Phoebe and Theodore strolled past the secretary’s desk, fingers intertwined. Carol, catching sight of their clasped hands, nearly knocked over her water cup in shock. She quickly stood up. “Mr. Reynolds, Ms. Ziegler.”

Theodore, always the ice king in front of others, gave a slight nod without even glancing around and headed straight for the elevator.

Carol watched them go, then sneakily pulled out her phone to snap a pic of their retreating figures.

Once Phoebe and Theodore were in the elevator, Carol plopped back down. She checked the new employee group chat, which was already blowing up with messages.

That morning, Donovan had thrown a fit in the CEO’s office, and now everyone was buzzing, betting that Phoebe was about to lose her spot.

The drama was juicy, and everyone was eating it up.

Phoebe was just a regular girl, and a lot of the female employees had a chip on their shoulder about her. Why did she get to marry into money while they were all stuck working? Carol anonymously dropped the photo in the group chat with a caption.

Carol: [Check out this lovey-dovey couple!]

The chat went dead silent.

The Reynolds Group was smack in the middle of the bustling financial district, right next to a mall and a pedestrian street lined with bubble tea shops.

The afternoon sun was blazing, and the pedestrian street was packed. Most of the bubble tea shops had lines out the door.

Theodore turned to Phoebe. “Which bubble tea do you want?” he asked, still holding her hand.

Phoebe tried to remember the bubble tea Donovan had bought. It seemed to be from the shop with the longest line.

She pointed. “There are so many people. Let’s find a shop with fewer people.”

Theodore led her straight to that shop and joined the end of the line. “Let’s get this one,” he said.

Phoebe tilted her head to look at Theodore. The sunlight filtered through the buildings, casting a glow on him. His high nose and deep-set eyes gave him an aloof, indifferent vibe. Theodore was tall, and just standing there, he drew attention.

Phoebe asked, “This shop has the longest line. Won’t you get impatient?”

Theodore smiled but didn’t answer. Instead, he started talking about something else, “When I was a kid, my mom took the three of us to an amusement park. I really wanted to go on a ride, but it was the farthest from the entrance and had the longest line. By the time we got there, the line was already super long.”

It was the first time Phoebe had heard Theodore talk about his childhood, and she listened closely.

Theodore continued, “The line was too long. Christopher wanted to do something else, and Madison wanted to ride the carousel. My mom was alone and couldn’t make all three of us happy at once. I was the oldest, so I had to give in.” Phoebe was surprised.

Theodore added, “Later, I thought about that day a lot and felt regret for missing that ride. So, Phoebe, some things can’t be missed. If you love it enough, it’s worth waiting in line for hours on end.”

Phoebe suddenly felt that Theodore made a lot of sense.

Phoebe asked, “Do you still want to go on that ride now?”

Theodore shook his head. “I’m an adult now, so some things, once missed, are missed forever. Since then, I’ve told myself that I won’t miss anything I like in the future.”

As Theodore said this, he looked at Phoebe with a gaze so intense it felt like he was peering into her soul.

Phoebe’s heart did a little flip. Even though she hadn’t had the bubble tea yet, she felt a sweetness bubbling up inside her.

Phoebe asked, “Have you missed anything since then?”

She was fishing to see if Theodore had ever missed someone he liked.

Just as Theodore was about to spill, his phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID, gave Phoebe a quick gesture, and stepped aside to take the call. Phoebe moved forward with the line, keeping an eye on Theodore from a distance.

She couldn’t hear the conversation, but whatever was said made Theodore frown. After a few words, he hung up and quickly walked back to her.

“What’s up? Is there an emergency at the company?” Phoebe asked.

Theodore looked at the long line, clearly torn. He had just said he wouldn’t miss out on things he liked, but now he was about to eat his words. Wasn’t it a bit too soon? Theodore called, “Phoebe.”

Phoebe had been with Theodore for almost five years and could read him like a book. She knew they weren’t getting bubble tea today. She said, “I suddenly don’t feel like bubble tea anymore. Let’s go.” Theodore looked at her, wanting to say something but holding back. “It’s okay. You stay here and wait in line. I’ll go handle it.”

“I really don’t want it anymore. Let’s go,” Phoebe said, stepping out of the line first.

Theodore hesitated but then followed her. Once he caught up, Phoebe asked, “Theodore, what’s wrong?”

“Mom got into a fight with Marlowe, and they’re at the police station now,” Theodore said.

Phoebe’s eyes widened. “Why didn’t you say so earlier? Let’s hurry over. We can’t let her be wronged.”

Saying this, Phoebe almost sprinted to the roadside, waving to hail a cab. Luckily, it wasn’t rush hour, and she quickly snagged an empty cab.

Phoebe opened the back door and got in. Once Theodore was inside, she asked, “Which police station?”

“Southside Police Station.” Theodore didn’t expect Phoebe to be more anxious than he was.

Phoebe told the driver, “Please take us to the Southside Police Station. Can you step on it? We’re in a hurry.”

The driver chuckled. “You’re a funny one, young lady. Alright, hold on tight.”

The driver floored it, weaving through traffic and barely making it through red lights. Finally, they screeched to a halt at the Southside Police Station.

Phoebe stumbled out of the car, feeling dizzy from the wild ride. She almost lost her lunch.

Theodore held her shoulder, noticing her pale face. His eyes filled with concern. “Phoebe, you okay?”

Phoebe waved him off, freeing herself from his grip. She quickly walked towards the police station. “I’m fine. Let’s go in.”

Theodore hurried to catch up.

As soon as they entered the police station, a uniformed officer approached them. “How can I help you?”

The police station was big, divided into several areas, but the dispute was being mediated in the main hall. As soon as Phoebe and Theodore walked in, they spotted Taylor. Taylor’s hair was a mess, with scratch marks on her face. Her white coat had turned gray, making her look particularly disheveled.

Marlowe, sitting on the other side, didn’t look much better. Her injuries were more severe, and her clothes were torn.

At a glance, it was clear who had taken the brunt of the fight.

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