Seeing Madison bolt into the elevator, Carol snapped her mouth shut in surprise and muttered, “Some folks never grow up; always stuck in their own little bubble, totally clueless about right and wrong.” Phoebe pursed her lips, glanced towards the office, and after a beat, asked, “Do I need to grab any documents?”

“Yeah, these are all of ’em.” Carol quickly shoved the papers her way.

Phoebe scooped up the documents and headed into the office.

The place was a wreck, and Theodore’s favorite ornament lay shattered on the floor.

Phoebe looked up to see Theodore by the floor-to-ceiling window, puffing on a cigarette, white smoke curling around him.

She set the documents on the desk and slowly walked over to Theodore, reaching out to take the cigarette from his hand. But in the next second, Theodore grabbed her wrist.

Caught off guard, Phoebe found herself pushed against the glass, Theodore’s lips crashing onto hers.

The sharp taste of nicotine hit her mouth, making her cough. Theodore let her go, but kept his forehead pressed against hers. He murmured, “Sorry.”

Phoebe caught a hint of vulnerability in his voice. Her coughing eased, and her eyes misted over, making her look soft.

She asked, “I heard you called Madison up early this morning. Did you tell her about the paternity test?”

Theodore took a deep drag, inhaling too fast and choking, which made him cough hard.

Seeing this, Phoebe gently patted his back and took the half-burned cigarette from his hand, snuffing it out in the ashtray.

Theodore grabbed her wrist again, his fingers slowly sliding down to interlock with hers.

He replied, “Yeah.”

Phoebe was stunned, “Why so sudden?”

Theodore pulled her into his arms, resting his chin on her shoulder. After a long pause, he spoke wearily, “This needed to be dealt with sooner rather than later.” After getting the paternity test results yesterday, Theodore was torn about whether to tell Madison.

But the video from last night shattered him. Madison, desperate to keep the truth about the identity swap hidden, had already gone as far as harming Grace. That was something Theodore couldn’t tolerate.

In his mind, Madison, even if spoiled and willful, was never someone who’d take a life lightly.

But the facts were right there, leaving him no choice but to believe.

Theodore thought about it all night and finally decided to call Madison to the office to ask why she did it.

What he didn’t expect was Madison’s intense reaction. She accused him of wanting to kick her out of the Reynolds family as soon as he had a new sister and blamed Phoebe for instigating it, vowing not to let Phoebe off. Furious, Theodore showed Madison the video. Only then did she quiet down, kneeling and begging him not to send her back to the Sullivan Family. She didn’t want to go back.

Seeing Madison, whom he’d cherished since she was young, crying and begging, Theodore couldn’t bear to kick her out.

Phoebe knew that once Theodore made a decision, he wouldn’t procrastinate. “Yeah, it’s good to tell her.”

Sooner or later, Madison would find out. It’s better for her to know now; maybe then she wouldn’t harm Grace. That would be a good thing.

However, Madison still ended up hating Phoebe. Madison must have thought she had said a lot of bad things about her to Theodore, leading to her current situation. So be it.

Let her hate. Phoebe had done nothing wrong, but Madison never thought she was some pure and kind soul anyway.

Just before clocking out, Phoebe got a call from Evelyn, asking when she’d head to the hospital. Evelyn wanted to tag along to visit Brandon.

Phoebe was gonna pick up Evelyn, but with rush hour traffic, Evelyn decided to swing by the office and wait for her instead.

By the time work wrapped up, Evelyn was already there.

Theodore had a last-minute meeting and couldn’t join them, so Phoebe and Evelyn went ahead without him.

In the car, Evelyn sat shotgun and asked about Brandon’s condition.

Phoebe said, “He just woke up yesterday. The doc said the brain hemorrhage from the fall messed with his memory. He might not remember some stuff. If he doesn’t recognize you, don’t take it personally.” “Is it that bad? Will it mess with his smarts?” Evelyn looked at her, wide-eyed.

Phoebe said, “He seems sharp as ever. Why would you think it’d mess with his intelligence?”

Evelyn shrugged, “A friend’s husband had a brain hemorrhage from a fall. After the hospital saved him, he was out of it for a long time. Even after some recovery, he kept forgetting things, repeating himself.” Phoebe imagined Brandon in that state. The thought was too grim to bear. She shook her head, deciding not to dwell on it.

“By the way, when we get to the hospital, let’s hit up the OB-GYN for a check-up. You’ve been on the meds for almost half a year; we should see if they’re working.” Evelyn suddenly remembered and brought it up. Phoebe frowned, “No need for a check-up.”

“Why not? With all the drama in the Reynolds family lately, a baby could bring some joy.” Evelyn said.

Phoebe gripped the steering wheel, “I got my period these past two days. If we need to check, let’s wait until after my cycle.”

Hearing Phoebe mention her period, Evelyn knew her hopes were dashed again. She stared at Phoebe’s abdomen, “Can’t you be a bit more cooperative and give birth to a child?”

“What do you expect I to do? The doc said it’s almost impossible for me to conceive. We’re just trying our luck now.”

Before Phoebe could finish, Evelyn slapped her arm hard, causing the steering wheel to swerve. Phoebe quickly corrected it, breaking into a cold sweat, “Hey, I’m driving.”

Evelyn glared at her, “You mustn’t say such things. You’re still young; how can you not conceive?”

Phoebe pressed her lips tightly, her arm numb from the slap. She didn’t want to upset Evelyn further.

Phoebe comforted, “Fine, I’ll try my best to get treated and have a baby to make you happy, okay?”

Evelyn knew Phoebe was just placating her but was still pleased, “Yes, that’s the kind of blind confidence you need. Phoebe, it’s hard to keep a family together without kids.” Phoebe stayed silent.

Evelyn looked at her, “Don’t think I’m exaggerating. Even regular families need a kid to feel complete. For a wealthy family like the Reynolds, it’s already good they aren’t forcing you to have a bunch. Don’t brush it off. Even the government is pushing for more kids now.” Evelyn said, remembering something, “Benjamin isn’t even a year old, and Delilah is already urging Bianca to have another.”

Phoebe hadn’t heard about the Vanderbilt family in a while. Hearing Evelyn mention them now felt like a lifetime ago, like it had been ages.

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