Forbidden Passion
Chapter 564 Sooner or Later, I Will Take Her Back

The ward went dead quiet for a sec, and nobody wanted to break the silence. Phoebe plopped down at the table and popped the lid off her food.

The room was warm, so the food was still kinda hot, but it had been sitting around so long it looked pretty unappetizing. Phoebe took a couple bites, wincing as the soup stung her chapped lips, making her eyes twitch in pain. Edward got up and strolled over, sitting down across from her. He glanced at the food in Phoebe's bowl and frowned, "This stuff's gross now. Let's go grab something to eat."

Phoebe shook her head, "Nah, it's cool. I'll just deal with it."

Before she could finish, the door to the ward swung open. Theodore's tall frame filled the doorway, holding a fancy lunchbox.

Theodore walked in, set the lunchbox on the table, and opened it up. He pulled out some porridge and dishes, which was clearly Riley's handiwork.

"Eat this," Theodore said, serving up a bowl and placing it in front of Phoebe. He reached to take away her food, but Phoebe grabbed his hand. She didn't look at Theodore, her gaze stubborn, "I like this."

Theodore's face tightened. He stared down at Phoebe and said, "It's cold. It'll mess up your stomach."

"I like it," Phoebe insisted.

Edward sensed the tension between Phoebe and Theodore. He glanced nonchalantly at Theodore, "If Phoebe likes it, let her eat it."

Theodore's gaze turned icy as he looked at Edward, feeling that Edward's demeanor was just a front.

Theodore didn't get why Edward, who hadn't been around Phoebe for ages, was suddenly popping up all the time.

Theodore warned, "We're talking as a couple, and it's not your place to butt in."

Hearing "a couple," Edward's lips tightened into a straight line. He replied, "Mr. Reynolds, you're right, but for how much longer?"

"Edward!" Theodore said each word slowly, clearly warning him.

Edward stood up and said to Evelyn, "Evelyn, I gotta take care of some stuff, so I'm out. I'll visit another day."

Evelyn, worried Edward and Theodore might start fighting, didn't dare let Phoebe see Edward off. She got out of bed herself, but Theodore stopped her. Theodore spoke, "Mom, I'll see Mr. Vanderbilt out. You don't need to get up."

Evelyn wanted to insist, but Theodore had already looked at Edward, his face stern, "Mr. Vanderbilt, please."

Edward ground his teeth and left. As soon as Evelyn and Theodore walked out of the ward, they dropped the pretense and showed their mutual dislike.

"I always thought Mr. Reynolds was too proud to force anyone. Now I see you're just a jerk. Phoebe's not happy with you, but you still cling to her. It's pathetic," Edward said angrily. Theodore, however, wasn't fazed. Instead, he gave Edward a smug smile, "How do you know Phoebe's not happy with me? We hook up every day, and she seems to enjoy it." "Theodore!" Edward's face twisted in anger. He looked at Theodore coldly, "You never respected her. Since that's the case, I'll take her back sooner or later."

Theodore narrowed his eyes, his expression cold, "If you think you can, go ahead. Let's see if she's willing to leave me."

Edward clenched his fists and didn't bother with more pointless arguments. He turned and stormed off.

Edward thought, 'Theodore, you're so full of yourself. I won't let you win. Just wait. That day isn't far off.'

Evelyn got discharged in the afternoon. Theodore took Evelyn and Phoebe back to the Golden Apartment. Evelyn locked herself in Donovan's room and didn't come out for half a day. The house was a total downer, and Phoebe was feeling it too. She was slouched on the sofa, messing around on her phone, when she accidentally opened a recording.

It was Donovan's voice, all frantic and freaked out. "Phoebe, someone wants to kill me. If anything happens to me, you gotta avenge me."

Phoebe felt a chill run down her spine. She quickly replayed it, Donovan's voice echoing through the phone again. She listened to it over and over, her heart sinking deeper into despair.

Donovan knew someone was out to get him and made this call to her, but she never got it. Phoebe remembered finding her phone on the carpet by the coffee table yesterday morning. When Donovan called, Ollie must've answered it and somehow hit the record button, capturing Donovan's last words.

Donovan said someone wanted to kill him and asked her to avenge him. But who the hell could it be?

Phoebe's phone suddenly buzzed. She quickly answered, and Ruby's voice came through, "Phoebe, I saw Mr. Reynolds meeting with Mr. Douglas from the Venture Capital Firm. I'll send you the address."

Phoebe shot up from the sofa, "Why are they meeting?"

Theodore had bailed after bringing Evelyn and Phoebe back, and now it turned out he went to meet Milton.

"I don't know, but Donovan was in a weird mood after meeting Mr. Douglas. Mr. Douglas must've said something to him. Now that Donovan just had an accident, Mr. Reynolds is meeting Mr. Douglas," Ruby hesitated. Phoebe narrowed her eyes, "What exactly are you trying to say?"

Ruby replied, "I don't want to mislead you, but I want to know why Donovan was so agitated after meeting Mr. Douglas. Phoebe, I have to get to the bottom of this. Whether you come or not is up to you." With that, Ruby hung up.

Soon, Phoebe got a location on her phone. She hesitated for a moment but opened it. The spot Ruby sent was not far from the Golden Apartment.

Phoebe slowly walked to Donovan's room door, raised her hand, and then put it down. She figured she'd just go out for a bit and be back soon. Evelyn shouldn't even notice she was gone. Phoebe grabbed a cab to a café. She walked in, and there weren't many people inside. Ruby was sitting by the window.

Seeing Phoebe come in, Ruby waved at her. Phoebe walked over quickly, glanced around the café, and asked, "Where are they?"

"They just left, but I recorded it. Wanna listen?" Ruby looked at Phoebe.

Phoebe sat down across from Ruby, staring at her, "Ruby, what are you up to? You think I'd really believe you?"

Ruby played the recording and placed it in front of Phoebe, "Whether you believe me or not, listen to the recording first."

Phoebe pursed her lips and said nothing. The recording started playing, and Milton's voice came through, mixed with the café's background noise, proving it wasn't faked.

Milton spoke, "Mr. Reynolds, I've completed the task you assigned me. As for the conditions we agreed upon, I hope you will keep your promise."

Theodore replied, "I never go back on my word. But I want to know what you said to Donovan before his accident."

"I didn't say much. I just told him that you had high hopes for him and that he shouldn't let you down. But Donovan, with his rather extreme temperament, did not appreciate it."

The conversation then shifted to other topics, but Phoebe picked up enough to know that the failure of the Reynolds Group's deal with the Venture Capital Firm was all Theodore's doing, a trap set for someone. And now, it was crystal clear who that someone was.