Chapter 17
How could Phoebe possibly give in as this bag was a birthday gift for Taylor. She firmly pressed down on the bag and said, "Miss Fitzroy, I'm sorry, but I ordered this bag six months ago. If you like it, you can place an order."
Vanessa looked shocked. "But I really like this bag, Ms. Ziegler. How about I pay double the priceand you let me have it?"
"Sorry, Miss Fitzroy, " Phoebe refused.
Observing Phoebe's determined demeanor, Vanessa turned to Theodore and shook his hand gently. "Theodore, I really love this bag. Can you help me convince Ms. Ziegler to let me have it?"
Theodore frowned slightly and looked at Phoebe. "Since Vanessa likes it, why don't you let her have it? You don't usually carry such expensive bags anyway."
Phoebe's gaze involuntarily fell on their clasped hands, feeling a bit hurt inside.
If Vanessa liked it, she had to give it up unconditionally. So, if Vanessa said she liked Theodore, did she have to give him up to Vanessa too?
"This is a birthday gift I prepared for Mom," Phoebe stared into Theodore's eyes and insisted..
Theodore was taken aback. He glanced at the bag, which didn't seem much different from the ones Taylor usually carried, except for a few more diamonds.
Theodore had a naturally strong personality; once he voiced something, he stood by it. So he persisted, "Mom already has plenty of bags; she doesn't need this one."
Phoebe sneered, feeling an urge to throw the bag in Taylor's face. To please Vanessa, he was even willing to take away the birthday gift she had prepared for Taylor.
During breakfast, Theodore had sarcastically accused her of not caring about Taylor. But now, compared to Vanessa, it seemed that the birthday gift for Taylor wasn't that important after all.
"Fine, if you're indifferent to your mom's feelings, I have nothing more to say. Miss Fitzroy can have the bag!" Phoebe's smile was devoid of emotion, her words dripping with sarcasm. The sales assistant also picked up on the tense atmosphere between them.
A hint of triumph flashed in Vanessa's eyes. It was just a bag; she didn't really care. She was merely testing how much Theodore cared for her.
Moreover, Vanessa wanted Phoebe to know that even though Phoebe was now Theodore's wife, she could never replace Vanessa's place in Theodore's heart.
Since her goal was achieved, the bag lost its value. Besides, Phoebe had said it was a birthday gift for Taylor.
If she really took it, Taylor heard about this matter and she would be upset with her.
"Sorry, Ms. Ziegler, I didn't know this was a gift for Taylor. I won't take it then! You have great taste; we both liked the same bag," Vanessa said with a hint of implication.
Phoebe caught the underlying meaning and responded with a sarcastic smile, "Miss Fitzroy, you do have good taste, but you just don't know how to cherish it."
Vanessa pursed her lips, her gaze toward Phoebe growing colder. She turned to Theodore. "Theodore, I can't force Ms. Ziegler to give me the bag. Why don't you come with me to look at others?"
"Alright." Theodore glanced at Phoebe and then led Vanessa toward the display area.
Phoebe sneered inwardly.
Clearly, Vanessa was the one who tried to snatch the bag first, but now she was acting all generous, letting Phoebe have it. Such shameless behavior was truly unprecedented.
From a distance, Phoebe heard Vanessa's gentle voice. "Hermès bags are hard to come by, especially limited editions. I heard Ms. Ziegler comes from an ordinary family. It's really surprising that she would buy such an expensive bag for Taylor."
Vanessa's words were full of insinuations, suggesting to Theodore that Phoebe came from a poor background and that buying such an expensive gift for Taylor was actually using Theodore's money to keep up appearances.
To Theodore, money was just a series of numbers, so he casually responded, "Is that so?"
"Yes, that bag, along with the accessories, must cost at least$100,000.. Ms. Ziegler is really generous," Vanessa said.
Vanessa always believed that Theodore was her boyfriend. How could Phoebe, the daughter of a nanny, become Theodore's wife?
Phoebe was now sleeping with Theodore and spending his money, which Vanessa found utterly despicable.
Whenever Vanessa thought about Phoebe and Theodore got married right away after she left, she felt a surge of anger.
Theodore accompanied Vanessa around the mall, but Vanessa didn't find anything she liked.
Taylor's fiftieth birthday was coming up, and Vanessa naturally wanted to prepare a gift for her. But with Phoebe's bag, nothing she bought could compare.
While Theodore stepped out to take a phone call, Vanessa was back at Hermes. She saw Phoebe making a purchase and speaking in a sarcastic tone. "Ms. Ziegler, you're really generous. This bag, along with the accessories, must cost at least $300,000."
Phoebe looked down and said calmly, "Money can always be earned again."
"Well, it's not like you have to earn it. This bag is worth just over a million dollars. You must have bought a lot of accessories for yourself under the guise of preparing a gift for Taylor, right?"
Vanessa scrutinized Phoebe with a critical eye.
Phoebe couldn't be bothered to argue and pointed to Theodore, who had just finished his call and was walking back in. "Did you see his custom Hermès suit? All the accessories are on him."
Phoebe waved her credit card in front of Vanessa. "This is my card. I didn't spend a penny of his money."
Vanessa's face turned extremely sour. Without Theodore by her side, she didn't bother to keep up the pretense and spoke directly, "Do you think I believe you? How long have you been working? How could you afford a bag worth millions of dollars?"
"Maybe you are just ignorant. I make money from investments on top of my salary," Phoebe said nonchalantly as she put the card back in her bag.
Theodore owned a venture capital firm, and whenever the executives came to report, Phoebe would eavesdrop and follow their stock trades. The Reynolds Group was an industry leader, and their insider information was always accurate, allowing Phoebe to make a small profit each time.
Phoebe had never mentioned this money to anyone and kept it in her private bank account for emergencies.
When Theodore finished his call and returned to the store, he saw Vanessa immediately revert to her usual gentle demeanor, looking at him with teary eyes.
Earlier that morning, Vanessa had complimented Theodore on his suit, not realizing that Phoebe had bought it for him.
"What happened?" Theodore noticed the tense atmosphere between them and quickly asked.
Vanessa stepped forward and took his arm, speaking softly, "Theodore, I want to buy some clothes. Can you come shopping with me?"
"Okay," Theodore turned to Phoebe and said, "If you've finished your shopping, you can leave first. I'll go with Vanessa."
Phoebe nodded expressionlessly. "Alright."
Watching Theodore and Vanessa leave side by side, Phoebe, despite her apparent calmness, suddenly felt a pang of sadness.
Theodore's attention was completely on Vanessa. How could he possibly care about her?
She had initially been happy to see them together, but why did it hurt to see them so close?
‘Can it be that I have actually fallen for Theodore?' Phoebe was startled by her thoughts.
That would be terrifying.
