Phoebe had a long dream where she was still Theodore’s secretary at the Reynolds Group.

She found herself in the president’s office lounge, unsure why she was there. She remembered Theodore dragging her in at noon, thinking she had lost something and went to look for it while he was away. But her luck ran out. Theodore, who was supposed to be at a lunch meeting, came back unexpectedly, trapping her in the lounge; she was too scared to come out.

Phoebe then heard Theodore talking to someone. The voice was familiar-it was Patrick, a rising star in the entertainment industry and Theodore’s friend.

She couldn’t recall their conversation at first, but one question from Patrick stood out. He asked Theodore, “Since you keep her around, isn’t it because you’re in love with her?”

The word ‘love’ made Phoebe’s heart race. She knew they were talking about her. She held her breath, waiting for Theodore’s answer.

After what felt like forever, though it was only seconds, Theodore finally responded, “Love? That’s too pretentious. Does she even deserve it?”

Phoebe woke up with her heart aching, feeling empty. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she stared at the familiar ceiling.

She thought, ‘Why did I humiliate myself by asking if Theodore loved me? He already gave me the answer, so why hadn’t I learned my lesson?’ Dragging herself out of bed, she got dressed and left the bedroom. The living room was a mess; Theodore was already gone. Standing in the empty living room, her own screams echoed in her ears. She closed her eyes, unwilling to remember more. Phoebe walked to the cat house where Ollie was hiding, clearly frightened. When Ollie saw her, its fur stood on end. With difficulty, Phoebe squatted down and hoarsely said, “Ollie, don’t be afraid. I’ll take you away from here.”

She opened the cat house and reached in. At first, Ollie bared its teeth, but after a while, realizing she wasn’t a threat, it tentatively extended a paw into her palm.

Ollie cautiously watched Phoebe, ready to retreat at any moment. But Phoebe stayed still, and eventually, Ollie felt reassured and licked her palm.

Phoebe gently picked Ollie up. She took nothing but her phone and left the Imperial Apartment with Ollie.

Phoebe was missing!

Theodore found out the next afternoon. When he came home, the place was empty, devoid of any sign of life.

He searched the house but couldn’t find her. He called her, but her phone was always off.

At first, Theodore comforted himself, thinking, ‘Phoebe is just angry, and she will come back in a couple of days.’ But by the third, fourth, and fifth days, with Phoebe still missing, he couldn’t stay calm anymore. Phoebe had disappeared just like that. Theodore immediately called Evelyn to ask if Phoebe was at the Golden Apartment.

Evelyn replied, “Theodore, Phoebe isn’t here. Did you two fight again?”

Looking disheveled, Theodore recalled the events of that day but dodged the main issue. “Mom, I’ll end the call now. If you hear anything about Phoebe, let me know.”

Evelyn wanted to say more, but he had already hung up.

Theodore clutched his phone and knocked on Cindy’s apartment door. When Cindy saw him, she sneered, “Well, look who it is. Never thought Mr. Reynolds would grace us with his presence. How honored!”

Theodore pressed his lips together. “Phoebe is missing.”

“Oh, she finally wised up and left you, huh? Good for her,” Cindy shot back.

Theodore stared at her. “Cindy, don’t think that just because you’re with Patrick, I won’t touch you.”

“It’s not clear yet who’s using whom,” Cindy retorted. “What? Beating Phoebe wasn’t enough? You want to beat me too? I’m not afraid of you.”

Theodore clenched his fists, prepared for her sarcasm. “Where is Phoebe?”

Cindy leaned against the door frame, indifferent. “You lost her and now you’re asking me? How would I know?”

“You’re her best friend. If you don’t know, who would?”

“You’re her husband. If you don’t know, how would I?” Cindy snapped. “Worried now? Where were you before?”

“Cindy!” Theodore warned, enunciating each word.

Cindy raised her head, matching his intensity. “Theodore, I’ve disliked you for a long time. If it weren’t for Phoebe stopping me, I would’ve had someone beat you up ages ago.”

“Where is Phoebe?” Theodore’s patience was wearing thin.

“Why don’t you go find her yourself? I don’t know,” Cindy said, turning to go inside. As she was about to close the door, Theodore slipped in.

“Phoebe isn’t here,” Cindy repeated.

“I know. If you don’t tell me where she is, I’ll stay here and not leave,” Theodore said, plopping down on the sofa.

Cindy had never seen such a shameless man. Furious, she shouted, “Theodore, people like you deserve to know what it’s like to be abandoned!” She stormed into the bedroom and called Patrick.

Patrick’s assistant answered, “Ms. Croix, Patrick is filming and can’t take your call right now. In a while ”

Cindy cut him off, “I’ll give him an hour. If he doesn’t come to my house and take his friend away, I’ll chop his friend up and feed him to the dogs!” She hung up. Patrick’s assistant thought, ‘Cindy is so fierce. How does Patrick manage?’

Patrick arrived at Cindy’s house within the hour.

When he opened the door, he saw Theodore sitting comfortably on the sofa as if it were his own home.

Patrick rubbed his temples. “Why didn’t you answer my calls? What are you up to now?”

Theodore, unfazed, was surprised by Patrick’s submissiveness to Cindy. “Phoebe is missing. Cindy must know where she is.”

Patrick noticed the bedroom door was tightly shut. ‘Cindy must be fuming inside,’ he thought. He lowered his voice, “Cindy is protective. Asking her is useless. You’d be better off sending someone to find her yourself.”

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