Forbidden Passion

Theodore was seriously ticked off, staring at Milton like he was already six feet under. He smirked, "Mr. Douglas, always the ladies' man, huh? So thoughtful of everyone." Milton gave a small smile, "Mr. Reynolds, you're too kind. Ms. Ziegler, ready to go?"

Phoebe nodded slightly. Just as she was about to walk past Theodore and Milton, Theodore suddenly grabbed her wrist, his hand burning hot like it might actually scorch her skin. Phoebe instinctively tried to pull away, but he held on tight, making it impossible for her to move. She glared at him and snapped, "Mr. Reynolds, let go!"

Theodore frowned, looking annoyed, "Where are you going?"

For some reason, the more Theodore looked at Milton, the more he couldn't stand him. He'd never found Milton this irritating when they worked together before. Milton glanced at Theodore and raised an eyebrow, "Ms. Ziegler invited me to dinner. Care to join us, Mr. Reynolds?"

Before Phoebe could say no, Theodore quickly answered, "Sure, if you don't mind."

Phoebe was speechless.

"Of course not. It'd be an honor to have dinner with Mr. Reynolds." Milton looked at Theodore's big hand on Phoebe's wrist with a calm, deep gaze. "Shall we?" Theodore glanced at Phoebe, his fingers lightly squeezing her wrist before letting go.

A jolt of electricity seemed to run through her wrist, making Phoebe stiffen. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Theodore in his sharp suit, tall and slender.

Theodore noticed her shocked and reproachful look. He smirked and walked over to Milton, "Let's go, Mr. Douglas."

Milton looked at Phoebe and then walked alongside Theodore. The two seemed to have forgotten the earlier tension and were chatting happily.

Phoebe silently followed behind them.

Milton and Theodore were about the same age and both young and promising, so they had plenty to talk about. Even some trivial business gossip kept them chatting all the way.

If it weren't for the earlier incident, Phoebe would've thought they hit it off immediately and would become close friends in no time.

As they entered the lobby, Guadalupe and Lori were waiting in the nearby seating area. Seeing them come out, they stood up and looked at them.

Phoebe walked over, and Guadalupe immediately reached out to take her gym bag and said, "Ms. Ziegler, I'll go get the car."

"Okay." Phoebe nodded, and Guadalupe turned to the parking lot to get the car. The group left the club and headed to Golden Harvest Diner.

At the dinner table, Theodore and Milton were having a lively conversation, discussing several promising projects that even made Phoebe, listening on the side, quite interested.

As the conversation reached a high point, Theodore raised his glass to toast Milton, who was a heavy drinker.

Theodore's fingers rubbed the rim of his glass as he looked at Milton's handsome face, tinged with a slight blush. His gaze then shifted to Phoebe, who had been quietly eating, with a hint of deeper meaning. Phoebe remained quiet, as if she had come just to eat, focusing on her meal from start to finish.

"I heard Mr. Douglas is the second-largest shareholder of Superstar Entertainment. Mr. Douglas has a keen eye. Ms. Ziegler is a talented and virtuous person."

Phoebe's grip on her fork tightened. She stared at the shrimp in front of her, unsure if Theodore's words were genuine praise or sarcasm.

Feeling the effects of the alcohol, Milton loosened his tie and chuckled, "Yes, back then, Mr. Reynolds missed out on this great talent. Thanks to Ms. Ziegler's confidence in me, I've been able to work with her ever since." Milton's words hit a sore spot for Theodore, whose face darkened for a moment. He took a deep breath, and after a moment, his expression returned to normal.

Theodore downed his drink in one gulp, picked up the bottle on the table, and poured Milton another drink, saying, "These past two years, I've been grateful for Mr. Douglas's support, but it won't be necessary in the future." Milton caught the underlying meaning in Theodore's words and smiled at him as he said, "Mr. Reynolds, if you want to make decisions for Ms. Ziegler, you'd better ask her first, right, Ms. Ziegler?" Phoebe, who had been watching coldly, was pulled into the fray by Milton. Her brow twitched, and she looked up at Milton's sly smile.

Phoebe said calmly, "I make my own decisions. Mr. Reynolds, if you have some free time, you should focus more on yourself."

Theodore narrowed his eyes, full of displeasure.

He didn't like Phoebe being too close to other men, especially Milton. Phoebe and Milton had financial dealings, making their relationship much closer than usual.

He hated the entanglement between Phoebe and Milton.

It seemed he needed to find a way to buy out Milton's shares so that Milton could no longer use their collaboration as an excuse to stay around Phoebe.

With that thought, Theodore suppressed his anger, picked up his glass, and continued to drink with Milton. In the end, they both drank too much.

After the meal, everything seemed calm on the surface, but there were undercurrents. Phoebe got up to pay the bill, and they stood at the hotel entrance waiting for their car.

Milton was slightly drunk. Standing next to Phoebe, he suddenly swayed, and Phoebe quickly reached out to steady him. "Mr. Douglas, you've had too much to drink."

Milton leaned against Phoebe, feeling Theodore's death glare from the side. He smirked, "My tolerance has gotten worse these past two years, unlike Mr. Reynolds, who can drink endlessly."

Phoebe looked at Theodore. Apart from a slight flush on his cheeks, he didn't seem drunk at all. Car lights approached; it was Milton's car.

"Mr. Douglas, your car is here. Please get in."

Phoebe helped Milton to the back seat. The driver had already opened the door and helped her get Milton seated properly.

Phoebe closed the door, and the window slowly rolled down.

Milton leaned against the window, drunkenly reaching out to Phoebe, "Phoebe, just thinking about you struggling alone abroad these past two years breaks my heart. Knowing you're coming back makes me truly happy, really happy. Now that you're back, don't leave again. Phoebe, don't be afraid. With me here, I won't let anyone bully you."

Listening to Milton's slurred speech, Phoebe felt goosebumps all over. She didn't know what Milton was trying to do by pretending to be drunk.

She shoved Milton's hand back inside, gritting her teeth, "I know. Stop acting drunk, or I'll record your embarrassing state and show it to your employees tomorrow."

Milton leaned back in his seat, and the driver slowly started the car. As the black sedan glided away, Milton saw Theodore's grim and restrained face through the window, feeling a sense of satisfaction.