Forbidden Passion
Chapter 315 Little Angels Don't Frame Others

Frightened, Christopher hurriedly shook his head. "I don't want to. Managing a major company with many meetings and daily work? I'd rather hold the shares and enjoy the dividends. Why would I want to take on the hardship of managing such a big company?"

His lifelong goal had been to be a laid-back guy who would occasionally work on his programming to at least make money for himself.

The thought of working tirelessly like his elder brother to support a group of ungrateful leeches suffocated him.

Theodore laughed in exasperation. "No ambition at all."

In truth, if he weren't the eldest son, he wouldn't have wanted to take over the Reynolds Group either. Given the choice, who wouldn't prefer to be a carefree spendthrift rather than work hard? They walked towards the villa.

Seeing Theodore's look, Christopher asked, "Are you in a bad mood because of Madison?"

Theodore's eyebrows furrowed, his expression fierce. He frowned and said, "It has nothing to do with her."

Christopher immediately fell silent, recalling what Madison had said at the dinner table last night. His heart pounded, thinking that perhaps the truth was just as Madison had claimed. Otherwise, before the miscarriage, Theodore had been so attentive to Phoebe. After the miscarriage, his attitude had taken a complete turn.

But he feared speaking or asking.

They returned to the villa in silence and went to their respective rooms to shower.

Phoebe had just applied light makeup when Theodore entered the bedroom. Their eyes met. Theodore coldly looked away and went to the bathroom.

Phoebe paused, turning to look at his back. Sweat dripped from the ends of his hair, his neck glistening with moisture. His wet clothes clung to his body, his back muscles forming a streamlined shape, exuding a powerful explosiveness that made one's heart race.

She instinctively looked away and walked out of the bedroom.

As she descended the stairs, she encountered Madison in the stairwell. Madison's eyes were swollen. Her cheeks were slightly puffy. Christopher's slap last night had not been light.

Seeing Phoebe staring at her, Madison snapped, "What are you looking at? Have you never seen a beauty before?"

Phoebe was speechless as she thought, 'I really haven't.'

She withdrew her gaze and continued downstairs, with Madison following a few steps behind her.

Looking at the back of Phoebe's head, Madison remembered the slap from Christopher last night. She was filled with anger and hatred, wishing she could push Phoebe off the stairs, hoping she would die from the fall so that she would die and never come back into her life.

As they reached the second floor, they saw Taylor emerging from her bedroom. Taylor paused upon seeing them and waved at Madison. "Madison, come here for a moment."

Last night, Taylor knocked on Madison's door, but it was locked from the inside, and Madison hadn't opened it. Knowing she was still angry, Taylor hadn't pressed the issue. Madison pouted and walked over reluctantly. "What do you want?"

Taylor pulled her towards the second-floor terrace. As their figures grew distant, Phoebe turned to go downstairs.

On the terrace, Taylor examined the finger marks on Madison's face, her heart aching. "Why did Christopher hit you so hard? He wouldn't even hit an enemy like that."

Madison looked away and grabbed the handrail. "I am not lying. Why don't any of you believe me?"

Taylor frowned. "Madison, stop being unreasonable. Your brother said they were together that night. He wouldn't lie."

"So, did I lie?" Madison glared at Taylor in frustration.

Taylor looked at her helplessly. "It's not that we don't believe you, but Ruby's words are not trustworthy. She has a grudge against Phoebe. Why would you rather believe an outsider than your brother?" "Mom, if you were Theodore, you wouldn't publicly admit that Phoebe cheated either," Madison said.

Taylor replied, "You're right, but if your brother truly felt wronged, he would have divorced Phoebe long ago. He wouldn't be defending her."

Madison shouted angrily, "Ask him, not me. Anyway, I believe what Ruby said. Phoebe must have done something wrong to my brother."

Taylor looked at her daughter with a headache, reaching out to poke her forehead hard. "What spell did Ruby cast on you to make you trust her so blindly?"

"Mom!" Madison tilted her head. "Then what spell did Phoebe cast on you? You weren't like this before."

Taylor said, "Madison, she married into the Reynolds family, so she's part of the Reynolds family. Bullying her and making her look bad is disrespecting your brother. Do you understand?"

"I'm doing it for his good. Phoebe has waited all these years just for Theodore to acknowledge her status. This time, she finally got her wish," Madison retorted sarcastically.

Taylor sighed. "If you embarrass Phoebe in public again, next time, it will be your brother who hits you."

"I'm not afraid of him." Madison was very stubborn. Taylor didn't try to persuade her anymore, knowing it was futile.

"I think you just haven't been hit enough." With that, Taylor walked away in a huff.

Madison leaned on the railing, gritting her teeth. She thought she would find someone to investigate whether Phoebe was really with Edward before the miscarriage. 'Once I have the evidence, I will throw it in Christopher and my mother's faces!'

Early in the morning, Ruby went to the apartment to pick up Vanessa. Seeing her with two dark circles under her eyes, Ruby was startled. "Vanessa, didn't you sleep last night?"

Vanessa glanced at her listlessly and lay down on the sofa.

Ruby placed the breakfast on the table and squatted in front of the couch. "Don't be like this. I have good news for you."

Vanessa buried her face in a pillow and asked weakly, "What is the good news?"

"Madison ruins the party. The Reynolds family won't be introducing Phoebe anymore." Ruby had received the news from Madison last night. If she had known Vanessa would be so down, she would have told her then. Vanessa perked up immediately. She sat up straight, her eyes shining as she stared at Ruby. "What did you say?"

"Last night, during their discussion, Madison ruined it," Ruby told Vanessa what had happened the previous night, feeling a bit smug. "Madison has liked Edward for many years. She has pursued him a lot in the past two years, but Edward never paid her any attention. She must hate Phoebe."

She had Madison's weakness firmly in her grasp, which was why she had sent her the message last night. With Madison as an ally, there was no fear of ruining a party.

"Good thing she's an idiot," Vanessa sneered.

Ruby said, "If she were even a bit smarter, she wouldn't be in this situation. Not to mention Edward, if I were a man, I wouldn't fancy her either."

"Keep a good relationship with her. Some things are beyond me. Since she's so stupid, we can still use her," Vanessa said.

In Madison's eyes, Vanessa was a little angel. Little angels didn't frame others, so such manipulative tasks were best left to Ruby.