Forbidden Passion
Chapter 657 Make Sure to Look Cool When Meeting Phoebe

Theodore was zoning out, staring at the ceiling. After a bit, he heard footsteps coming from the doorway. He turned his head and saw Grace walking in. Seeing Grace, his foggy brain started to clear up.

Grace had never been to Imperial Apartment and didn't know the house's password. How did she get in?

"Theodore, here's some water. It's kinda hot, so watch out," Grace said, standing by the bed, looking all awkward.

Theodore gave her a hard look. "Grace, how'd you get in here?"

Grace froze at the question. Thinking of Phoebe playing with a cat now, she awkwardly said, "I just entered the password."

Theodore squinted. "You're a terrible liar."

Under Theodore's intense stare, Grace almost crumbled. "Theodore."

"Spill it!" Theodore's tone was harsh, not letting her off the hook.

Grace bit her lip and finally decided to throw Phoebe under the bus. She cautiously confessed, "Phoebe asked me to check on you, but I didn't know the password. After trying a few times, the lock got disabled. I had to call Phoebe to come up and use her fingerprint. Theodore, you've been divorced for over two years, but her fingerprint is still registered here."

Theodore suddenly started coughing. The towel on his forehead fell off, leaving a dark water stain on the bedspread.

Seeing Theodore cough so badly, Grace stood by helplessly and said, "Theodore, you okay?"

Theodore coughed for a while before catching his breath. His lips were a deep red, looking eerily like an elf.

Theodore struggled to sit up, turning his head to look outside. "Where is she now?"

Grace licked her lips and looked down at her toes, feeling guilty and not daring to meet his eyes.

"Has she left already?" Disappointment filled Theodore's eyes. He let out a bitter laugh. "Of course, she probably never wants to set foot in here again."

Grace couldn't bear to see Theodore so down. She quickly said, "She didn't leave; she's just outside."

But her words did more harm than good. Phoebe was at the door but chose to stay outside rather than come in, which was even more hurtful.

Sure enough!

Theodore's face turned pale. He curled his lips into a strange smile. "Does she hate this place that much?"

Grace felt helpless and was about to say something.

Theodore took a deep breath, picked up the towel to wipe his face, trying to look less awful. He extended his hand to Grace. "Help me out." Grace paused for a while. "Theodore, you still have a high fever."

Theodore looked up at her, his gaze intense and intimidating. Grace immediately shut her mouth and helped him out of bed.

The pain made Theodore stand still for a moment. He brushed off Grace's hand and slowly walked into the closet. Grace wanted to follow but was stopped by Theodore's sharp look.

She didn't know what Theodore was doing in the closet and anxiously paced at the door. After a while, Theodore came out. Grace saw that Theodore had changed out of his comfy loungewear and into a black shirt and trousers, even fixing his hair. Grace was dumbfounded.

Theodore glanced at Grace. The previous despondency was gone. If it weren't for his stiff walk, no one would guess he was a bedridden patient.

Seeing Theodore slowly walk out of the bedroom, Grace quickly followed to see what he was up to.

Outside, Phoebe and Ollie were already catching up. Hearing footsteps, she looked up with a smile, saying, "Grace, we can go..."

But her words got stuck when she saw Theodore standing at the door. All the color drained from her face, and she felt like she was in an icebox, her whole body stiffening.

Phoebe instinctively hugged Ollie tighter and stood up. Her heart was racing, and she felt flustered, but she tried to keep it cool.

Theodore had barely made it this far, using up all his strength. His lips were pale as he pretended to lean casually against the door frame.

Theodore curled his lips. "I heard Ms. Ziegler wouldn't come in, which seemed kinda rude. So I came to see for myself. Ms. Ziegler, do you find this place too humble and unworthy of your noble status?" Phoebe looked at him, their eyes locking, creating a tense vibe.

Phoebe said calmly, "Mr. Reynolds, you're overthinking. I didn't mean that. Seeing you so spirited, Mr. Brown should be relieved. I won't disturb you any longer. I'm leaving now."

Phoebe looked down at the sleeping Ollie in her arms. After a moment's thought, she handed Ollie over. "He's asleep. You can take him inside."

Theodore didn't reach out to take him. His chest heaved, anger simmering within him, ready to blow.

Theodore roughly tugged at his meticulously buttoned shirt, popping a button. Phoebe caught a glimpse of a dark mark on his collarbone. But before she could see clearly, it was covered by the shirt again.

Was she seeing things?

How could there be a dark mark on Theodore's collarbone? It must be a shadow cast by the light.

Seeing her staring at his neck, Theodore said with a sneer, "This fat cat weighs 22 pounds. Do you think I can hold it right now?" Phoebe was at a loss for a moment.

A sleeping Ollie weighed about the same as Hubert. Phoebe glanced at Theodore's bloodless lips and turned her gaze to Grace.

"Grace, you take him inside."

Grace was about to reach out when she felt a strong gaze beside her. She instinctively looked at Theodore and quickly put her hands behind her back.

"Phoebe," Grace said awkwardly, "I'm afraid of cats. Why don't you take him inside?"

Theodore sneered from the side. "Grace, you're so inconsiderate. There are steel needles on my floor that will prick Ms. Ziegler's feet."

Phoebe took a deep breath. If it weren't for the fact that Theodore was injured because of her, she would have thrown Ollie at his face. Why was he so mean when he talked?

She thought it wasn't the floor that had steel needles but Theodore's mouth!

"Mr. Reynolds, sorry to bother you."

Phoebe didn't want to waste time with him. She carried Ollie inside, turning on the light switch as she went.

The overhead light lit up the entire living room, and Phoebe instantly regretted it.

The living room was spacious, with a full wall of floor-to-ceiling windows. Ollie's cat tree was right next to the window. Except for some scratch marks on the wood, it was exactly the same as when she left over two years ago. Nothing had changed here. The pillows Phoebe liked, the schedule on the wall, even the calendar on the coffee table was still from two years ago.

It was as if this place had been frozen in time, forever stuck on the day she left.