Forbidden Passion

Outside the restaurant, Theodore leaned against a pillar, messing around on his phone. Wesley stood next to him, sneaking glances every now and then.

Lately, Wesley had been at the company and knew Theodore was chasing after Phoebe, sending her flowers and snacks every day. He didn't expect the big-shot CEO to be so blunt and old-school about it. "Why are you still here?" Theodore's deep voice broke Wesley's thoughts.

Wesley scratched his head. "Waiting for Ms. Ziegler."

"You're not famous yet. No one's gonna recognize you on the street. Just call a cab and head home," Theodore said, sounding cold.

Wesley felt a sting from those words.

"I'll be famous soon. Then I'll be a big deal at Superstar Entertainment and make a ton of money for Ms. Ziegler," Wesley said, his face flushing.

Theodore gave him a cold look. "Do you like her?"

Wesley panicked, not wanting Theodore to see him as competition. He quickly shook his head. "Ms. Ziegler is beautiful. Everyone at the company likes her. I'm no different, but it's not the same as your feelings." The coldness in Theodore's eyes faded. "Call a cab and go. Stop playing dumb."

"Who's playing dumb?" Wesley's face turned red with embarrassment. He bit his lip. "I just wanted to say goodbye to Ms. Ziegler."

"I'll tell her," Theodore said indifferently.

Wesley was left speechless.

Seeing Theodore's growing impatience, Wesley turned and walked into the night.

He wasn't scared of Theodore; he just didn't want to cause trouble for Ms. Ziegler.

Phoebe came downstairs with her phone and saw only Theodore outside the restaurant. She walked over, unsure how to face him. After a moment, Phoebe said, "Thanks!"

Theodore was surprised, then smiled slightly. "Your thanks make me nervous. Are you planning to stab me in the heart next?" Phoebe lowered her eyes, thinking about how he had hurt her many times before. But she didn't want to bring up the past. "Why are all three cups filled with flavored soda?"

Theodore felt embarrassed by Phoebe's bluntness. He got defensive. "I've never met a woman as unromantic as you." "So why?" Phoebe asked.

"I'm still mad and don't want to forgive you easily, but I also don't want to make you really uncomfortable."

Phoebe closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "It's late. Mr. Reynolds, you should head home."

"I'll take you home," Theodore offered.

"It's not on the way." Phoebe paused. "I don't live at Golden Apartment anymore, Mr. Reynolds. We're not on the way." Theodore didn't know she had moved. He frowned. "Where do you live now?"

"Mr. Reynolds."

"It doesn't matter where you live; if I want to, it's on the way," Theodore interrupted, his eyes determined.

Phoebe fell silent for a moment.

Theodore saw the resistance in her eyes. She didn't want to tell him where her new place was. He sighed, "I get it, but I have something for you."

As he spoke, Jack pulled up in the black Maybach and stopped right in front of them.

Theodore opened the back door, bent down, grabbed a document bag, and walked over to Phoebe, handing it to her. "I went back to West Mountain Villas a few days ago and took this out of the safe. It's yours. Take it." When Phoebe was struggling for funds abroad, she never thought of selling West Mountain Villas to raise money. Now that she was financially stable, she had no reason to take it.

Theodore's hand stayed outstretched, the light above casting shadows on the veins of his hand. He said softly, "I'm planning to start fresh."

"Take what's yours. From now on, we owe each other nothing," Theodore said quietly, like he had truly moved on and was ready for a new beginning.

Phoebe stood there for a long time before finally reaching out to take it. She said, "Since you put it that way, I'll accept it. Mr. Reynolds, we haven't owed each other anything for a long time." Theodore's hand was now empty. He curled his fingers slightly, then slowly lowered his hand to his side. "Goodbye," he said.

"Goodbye." Phoebe stood still, watching him turn and get into the car.

The black Maybach slowly drove away. The windows were tinted, so Phoebe couldn't see inside, but she felt Theodore was watching her.

Theodore was indeed watching her. He looked at Phoebe's slender figure, his eyes turbulent.

From beginning to end, Phoebe owed him a romance, a child, a home, and a lifetime!

Phoebe walked into her home with the document bag. Hubert, Boris, and Noomi rushed over, hugging her legs and competing to be her leg accessories.

The living room was clean, so Phoebe wasn't worried about her kids getting their clothes dirty. She smiled and asked, "What did you do today, babies?"

Hubert said, "I helped Grandma loosen the soil."

Boris said, "I helped Grandma weed."

Noomi said, "I helped Grandma water the plants."

Phoebe summarized the information provided by Hubert, Boris, and Noomi. "So you were farming today. Did Grandma reward you with a big drumstick tonight?"

"Grandma made us grilled wings. They were delicious," Hubert said, drooling at the mention of food.

"Hubert ate five and even got stuffed," Boris exposed.

Noomi also eagerly revealed Hubert's secret. "Grandma said he ate too much and can only have two next time."

Hubert's face turned red, and he shyly buried his face in Phoebe's leg. "I did not."

Phoebe laughed and patted his head. "If your stomach feels uncomfortable, you must tell me, okay?"

Hubert nodded shyly.

Phoebe kissed Hubert, Boris, and Noomi on the cheeks and said, "You go play now. I need to talk to Grandma."

They let go of Phoebe and ran to the sofa, climbing up and sitting in a row to watch cartoons.

Evelyn looked at the document bag in her hand and asked, "What's this?"

"A divorce gift," Phoebe said.

Evelyn skeptically took the bag, opened it, and saw the Warranty Deed and a bank card inside. She opened the Warranty Deed and saw Phoebe's name on it, with the transfer date being the day Phoebe and Theodore divorced.