Forbidden Passion
Chapter 730 Am I Afraid of You?

Cindy looked at the gloating smile on Phoebe's face and gritted her teeth in anger. She pointed at Phoebe, saying, "Stop being so schadenfreude. I think your turn is coming soon." Phoebe's smile froze as she said, "Don't scare me."

"I'm scaring you on purpose," Cindy said, deliberately trying to frighten Phoebe.

The two were just joking around and quickly moved on from the topic. Lori came in with coffee, saying, "Ms. Croix, your coffee."

"Thank you. Lori, you're looking more and more beautiful. Do you have a boyfriend?" Cindy took a sip of the coffee, gave her a thumbs up, and praised, "The coffee at your company is also really good." Lori smiled and said, "It's the coffee machine Ms. Croix brought last time. Everyone in the company is praising you, Ms. Croix."

"So it's my credit," Cindy said.

After delivering the coffee, Lori left. Cindy was about to take another sip when her phone on the desk suddenly vibrated.

Seeing the caller ID, Cindy was shocked!

Phoebe noticed Cindy's dumb expression and leaned over to see the name on the screen. She said with a smile, "See, I told you. Answer it." However, Cindy held her cup and didn't answer.

The phone kept vibrating as if it wouldn't stop until Cindy picked up.

"Aren't you going to answer? Are you scared?" Phoebe raised an eyebrow and said.

Cindy couldn't resist the provocation. She put the coffee cup on the desk and said calmly, "I'll answer. I'm not scared."

She picked up the phone and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, taking a deep breath before saying, "What do you want?"

There was no response from the other end, only the sound of shallow breathing, making Cindy tense up involuntarily.

Cindy hadn't forgotten the harsh words Patrick had said in her apartment that day, so she tried her best to avoid any interaction with him. Impatiently, Cindy said into the phone, "If you don't speak, I'm hanging up."

Patrick let out a sneer and said in an emotionless voice, "Cindy, are you so afraid of me that you think I can eat you through the phone?" "Patrick, of course, you can't eat someone through the phone. You're not a monster," Cindy replied.

Phoebe, sitting nearby, couldn't bear to listen.

Patrick detected the provocation in Cindy's words and said coldly, "I heard you ran away in a panic when you found out you had to do a makeup test for me?"

Cindy thought to herself, 'Patrick's mouth is better off shut. How could he always say things that hit a nerve? The fact that he hasn't been beaten to death all these years must be because of his handsome face.' Taking a deep breath, Cindy said, "I'm not afraid of you."

"Then why did you run?" Patrick mocked.

Cindy heard the sarcasm in Patrick's voice and stubbornly refused to admit she ran out of fear, saying, "Who said I ran because I was scared? I just think the pay your crew offers is too low. Are you trying to insult someone with that amount?" Patrick's breathing paused as he said, "You think the pay is low?"

"Of course. I'm not doing charity work. If the pay is low, I'm not doing it," Cindy continued stubbornly.

Patrick let out a cold laugh, saying, "Fine, I get it. As long as you're not afraid of me."

Cindy's breath hitched as she heard the other end abruptly hang up. She gripped her phone tightly, her chest heaving.

For some reason, Cindy felt like she was being watched by a hunter. Their breakup had been awkward, and Patrick still held a grudge. How could he miss any chance to torment her? "Finished the call?" a voice came from beside her, startling Cindy. She turned to see Phoebe standing next to her.

Cindy said with a smile, "Yes."

Phoebe looked at her and suddenly put an arm around her shoulder, saying with a smile, "Don't be afraid. Patrick is a public figure; he can't force you into anything." Cindy squinted and said, "You think I'm afraid of him too?"

"Even if you are, there's nothing to be ashamed of. I'm also afraid of Theodore. It's really tough for us," Phoebe sighed.

Cindy let out a cold laugh, saying, "Well, I'm not afraid of Patrick. Phoebe, just wait. If he dares to offer me a million dollars, I'll do his makeup!"

Phoebe fell silent.

No wonder Patrick had Cindy wrapped around his finger. Cindy herself was clueless and walked right into Patrick's trap.

Phoebe earnestly advised, "Cindy, I really won't laugh at you. Don't be stubborn."

Seeing Cindy's expression, Phoebe knew that continuing to persuade her would backfire, so she changed the subject, asking, "Are you working this afternoon?"

"I don't have any work scheduled for this afternoon. What's wrong?" Cindy asked.

"Come with me to the supermarket later. The kids are out of snacks. I need to restock," Phoebe said.

Cindy looked at Phoebe, who was radiating maternal glow, and said, "I really didn't expect there to be women as silly as you in this world."

Phoebe glared at her and said, "Cindy, you wouldn't understand."

Rather than calling Phoebe and Ruby great, it was more accurate to say they were selfish. They chose to have children just to have something to hold onto in their later years. "You're right, I don't understand," Cindy said, putting an arm around Phoebe. "Let's go. Time to clock out and head to the supermarket."

"Okay."

Phoebe left work early and went to a nearby chain supermarket with Cindy. Phoebe grabbed a shopping cart, and they walked to the snack aisle, chatting and laughing.

Cindy watched Phoebe load snacks into the cart and said in confusion, "There are four kids in your place now. How does Evelyn manage?"

"It's a bit challenging, but the kids are well-behaved. Except for some squabbles over toys, they're mostly easy to handle," Phoebe said, checking the expiration date on a pack of cookies.

Cindy shook her head and said, "That's really a tricky problem."

Phoebe smiled, put the cookies in the cart, and pushed it forward before saying, "It's tough but joyful. One day, I came home, and they had made a huge heart for me. I was so touched I almost cried. They've given me a lot of motivation. Without the children, I don't know how I would have made it through these past two years."

Phoebe had insisted on the divorce because she was completely disappointed in Theodore.

After the divorce, Phoebe threw herself into work and tried to live positively. Only in the dead of night did she dare to show her vulnerability.

When she was with Theodore, Phoebe didn't dare to speak of love. After the divorce, she didn't dare to admit she loved him. She feared that once she admitted it, she wouldn't be able to bear the pain of loss and would break down. To be honest, Theodore had always been a timid and cowardly person. Afraid of losing, she had locked her heart away from the beginning.

Just as Phoebe finished speaking, Cindy's tense voice came from beside her, "Mr. Reynolds, what are you doing here?"