Forbidden Passion
Chapter 489 Would I Harm You?

Theodore stood in the walk-in closet, staring at his phone as if it had sprouted a second head. Phoebe never hung up on him. He attempted to call again, but it went directly to voicemail. She had turned off her phone.

Frozen for a moment, he then dashed out of the closet.

In the living room, his eyes darted to the coat rack. Phoebe's usual bag was missing. He rushed to the shoe cabinet and yanked it open. One of Phoebe's go-to pairs of shoes was gone.

Phoebe had definitely gone out.

If it was just a regular outing, why wouldn't she answer his calls and even turn off her phone? Anxiety hit Theodore like a ton of bricks.

He thought, 'Where the heck did Phoebe go? The dinner party's about to start. When's she coming back?'

Phoebe sat in her car, staring up at the old building in front of her. This was their old place. She opened the car door and stepped out.

Snowflakes were falling all around as she looked at Donovan's stern face. "Donovan."

"Let's go upstairs first," Donovan cut her off, leading the way into the building.

Phoebe bit her lip but followed him.

They climbed the stairs, the hallway lights flickering on, casting a dim glow on their figures, one tall and one short.

Phoebe couldn't help but think of the past. Back then, Evelyn worked as a maid for the Vanderbilt family. After she and Donovan started high school, it became inconvenient to keep living there, so they moved out. Evelyn's salary had to cover the education of two kids and pay for rent and utilities, which was barely enough. Later, Phoebe took on tutoring jobs to help make ends meet.

Phoebe had walked through this building countless times, sometimes feeling exhausted, but never as heavy-hearted as she did today.

They silently reached the third floor. Donovan unlocked the door, and a musty, stale smell hit them.

Phoebe clenched her fists and heard Donovan say, "Come in."

Phoebe stood at the door for a long moment, even thinking about running away, but eventually, she stepped inside and inquired, "Donovan, where's the stuff you want me to see?" Donovan took a file folder from the coffee table drawer and handed it to her. "Everything you want to know is in here, but Phoebe, think hard about whether you really want to see it." Phoebe's fingers curled at her sides. She looked up at Donovan, her eyes burning with intensity. "Donovan, why today?"

Donovan glanced at her, tossed the file folder onto the coffee table, and sat down on the sofa, lighting a cigarette.

The living room quickly filled with smoke. Donovan said, "Over the past six months, I've been getting info about Dad. At first, I didn't buy it. But after I got back to the country, Theodore set me up with a job at his company. You know that company deals with shipping, right?"

Phoebe replied, "Yeah, I know."

Donovan continued, "Dad supposedly died in a maritime accident, his body never found. But did you know he was the captain of a ship under the Reynolds Group's shipping company? Everyone else on that ship survived except for him." Phoebe was shocked. "No way!"

Donovan looked at her. "I knew you wouldn't believe it, so I dug around after I got back. The reports said everyone on the ship perished, and the Reynolds Group paid a big sum in compensation. You can ask Mom if we ever got that money." Phoebe knew all about this. Evelyn never got that compensation and even went to the shipping company a bunch of times, but it was a dead end.

She shook her head like crazy. "No way, that's impossible."

Donovan let out a cold laugh. "Possible or not, you'll see from these investigation results. Phoebe, I'm your brother. Would I lie to you?"

Phoebe bit her lip. Under Donovan's icy stare, she picked up the file folder from the table.

The folder felt like it weighed a ton. After a long moment, Phoebe finally got the guts to open it and pulled out a stack of documents.

On top was an old, yellowed newspaper reporting the maritime accident.

Phoebe was only five when Harper had his accident. Back then, she just knew she'd never see him again. But now, seeing Harper's photo in the newspaper, her heart ached.

She moved the newspaper aside to reveal Donovan's findings. The people on that ship had indeed changed their names and were living well.

Phoebe's eyes widened. "Why?"

Donovan stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray and looked down at the nearly collapsing Phoebe. "I want to know why too. They said everyone on the ship died, but in the end, only our dad did. Phoebe, you should ask Brandon what he did to our dad."

Phoebe looked at Donovan in disbelief. His eyes were filled with hatred, piercing her heart and eyes. "Donovan, the shipping company is just one of the Reynolds Group's businesses. It can't be related to Dad." Donovan's expression shifted slightly. "Did you know that before Dad went to sea, he met with Brandon and they had an argument? Maybe he killed him to shut him up."

Phoebe looked at Donovan in pain. "Donovan, don't say things without proof."

"You think I'm making this up?" Donovan pointed at himself, staring at Phoebe in anguish. "Phoebe, you're choosing not to believe me because of Theodore?" Phoebe closed her eyes. The news was too much for her to handle.

Whether Harper was directly or indirectly harmed by Brandon, Phoebe couldn't accept it.

Donovan stood up, a mix of coldness and anger in his expression. "Phoebe, I will find evidence to prove that Dad's death is connected to Brandon." With that declaration, he swiftly gathered the documents, stuffed them back into the folder, and briskly exited the room.

Phoebe collapsed onto the sofa, holding her head in her hands, her fingers digging into her scalp. She thought, 'Why is this happening?'

Theodore changed into his suit and called Phoebe again. Her phone was still off. He stood in the walk-in closet, looking at the pink dress in front of him.

The meticulously tailored dress, with hand-sewn natural diamonds at the hem, symbolized his feelings for Phoebe. He hoped their marriage would last forever.

However, at this pivotal juncture, Phoebe was nowhere to be found, and her phone was unreachable. Where had she gone?

Suddenly, his phone rang. Theodore's expression changed slightly. He took out his phone, and his face fell when he saw the caller ID.

Summoning his resolve, Theodore swiped the green button to accept the call. Donovan's cold voice came from the other end. "Mr. Reynolds, you don't need to wait. Phoebe won't be attending your family's dinner party tonight." "Where is she?" Theodore asked in a deep voice.

Donovan let out a cold laugh. "You don't need to know, Mr. Reynolds. I know people like you, who take what they want, don't care about others' feelings. So today, I'm going to teach you a lesson."