Forbidden Passion
Chapter 498 He and Phoebe Won't Part

Taylor was caught off guard for a sec, then she grinned. "You're such a sweetheart. Hearing you say that makes me feel way better."

Last night, Taylor and Brandon got back from the party, and what started as a tiny spat blew up into a full-blown fight.

Brandon's cheating and his love child had always been a sore spot for Taylor. She tried to keep it together for the sake of peace, but last night, she just couldn't hold it in anymore.

Taylor brought up the big D-divorce and Brandon didn't even flinch. He agreed right away. Taylor's heart shattered; he must've been waiting for her to say it. Otherwise, why would he be so quick to agree?

"Taylor, hit me up when you're done. I'll be right outside," Phoebe said as she helped Taylor into the tub, adding a few drops of calming essential oil to the water before stepping out.

In the hallway, Theodore was messing around with a lighter, listening to Christopher spill the tea about last night's drama in the car.

Christopher explained, "Marlowe showing up at the party was already a huge trigger for Mom. Then in the car, Madison mentioned that Bishop looks a lot like Dad. Mom lost it and snapped at Madison, and Dad jumped in to defend her. This back-and-forth made Mom think Dad wasn't just defending Madison but Bishop, so they started arguing."

Theodore frowned. "Why did Madison bring up Bishop?"

"I dunno." Christopher paused. "Theodore, has Madison been going through something lately? She seems all over the place and says stuff without thinking."

"She's always been like this. It's nothing new," Theodore said, rubbing his temples. Madison had always been like this.

When she was younger, her behavior came off as naive and straightforward. But now, her thoughtless remarks just seemed plain dumb.

Theodore asked, "How's your company doing?"

Christopher's face lit up as he talked about his tech startup. "It's not raking in the big bucks like yours, but it keeps the lights on."

Theodore shot him a look. "A Harvard grad just scraping by? Don't you think that's a waste of talent?"

"Not at all. Don't sweat it. With you and Dad running the show, there's no need for me," Christopher replied.

Theodore kept fiddling with the lighter, glancing towards the end of the hallway where a window was tightly shut, showing off the bare branches outside.

In the North, once winter hit, not a single leaf stuck around, leaving everything looking pretty bleak and desolate.

With all the chaos at home, the future seemed up in the air. If the family fell apart, who knew what would go down?

As Theodore was lost in thought, someone nudged his arm. He turned to see Phoebe standing in front of him.

Phoebe said, "Mom's taking a bath and is way calmer now. I don't think she's just being stubborn; she seems to have thought things through. I came out to let you know so you wouldn't worry."

Theodore stared at her, thinking that even if the family fell apart, he and Phoebe would stick together.

Taylor came out after her bath, dressed and ready. She hadn't slept all night and looked beat, her eyes bloodshot.

She dried her hair, put on her jewelry, and grabbed the crocodile leather bag Phoebe had given her, stepping out looking like a million bucks.

Phoebe quickly linked arms with Taylor. "We're heading out now. We won't be back for dinner," she said.

Theodore offered, "I'll send a car to pick you up tonight."

Taylor, clearly annoyed, shot back, "No need to pick us up. Phoebe and I hardly ever get to go out and have fun, so we won't be coming back tonight."

They headed downstairs, passing through the living room where Brandon was lounging on the sofa. Seeing them, Brandon instinctively stood up. Taylor didn't even glance his way, dragging Phoebe out the door.

Phoebe took the wheel, and Taylor settled into the passenger seat. Madison came running after them, yanking open the back door and hopping in. "Phoebe, why didn't you call me? I wanna go out and have fun, too." Phoebe glanced at the rearview mirror but kept quiet, starting the car and driving out of the mansion.

Phoebe wasn't planning to take Taylor anywhere too wild. After all, Taylor hadn't slept all night and was on edge. Taking her to a place where young folks hang out could spell trouble, and Phoebe wasn't up for dealing with that. As she drove, Phoebe mentally sifted through potential spots, finally settling on a high-end club with hot springs.

It was close to the mansion, had drinks, hot springs, and massages for some serious chill time.

When the car pulled up at the club's entrance, Madison looked bummed. "I thought you were taking Mom somewhere fun. Just this?"

Taylor, having soaked in the bath, was now feeling sleepy. To be honest, even if she had the energy of a young person, she didn't have the strength to be restless right now. Taylor yawned. "This place is fine."

The three of them went in, and a beauty consultant immediately greeted them, running through all the club's packages. Phoebe bought three top-tier packages.

The beauty consultant beamed, leading them to a private room.

Inside, the sound of water trickled, and a faint fragrance filled the air. Taylor undressed and lay on the central beauty bed.

Phoebe, still feeling a bit uneasy, went to the changing room to change and then lay down on the right side of Taylor. The beauty consultant brought in three young girls to give them massages. Halfway through the massage, Taylor said she needed to use the restroom and left with her face mask on.

Phoebe and Madison, not exactly besties, waited in the private room for a while, but Taylor didn't come back. Worried something might've happened, Phoebe quickly threw on her robe and went out to find her. Taylor had originally gone to the restroom but overheard some folks talking smack about her as she passed a private room. At first, she brushed it off, but on her way back, the trash talk had escalated. "Don't be fooled by Taylor's usual arrogance. She always claims Brandon never cheats. Now look, Brandon's affair is a loud slap in Taylor's face in front of all Kedora's elite women. It was satisfying!"

"I texted Taylor this morning to invite her for coffee, but she didn't respond. She must be busy fighting with Mr. Reynolds over the divorce."

"That's why women shouldn't be too arrogant. You never know when something might happen to you. After all, no man can control his lower half."

Taylor found their conversation particularly grating. She initially wanted to ignore it, but the more she thought about it, the more it bugged her. Why should she put up with this?

Taylor walked back, pushed the door open, and stormed in.

The ladies doing face masks were so startled by Taylor's entrance that they almost lost their wits, quickly sitting up and wrapping themselves in towels.

"Taylor, what are you doing here?"

Taylor rolled up her sleeves, yanked a towel off one of them, and slapped her. With a cold, sinister expression, Taylor said, "I'm here to teach you some manners."