Forbidden Passion

Ethan ran back to the villa, his cheeks flushed and his forehead covered in sweat. Phoebe walked over and wiped the sweat from his forehead with a tissue.

"Ethan, what did the gentleman say to you?"

Ethan shyly lowered his head, "He thanked me and said I was very thoughtful."

Phoebe smiled, "Our Ethan is indeed very thoughtful. Come on, I'll take you to wash your hands. There will be dessert later."

"Yay!" Ethan happily ran to the bathroom. Before Phoebe could get there, he was already standing on a small stool, turning on the faucet to wash his hands.

Ethan hurriedly finished washing his hands and ran out without even drying them. Phoebe had to follow him to the living room, where Pamela handed him a small dessert.

Each of the four children had a treat, each with a different flavor. They sat on small stools, chatting and eating what they had while eyeing each other's treats.

Seeing this lively and heartwarming scene, Phoebe felt all her fatigue from the day melt away.

She turned to look at Harper, who was still standing outside the front door, sighed, and then went upstairs. She came to Evelyn's room and knocked on the door.

"Mom, it's me. I'm coming in."

Phoebe waited for a moment and heard some noise from inside. She suspiciously pushed the door open. In the dim room, the blanket moved.

Phoebe stood at the door for a while before turning on the light and walking in.

She walked to the bedside without saying a word, just looking at Evelyn. Evelyn's eyelids were twitching, clearly pretending to be asleep.noveldrama

It seemed like they were in a silent contest of willpower. In the end, Evelyn gave in. She pretended to have just woken up, groggily looking at Phoebe, "When did you get back?"

Phoebe sat down by the bed and said, "You were quite convincing. You were standing by the window just now, weren't you?"

"What? No way. I've been sleeping. Why would I be standing by the window?" Evelyn continued to pretend, rubbing her eyes and sitting up. "It's already dark. Has Ruby come back?"

Phoebe looked at the floor-to-ceiling window, the curtains were still swaying, but she didn't expose Evelyn further. "Not yet. She's probably working overtime for her boss again."

Evelyn sighed, "Where exactly does she work? Why is she always working overtime?" "I'm not sure. She mentioned it's a small company, and I don't want to pry. If I ask too many questions, she gets upset," Phoebe replied.

Evelyn glanced at her, "Why don't you get her a job at your company? That way, you can look after her."

"I suggested that last time, but she didn't want to. She probably doesn't want to rely on me. It's okay, she's just busy for now. After the New Year, I'll ask someone to find her a job as a kindergarten teacher. Her work will be more stable then."

Evelyn nodded, "Phoebe, you need to pay more attention to Ruby. She had a child with Donovan. No matter what she did in the past, her good deeds outweigh her mistakes."

"I know. I won't hold her past against her. Besides, we're family now," Phoebe said.

Phoebe was quite grateful to Ruby. She was also a single mother and knew how much courage it took to decide to have a child.

Just for Ruby's love for Donovan, she would let bygones be bygones and treat her as family.

Evelyn got out of bed and saw that she was still wearing slippers. She looked a bit uneasy for a moment, but Phoebe pretended not to notice.

Evelyn needed her dignity, so Phoebe decided not to expose her.

She stood up and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window. Through a small gap, she saw Harper still standing outside the front door. He really had perseverance.

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Now that he held a high position and was no longer the poor man he once was, he was still willing to stand outside, enduring mosquito bites, to seek Evelyn's forgiveness.

"Mom, how long do you plan to keep Mr. Ziegler waiting?"

Evelyn immediately withdrew her gaze from the window and said sternly, "What do you mean by that? Phoebe, are you trying to speak for him?"

"You're my mom. You've raised me for over twenty years. Of course, I have to stand by your side," Phoebe quickly said.

"That's more like it. Come on, let's go eat," Evelyn said, holding her head high as she walked out.

Phoebe shook her head helplessly. It seemed Evelyn really planned to keep Harper waiting outside. Who knew when Harper would leave?

When Harper left, Evelyn would probably be upset again.

Phoebe quickly followed, "Mom, I never realized you had a bit of a diva side to you."

Clearly, she had already softened but just wouldn't forgive the other person. What kind of mutual torment was this?

Evelyn glared at her, "Don't think I don't know what you're trying to say. You feel sorry for him standing outside, but have you thought about me? How did I get through these past twenty-some years? He even got married and had children in Caneda."

"He didn't have children," Phoebe quickly clarified for Harper.

Leonora Elikin was in poor health, and they didn't place much importance on having descendants, so she didn't leave any children for Harper.

Evelyn was furious, "Even if he didn't have children, he got married. Anyway, I won't easily forgive him for this."

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"Yes, what he did was wrong and he doesn't deserve your forgiveness. Let him suffer for what he's done," Phoebe immediately switched sides.

Evelyn: "You don't have to be so harsh."

During dinner, Phoebe took care of the four children, pretending not to notice Evelyn frequently glancing out the window.

Anyway, there was nothing to see from there, so let her worry.

After dinner, Phoebe saw that it was still early and wanted to take the children for a walk outside the community. Evelyn said, "We just had trouble during a walk a few days ago. Why go out so late?"

"I'll take Keith and Louis. We'll just walk by the lake. We won't go far," Phoebe said, bringing over the stroller.

The lakeside was crowded at night, and it was the perfect time to take the children out

to play.

"Can you handle it?" Evelyn asked, dissatisfied.

"Pamela and Elijah will be with us. The five of us can handle four kids. Do you want to come with us?" Phoebe asked tentatively.

Evelyn said coldly, "I'm not going. It's too late to go out and get eaten alive by mosquitoes."

Phoebe suppressed a smile and deliberately dragged out her words, "Then we're heading out. Remember, don't open the door for anyone you don't know." Hearing this, Evelyn knew Phoebe was deliberately taking everyone out and leaving her alone in the villa. She said, "Watch the kids. It's dark outside, don't let anyone take them."

"Got it."

As soon as Phoebe and the others left, the villa instantly became quiet. Evelyn sat on

the sofa, occasionally glancing out the floor-to-ceiling window.

The trees outside swayed, as if the wind had picked up. Harper was still outside, likely getting eaten alive by mosquitoes.