Edwin, walked outside.
Adjusting his backpack, Edwin said,
"I'll finish everything tonight."
"I'll stop by tomorrow one last time."
"Once you've approved it, the website will be ready to launch."
Clasping her hands together excitedly, Caroline's eyes sparkled.
"That's amazing!"
"I can't wait!"
"Oh, wait."
She suddenly rummaged through her purse before pulling out a stack of papers.
"Edwin, I almost forgot."
"Here's the updated price list."
Taking the papers, Edwin nodded.
"No problem."
"I can update everything right away."
"Then I'll upload it all as soon as I get home."
Max couldn't resist.
"Well, look at you, web wizard."
"You're pretty... fast."
"I bet you also know how to go slow first..."
"...before going really fast."
Without even looking up from the papers, Edwin answered honestly,
"I can finish it all in about a minute."
Max rolled her eyes dramatically.
"Ouch."
"That's the last thing any woman wants to hear."
Ethan gently tugged at her sleeve.
"Max..."
Caroline laughed.
"No rush."
"We can wait."
Suddenly Max spoke up.
"Actually..."
"You stay here."
"Ethan and I need to buy something for your—"
"My what?"
Caroline blinked.
Max paused for exactly one second before correcting herself.
"...We need to buy a few things."
Caroline nodded without suspicion.
"Drive safely."
Turning to Edwin, Max asked,
"Where do you live?"
"Hell's Kitchen."
"Perfect."
She pulled Caroline aside and whispered,
"Then later you can take the C Line, transfer to the L Line, and you'll be fine."
Before Caroline could ask another question...
Max grabbed Ethan by the wrist—
and bolted.
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