The man’s broad shoulders and long legs made the break room cramped as he entered, still dressed in last night’s loungewear. His clothes were wrinkled, giving him a somewhat disheveled appearance. Phoebe’s gaze landed on his handsome face; his jaw was slightly shadowed with stubble, probably from not shaving, and his eyes were bloodshot with redness. He looked utterly worn out.

Phoebe had rarely seen him like this, not even when the shareholders had banded together to force him out of the management of Reynolds Group had he appeared so haggard.

Theodore strode in with his long legs and sat down at the long table,”Give me a coffee.”

Phoebe pressed her lips together, took two cups of coffee, and pushed one across the table to him. She held the other cup as she sat down opposite him. The air was filled with an awkward silence. Phoebe took a sip of her coffee and looked at the silent man across from her, “Did you sleep at the office last night?”

Theodore glanced at her, his tone tinged with sarcasm, “Do you even care where I sleep?”

His words were clearly meant to provoke, but Phoebe didn’t engage, simply opening the plastic bag she had brought. The aroma of food quickly filled the air. She started to eat a street pastry. Theodore watched her eat with relish, hesitated for a moment, then reached out and took one himself, biting into it. His expression was complex, but the taste wasn’t too bad.

“Is this what you eat when you don’t make breakfast?” His tone still carried a hint of disdain.

Phoebe replied, “Sometimes. There are many breakfast places outside of Imperial Apartment. I’ve tried almost all of them.”

“You go by yourself?” Theodore took a sip of coffee to wash away the strange taste in his mouth.

“Yeah.”

Theodore raised an eyebrow at her, “I remember when you first joined the company, you were quite popular. Didn’t any colleagues invite you to breakfast?”

Phoebe pursed her lips. When she first joined the company, she indeed was well-liked. But after she became pregnant, she took leave and stayed home, distancing herself from colleagues to keep her pregnancy secret. Later, after her miscarriage, she returned to the company and was directly transferred to the president’s secretarial office. At that time, she had to do her job well and cater to this demanding man, leaving no time to foster friendships with colleagues.

“There were some at first, but not later,” Phoebe said.

Theodore frowned slightly but didn’t ask for the reason, as he was well aware why there were none later it was because he restricted her social life. After her miscarriage, she insisted on coming back to work, and he, in his paranoia, believed she was doing it to meet Edward in secret. He was angry without an outlet and often took it out on her. If she didn’t answer his calls, was out of his sight for more than ten minutes, or even smiled at another man, he would get angry, and with anger came an uncontrollable urge to assert his dominance.

Eventually, she seemed to be intimidated by him, staying close to his side for a while. He was annoyed by her presence, but even more so by her absence. He struggled with this painful contradiction until now, and looking back on those two and a half years, he seemed to only remember her restrained tears and flushed skin.

“Go make some new friends,” Theodore suddenly said.

Phoebe froze,”What?”

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