Forbidden Passion

Edward drove out of the estate and took out his phone to call Phoebe. Phoebe answered quickly, and after a brief chat, Edward got straight to the point.

"Phoebe, Evelyn came to see my mom this morning. I thought she would bring the triplets along so my mom could meet them," Edward said.

Phoebe felt a bit awkward. Ever since she found out that Edward was the masked man from Starfall City's casino, she had been feeling uneasy.

Knowing that Evelyn was going to the Vanderbilt villa today also made her feel uncomfortable.

But then again, Delilah had been so good to Evelyn, and no matter how bad Edward was, he couldn't stop them from seeing each other.

She pursed her lips and said, "I heard Delilah hasn't been feeling well lately. The kids are too rambunctious and would only cause trouble if they went."

"Really? So if Evelyn isn't home, who's taking care of them?" Edward asked, testing the waters.

Phoebe pursed her lips, suddenly feeling annoyed. Edward always acted so innocent in front of her, but behind her back, he was always scheming.

She replied impatiently, "Didn't my mom tell you? Mr. Reynolds took the kids to the estate to play."

Edward detected the impatience in Phoebe's tone. He was taken aback. Just a few days ago, when he saw her, she seemed so guilty about rejecting his proposal. How had her attitude changed so quickly?

Could it be because she had reconciled with Theodore and was planning to distance herself from him?

Edward felt hurt and his tone turned sour, "Phoebe, have you forgotten how Theodore treated you? And you still trust him with the kids? Call him and ask if the kids are with him right now."

With that, he hung up the phone.

Phoebe stared at her phone in confusion. She slammed it on the table, causing the people in the meeting to look up.

Seeing Phoebe's displeased expression they quickly lowered their heads, pretending to look at their documents.

Phoebe took a deep breath and slowly calmed down. Remembering Edward's words, she knew he might be trying to drive a wedge between her and Theodore, but she couldn't help calling Theodore.

"You all continue discussing. I'll be back after a call," she said, picking up her phone and walking out of the meeting room. When the call connected, she heard a particularly quiet background.

She frowned, "Where are you?"

Theodore glanced at the red light outside the operating room and pursed his lips, "I'm at the hospital. What's wrong?"

Phoebe's heart skipped a beat, her voice becoming sharper, "Hospital? What happened? Are the kids?"

"No, no, don't worry," Theodore quickly said, "It's Madison. She fell from upstairs and was just brought to the hospital. The kids are fine. My dad is with them at the estate, fishing."noveldrama

Phoebe pursed her lips tightly and after a few seconds of silence, asked, "What did you promise me before taking the kids out?"

Theodore was taken aback. Before leaving, he had promised Phoebe not to let the kids out of his sight, but he had handed them over to Brandon.

"Phoebe, it was an emergency."

Phoebe hung up without a word. Theodore called back quickly, but Phoebe ignored it and eventually put her phone on silent.

Returning to the meeting room, she saw everyone looking at her. She adjusted her emotions and said, "Let's continue."

Lori, noticing her bad mood, asked softly, "Ms. Ziegler, is everything okay?"

"It's fine. Where were we?" Phoebe pressed her temples, calming down. She remembered Theodore saying Madison had fallen from upstairs.

She had no particular feelings towards Madison, but the incident still made her uneasy.

Seeing Phoebe was not in the right state, the team quickly summarized the discussion results. After getting her approval, they all left the meeting room.

Phoebe returned to her office, feeling increasingly uneasy. She grabbed her bag and told Lori to call her if anything came up, then left quickly.

Sitting in her car, Phoebe felt lost, unsure whether to go to the hospital to find Theodore or to the estate to find the kids.

In the end, she decided to go to the estate.

As the temperature cooled in late autumn, the afternoon sun retreated behind the

clouds. After the wind picked up, Brandon took the kids back to the villa.

The villa no longer smelled of blood, but as soon as Hubert, Boris, and Noomi entered, they remembered what had happened earlier. Noomi hid behind Brandon in fear.

"I'm scared. There was so much blood, and she was in so much pain," Noomi shivered. Brandon patted her head, "Don't be scared. I'm here."

Hubert also remembered and pointed to the stairs, "She fell from up there and bled a lot."

"A lot of blood," Boris repeated.

Ethan stood in front of Hubert, Boris, and Noomi, blocking their view protectively, "I'll protect you."

Brandon looked at Ethan, who, despite being only a little older than the triplets, had been watching over them by the lake, stopping them from getting too close to the water.

Ethan was mature beyond his years.

Even though he was clearly scared himself, he still protected his younger siblings, taking on the responsibility of an older brother. He was a good kid.

"It's okay now. Don't be scared," Brandon reassured them.

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Soon, the kids were no longer as frightened. Riley brought out some snacks to cheer them up, and shortly after, Daisy brought over a lot of toys.

With toys and snacks, the kids played happily. But being children, they soon ran out of energy and, without a nap, quickly fell asleep on the cushions.

Brandon had Riley bring blankets to cover them. Hearing the sound of an engine outside, he thought Theodore and the others had returned.

He walked to the floor-to-ceiling window and saw Phoebe getting out of the car. She looked more mature and composed than he remembered.

Phoebe walked through the courtyard and into the villa.

Brandon turned and waved her over, "You're here. Have a seat. Have you had lunch?"

Phoebe had seen Brandon once at the hospital. After his injury, he retired and handed the company over to Theodore.

Now, he no longer had the imposing presence of a leader, but rather the demeanor of a kind old man.

"I heard from Theodore that you were looking after the kids. Thank you," Phoebe said respectfully.

Brandon frowned in displeasure, "No need to thank me. They are so adorable. You should bring them to the estate more often. They love fishing."

"Okay." Phoebe felt a mix of emotions. When she entered, she saw the kids sleeping on the cushions. A colorful fairy tale fortress had been built in the corner of the living room, and they were sleeping soundly inside.

Her heart slowly settled.

Brandon invited her to sit by the floor-to-ceiling window. Riley brought over coffee and, seeing Phoebe, beamed, "Phoebe, you look even more beautiful than the last time I saw you."

"Riley, stop teasing me."

Riley smiled, "I'm not exaggerating at all. You really are getting more beautiful and successful."

Brandon cleared his throat, and Riley said, "I won't disturb you and Mr. Reynolds. The kids just fell asleep. Take your time talking."