Madison’s forward momentum was abruptly stopped as Theodore interposed, effectively blocking her path. Her eyes blazed with a fiery determination as she reached out to grab Phoebe. “Didn’t you hear her, Theo? I’m going to give her a piece of my mind!” she declared.

“Enough!” Theodore’s voice was stern, causing Madison to recoil.

Her brother’s menacing expression made her shudder, and her eyes immediately began to well up with tears. “I can’t believe you’re siding with her over me. I hate you!” she cried out, her voice choked with emotion. With that, she covered her face with her hands and fled, retracing her steps.

Theodore watched her go, his lips pressed tightly. He turned to Phoebe, his gaze apologetic. “Madison’s been spoiled by all of us. As her sister-in-law, you should be more understanding…”

“Did she ever treat me as her sister-in-law?” Phoebe interrupted, her voice cold. Without waiting for a response, she turned on her heel and stormed away, leaving Theodore speechless. Back in the living room, Lucy’s voice rang out, calling everyone to dinner. Phoebe’s gaze flickered as she noted Madison’s absence, pressing her lips together

“Where’s Madison?” Mrs. Reynolds inquired, looking around the room.

“I saw her heading upstairs earlier. She said she wasn’t hungry and didn’t want to eat, and asked me not to bother calling her,” Lucy replied, throwing a glance at Theodore and the others. Mrs. Reynolds didn’t pursue the matter further, and they all settled down at the dining table. It was then that Phoebe realized that Brandon was also missing.

She used to not pay much attention to Brandon’s comings and goings. However, ever since she discovered his affair, she began to notice his frequent absences from the dinner table over the past year. Before, she would have chalked it up to his work or social obligations. Now, knowing the truth, she couldn’t help but wonder if the nights he didn’t come home were spent with that other woman. These thoughts led her turn to Theodore, who was sitting beside her.

Feeling her eyes on him, Theodore looked to her, asking, “What’s on your mind?”

Phoebe quickly averted her gaze, bowing her head and stirring the food in her bowl. She couldn’t help but wonder if Theodore’s own absences from the Imperial Residence were spent with Vanessa. The mere thought was like a knife twisting in her heart, causing her indescribable pain.

Noticing her increasingly pale complexion, Theodore picked up a slice of chicken with his fork and placed it in her bowl, advising, “You look pale. You should eat more.”

Phoebe stared at the glistening slices of chicken. She picked them up and chewed with a ferocity, as if she was venting her anger on the innocent morsels. Theodore watched her in silence.

*

The following day, Phoebe returned to in her office. Her absence had been increasingly frequent lately, but fortunately, John was a reliable right-hand man.

Even if she were to have disappeared for a couple of days, he would have kept the company running smoothly.

As Phoebe arrived at the office early in the morning, John approached her to hand over his report. “Ms. Ziegler, the magazine cover was switched last-minute to feature Claire. We’ve received some proofs from the photographer. Would you like to review them?”

“Sure,” she responded.

As he handed over the proofs, John asked, “Has Vanessa been in the office these past few days? If she’s not interested in the projects we’ve lined up for her, we could allocate them to someone else.”

John hesitated before replying, “She was here yesterday morning. She seemed… different. She wasn’t throwing tantrums about her work schedule like before.”

Phoebe furrowed her brows and looked up at him, “Did she take some new medication or something?”

“Maybe,” John chuckled, unable to help himself. “As long as she’s cooperative and stays out of trouble, it’s all good. Oh, by the way, Ms. Ziegler, my cousin called me a couple of days ago. She dug up something about Ms. Fitzroy’s time in Poland.”

“Go on,” Phoebe urged.

“Ms. Fitzroy apparently has a secret boyfriend in Poland. Rumor has it, he visits her often and they’ve even rented a place together.”

Upon hearing this, the smile slowly faded from Phoebe’s face.

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