Forbidden Passion

Noah shot a quick look at Theodore, who was just standing there in the aisle. He had those broad shoulders and a slim waist, and he was so tall that even the roomy aisle felt tight. Noah's face was ice-cold.

This was the same Theodore who left Phoebe hanging when she needed help. What gave him the right to show up now?

Noah's fists tightened.

But then Phoebe's soft voice snapped him out of his anger. He slowly unclenched his fists, and his gaze softened when he looked at her. "How am I supposed to see without a mirror?" Noah's voice had a bit of a whine to it. "Why don't you help me out?"

Phoebe was about to ask Lori for a makeup mirror when Noah suddenly grabbed her arms and pulled her down with some force.

Phoebe's chin almost smacked into Noah's forehead, but she dodged just in time, leaning back to avoid hitting the bandage on his head. Phoebe frowned, "Noah, what are you doing?"

Noah looked up, locking eyes with her. In her pupils, he could see the bandage on his forehead, with a small green heart drawn on it.

Noah's eyes lit up, and he grinned, "Phoebe, you did a great job. I really like it."

Holding that position was tough for Phoebe. She quickly broke free from Noah's grip and put her hand on his shoulder.

"Stop messing around!"

"Phoebe, be careful." Noah, worried she might fall, held her waist with one hand and looked up at her nervously, totally losing the cool vibe he had in front of fans.

Theodore saw the whole thing, and his face turned dark. He stared hard at Phoebe and Noah, watching how long they'd keep holding each other.

Phoebe suddenly felt a chill down her spine. She didn't need to turn around to know Theodore was staring at her. As she and Theodore were done, she shouldn't be scared of him. But her body didn't lie.

Almost without thinking, Phoebe took two steps back, away from Noah. "Alright, let's head back to the company first. We'll talk about the rest later." Noah pulled back his hand, which was hanging in mid-air. He lazily stood up, giving Theodore a challenging look before following Phoebe. Theodore stood there in the aisle, the cold air from the AC pouring down on him, making him shiver as he watched Phoebe and Noah walk away. He and Phoebe used to be super close, but now, seeing each other again, they were worse than strangers.

Then he noticed Phoebe's clothes. They were the same as the ones he'd seen on that young mom of triplets upstairs. Was it just a coincidence? Theodore couldn't help but walk toward Phoebe.

Phoebe planned to leave through the side door with Noah, but as soon as they got there, a bunch of reporters with cameras were already outside snapping pics. Flashes went off like crazy. Phoebe quickly pulled a hat out of her bag and put it on Noah's head. She said, "Cover up so the reporters don't catch the injury on your head." These entertainment reporters were fast. She needed to figure out a way to get Noah out of here first.

Even though Noah's injury during rehearsal wasn't bad news, it wasn't good news either. If it hit the headlines, it could easily be blown out of proportion.

In the age of the internet, nobody had time for the weak. If someone spun the story right, this whole thing could be turned into a sob story, with both upsides and downsides. Noah caught a whiff of some fragrance from above. He pulled down the brim of his hat and went along with Phoebe's plan.

There were only two bodyguards at the side door. When the reporters spotted Noah, they started yelling his name. The noise drew in fans and random onlookers.

Fans who happened to see Noah at the hospital went nuts, quickly surrounding Phoebe and Noah.

Phoebe and Lori tried to shield Noah, backing up against the wall. Fans were shouting Noah's name, snapping pics with their phones, reaching out to touch him, and begging for autographs. The side door area turned into a madhouse.

Theodore stepped out of the aisle, the high-pitched screams hitting his ears. He saw Phoebe, cornered by fans and onlookers, looking super stressed. He quickly pulled out his phone and made a call. He barked, "Lawton, get the bodyguards to the hospital's side door, now!"

After hanging up, Theodore made his way toward the chaos. In just a few minutes, a hundred people had gathered.

Phoebe had never dealt with such a crazy situation before. Noah usually had bodyguards with him when he went out. Today, there were bodyguards too, but she didn't expect there to be so many people. Phoebe gripped someone's hand tightly, forcing herself to stay calm. "Everyone, I know you love Noah, but please, calm down."

"Noah, why are you in the hospital? Are you sick?"

"I heard Ernest pushed you off the stage and you got hurt. Did it mess up your face? Take off your hat and let us see."

"Yeah, the internet is blowing up about it. Ernest even trashed you online. We've already gone to roast him."

Phoebe frowned. Ernest's online comments were clearly a move to ride on Noah's fame. Queen Entertainment was always pulling dirty tricks like this.

At that moment, Alfonso showed up with several bodyguards, trying to push through the crowd to reach Phoebe.

But these were fans and onlookers. Forcing their way through could hurt people or cause a stampede, making it hard to control the situation. Alfonso was freaking out.

He had thought the private hospital's confidentiality would keep reporters and fans away. Who had leaked the info to the reporters?

Some fans recognized Phoebe, and the screams got even louder.

"Guys, that's Noah's manager. Look, they're holding hands."

"Be together!"

Phoebe was speechless, watching the fans' sudden shift from outrage to excitement. She looked down and realized she was gripping Noah's hand tightly.

Panicking, Phoebe tried to pull her hand back, but Noah held on tighter, causing another wave of screams from the fans.

In the crowd, there were fans who shipped the couple, those who were all about Noah, and even some extreme fans. When these extreme fans saw Noah holding Phoebe's hand, they felt especially heartbroken. The extreme fans and couple shippers started arguing.

Phoebe had seen extreme fans and couple shippers argue online, but never in real life. It started with words and quickly turned into shoving matches.