Forbidden Passion
Chapter 19 Tension in the Air

Mrs. Reynolds' birthday had arrived in the blink of an eye, and her birthday banquet was held at the ReynoldsSheng Mansion as it was every year. They had hired the top chef team in the country to prepare a sumptuous feast.

Chapter 5: Unexpected Encounter

Recently, Phoebe had been feeling down and couldn't seem to muster any enthusiasm. During breakfast, Mrs. Reynolds noticed the dark circles under her eyes and furrowed her brow, asking, "Phoebe, did you not sleep well last night?" On this particular day, everyone was present, all eyes fixed on her. Phoebe felt extremely awkward and blurted out, "I'm fine, I must have just slept in a bad position."

"Next time, look for your big brother," Christopher gestured towards Theodore, "He knows massage therapy. Let him give you a stretch."

"You know massage therapy?" Phoebe looked at Theodore in amazement.

"I know a little," Theodore put down his chopsticks, his gaze complex. "Let me take a look later."

Phoebe gawked at him in amazement. The man was full of surprises.: "..."

She never expected Theodore to actually have learned massage therapy. As the CEO of a multinational corporation with countless responsibilities, why would he bother learning such a skill? Phoebe was genuinely curious. After finishing breakfast, Phoebe and Theodore went back to their room.

In the bedroom on the third floor, Phoebe sat nervously on the couch. She watched as Theodore took off his suit jacket and draped it over the back of the couch. He unfastened his cufflinks, rolled up his sleeves, revealing his strong forearms. Phoebe nervously licked her lips and saw him walking towards her. Her heart raced, as she had only casually made up the story earlier. Now, she was hesitant and unsure of how to proceed. "When did you learn massage therapy?" "When you were pregnant," Theodore said.

Phoebe was dumbfounded. "What?"

Theodore propped one leg on the couch beside her, placed one hand on her shoulder, and used the other hand to support the back of her head. "Just relax."

Phoebe didn't have time to think. Her back was against the man's chest, and his warm body temperature seeped through their thin clothes. She caught a whiff of a scent mixed with hormones and mint.

Her mind went blank, feeling his hands applying pressure on both sides. For a moment, she thought he was going to separate her head from her neck.

After a while, he moved to the other side, continuing the pressure. When he felt she had been stretched enough, he withdrew his hands.

The panic subsided, and Phoebe gently turned her neck, supporting it with her hand. She wasn't sure if the stiffness in her neck had completely disappeared, but her shoulders and neck felt much better. "It seems to have worked," she said.

Theodore glanced at her and said, "Your shoulders and neck were very stiff. You should stretch more often."

"In that case, could you help me with some stretching?" Phoebe blurted out without thinking, surprising not only Theodore but herself as well.

In the past, aside from their intimate encounters, they had never had any physical contact. She always tried to avoid it. But now, she had actually taken the initiative to ask him for assistance.

"If it's inconvenient for you..." she trailed off, but before she could finish her sentence, her shoulders were enveloped by a pair of warm, broad palms. She immediately straightened her posture, her whole body tensing up. Theodore narrowed his eyes slightly, his thumb pressing on her shoulder.

Deltoid, "Relax a bit, your shoulders are too tense."

Whether it was the force he applied or accidentally touched the wrong spot, Phoebe shivered, and her cheeks quickly turned bright red. The flush of red spread to the back of her ears, even coloring her neck. Theodore lowered his gaze, his breathing becoming somewhat heavy, and his eyes turned fierce, like a fierce beast in dire need of food, with bloodshot eyes.

Phoebe's heart was in turmoil, her mind blank. She tried several times to say something, to ease this ambiguous and fiery atmosphere at the moment, but she didn't know what to say.

Theodore said he learned massage when she was pregnant. She vaguely remembered how difficult it was during her pregnancy. Her legs began to swell after five months, and she would experience leg cramps at night, making it difficult to sleep.

One night, when she was awakened once again by the pain, her legs were enveloped in warm arms. Theodore sat cross-legged on the bed, awkwardly massaging her calves, relieving the tense muscles.

Afterwards, every night when she was in pain, he would massage her for a while until she fell back to sleep.

Now, reflecting on this past, Phoebe finally understood how much he had longed for the arrival of that child and how much he now resented her.

Phoebe felt a surge of impulse, wanting to confess her feelings to him. Even if it was too late, she wanted to fight for it. "Theodore, I..."

"Knock, knock!" The sound of knocking interrupted Phoebe's words. The door was pushed open, and Madison, wearing a pink dress, walked in. " TheodoreBig brother, Mr. FitzroyUncle Jian and Mrs. FitzroyAunt Jian are here. Mom asked me to come and get you."

Theodore withdrew his hand, his brows and eyes returning to their usual coldness. Only a lingering trace of deep desire remained in his eyes. He said, "I'll go down now."

Phoebe watched as he refastened his shirt cufflinks. She felt anxious and irritated for the first time, finding Madison very annoying.

She saw him go to get his suit jacket and quickly reached out, taking the suit in her arms first.

Theodore looked at her in surprise, "Phoebe?"

Phoebe bit her lip and inexplicably felt a hint of grievance. Ignoring Madison's presence, she said, "Theodore, there's something I want to tell you."

"Sister-in-law, can't you say it later? There are guests waiting for big brother downstairs." Madison impatiently looked at her.

Theodore glanced warningly at Madison, and when he saw her sullenly turn her head away, he looked back at Phoebe, his tone somewhat gentle. "Phoebe, go ahead. I'm listening." Tears welled up in Phoebe's eyes as she had many things she wanted to say. She wanted to ask him if, in these three years, he had even the slightest bit of affection for her.

If she confessed her love for him, would he be willing to come back to her? Could they start over?

But just as she was about to speak, she saw Vanessa appear at the doorway of their bedroom. She was wearing a fiery red dress, which accentuated her fair skin.

She suddenly remembered that day in the square when she saw Theodore's heated gaze.

PhoebeVanessa stared at Vanessa on the stage with intensity and focus, and the impulse in her heart disappeared in an instant.

She took a step back and retreated to a safe zone, her voice laced with bitterness, "I have nothing to say, go accompany the guests."

Theodore furrowed his brows. He had hoped that she would say something after seeing how desperate she was just now.

Now that his expectations had been shattered, disappointment and fatigue filled his heart. He didn't even bother to take his suit jacket and simply turned and walked out the door.

"Theodore, wait for me." Vanessa chased after him, and the sound of their footsteps gradually faded away.

Madison looked at Phoebe with arrogance and said, "Phoebe, don't think you can play any tricks. Vanessa is back, and my big brother is definitely going to divorce you and reconcile with Vanessa. If I were you, I would take the initiative to get a divorce instead of waiting to be kicked out by my big brother."

Phoebe looked sorrowful as she sat down on the sofa and looked at Madison, "Do you really want me to divorce your brother?"