Phoebe felt really torn. With the ties between the Ziegler and Vanderbilt families, there was no way Edward didn''t know about Donovan''s mess.


    Even if Edward didn''t know now, he''d find out soon enough.


    Phoebe had to fill Edward in on the basics. After hearing her out, Edward looked serious and said, "Why is Donovan being so dumb?"


    Phoebe pressed her lips together.


    She knew no matter how she spun it, Donovan gambling and embezzling funds was disgraceful.


    Edward saw Phoebe''splicated expression and said, "Something this big happened, and you didn''t tell me? You came to Starfall City alone. If something had happened, Evelyn would have been worried sick." "I didn''te alone," Phoebe replied.


    Edward was surprised.


    Phoebe looked him in the eye and said, "Theodore got here before me. By the time I arrived, he had almost everything sorted."


    Edward squinted at her. "What happened to your face?"


    Phoebe instinctively touched her cheek. It was cut by broken ss in a car ident. The scab had just fallen off, making it look pretty bad. "I scraped it by ident."


    Edward stared at her for a long time, a hint of sadness in his eyes. "Phoebe, when did you start lying to me?"


    Phoebe shot back, "I''m not."


    Edward just kept looking at her. Phoebe realized lying to him was pointless. They''d grown up together, and he could always tell when she was lying.


    She lowered her eyes and told him about the car ident, but she didn''t see the change in his expression.


    "A car ident?" Edward asked, puzzled.


    "Yeah," Phoebe said. "The car came straight at us, knocked us off the road, and then took off. It seemed like a warning, not an attempt to kill us."


    Edward''s eyes flickered, and his hands clenched into fists. "Any suspects?"


    Phoebe shook her head. "The only person we crossed in Starfall City was the casino owner. Maybe he sent someone to scare us."


    "Impossible!" Edward said without hesitation.


    Seeing Phoebe''s surprise, he quickly exined, "I heard that casino grudges in Starfall City are settled within the casino. Unless you owe money, they don''t retaliate outside." "But it was clear they were targeting us," Phoebe insisted.


    "Did you investigate?" Edward asked.


    "After the ident, John looked into it, but there were no cameras on that road, and the car had no tes, so we couldn''t trace it," Phoebe said.


    Edward looked at her. Even though she was sitting there unharmed, the thought that she had almost died made him anxious.


    Suddenly, Edward stood up. "I need to use the restroom."


    Phoebe was momentarily stunned, then nodded. Watching him walk away, she turned her attention back to her phone.


    After a while, she put her phone away. Still, in Starfall City, nothing seemed important.


    She decided to wait until she got back home to deal with it.


    Back in the States, Theodore slept for an entire day. He had forced himself out of Starfall City Hospital with unhealed injuries.


    After leaving the hospital, Theodore flew for hours. By the time he got back to the States, he waspletely drained. He slipped into a semia after Vanessa stormed off in anger.


    Theodore tossed and turned in fitful sleep for an unknown duration before eventually rousing. He clenched his eyes tightly shut, then abruptly snapped them open.


    "The patient is awake! Notify the family!" someone shouted near his ear.


    Theodore frowned at the loud voice. He opened his eyes to a blindingly white ceiling, a deep furrow forming between his brows.


    People crowded around him, filling his vision. He closed his eyes again and said hoarsely, "If you''re here to see my corpse, you don''t need to get this close. I''m not dead, but you''re scaring me to death." Then he got a p. "You idiot!"


    Brandon''s voice was loud. Seeing Theodore still had the energy to joke, Brandon rxed. "Mom, I told you Theodore wouldn''t die, but you didn''t believe me."


    "No one talks about their own son like that," Sarah scolded, pushing Brandon aside to get closer to the bed.


    Seeing Theodore''s pale cheeks, Sarah wiped her tears. "Theodore, you scared me to death. You were fine, so how did you end up in aa?"


    Theodore couldn''t stand seeing Sarah cry. He tried to sit up but was pushed back down by Taylor. "Don''t move. Your body hasn''t healed yet. You were reckless, rushing back to the States before recovering. You almost made things worse."


    Theodorey back down, his gaze sweeping over the concerned faces around the bed. But he didn''t see Phoebe, the one he wanted to see.


    He pressed his pale lips together and asked, "Mom, where''s Phoebe?"


    As soon as he said it, he regretted it. But Phoebe was his first thought upon waking.


    Vanessa, standing by the bed, flipped out when she heard Theodore call for Phoebe.


    Vanessa was truly resentful!


    She had been the one taking care of Theodore these past few days, so why was Phoebe still on his mind? What kind of charm did Phoebe have?


    Taylor said unhappily, "Her phone''s unreachable. She must be on a flight back to the States. What''s going on with you and Phoebe? Youe back, and she goes abroad. Didn''t you two discuss this?"


    Brandon chimed in, "It''s my fault. I asked Phoebe to go. I didn''t know Theodore woulde back without any notice."


    Sarah red at Brandon. "You knew Theodore was in a car ident and kept it from us. You don''t deserve to be his father."


    Brandon didn''t get angry. He said a few ttering words, and Sarah smiled again. She looked at Theodore and said, "Theodore, during the two days you were in aa, Vanessa took care of you. When you recover, you should thank her properly."


    Theodore''s suddena had scared them all. He needed someone by his side, and Vanessa had volunteered to stay and take care of him.


    Because of this, Sarah and Taylor''s opinions of Vanessa changed while their dissatisfaction with Phoebe grew.


    Although Phoebe had her reasons, the fact that Theodore had been hospitalized for several days without her presence made Vanessa look better inparison.


    People''s hearts were always soft, especially women who were more emotional. Sarah and Taylor couldn''t help butpare who loved Theodore the most.