Forbidden Passion
Chapter 584 Are You Feeling Sorry For Me?

Phoebe bolted into the elevator, eyes glued to the numbers flickering on the display. She felt a pang of regret why the hell did she sprint like that? Guess folks were right when they said gut reactions didn't lie.

The chairman's office was just a floor down. Phoebe barely had time to think before the elevator dinged. She stepped out into a buzzing office space. Everyone parted like the Red Sea when they saw her.

Ignoring their weird stares, Phoebe power-walked ahead. At the end of the room, she spotted Theodore looking a bit roughed up, a cut on his lip with a smudge of blood.

Her eyes narrowed. A closer look showed Bishop pinned down by a bunch of security guys in black suits, his face mashed against the floor. The scene took Phoebe back to the day Donovan got the same treatment, forced to kneel at Theodore's feet.

Phoebe shut her eyes for a sec, knowing now wasn't the time for a trip down memory lane.

Bishop and Donovan, different messes, same crappy situation.

Theodore glared down at Bishop, who was groveling at his feet, eyes dark and stormy. When he noticed Phoebe watching, his gaze softened up real quick.

In that moment, Theodore's eyes went all soft and harmless.

"Why'd you come down?" he asked.

"I heard you got hit, so I came to check on you," Phoebe said, eyes locked on the blood at the corner of Theodore's mouth. "You okay?"

"I'm hurt," Theodore leaned in, tilting his head to show off the bruise on his lip. "Look, he clocked me."

Phoebe was speechless.

She glanced at Bishop, who looked way worse than Theodore. His face was smooshed against the floor, hands pinned behind his back by the security guys. His face, kinda similar to Theodore's, was all bruised and swollen, and blood from his forehead had stained his white shirt collar.

Bishop looked even more pathetic than he did at the Reynolds Mansion that day, making her feel a twinge of pity.

Suddenly, a strong, slender hand grabbed Phoebe's chin, turning her face away.

"Don't look at him. Look at me," Theodore ordered.

Phoebe felt the eyes on them and lowered her voice, "Mr. Reynolds, let him go. Everyone's watching."

Bishop was already cornered, and getting publicly humiliated by Theodore now might push him over the edge.

Theodore's face darkened as he scanned the crowd. Instantly, everyone scattered, leaving just him, Phoebe, and the security guards in the office area.

Theodore leaned down, voice dripping with sarcasm, "Bishop, how's it feel to gain and then lose? Even my dad won't back you now. Better start thinking about that billion-dollar hole."

Bishop struggled to lift his face, glaring at Theodore with pure hatred. "Theodore, don't get cocky."

Theodore straightened up. "Toss him out. Don't let him near Reynolds Group again."

The security guards roughly dragged Bishop towards the elevator.

Bishop's hair was a mess, eyes blazing with hatred. "Theodore, you won't get away with this. Just wait, I'll make you regret it." Standing next to Theodore, Phoebe watched as Bishop got dragged into the elevator. She sighed, "Why'd it have to come to this?"

Theodore glanced down at her, "You feel sorry for him?"

Phoebe shook her head. She wasn't some saint. Bishop had tried to run them over in Starfall City, aiming to kill.

"Go get your lip checked out," she said.

Before she could finish, Theodore leaned on her shoulder, "I don't wanna go to the medical room. You take care of it."

Phoebe tried to shake him off but couldn't. "You think it's cool to act spoiled in public?"

"Why not? I'm acting spoiled with my wife," Theodore shot back confidently.

Phoebe took Theodore back to the CEO's office and asked Carol to bring the first aid kit. Sitting on the sofa, she started treating Theodore's wound. Phoebe dipped a cotton swab in antiseptic, eyes locked on the cut on Theodore's lip, and gently dabbed it.

Theodore leaned back, flinching slightly like it hurt, making Phoebe even more careful.

"Did I hurt you?" Phoebe asked, worried.

"No," Theodore replied.

It wasn't that it hurt; Phoebe's touch was light, but he felt uneasy. Their relationship had been rocky lately.

Theodore knew Donovan's death had hit Phoebe hard, and he was partly to blame. He'd been waiting for Phoebe to come to terms with it.

But things seemed to be getting worse.

Every night, he waited for Phoebe to fall asleep before climbing into bed with her, holding her as they slept, and having breakfast together in the morning before heading to work.

Yet, he still felt a huge gap between them, a gap that made him anxious.

When Bishop's punch came at him earlier, he could've dodged it, but he took the hit.

He just wanted to know if Phoebe would care if he got hurt.

Seeing Theodore staring at her, Phoebe's movements became even gentler, afraid of causing him discomfort. "Why didn't you dodge when he hit you?"

Theodore looked at her and leaned in, kissing her on the lips. "Are you feeling sorry for me?"

Phoebe was stunned by the kiss, her heart racing. She turned her head away, tossing the cotton swab into the trash. "I guess you're not in pain anymore." With that, she packed up the first aid kit and got ready to leave.

Theodore smirked, noticing Phoebe's reddened ears, feeling a weird sense of relief.

At least she wasn't totally indifferent to him.

Phoebe opened the door and saw Lawton hurrying towards her. He nodded at her before entering the CEO's office.

Phoebe turned to see the office door close behind him. She frowned and headed to the medical room to return the first aid kit.

Inside the office, Lawton stood by the sofa, looking serious. "Mr. Reynolds, the repairman you asked me to investigate died suddenly at home yesterday. They say it was acute myocardial infarction. He died before he could be taken to the hospital."