Phoebe didn’t waste any time getting ready. She quickly dried her hair and threw on some fresh clothes. As she walked past the vanity, she noticed she looked a bit too pale. After a quick think, Phoebe decided to slap on some lipstick to give herself a bit more color and look more alive.

When Phoebe stepped out of the walk-in closet, Theodore was already hanging out by the bedroom door. She grabbed her phone and followed him out in a hurry.

Once they were in the car, Phoebe asked, “Should we swing by the flower shop to grab some flowers?”

Theodore shook his head. “Sophia’s in the middle of being resuscitated. She won’t care if we don’t bring a gift. It’s cool.”

“Oh.”

Theodore drove out of the underground garage. “If you’re tired, you can catch some Z’s. It might be tough to sleep once we hit the hospital.”

“I’m not sleepy,” Phoebe replied.

The car zoomed along. Half an hour later, they pulled into the parking lot of Horizon Wellness Hospital. The night was windy and cold, and Phoebe and Theodore shivered as soon as they stepped out of the car. Theodore grabbed Phoebe’s wrist, and they quickly dashed through the parking lot into the inpatient building.

Since Sophia got hospitalized, this was Phoebe’s first visit. She was in the cardiology ward, and when they arrived, Vanessa was standing outside the room.

Vanessa heard footsteps and knew Theodore had arrived. She was about to cry but froze when she saw Phoebe with him.

Vanessa thought, ‘Why did Phoebe tag along?’

Phoebe greeted her confidently, “Miss Fitzroy, how’s Sophia doing now?”

Vanessa bit her lip and looked pitifully at Theodore, her eyes filled with lingering sorrow. “Theodore, the doctors are still trying to save her. I’m so scared.”

Theodore said calmly, “Trust the doctors. Sophia will be fine.”

“It’s all my fault,” Vanessa said, blaming herself. “Mom woke up this afternoon and didn’t see you. She said she missed you and asked me to call you. I told her you were busy. When you still hadn’t come by evening, she urged me to call you again. I didn’t, and she got angry.”

Phoebe felt something was off.

“Sophia’s a patient. Next time she asks you to call, just do it. Don’t upset her. Her heart can’t take any stress right now,” Theodore said.

Vanessa glanced nervously at Phoebe and said, “But I call you often. Won’t Ms. Ziegler get mad?”

Phoebe was speechless and thought, ‘You definitely did it on purpose. Bringing me up now, are you trying to get me to say I don’t mind, so you can call Theodore whenever you want?’ Theodore glanced at Phoebe, waiting for her response with interest.

Phoebe gritted her teeth. “Mr. Reynolds is super busy and might not always be able to take your calls. But I’m pretty free. You can call me, and I’ll pass the message to Mr. Reynolds.” Vanessa’s face darkened for a moment.

Theodore looked satisfied. After all this time, he finally saw Phoebe show her tough side. He said, “Vanessa, from now on, if Sophia needs me, call Phoebe.”

This matter had been decided.

Vanessa was fuming inside, ‘No wonder Theodore hadn’t come to the hospital earlier; he had brought Phoebe along. If he thinks he can get rid of me, he’s dreaming!’ Vanessa replied hypocritically, “Then I’ll trouble Ms. Ziegler from now on.”

Phoebe sneered. “Not at all. After all, Sophia is Theodore’s mentor. If we can help, we won’t refuse. But…”

Vanessa’s brow twitched. “But what?”

“Miss Fitzroy, looks like you’re not exactly Daughter of the Year. Sophia would rather lean on a student than you, who’s right there with her. That’s kinda sad,” Phoebe said, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

Vanessa’s eyes turned icy as she glanced at Theodore and said, “My mom’s always had a soft spot for Theodore. She thinks he’s reliable and responsible. If we hadn’t split back then, he’d be her son-in-law now, practically family.” “Vanessa!” Theodore warned, his voice low.

Vanessa quickly covered her mouth. “I’m sorry, Theodore. I just didn’t want Ms. Ziegler to get the wrong idea. We did date, after all. If she misunderstood and got upset with you, I’d feel terrible.”

Phoebe sneered inwardly. ‘Nice try, Vanessa,’ she thought.

Just then, the specialists came out of the room. Theodore rushed over and asked, “How’s Sophia doing?”

“We managed to save her. Her heart almost gave out earlier. Everything was stable this morning. We don’t know if something upset her,” the specialist explained.

Theodore instinctively glanced at Vanessa and said, “Thanks, doc.”

“No problem, Mr. Reynolds. Just make sure she avoids getting angry or upset. It could be fatal,” the specialist advised before leaving with his team.

Vanessa looked guilty under Theodore’s gaze and was also scared. “I’ll check on her,” she said, hurrying into the room.

Phoebe watched Vanessa’s hurried figure disappear behind the door. She narrowed her eyes. Something felt off. Given Sophia’s character back at Harvard, she wouldn’t rely on anyone other than family, especially to the point of almost driving herself to anger because Vanessa didn’t call Theodore. It seemed absurd.

Phoebe had initially thought that Theodore staying at the hospital for days without going home was because Sophia and Vanessa were using the mentor-student relationship to manipulate him. Now it seemed that only Vanessa was trying to use that relationship.

And Theodore? Was he willingly being manipulated by Vanessa, or was he genuinely fulfilling his duty as a student?

Phoebe looked up at Theodore, who was also looking at her.

Theodore asked, “What’s on your mind?”

Phoebe shook her head. “Aren’t you gonna check on her?”

Theodore said, “Since Sophia got sick, she’s been a bit like a child. James and Vanessa can’t handle her. As her student, she still sees herself as my teacher and will cooperate a bit.”

Phoebe was stunned. It took her a while to realize that Theodore was explaining why he hadn’t been home these past few days. In fact, the reason didn’t matter much to her. What mattered was whether Theodore was staying here as the future son-in-law of the Fitzroy family or simply as Sophia’s student.

“It seems Sophia really relies on you,” she said.

Theodore sensed a bit of jealousy in Phoebe’s tone. He wanted to tease her but realized it wasn’t the right place.

Theodore spoke, “I’ll go check on her. If everything’s fine, we’ll head home.”

“Okay,” Phoebe replied.

Phoebe didn’t follow him in to avoid any awkwardness. She sat on a bench, checked Facebook on a whim, and browsed the trending topics.

Patrick’s mismatched buttons were trending in the top ten. Phoebe accidentally clicked on it and saw Patrick in a black hat and mask getting out of a van. That outfit and figure looked just like the person she saw outside Cindy’s apartment. Phoebe’s temple throbbed. ‘Could it be possible?’ she pondered inwardly. ‘Could Cindy’s contract lover really be Patrick?’

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