Forbidden Passion
Chapter 473 The Truth Cannot Be Faked

Phoebe strolled into the company, and bam, Carol yanked her aside, whispering some juicy gossip, "Ms. Ziegler, guess what? Grace got smacked around by Miss Reynolds again." Phoebe's eyes widened, her head pounding. "What the heck happened?"

Carol shrugged. "No clue. They were just talking, then boom, fists started flying. Miss Reynolds threw the first punch, and man, she was brutal, almost clawed Grace's face off." "I'm heading down to check it out," Phoebe said, spinning on her heel.

Carol hollered after her, "Ms. Ziegler, don't get mixed up in this. Miss Reynolds is the princess of the Reynolds Group. Messing with her is a one-way ticket to trouble." Phoebe stepped into the elevator, not even glancing back.

Carol watched the doors close, letting out a heavy sigh. She kicked herself for dragging Phoebe to the cafeteria yesterday. If this blew up, Phoebe would piss off Madison before even tying the knot with the Reynolds. What a disaster! Phoebe rode the elevator down and walked into Queen Entertainment. The place was spotless, just like she left it, but something felt off now.

This was Vanessa's turf.

Everyone froze when they saw Phoebe and greeted her in unison, "Ms. Ziegler, morning."

Phoebe flashed a smile. "Where's Grace?"

"Grace is in the artist's lounge," someone piped up.

Phoebe nodded, still smiling, and headed to the lounge.

Inside, a bunch of young girls were huddled around Grace, gossiping. When they heard footsteps, they clammed up.

Phoebe walked in and saw Grace with messy hair and a few scratches on her face. Phoebe frowned. "You okay?" Seeing Phoebe, Grace's eyes welled up with tears. She shook her head and looked down, not saying a word.

Phoebe turned to the other girls. "Can you give us a minute?"

"Sure, Grace, we'll step out," the girls said, filing out and closing the door behind them.

Phoebe sat next to Grace, checking out her face. "Good thing the injuries aren't too bad. A thick layer of foundation should cover the scars, or else you wouldn't be able to shoot."

At the mention of shooting, Grace's tears started to fall. She looked helplessly at Phoebe. "Phoebe, Ms. Fitzroy said my private contract was against the rules and told me to drop the role. She won't let me act." Phoebe's frown deepened. "Vanessa?"

The artist's contract did have a clause against taking private gigs, but it didn't apply to Grace. They had only gone for an audition yesterday and hadn't signed any contracts.

The signing process for the production still had to go through the company before reaching the artist. Therefore, Vanessa's excuse for preventing Grace from acting was not only baseless but also potentially damaging to Grace's career. "Yeah, Phoebe, what do I do? I shouldn't have signed with Queen Entertainment in the first place," Grace said, tears streaming down her face.

She hadn't felt this desperate even when Madison was scratching her on the ground.

Phoebe patted her shoulder. "Don't cry. I'll figure something out. Are these scratches from Madison?"

Grace felt even more wronged. "I don't even know what I did to piss her off. She's gunning for me everywhere. She even went to Ms. Fitzroy to convince her not to let me act. She said if my family's restaurant ever opens again, she'll bring people to trash it every day."

Phoebe locked eyes with Grace.

There was no need for further evidence; Madison's erratic actions spoke volumes. Madison thought she was slick, thinking booting Grace from Queen Entertainment would solve her problems.

However, there was one thing Madison failed to comprehend: the truth can't be faked, and lies can't become the truth!

If it weren't for last night's car crash, Phoebe wouldn't have wanted to get involved. But now, Madison had crossed the line.

"Head to the infirmary and get some meds. Don't let that pretty face get messed up. I'll go have a word with Vanessa." Phoebe stood up and, at the door, turned back to look at Grace. She said, "Grace, hang in there. Don't let this crap beat you."

Grace looked up, staring blankly at Phoebe as she walked out the door.

Phoebe arrived at Vanessa's office, which used to be her office, but now it felt like a stranger's place.

Vanessa had tossed out everything Phoebe used and bought a whole new set of office stuff.

Madison was there too. Seeing Phoebe come in, she jumped up, glaring. "Phoebe, what are you doing here? Queen Entertainment isn't your playground anymore. You're not welcome." Phoebe shot her a cold look. "Madison, if I were you, I'd zip it and lay low, to avoid making things worse."

"What are you implying?" Madison sensed Phoebe's dig and got all riled up.

Phoebe narrowed her eyes and spoke slowly, "You know exactly what I mean. I'm not here for you. Get out."

Madison gritted her teeth, thinking, 'Why didn't last night's car crash take Phoebe out?'

Phoebe stared her down. After a few tense seconds, Madison stormed out, slamming the door, leaving just Vanessa and Phoebe in the office.

"What are you here for?" Vanessa, seated in her wheelchair, couldn't forget how Phoebe had bested her before.

It's often said that the quiet ones were the ones to watch, and Phoebe was the epitome of quiet strength.

Phoebe sat down across from Vanessa and said, "Miss Fitzroy, I want to know why you won't let Grace act."

"Grace?" Vanessa raised an eyebrow.

Phoebe continued, "From what I know, Queen Entertainment's resources are tight, and most signed artists can't perform. Grace landed a role on her own, bringing in money for the company. Why stop her?"

Vanessa looked at Phoebe with interest. "Did she land the role on her own, or did you pull some strings? Phoebe, you're not the director of artists here anymore. Can you stop meddling? How I run the company is my business. Whether there's revenue or not is also my business. What's it to you?"

Phoebe silently clenched her fists. "You're right. It's not my business, but you shouldn't wreck their careers."

An artist's prime is short and can't handle Vanessa's delays. Vanessa had no ambition, but dragging the whole company down with her was too much!

Vanessa said, "Phoebe, even if Queen Entertainment goes under on my watch, I don't need your advice. If you want to help Grace, back off, or I'll make sure she never performs at Queen Entertainment again!"