The man’s broad shoulders and long legs made the break room seem even more cramped as he entered, still wearing the pajamas from last night. The clothes were wrinkled, giving him a somewhat disheveled appearance. Phoebe’s gaze settled on his handsome face, noticing the faint stubble on his chin indicating he hadn’t shaved and the stark redness of bloodshot eyes. There was a palpable weariness about him.

She had seldom seen him like this; even when shareholders had conspired to oust him from the operations of Reynolds Group, he had not looked so worn down. Theodore strode in with his long legs and took a seat at the long table. “Get me a coffee,” he ordered.

Phoebe pursed her lips, fetched two cups of coffee, and pushed one towards him, cradling her own as she sat down across the table. A heavy silence filled the air, punctuated only by the occasional sip of coffee.

Taking a drink, Phoebe finally broke the stillness, “Did you spend the night at the office?”

Theodore glanced at her with a hint of mockery in his tone, “Do you really care where I slept?”

His words clearly carried a hint of irony. Phoebe ignored him and went straight for the paper bag, from which the smell of food quickly spread. She grabbed a hot dog and began to eat.

Theodore watched her enjoy the simple fare and after a moment’s hesitation, reached over to grab one himself. His expression was hard to read as he took a bite. Though the hotdog was not entirely to his liking, it wasn’t an unpleasant taste.

“Do you eat this when you don’t make breakfast?” he asked with a touch of disdain.

Phoebe said, “I have it occasionally. There are a lot of these outside Imperial Apartment, many varieties-I’ve tried almost all of them.”

“Alone?” he asked, taking a sip of his coffee, trying to wash away the strange taste in his mouth.

“Yes.”

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

Phoebe pursed her lips.

She did have good relations when she first joined the company. After she got pregnant, she took leave and stayed at home, distancing herself from colleagues to keep her pregnancy secret.

Later on, after her miscarriage, she returned to work and was transferred directly to the president’s secretarial office.

At that time, she had to do her job well and serve the hard-to-please man before her, leaving no time to develop friendships with colleagues.

“At first yes, but not later,” Phoebe replied.

Theodore frowned but didn’t press her for the reasons, knowing full well why

things had changed; he had restricted her social interactions. After her miscarriage, she insisted on returning to work, and in his paranoia, he assumed it was to meet with Edward in secret. The pent-up frustration within him often led him to pick on her. If she didn’t answer his calls, left his sight for more than ten minutes, or smiled at another man, he would get angry. And when he got angry, he couldn’t control the violent impulses inside him.

Eventually, she seemed to be scared by his treatment, and there was a period when she nearly always stayed by his side.

He was annoyed when he saw her, and even more so when he couldn’t. He struggled with this painful contradiction until now, and looking back at how he survived those two and a half years, he seemed to only remember her tears she fought back and her flushed skin. “Go and make new friends,” Theodore suddenly said.

Phoebe was stunned, “What?”

Want to Full list click here, Forbidden Passion  on ITSCLEM