Phoebe was a bit angry. ‘He called me while he was with John, and I had sent John a message. So, the lie i just told was completely unnecessary.’ Phoebe retorted, “I don’t want to answer your call. What’s wrong?”

Phoebe thought, ‘Since you already know I am deliberately avoiding your call, there is no need to say more.’

Theodore chuckled and thought, ‘Don’t want to answer my call, but you could laugh so happily with another man, right? It used to be Edward. Now it’s Noah, and it will never be my turn, right?’ Phoebe’s heart was trembling as she spotted the icy smirk on Theodore’s face out of the corner of her eye. A strong hand grabbed her waist right away.

With a forceful pull, Theodore drew her into his arms.

His voice fell by her ear, tinged with anger. “Have I been too kind to you lately to allow you to forget who you are?”

Phoebe pressed her red lips tightly together and raised her hand to push him away, but he held her waist firmly and led her to a less crowded area.

She struggled harder as her mind raised alarms. She lowered her voice in anger. “Theodore, let go of me!”

“Impossible.” Theodore sneered. “You forget who you are over the few days of freedom I assign. Now, I’ll remind you of the consequences of making me angry.”

He half-carried her to the parking lot, where his car was parked. The hazard lights flashed as he opened the door and pushed her into the back seat.

Phoebe immediately sat up from the seat and crawled towards the other door. As her hand reached the door handle, she felt a strong hand grab her ankle and pull her back.

“Theodore!” Phoebe hissed, kicking with all her might.

Theodore almost lost control of her. He leaned over, pressing her down, one leg pinning her flailing legs. He said in a low voice, “You can shout, call everyone over, and let them see you like this.” Phoebe suddenly went limp.

When no one was around, anything could happen. When Theodore went crazy, he became utterly shameless.

In the past three years, Theodore had constantly pushed the boundaries in front of her.

Phoebe lay there, her heart dead, her tone cold. “If you’re going to make love, hurry up. I still have to attend their celebration party.”

Seeing her passive resistance, Theodore sneered and bit her neck.

‘You think that by acting this way, I would let you go. You are dreaming!’ Theodore thought.

As night fell, the black Maybach blended into the darkness, not very conspicuous. Theodore sat in the back seat, his long legs on the floor, a cigarette between his fingers, wisps of smoke curling up. His messy shirt, with only two buttons fastened, revealed a swath of fair chest and firm abs, both alluring and provocative.

After a few puffs, he looked behind him.

Phoebe lay on the back seat, her black hair a tangled mess, like a lazy sleeping beauty. Her makeup was smeared from crying, and her eyes were closed, the corners tinged with red.

He glanced at her and couldn’t take it anymore. He turned his head abruptly, taking a deep drag on his cigarette, which made him cough violently.

He coughed so hard that tears came to his eyes.

Phoebe lay there for a while before recovering. She picked up her clothes and dressed in silence, her lips and body burning with pain.

Enduring the pain, she dressed and got out of the car from the other side, then walked away without looking back.

Theodore propped his hand against his forehead, not looking at her. He sat in the back seat for a long time until the cigarette butt nearly burned his hand.

He suddenly snapped out of it.

He tossed the cigarette butt away, crushed it under his foot, grabbed his jacket, and draped it over his shoulder. He pulled out another cigarette, bit it between his lips, and, with a mischievous air, slid into the driver’s seat. As he started the car, he dialed a number. “Are you home? I’m coming over.”

Phoebe went to the restroom to tidy herself up. She let her hair down to cover the marks on her neck, applied some lipstick, and sprayed perfume to mask any lingering scent.

Except for the redness at the corners of her eyes in the mirror, Phoebe showed no signs of distress.

She stared at her reflection for a long moment, then suddenly splashed a handful of water onto the mirror, shattering her image into fragments. She turned and left.

In the private room, two chefs wearing tall hats were slicing fresh fish at the counter. The fish looked freshly killed, very fresh.

Two waitresses in kimonos were serving dishes, their wooden clogs clacking crisply on the wooden floor, a sound that was clear but not noisy.

After Phoebe slid open the wooden door and entered, Noah immediately stood up, his socked feet on the floor, and reached out to take Phoebe’s bag. “Phoebe, come on, we’ve been waiting for you.” Phoebe smiled at him.

Noah quickly noticed the bite mark on her neck. He bit his lip, a sharp pain piercing his heart, and he looked away.

Cindy turned around and saw Phoebe. “Come on, we’ve almost finished eating. We called you, but you didn’t answer. We think you have left.”

Cindy’s gaze swept over Noah. He had been cheerful just a moment ago, but now he seemed lost and sad.

Cindy glanced at Phoebe again but found nothing.

Phoebe patted Noah’s arm. “Come on, is the sashimi not tasty, or is the sake not to your taste that you are actually leaving the table?”

Noah obediently followed her.

The others couldn’t help but glance at him. Phoebe sat down next to Cindy, who pushed a plate of sashimi in front of her.”Try it. The sashimi at Culinary Haven is truly exceptional.” Phoebe picked up her fork, dipped a piece of sashimi in wasabi, and put it in her mouth. The sharpness of the wasabi cleared her foggy mind.

Cindy tilted her head, her peripheral vision catching the bite mark on Phoebe’s neck. The mark was deep, indicating that Theodore, who bit her, hadn’t held back. She thought, ‘Is Theodore a beast?’

Phoebe ate several pieces of sashimi, and Cindy pushed two more plates of sushi in front of her. Everyone watched her eat.

Noticing their gazes, Phoebe looked around and said, “Why aren’t you eating? Are you full just by watching me?”

One of the members chuckled. “We ate a lot earlier. We’re taking a break now. Phoebe, you look so good when you eat.”

“Stop flattering me.” Phoebe scolded playfully, “Hurry up and eat. Order whatever you want. I’ve got money.”

Another member laughed. “Phoebe has the aura of a domineering CEO.”

With a few words, everyone relaxed a bit. On stage, they were open and expressive, but in personal interactions, they were often reserved.

After all, they were dealing with company executives. Although Phoebe looked young, she managed a company. Her authoritative presence made them feel restrained. Noah sat beside her, looking lost. Cindy called his name several times before he responded, realizing he was still holding Phoebe’s bag.

He quickly put the bag down, feeling so embarrassed he wished he could bury his face under the table.

He thought, ‘I am mortified. If Phoebe realized my feelings, would she be distant from me in the future?’

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