Forbidden Passion

Bishop used to act like Vanessa was invisible, but today, for the first time, he actually accepted her kindness. He grabbed the towel and wiped the sweat off his neck. Glancing at the physical therapists, Bishop gave them a look, and they caught on, quickly making up some excuse to exit the room.

Before long, it was just Bishop and Vanessa in the rehab room, with Ruby sent out by Vanessa to keep watch.

Bishop and Vanessa leaned against the window, watching the heavy snow coming down outside.

Vanessa broke the silence as she uttered, "I heard Taylor's throwing a Christmas party. You down to crash it?"

Bishop took a swig from the water bottle, his eyes narrowing at Vanessa. He said, "Miss Fitzroy, looks like you wanna use my stubborn streak." Vanessa's face twitched a bit; she did want to use Bishop to mess up the party.

She asked, "Mr. Reynolds, you really gonna let this slide?"

Bishop's knuckles turned white as he gripped the bottle. No way he was letting it go. Ever since his leg got busted, he was full of rage.

If Brandon had married Marlowe back then, he'd be the one on top now, not Theodore.

Why should Theodore look down on him? He was older by half a year. The eldest son of the Reynolds family, and everything that should've been his!

Vanessa watched Bishop's face change and said bluntly, "You're not okay with this, are you? The Reynolds Group should've been yours, but now it's Theodore's. Anyone would be pissed."

Bishop glared at her coldly. "What do you really want? Isn't Theodore the guy you admire? You're helping others against him; is this your idea of love?"

Vanessa clenched her fists at Bishop's sarcasm. "If his life doesn't include me, then I don't care if his world burns."

Bishop gave her a sideways glance. For the first time, he really looked at Vanessa. Her face, twisted by desire, was ugly, but her eyes were sharp.

In some ways, Vanessa and he were in the same mess.

Maybe it was that moment of weakness that made Bishop say, "So, how do you plan to wreck this party?"

Vanessa was taken aback, then looked at him gratefully. "Just show up with Marlowe, and the party's done for."

Bishop nodded, getting the idea. "Got it."

Ruby had been waiting outside for over ten minutes, nervously picking at her fingers. Vanessa was already starting to guard against her.

Despite not wanting Ruby to overhear their discussion, Vanessa chose to keep her nearby. Perhaps it was because Vanessa had already revealed her true intentions and no longer felt the need to pretend. The door creaked open behind her, and Ruby turned her head. Something hit her face. She pulled it off and saw it was the towel Vanessa had used.

"You!" Ruby glared at Vanessa, angry but too scared to speak up.

Vanessa gave her a cold look and warned in a low voice, "Ruby, if you spill about my meeting with Bishop today, I'll make your life hell."

Seeing the ruthless look on Vanessa's face, Ruby's heart skipped a beat, and she silently lowered her arms. She shouldn't have been an accomplice.

Vanessa wheeled herself away, and Ruby gritted her teeth and followed.

"Vanessa, Bishop's not someone to mess with. If you try to play him, you might end up getting played," Ruby cautiously reminded Vanessa as she walked beside the wheelchair.

Vanessa sneered, "Scheming against him? Nah, I'm just fanning the flames. Whatever crazy stuff he does, I'm all for it."

Ruby's heart skipped a beat, feeling uneasy.

A few days later, the tailor shop hit up Phoebe to come try on her dress. She squeezed it into her busy schedule and slipped into the pink dress.

The dress looked even better in person, with more intricate details. Nathaniel adjusted the waistline for Phoebe and said, "The form-fitting dress is all set, and the waist should be perfect. Wanna take it with you?" Phoebe remembered Theodore's mysterious look last time and said, "Maybe next time. Got other places to be today."

Nathaniel's eyes flashed with disappointment. If the fabric wasn't so sheer, he would've really wanted Phoebe to try it on.

Phoebe left the tailor shop and got into her car. She saw several missed calls on her phone, all from Theodore.

Phoebe called back, and after a few rings, a sweet female voice answered, "Ms. Ziegler, looking for Mr. Reynolds? He's super busy right now and can't take your call."

Phoebe frowned at the unfamiliar voice. "Where are you?"

"Ms. Ziegler, checking up on him? Too bad, not telling. Mr. Reynolds and I have lots of fun planned. Bye."

Phoebe said "Hello" a few times, but all she heard was faint laughter and a woman's voice saying, "Mr. Reynolds, come on, let's drink."

Anger surged through Phoebe. She didn't want to hear any more and hung up hard. After a bit, she calmed down and called Lawton. Lawton picked up quickly, sounding guilty. "Ms. Ziegler."

Phoebe cut him off, "Mr. Brown, where's Mr. Reynolds? I'm coming to get him."

Lawton glanced into the private room. "Ms. Ziegler, dinner's almost over. No need to make a special trip. I'll bring Mr. Reynolds back later."

Phoebe narrowed her eyes. "There's a woman with him, isn't there?"

Lawton didn't know what to say..

"Give me the address. I'm coming to get him," Phoebe demanded. Lawton had no choice but to give her the address.

He felt like he was betraying Theodore but couldn't let Phoebe see the scene. Otherwise, their hard-won reconciliation would be strained again.

Lawton clutched his phone and went inside to give a heads-up.

When Theodore heard Phoebe was coming, he didn't hold back. Instead, he pulled the girl next to him into his arms and drunkenly said, "Let her come. I'm not scared of her." Lawton was speechless.

Theodore hadn't been like this just now. Why was he acting up more when he heard Phoebe was coming?

The tailor shop wasn't far from the nightclub, and Phoebe got there quickly. She parked and walked into the fancy lobby, where Lawton was waiting.

Lawton warned, "Mrs. Reynolds, Mr. Reynolds is really drunk. No matter what you see, don't get mad. He's out of it."

Phoebe glanced at him. "Mr. Brown, you never used to make excuses for him."

Lawton scratched his head. "That was then, this is now."

He wasn't oblivious. Over the past six months, Phoebe and Theodore's relationship had clearly improved. If it regressed because of tonight, they'd all suffer. Phoebe chuckled, "Don't worry, I'm not that petty."

Lawton was speechless as he thought to himself, 'You gotta see it to know if you're petty or not. I was pretty mad just seeing it myself.'