Forbidden Passion
Chapter 659 She Doesn't Care About My Understanding

Javier swapped out Theodore's meds, rewrapped the gauze, and gave him another once-over before finally letting out a big sigh of relief.

Javier muttered, "Mr. Reynolds lost a ton of blood. He might get some fevers tonight. It's cool; just keep him cool with some wet cloths or something." Grace stood by the bed, her eyes bouncing between Theodore and Javier. "Got it. Thanks a lot. I'll walk you out."

Grace saw Javier out, and her phone buzzed. She checked it; it was a reply from Phoebe.

It had been ten minutes since she sent the pic.

Phoebe: [Grace, take good care of him. I'll treat you to dinner another day.]

Grace sighed at the message, then headed back to the bedroom. She dragged a chair over to the bedside and plopped down, ready to keep an eye on Theodore. Theodore cracked his eyes open and glanced at her.

With a blank look, he said, "You don't need to stay here. Go crash in the guest room. I'll holler if I need anything."

Grace replied, "I'll leave once your fever's down."

Theodore, looking drained, shut his eyes again. After a long pause, he mumbled, "She's changed a lot. Talks tougher than before."

Grace's eyes flickered, knowing he was talking about Phoebe. She said, "Phoebe's been busting her butt in Canada for over two years. It's tough for her to get where she is. You should cut her some slack." "Whether I get her or not, she doesn't care. If I hadn't pushed her buttons today, she wouldn't have even set foot in this house." Theodore's pale face showed a hint of loneliness.

Grace's lips twitched.

She wanted to ask why Theodore couldn't just be nice. If he'd sincerely invited her, Phoebe wouldn't have turned him down. But the words got stuck in her throat.

The past had built a massive wall between Theodore and Phoebe, a wall that wouldn't just crumble with time but would dig deeper into their hearts.

The only reason Phoebe showed up tonight was because Theodore took a knife for her. Otherwise, she wouldn't have even come near this neighborhood. Grace sighed, "Theodore, stop overthinking. Get some sleep."

Ernest's cheating scandal blew up online, with a "breaking" tag slapped on it. Ernest probably hadn't been this famous in his whole two years in the entertainment biz. The forums were going nuts.

The cause was a Facebook post about Ernest, mentioning that before his debut, he was just a dude mooching off women and only got into the industry by cozying up to a rich heiress. Ernest's fans found the post, and their first reaction was to call BS.

His fans were outraged and directly criticized the poster, causing the topic to trend on social media. The poster, feeling the heat, posted another update.

This time, it was a blurry pic of Ernest hugging and kissing a woman in a car.

The license plate was blurred out, but the people weren't. Even with the fuzzy faces, everyone could tell it was Ernest.

Fans argued that a blurry pic wasn't enough to nail Ernest for cheating and demanded a clear photo.

At this point, if Queen Entertainment had stepped in, things wouldn't have gone off the rails. But Queen Entertainment did zilch.

After a bit, the poster dropped a third bomb on Facebook, giving Ernest's fans what they were asking for. This pic showed Ernest with a different chick than the one in the car.

The poster warned that if Ernest's fans kept acting up, he'd drop high-def pics, ensuring Ernest's career would crash and burn.

Some eagle-eyed fans noticed the girls in the two pics weren't the same. Some kept quiet, trying to save face for Ernest.

But a lot of fans who had shelled out cash on Ernest's merch and endorsements felt totally betrayed. Ernest's usual cool-guy act had tricked them into buying his stuff, and now their emotional investment was shattered, making them turn on him.

Never underestimated how fast fans could flip. They quickly switched sides, and those who had fiercely defended Ernest now wanted to drag him through the mud.

With most of Ernest's fans turning against him, the few left were either crying and saying they still believed in him, waiting for him to clear things up, or just staying silent.

Meanwhile, Queen Entertainment was in full-on panic mode because of Ernest's scandal. Vanessa called Stanley, demanding he get the trending topic taken down. Stanley was blunt, "Ms. Fitzroy, Ernest is toast. Save your money for marketing other artists."

Vanessa was so mad she almost chucked her phone. She took a deep breath and asked calmly, "Mr. Rogers, I just want to know who's gunning for Ernest?" "Ms. Fitzroy," Stanley sighed, "we have professional ethics in this industry. You're putting me in a tough spot."

Vanessa gritted her teeth and said, "I get it."

After hanging up, Vanessa slammed her phone on the desk in frustration. Madison and a few other department heads standing in front of her shrank back, wishing they could disappear to dodge her wrath. Vanessa ran her fingers through her hair and glared at them angrily, "Can't any of you come up with a way to save Ernest?"

They exchanged worried glances.

An artist's character issues were a death sentence in the entertainment industry, especially now that it had been confirmed. The two rich heiresses involved had also spoken out on Facebook.

Neither of them knew about the other's existence until Ernest's scandal blew up. The two women teamed up to tear Ernest apart.

"Ms. Fitzroy, Ernest is beyond saving. We should focus on the brands he endorsed." Before the exec could finish, the secretary burst in.

"Ms. Fitzroy, several brands have called to terminate their contracts with Ernest and demand high compensation for breach of contract. Three brands and an online game company have already called." The secretary reported urgently. Vanessa's face darkened, and she said coldly, "Let them terminate the contracts. The sky hasn't fallen, so why are you acting like it's the end of the world?"

Vanessa scrolled through Facebook. Besides the trending topics about the two rich heiresses, several brands were also posting about cutting ties with Ernest.

Vanessa's temples throbbed, and her phone rang again. She answered with a stern face, "Ms. Watson, did you call me for something specific?"

Mary's voice was serious, unlike before, "Ms. Fitzroy, I'm sorry, but the new variety show we discussed is a positive energy program. Due to Ernest's moral failings, the production team has decided to temporarily suspend cooperation with him." Vanessa felt like she'd been slapped. She gritted her teeth and said helplessly, "I understand. I'll find someone to fill the spot ASAP."