Forbidden Passion

Phoebe said, "If I were your mom, I'd still be stoked to have a daughter like you. Today, when I hit up my mom's for dinner, she told me she didn't remarry 'cause she was scared my bratty childhood temper would get me whacked by a

stepdad."

"Hahaha!" Cindy cracked up. "Did Evelyn really drop that bomb?"

"Yeah, she did. But honestly, I thought I was a pretty chill kid. When classmates messed with me, I'd just casually bop 'em on the head with my lunchbox," Phoebe said.

Cindy's laughter turned into a gasp as she clutched her chest. "Evelyn was onto something. Good thing she didn't remarry, or you might've actually gotten whacked by a stepdad." Phoebe just rolled her eyes.

They snuggled up on the couch. Despite the snow piling up outside, the heating inside kept them toasty. Phoebe started spilling her worries.

Cindy, propping her chin on her hand, said, "Phoebe, don't you think this whole thing's kinda fishy? It's one thing for Donovan to buy into it, but do you really think the Reynolds family had anything to do with Harper's death?" Phoebe sighed, "Nah, I'm just feeling uneasy."

"Let me break it down for you," Cindy went on. "Old newspapers from over 20 years ago, unless they were big enough to get archived in a library, wouldn't be in good shape. Forget old newspapers, can you even dig up old family photos from over 20 years ago?"

Phoebe shook her head. "Last time I was at my grandpa's place, I found a few old pics, but they were so faded you couldn't make out anything."

Cindy nodded. "Exactly. I think you should have Donovan hand over the newspaper so you can get it checked out, see if it's really from 20 years ago." Phoebe raised an eyebrow. "What are you getting at?"

Cindy shot back, "Don't you know old newspapers can be faked these days? You can whip up a retro style if you want. I bet Donovan got played."

Phoebe pursed her lips. "Who'd mess around with something as serious as a dad's murder?"

"Donovan's so gullible," Cindy said. "If someone dangles bait in front of him, he bites right away. Even without a dad's murder, he'd cook up a whole drama that'd move himself and the entire world."

Phoebe glanced at Cindy's face and didn't dare admit she almost bought into it on Christmas Eve. She cleared her throat and said, "Honestly, I've always thought the murder was a smokescreen, and the real goal was something else." Cindy nodded. "Didn't you just mention it? At the Christmas Eve party, Theodore's gonna announce you as Mrs. Reynolds. I think this whole thing's to stop your identity from going public."

"You think Vanessa's behind this?" Phoebe's eyes lit up, her thoughts suddenly clicking into place. Everything that didn't make sense before now seemed clear.

"Exactly." Cindy nodded.

Phoebe hadn't connected it to Vanessa at first. Ever since she almost shoved Vanessa out of the hospital window, Vanessa had kept her distance.

Plus, Vanessa's usual moves were all about hurting herself to get Theodore's sympathy, so Phoebe never suspected her.

This time, she let her guard down.

Phoebe asked, "How did she know my dad died in a maritime accident?"

Cindy said, "If someone really wanted to dig that up, it wouldn't be hard. Phoebe, what I'm worried about now is that this is just the start. I'm afraid she'll use Donovan to pull off stuff you can't even see coming." "You're right." Phoebe frowned, her eyes dark and unreadable. "Cindy, you know what I'm thinking?"

Cindy raised an eyebrow. "What's on your mind?"

Phoebe said, "I'm trying to figure out how she got Donovan so convinced that my dad's accident was tied to the Reynolds family."

Cindy snapped her fingers. "Easy. Once a guy falls in love, he is blind, especially someone like Donovan with his hopeless romantic streak. Remember how he owed a million bucks to a woman he knew for less than three months in Starfall City? Only a fool would do that."

Phoebe rubbed her forehead, a sudden thought hitting her. She looked at Cindy with wide eyes. "Donovan wouldn't be dating Vanessa, would he? Is he out of his mind?"

Cindy pinched her brow. "Oh my, if Vanessa was dating Donovan, would she still be fighting you for Theodore?"

Phoebe nodded, "Good point."

Cindy wished she could poke Phoebe's forehead hard. "I think Donovan's in love, and his new flame is probably someone close to Vanessa. So Vanessa knows how Harper died and is using it to mess with you."

Phoebe was skeptical. "Donovan just got out of a relationship, and he's already dating again? How does he explain the million bucks he got scammed out of?"

Cindy sympathetically patted her shoulder. "You can't understand a guy starved for love."

Phoebe said, "I really underestimated Vanessa. She's even got her claws into Donovan. I thought she had stopped scheming against me."

"As long as she hasn't snagged Theodore, she won't quit." Cindy looked at her seriously. "This whole thing is a wake-up call, Phoebe. Don't let your guard down."

"Getting married feels like going to war," Phoebe muttered, propping her face up and frowning. "But Donovan's all about looks. Check out his exes; they're all stunners. Does Vanessa have any friends who could make him fall head over heels?"

"Maybe she's not a looker?" Cindy shrugged. "Regardless, there's definitely someone close to Donovan. Keep your eyes peeled and don't get blindsided again." Phoebe nodded. "Yeah, you're right."

Phoebe went back and hired a private investigator to dig into the women around Donovan. Within a few days, the investigator sent her some candid photos. When Phoebe saw the photos, she almost fainted.

When did Ruby start messing around with Donovan? Staring at the photos of Donovan and Ruby making out in a dimly lit hallway, Phoebe was completely floored. "Phoebe, the cat food is..." Theodore walked over to the couch but suddenly went silent.

He stared at Phoebe's phone screen, seeing her engrossed in the photos of Donovan and Ruby's steamy kiss. For a moment, he didn't know whether to be happy she figured it out or pissed she was spying on others making out. Phoebe hadn't expected Theodore to come over suddenly. She quickly turned off her phone and awkwardly explained, "I clicked on it by accident."

She couldn't tell Theodore the truth. After all, hiring a private investigator to snap pics of Donovan was a bit creepy.

Theodore walked around the couch and sat next to her, his smile dangerous. "Phoebe, if you like this kind of thing, I can do it, too."

Phoebe's scalp tingled, knowing he had misunderstood. She got up to escape, but before she could take a step, Theodore grabbed her wrist and pulled her back.

Phoebe fell onto Theodore's lap, making her feel extremely uncomfortable.