Chapter 8
Phoebe winced in pain, looking at Theodore in bewilderment.
Theodore both resents her and is the one pushing her away. Now that she agreed to step aside for his love, why was he still not satisfied?
"Mr. Reynolds, you misunderstand. The position of talent manager is higher and more promising than that of a secretary. With your putting so much effort into grooming me, how could I be dissatisfied?"
Phoebe spoke the truth. Regardless of a secretary's performance, they were simply seen as a secretary. How could their career prospects match up to those of managers? Besides, Theodore was clearly known for his fiery temper.
Theodore sneered and mocked, "You do see things clearly."
Phoebe didn't know what had made him angry, but she was very familiar with how to soothe his anger. She immediately pretended not to hear the sarcasm in his words.
Phoebe said calmly, "Mr. Reynolds, you trust me so much, giving me such an important position. I will definitely work hard and not let you down."
Theodore snorted coldly, releasing his grip on her hand. He lightly adjusted his collar and said indifferently, "Tonight is a family dinner. Do you understand what you should do??"
Phoebe's stomach cramped at the thought of returning to the Reynolds Mansion and facing Taylor's pressure to have children.
Phoebe bit her lower lip. "But wouldn't it be bad for us to keep this from them?"
Theodore's face darkened, his eyes filled with disdain and malice toward her. "Phoebe, stop pretending in front of me. If you really cared about them, you wouldn't have done such a shameless thing back then. Do you think I kept you by my side all these years for no reason? I told you I would make you pay!"
Phoebe's face turned pale.
She knew that in Theodore's eyes, she had always been a sinner. It wasn't just due to the unintended miscarriage but also because she had deeply embarrassed his pride.
If murder were legal, Theodore would probably want to kill her a thousand times over.
To get back at her, Theodore had endured nearly three years of entanglement with her, despite his disgust.
Phoebe lowered her head, her nails digging into her palms to keep herself from crying. "You don't have to endure it. What happened back then was my fault. Just kick me out; no need to keep this mess going."
"Are you teaching me how to do things, huh?" Theodore's eyes were filled with undisguised disgust. He leaned close to her ear, whispering like a devil. "Phoebe, you and he disgust me together. How could I let you off and let you two be together? You're dreaming!"
Phoebe couldn't hold back any longer, tears finally falling. She looked up and asked despairingly,, "Theodore, have you never believed in me?"
Theodore lowered his eyes indifferently, his long lashes hiding the deep emotions in his eyes. He stared at Phoebe's slender neck, and for a moment, he really wanted to snap it.
"I only believe my eyes!" He stared at Phoebe maliciously, enunciating each word.
Phoebe turned her head away in panic. If she hadn't gone to that party, hadn't drunk that drink, maybe none of this would have happened.
But ifs were just ifs. The events had already occurred, and no matter how many times she regretted it, it was to no avail.
Choking back tears, Phoebe asked, "Is this really necessary?"
Vanessa was coming back. Since he had already started clearing all obstacles for Vanessa and giving her unique favoritism, why not just got a divorce?
Moreover, in Theodore's eyes, Phoebe should be a despicable woman who schemed to get pregnant for money.
Could Theodore's hatred for her have surpassed his love for Vanessa?
Could it be that Theodore, just because of his hatred for her, kept her tightly bound to him, torturing each other?
A sudden surge of irritation rose in Theodore's heart. He grabbed her chin roughly, forcing her face to turn toward him.
He glared at Phoebe's tearful eyes and said, enunciating each word, "Because you don't deserve happiness, and that bastard deserves it even less!"
Theodore's words were like a knife, deeply stabbing into Phoebe's heart. Phoebe didn't make a sound, but her tears fell even more fiercely.
"Stop crying!" Theodore commanded, gripping her chin even tighter. "You are my wife. Since you schemed so hard to get this, until I say otherwise, you're stuck being just that!!"
Phoebe shuddered in terror, holding back tears that threatened to spill. Theodore's menacing look sent chills down her spine.
Upon glimpsing her fearful gaze, Theodore sensed an unexpected pang in his chest. He promptly retracted his hand and briskly exited the elevator.
Phoebe breathed a sigh of relief. She hurriedly wiped away her tears and quickly followed him.
Theodore was in a foul mood today. The driver, Dave Parker, glanced at the rearview mirror from time to time.
"Mr. Reynolds, smoking is bad for your health. You should cut down. If Mrs. Taylor Reynolds smells the smoke when you get home, she'll have something to say." Dave Parker was an old worker with the Reynolds family, and Theodore usually respected him.
Anyone else wouldn't dare question Theodore's actions.
Theodore sat in the back seat, smoking with a sullen face. He was extremely irritable, especially with the person who annoyed him sitting right next to him.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Phoebe huddled against the car door, as if he were some wild beast ready to pounce on her.
"Dave, it's fine. I won't die," Theodore said flatly.
"You young folks just don't know any better. Mrs. Reynolds, you should talk to Mr. Reynolds," Dave, unable to persuade Theodore himself, turned to Phoebe for help.
Phoebe glanced at Theodore in fear, her voice small and moving even further away from him. "You should smoke less; it's bad for your health."
She expected Theodore to ignore her and mock her instead, but to her surprise, Theodore obediently put out the cigarette in the ashtray.
Upon seeing this, Phoebe was stunned.
How shocking!
When had Theodore ever listened to her?
Theodore noticed her surprised expression and couldn't help but smile faintly.
Phoebe stared at him blankly, and when she saw him smile, she felt even more panicked.
Phoebe trembled in fear, and suddenly Theodore's cold snort reached her ears. "Get out."
Phoebe then realized that the car had already stopped at the Reynolds Mansion. She quickly got out and followed Theodore toward the villa.
Theodore didn't come home often, so Taylor took his return very seriously. She had been waiting at the door for a while. As soon as she got close, she smelled the smoke on Theodore and couldn't help but frown, looking at him with disdain. "Why do you smell so strongly of smoke?"
"I only had one," Theodore said flatly, without a hint of nervousness about lying.
"Didn't I tell you to quit smoking?" Taylor said unhappily. "Brian and Bianca quit smoking and drinking before trying for a baby, and look how healthy and good-looking their child is."
Theodore's eyebrows furrowed at the mention of the Vanderbilt family.
“Since you're so fond of the Vanderbilts’ kid, why not bring Benjamin over to raise?"
"I'd love to, but do you think they'd let me?" Taylor said, slapping Theodore's back hard, the crisp sound of the slap making it seem painful. "Besides, that's someone else's child!"
As she spoke, Taylor glanced sideways at Phoebe, who was standing behind Theodore. "I heard you two went to the hospital for a check-up last night. How did it go?"
Phoebe's heart skipped a beat. She instinctively looked at Theodore and saw that he was also looking at her, his eyes filled with a threatening look.
Phoebe could only stammer, "It was okay."
Phoebe didn't want to lie, but seeing Theodore's expression, she knew that if she dared to tell the truth, Theodore would strangle her without hesitation the moment they stepped out of the door.
Taylor didn't suspect anything and said, "That's good. After dinner, I'll have Karen Young prepared some supplements for you. They're good for having a baby."
Phoebe pressed her lips together. As she passed by Theodore, she instinctively glanced at him. Theodore was looking at her with a blank expression.
His eyes held a strange expression, seemingly implying, "Phoebe, you spun that tale yourself. You'll just have to face whatever comes next."
