Forbidden Passion
Chapter 454 Don't Do Unnecessary Things

The roads were slick with snow, making the climb up the mountain easy but the descent tricky. Theodore led the way, holding Phoebe's hand tightly. After they got down the mountain and crossed the bridge, the sky started to darken.

The sky turned a deep red, lighting up the snow-covered mountains. The view was wide and open.

Phoebe was mesmerized. She pulled out her phone and started snapping pictures of the sunset. The mix of the sunset and the snowy peaks was stunning. Excited, she turned to Theodore, who was smiling warmly at her in the sunset's glow.

Kristoff quickly took out his phone and started taking pictures of Theodore and Phoebe. They looked like a painting with the sunset and snowy peaks behind them. Kristoff couldn't help but say, "It's so beautiful."

Phoebe looked up, bathed in the sunset light, looking almost unreal.

Theodore stood beside her, and Phoebe turned to him, her eyes reflecting the brilliant sunset. "Theodore, look, it's so beautiful!"

This was the most amazing sunset Phoebe had ever seen. Only in such a cold place could she witness such a view.

Theodore looked at Phoebe, her eyes filled with the sunset, while his eyes were filled only with her. "Yes, very beautiful."

The sun set quickly, and the light faded. As the sun disappeared, the sky turned a clear blue, with a faint crescent moon and stars appearing.

The deep blue night set in, and the wind grew colder.

Theodore raised his hand to put the hood of Phoebe's jacket on her. "It's getting dark, let's go back."

Phoebe's heart was still racing with emotion. She nodded and followed Theodore back. Just as they reached the lodge, they saw a slender figure running towards them.

Violet, wearing stage makeup and a performance outfit under a pink coat, her face red from the cold, exhaled large clouds of white breath.

Violet ran up to Theodore, panting, "Mr. Reynolds, you're finally back! I was really concerned about you."

Theodore paused, his demeanor slightly aloof. "No need to fret. "Exhausted from the journey and unwilling to brave the chilly weather for a performance, Phoebe announced, "Mr. Reynolds, I'm heading back." Without waiting for Theodore's permission, Phoebe walked past Violet and left.

Theodore's gaze was fixed on Phoebe's back. Violet's anxious voice reached his ears.

She asked, "Mr. Reynolds, the performance is about to start. Will you come?"

Theodore withdrew his gaze and saw admiration and ambition in Violet's eyes. He sneered, "Miss Morris, don't waste your thoughts on me. It's inappropriate."

Violet's eyes widened, her expression shattered. "Mr. Reynolds, I didn't mean anything by it. I just fell in love with you at first sight. I don't ask for much, just for you to attend my performances occasionally. It would mean a lot to me." Theodore, sensitive to Violet's feelings, chose not to embarrass her, preserving their dignity. "You saw it just now, Ms. Ziegler is unhappy. When she's unhappy, I'm unhappy, too. Let's avoid unnecessary actions in the future." With that, he ignored Violet and walked past her.

Tears welled up in Violet's eyes, a mix of heartbreak and humiliation clouding her gaze. Summoning a sudden surge of courage, she reached out and grasped Theodore's wrist."Mr. Reynolds," she began, her voice trembling, "what makes me inferior to Ms. Ziegler? I'm prettier, younger, and love you more."

Theodore frowned, pulling his hand back and glaring at Violet with disgust. "Who gave you the courage to compare yourself to her?"

Violet was so frightened by the darkness in Theodore's eyes that she took two steps back. She slipped and fell to the ground.

When she looked up again, she only had time to see Theodore's back disappearing into the brightly lit lobby. Tears streamed down her face.

She thought, 'Why? I'm so beautiful, why doesn't Theodore like me?'

Violet punched the snow in frustration, the cold seeping into her hands. Footsteps approached from behind, and a gentle voice sounded above her. "How could you bear to hurt such beautiful hands?" Startled, Violet looked up to see a figure silhouetted against the light, his eyes shining a reflective blue. "Mr. Vanderbilt?" she exclaimed

Edward smiled warmly at her and extended his hand. "Get up, sitting in the snow might give you frostbite."

Violet knew Edward was a member of the Vanderbilt family. Seeing him approach, her heart began to race again. She placed her hand in Edward's palm and said shyly, "Thank you, Mr. Vanderbilt." Edward retracted his hand like a gentleman and glanced at her attire. "Let's go, I'll take you to the chapel. The performance should start soon."

"Okay." Violet lowered her head shyly, thinking that Edward was much more gentlemanly than Theodore. If she could win over Edward, her rise to success would be just around the corner. Theodore returned to his room only to find the hotel's environment even worse than the day before with a strange and persistent smell lingered in the air, refusing to dissipate.

Phoebe was not in the room.

Feeling irritable, he went out to look for her. After searching for a while, he finally found Phoebe in the dining hall, but she wasn't alone. Kristoff was sitting next to her.

Phoebe and Kristoff were sitting very close, looking at a phone together and laughing. The scene stung Theodore's eyes.

When Phoebe entered the hotel earlier, Kristoff had called her. They had returned late and hadn't eaten yet. The egg they had earlier wasn't filling, and they were both hungry.

Phoebe and Kristoff went to the dining hall. Dinner time was over, and only leftovers remained. Phoebe looked at the food and had no appetite.

She paid extra to order some dishes and asked the owner to cook them fresh.

Phoebe and Kristoff found a clean table to sit at. Kristoff took out his phone and opened the photo album, saying mysteriously, "I took some candid shots earlier. See if you like any of them, and I'll send them to you." Phoebe took the phone and started flipping through the photos. She had to admit, Kristoff had taken some great pictures of her and Theodore.

She and Theodore smiled at each other, looked at the sunset together, and their side profiles and backs were all beautifully captured.

"Often joke that straight men can't take good photos, but you made Mr. Reynolds and me look great," Phoebe said.

Kristoff chuckled nervously, scratching his head. "Well, you both are naturally good-looking, and the setting was just right, which definitely played a role in those great photos."Phoebe carefully selected the photos but found she couldn't choose just a few. "Send them all to me."

"Okay, let's add each other on WhatsApp." Then Kristoff added, "Ms. Ziegler, you should smile more. You look really beautiful when you smile."

Before Kristoff could finish his sentence, a sinister voice sounded above them. "Why should she smile more at you?"