Forbidden Passion
Chapter 487 We Are Married

Everyone jumped up like they'd been zapped, not knowing what to do with their jittery hands and feet. "Should we bounce now?"

Phoebe grinned and said, "Nah, Mr. Reynolds ain't that scary. Y'all can chill. Who wanted to watch a movie? I'll put it on."

The colleague who'd been all about the movie turned beet red and quickly said, "Ms. Ziegler, you're hilarious. We don't need to watch it anymore. How about the news instead?" Before she could finish, a colleague next to her nudged her. "Look at you, such a chicken."

"If you're not a chicken, then you watch it," she shot back, glancing shyly at Phoebe. "Let's just watch the news, keep up with the world and stuff."

Phoebe gave a cheeky smile, picked a variety show, and then plopped down on a small stool, cracking open a beer and pouring it for everyone.

Everyone was way less rowdy now, scared Theodore might stroll in and catch them acting wild, leaving a bad impression.

"Don't be so uptight, y'all. Come on, let's toast." Phoebe raised her glass, and the others followed suit, clinking glasses with her. "Merry Christmas!" "Merry Christmas!"

The vibe started to loosen up. Theodore walked in wearing loungewear, and everyone tensed up again, standing awkwardly. "Mr. Reynolds." Theodore waved his hand. "Chill, please. If y'all are so stiff, Phoebe might kick me out."

Everyone exchanged looks and sat down again, but with Theodore right there, it was hard to relax. They didn't dare to speak and just kept sneaking glances at him. Then they noticed Theodore's loungewear matched Phoebe's. His dark gray loungewear had a pink fluffy patch, while Phoebe's pink loungewear had a dark gray fluffy patch. "Want some beer?" Phoebe placed a clean glass in front of Theodore, her movements smooth and casual.

Theodore nodded. "Sure."

Phoebe poured him a half glass of beer and, looking up, saw everyone staring at them. She said, "Y'all should eat. This whole spread is courtesy of Mr. Reynolds. You can't leave until you finish it, got it?" Carol was the first to dig in, and seeing her move, the others followed suit. After a few rounds of drinks, the atmosphere in the screening room finally chilled out.

Carol raised her glass and quickly finished her drink. As she set the glass down, she locked eyes with Theodore. "Mr. Reynolds, I got a question for you, with the courage given by this drink." Theodore was sitting next to Phoebe, playing with her fingers, showing no intention of avoiding the company subordinates.

He replied, "Shoot."

Carol asked, "What's the deal between you and Ms. Ziegler?"

As soon as she asked, the others wanted to give Carol a standing ovation. They'd been dying to ask that all night, and finally, someone did. Theodore turned to Phoebe, a hint of a smile in his eyes. "Phoebe, you wanna tell them what our deal is?"

Phoebe cleared her throat. "Carol's asking you."

Theodore raised Phoebe's hand, his gaze sweeping over everyone before landing back on Phoebe's face. "Phoebe is my legit wife," he declared. Phoebe was stunned, and everyone else was floored.

They'd speculated a lot, but no one dared to guess that Phoebe was Theodore's wife because the gap between their statuses was too huge. But now that Theodore had personally confirmed Phoebe's identity, no matter how many doubts they had, they had to believe it.

Carol was the first to snap out of it. She nudged her dazed colleague, poured herself a drink, and raised it towards Phoebe and Theodore.

"Mr. Reynolds, Ms. Ziegler, here's a belated toast to your enduring love and happiness together!" Carol said with a grin.

With Carol leading the charge, everyone else raised their glasses too.

Phoebe was caught off guard for a second. She glanced at Theodore, who gave her a little eyebrow raise, signaling her to join in.

Phoebe followed his lead, clinking glasses with everyone. "Thanks, y'all. I thought you might freak out a bit."

"Why would we? We used to think Mr. Reynolds was just this untouchable boss. Now that we know he's Ms. Ziegler's hubby, he feels way more down-to-earth." "Yeah, totally," everyone echoed.

With the new twist of Theodore being Phoebe's husband, he seemed way more approachable, and they even dared to crack some harmless jokes with him. By the end of the meal, everyone was chill.

As the clock hit midnight, marking Christmas Day, a bunch of fireworks lit up the night sky outside. Someone shouted, "Fireworks! They're setting off fireworks!"

Phoebe turned and saw the red and blue fireworks lighting up the clear night sky, one after another. She looked up, and the fireworks lit up her face.

Theodore wrapped his arm around her waist, lifting her off the stool, and whispered in her ear, "Let's go check it out."

Phoebe replied, "Sure."

Theodore and Phoebe stood behind their colleagues, watching them whip out their phones to capture the fireworks. They exchanged a glance, and Theodore's eyes darkened slightly as he leaned down to kiss Phoebe on the lips. Everyone was too busy watching the fireworks to notice Theodore and Phoebe kissing.

The fireworks kept going, getting more intense, filling the sky with colorful, dazzling lights.

After the midnight fireworks show, everyone got ready to leave. Theodore let go of Phoebe and walked them to the door, where Jack was waiting outside.

Phoebe said, "It's super late. Let Jack take y'all home."

"Thanks, Mr. Reynolds and Ms. Ziegler. Merry Christmas!" Everyone thanked Theodore and Phoebe.

Phoebe waved at them, "Merry Christmas. Jack, make sure they get home safe. Thanks."

Jack, supporting a particularly drunk colleague, said, "Don't worry, Mrs. Reynolds. I'll get them all home safe."

After sending off the rowdy crew, Phoebe was so tired she could barely stand, but she still remembered to take her medicine.

Theodore followed her into the kitchen, watching her take the medicine out of the fridge and pop it in the microwave. He asked, "Phoebe, did you have a good time today?" Phoebe nodded. "Yeah, I did."

It was the most relaxed day she'd had in four years, spending Christmas Eve with her colleagues. Even though they were a bit stiff because of Theodore, it still gave her a beautiful memory. Theodore walked up behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist, and rested his chin on her shoulder. "I counted. You smiled at least three hundred times tonight." Phoebe raised her hand to touch her face. "No wonder my face feels kinda stiff."

Theodore turned her face towards him and gave her a light peck on the lips. "Babe, you're missing the point."

Phoebe's heart skipped a beat. What Theodore really meant was that he'd been watching her all night, which is how he knew how many times she had smiled.