Forbidden Passion

Phoebe returned home to find everyone still awake. Ruby had just brought out a fruit platter, and Hubert, Boris, Noomi, and Ethan were standing by the coffee table eating fruit. "You're back, Phoebe! Come over and have some fruit. Ruby bought it, and it's really fresh," Evelyn called out to Phoebe.

Phoebe walked over with her bag. Hubert, Boris, and Noomi each speared a piece of fruit and offered it to her. She bent down and ate each piece without missing a beat. Ethan followed behind Hubert, Boris, and Noomi, holding an apple. He hesitated, looking at Phoebe, wanting to feed her but too shy to approach.

Phoebe squatted down and waved him over. "Ethan, come here."

Encouraged, Ethan ran over and held the apple up to her mouth. "Auntie Phoebe, have an apple. It's really sweet." "Okay," Phoebe said, taking a bite and chewing. She smiled and said, "It is really sweet. Go play with them."

Ethan shyly ran back to join Hubert, Boris, and Noomi in eating fruit.

Phoebe sat down on the sofa. Evelyn glanced at her. "You look exhausted. Did that boss give you a hard time?"

"Not really. He seemed quite imposing at first, but once I got to know him, he turned out to be pretty easygoing," Phoebe replied.

Evelyn nodded. "Even if he seems easygoing, don't let your guard down. He's still a boss, so you need to stay sharp."

"I know," Phoebe said, quickly changing the subject to avoid a lecture. "I took Mr. Ziegler to breakfast today and found out he loves Clam Chowder. I told him yours is the best I've ever had, and he's very interested. Mom, can you make some for me tomorrow so I can take it to him?"

Evelyn, eager to please the investor, immediately agreed. "If he likes it, then I'll make it for you to take to him tomorrow morning."

"Great, thanks."

Phoebe looked at Evelyn, wanting to ask something but holding back. After resting on the sofa for a while, she saw it was getting late and went to her room to wash up.

Just as she finished her shower, her phone on the bed started vibrating. She picked it up and saw it was an unknown number.

Frowning, Phoebe answered. A familiar deep voice came through the line.

"Still haven't taken me off the blacklist?" Theodore's voice was laced with amusement, his pleasure evident even over the phone.

Phoebe had indeed blocked Theodore last night and hadn't unblocked him. Lazily drying her wet hair, she said, "What can I do for you, Mr. Reynolds?"

"I miss my cat. Take me off the blacklist and show me how it's doing, okay?"

Theodore's voice was soft, right in her ear, reminiscent of how he teased her last night, but this time it was about Ollie.

Phoebe pursed her lips. "It's downstairs."

"I want to see it," Theodore said softly.

Annoyed, Phoebe yanked the towel off her head and clenched it in her hand. "Mr. Reynolds, you usually don't cling to Ollie like this. Can't go a day without seeing it?"

"I didn't cling before, but I do now," Theodore sighed. "You have to understand, a lonely guy who's had his cat for three years pours all his emotions into him."

Seeing Phoebe's silence, Theodore's voice softened. "Am I making things difficult for you? If you really don't want to show me, it's okay. I'll just lose some sleep tonight. It's fine." Phoebe gritted her teeth. "Stop pretending in front of me."

"Then send me a picture of Ollie to comfort me, okay?" Theodore asked.

Maybe it was too quiet and empty on Theodore's end, but Phoebe felt a bit sorry for him. She knew he might be pretending, but she couldn't help but soften. "I'll go downstairs and take a picture. I'll hang up now." After hanging up, she dried her hair and went downstairs to find Ollie.

Ollie was curled up on the sofa. Ruby and Ethan had already gone to their rooms, leaving Elijah and Evelyn watching TV in the living room.

Phoebe walked over, took a picture of Ollie with her phone, and then opened WhatsApp to unblock Theodore.

She sent the photo.

Two seconds later, the chat window showed that Theodore was typing. She paused her action of blocking him again.

She wanted to see what Theodore had to say.

But after staring at her phone for a few minutes, it was still in the typing status. What long message was Theodore composing that took so long?

Evelyn saw Phoebe still glued to her phone after coming home and threw a pillow at her. "How much money do you need to make, staring at your phone all the time?"

Phoebe was hit by the pillow and turned to see Evelyn's impatient look. She dared not speak up and tossed her phone onto the coffee table.

Evelyn said to Pamela, "Pamela, it's getting late. Please take Hubert, Boris, and Noomi upstairs to bed."

Pamela, sensing Evelyn had something to discuss, took Elijah and the kids upstairs, leaving the downstairs quiet. Phoebe picked up the pillow and sat on the sofa.

The TV was playing a drama. Phoebe sat cross-legged. "Mom, do you still have any photos of Dad?" "Why are you suddenly asking about your dad?" Evelyn looked at her suspiciously.

Phoebe said, "I've heard that daughters often resemble their fathers. I just want to see if I look like him."

Evelyn stared at her for a while. "Your eyes, nose, and mouth do remind me of your dad's, especially when you smile. There's definitely a resemblance. Donovan looks more like me." "Do you have any photos? I'd really like to see," Phoebe asked.

Evelyn shook her head. "No, your dad owed a lot of debt back then. All the money he earned went to paying off debts. There was no money for photos."

Phoebe's heart trembled slightly. "Why did Dad owe debts?"

"His parents both died of cancer. They took a lot of medicine but didn't get better. They passed away one after the other, leaving a pile of debt and your dad. That's when I married him." Phoebe looked at Evelyn with a complicated expression. Evelyn's story overlapped somewhat with Harper's, but she couldn't conclude that Harper was her biological father. "How did you two meet?"

Evelyn seemed reluctant to elaborate. "It's a long story. Why are you so interested in me and your dad today?"

"It's not just today. I've always been interested, but every time I asked, you wouldn't say much. I was afraid of making you sad, so I stopped asking."

"Your dad and Donovan have always been a source of pain for me. Thinking about them makes me sad." Evelyn sighed, unable to watch TV anymore. "Turn off the TV. I'm going to bed." Phoebe watched Evelyn's figure disappear down the hallway. She picked up her phone, opened the photo album, and looked at the pictures.noveldrama

Maybe she was overthinking it. Harper couldn't possibly be her biological father.