Forbidden Passion
Chapter 621 Phoebe Headed to Caneda

Phoebe felt like a wild beast was tearing up her brain. She deflected, "Mr. Douglas is a young hotshot, all fancy and untouchable, like some high-end jewelry you just look at but never touch."

Raphael shot back, "You think pretty highly of him."

"I think pretty highly of you too. You're all classy and out-of-this-world, like you don't care about anything," Phoebe buttered him up with a grin.

She was laying it on thick to get Raphael to drop any funny business. No way he'd keep using her to charm guys after that kind of flattery.

Raphael was eating it up. He grinned and said, "You've got good taste. Alright, I get it, you're not into him. You can go."

Phoebe didn't waste a second and bolted.

As soon as the door shut, she wiped the sweat off her forehead. She decided to keep a low profile from now on.

She had three kids to raise. Before leaving Kedora, she needed to stack up as much cash as possible. If things got too crazy, she'd just quit.

First, she managed to shake off Milton. Then Edward showed up, and he wasn't so easy to ditch.

Walking out of the office, she spotted Edward leaning against his car, staring her down. A coworker nudged her forward with a knowing smile.

"Mr. Vanderbilt's here for you. Go on, don't keep him waiting."

Phoebe was speechless.

Edward had been popping by the office a lot lately, supposedly to see Raphael. Everyone knew what was up. Raphael played along, and so did the whole office.

Every time Edward came by, Raphael had her tag along. She felt more like a PR rep than a secretary, part of the quirky office culture.

She dragged her feet over to Edward and said, "Don't you have work to do?"

"I was in the area for business. Thought I'd drop by. Am I bothering you?" Edward's voice was soft, almost hurt.

Phoebe closed her eyes, "Edward, stop coming here."

Edward's smile froze. He stared at her, hurt in his eyes. "Phoebe, I just wanted to see you. Is that so bad?"

Phoebe sighed, "I don't want you wasting your time on me, Edward. We're all moving forward. You should too." She turned to leave.

Edward straightened up and called after her, "Phoebe, don't be so harsh."

Phoebe felt stuck. She turned back and said, "We've known each other for 26 years. You know me. What's gone is gone. I won't look back."

"If it were Theodore here, would you be so firm?" Edward's words slipped out, stinging.

Phoebe's fingers twitched. She said, "Yes, because we're all moving forward."

Edward saw the pain in her eyes. He wanted to ask, "You say you're moving forward, but why do you look so hurt when you mention Theodore?"

But he didn't dare. He feared the answer would crush him.

"Phoebe, remember what you said. You better never look back, or else..." Edward trailed off, got in his car, and sped off.

The engine's roar faded. Phoebe's shoulders slumped. After a while, she walked away into the sunset.

In the days that followed, Edward didn't show up at the office. Phoebe was relieved. Life went on. She'd been dealing with morning sickness a lot lately. To keep it under wraps, she'd sneak off to throw up. Sometimes, a coworker would catch her sneaking off, and she'd just say it was some seasonal stomach bug, fooling them for the time being.

Before she knew it, July rolled around. Kedora was scorching, and everyone had switched to skirts and shorts. Phoebe's belly was starting to show.

Cindy went with her to the hospital for a prenatal checkup. The doc said the babies were doing great and told Phoebe to chill out.

After they left the hospital, Cindy got all worried, "Phoebe, are you really gonna go to Caneda to have the babies? I don't feel good about you going alone."

Phoebe had been in touch with the housing folks in Caneda for a couple of months. She rented a place close to the Caneda Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital and hired a nanny. She'd be all set once she got there.

"I can't be walking around Kedora with this obvious baby bump. What if someone from the Reynolds family spots me? That'd be a nightmare," Phoebe didn't want any drama.

Taylor had only agreed to the divorce because he thought she couldn't get pregnant. Now, being pregnant with someone else's kid right after the split would be a huge slap in Theodore's face.

"Plus, I can't explain this to my mom. Once the babies are here, she'll have to deal with it, like it or not," Phoebe added.

Cindy shrugged, "What can I say?"

"Alright, I know you're worried. How about you come with me to Caneda and stay until I give birth? You can work from anywhere anyway," Phoebe said with a reassuring smile. Cindy was a beauty blogger. Her job was to look fabulous in different ways. She had a ton of followers, and beauty brands were always hitting her up for promos. Cindy thought about it, "That sounds good."

Phoebe had just thrown it out there. Seeing Cindy agree so quickly, she was surprised, "Wait, are you really okay leaving Patrick?"

"Of course, I am," Cindy said without a second thought.

Cindy had always treated Patrick like a doormat, but lately, things seemed to be changing between them, and it made her uneasy.

Phoebe noticed Cindy's look, "Is something going on between you two?"

"Nope. Anyway, I'm coming with you for the delivery. I'm the godmother, I gotta be there when they're born," Cindy said, looking determined.

Phoebe was really touched. She was also nervous about going to Caneda alone, especially since she was expecting triplets.

With Cindy by her side, she felt a lot better.

After getting back from the hospital, Phoebe told Evelyn she was being sent to Caneda for a month-long business trip. She figured if she said a year, Evelyn wouldn't agree, so she decided to take it one month at a time. Evelyn didn't question it.

On the day of departure, Evelyn saw Phoebe off. As Phoebe got into the taxi, Evelyn stood by the door and reminded her, "Take care of yourself out there and come back soon, okay?" Phoebe replied, "Yeah, you go back. Call me if you need anything."

Evelyn stood by the taxi, looking at Phoebe through the rolled-down window. Phoebe was wearing a loose shirt, but it still couldn't completely hide her belly.

Evelyn stared at the bump, her eyelid twitching. Just as she was about to take a closer look, the driver started the car and drove off.

Evelyn stood by the roadside, watching the taxi disappear. She frowned. She must have seen it wrong. It must be because Phoebe had been eating a lot lately and wasn't watching her figure.