Forbidden Passion
Chapter 497 Behave

Phoebe was totally caught off guard. She stepped up without thinking and put herself between Theodore and her dad. "Dad, Theodore's a grown man."

Brandon shot Phoebe a cold look. Seeing she wasn't about to back down, he slowly lowered his hand.

Brandon scoffed, "Grown-ups should act like it. Talking all reckless."

Phoebe thought Brandon was being totally unfair. Theodore was always solid and reliable, never reckless.

Theodore sneered, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "The fish rots from the head!"

Brandon yelled, "You!"

Seeing Theodore and Brandon about to go at it, Sarah slammed the table. "Do you all think I'm ancient? Trying to give me a heart attack?"

Sarah's outburst cut the tension between Theodore and Brandon, though they still shot daggers at each other. Theodore broke the silence, saying, "I'm heading upstairs to check on Mom." "Yeah, go on, try to talk some sense into her," Sarah waved him off.

Theodore turned and headed upstairs. Phoebe stood there, feeling lost, not sure if she should follow him or stay put.

Theodore paused on the stairs, turned back, and said, "Phoebe, come with me."

Phoebe nodded, glancing at Sarah and Brandon before quickly catching up to Theodore. They climbed the stairs together.

When they got to the second floor outside Taylor's room, Phoebe heard crying from inside. She suddenly stopped and gently tugged on Theodore's sleeve.

Theodore stopped too, looking at her, puzzled.

Phoebe looked a bit awkward. "Should I just head back to my room? Mom might not want to see me right now," she mumbled.

Theodore pulled her closer and said calmly, "Nah, it's cool. Let's go in together."

He knocked on the door. The crying inside stopped. Theodore pushed the door open and walked in, with Phoebe trailing behind.

It wasn't Phoebe's first time in Taylor's room, but it was the first time she'd seen it this trashed. Taylor was still in last night's dress, makeup all smeared from crying. "Taylor," Phoebe called softly.

No matter how old a woman got, breakups and divorces hit the same. The pain and sadness were universal.

Taylor wiped her eyes and moved aside, probably feeling a bit embarrassed crying in front of Phoebe and Theodore, given her elder status.

Taylor asked, "Why are you back?"

Theodore sat down next to her, picked up a shawl that had fallen, and draped it over her shoulders. "Heard from Christopher you cried all night. You hungry? Maybe grab a bite before you keep crying?" "You heartless jerk!" Taylor punched him, annoyed.

Phoebe was stunned. She thought, 'Is this really how Theodore comforts people?'

Theodore half-hugged Taylor's shoulder and said, "The real heartless one is downstairs. You're up here crying your eyes out, and did he come up to check on you? Nah, he probably hopes you cry yourself blind so he can do whatever he wants."

"Theodore!" Madison glared at him. "Mom's already in a bad mood, and you're saying stuff like that? You must've been adopted, not her real son."

Phoebe instinctively glanced at Madison when she heard "adopted." Madison guiltily lowered her eyes, avoiding Phoebe's gaze.

Taylor's crying paused. "Theodore, you're right. Why am I crying? He should be the one crying for missing out on such a good woman like me."

"Phoebe, run a hot bath for me. I want to soak and then dress up beautifully to hang out and find a handsome guy, just to spite that bastard." Taylor crumpled the tissue in her hand and tossed it into the trash can. Phoebe hesitated, but Theodore gave her a look, so she went to the bathroom, cleaned the tub, and started filling it with water.

Footsteps approached from behind. Phoebe turned to see Madison entering. Madison frowned, "Theodore isn't even trying to calm Mom down. Instead, he's joining her in this nonsense?" Phoebe leaned against the tub and said, "What do you expect him to do?"

It was hard enough for regular couples to divorce, let alone a wealthy family. And with one party having an affair and keeping a mistress for over a decade, no one could accept that calmly. Moreover, Taylor had previously fallen down the stairs. The pain and endurance in her heart were probably much more than they could see.

"Even regular couples find it hard to divorce, let alone a wealthy family. If Mom and Dad really get divorced, Dad might bring that Marlowe home the next day," Madison muttered. Phoebe said calmly, "That won't happen."

Madison, unhappy with Phoebe's calm tone, said, "I don't think you consider this your home at all. My parents are getting divorced, but you're just watching like it's a show." Phoebe knew Madison was just looking for trouble. She was about to respond when Theodore's cold voice came from behind. "Madison, do you think the house isn't chaotic enough?" Madison pouted but didn't dare to confront Theodore. She slunk out. "I'll go check on Mom."

Once she left, it was just Theodore and Phoebe in the bathroom.

With all the drama at home, Theodore was understandably in a bad mood. He said, "Don't mind what Madison said."

Phoebe replied, "I know."

Theodore looked at her for a moment, then pulled out a black card from his wallet and handed it to her. "Take Mom out for a bit. Buy her whatever she wants." Phoebe, recalling Taylor's earlier words, teased, "What if she wants a handsome guy?"

Theodore paused, then took two steps forward, trapping Phoebe between his body and the sink. He lowered his head and affectionately rubbed his nose against hers. Theodore warned, "Buy one for her, but you can't buy one for yourself, got it?"

After saying that, Theodore pinched Phoebe's waist, sending a tingling sensation through her. Phoebe's knees went weak, and she tightly gripped the sink. "Behave," Theodore said, seeing Phoebe's blushed face. He felt a surge of desire but realized this wasn't the place for it. Reluctantly, he let her go and walked out. Soon, Taylor came in, having changed out of her formal dress. Seeing her, Phoebe quickly stood up straight, feeling a bit awkward and unsure of what to do. Phoebe called, "Taylor."

Taylor still felt a bit uneasy seeing Phoebe. "I'm sorry for calling you over during the holidays and making you watch this mess."

Phoebe shook her head, reaching for Taylor's clothes, saying, "Taylor, we all hope our loved ones will be happy for life. Unfortunately, sometimes things happen that are beyond our control. Your pain is our pain."