Chapter 23
Patrick lowered his head, guilt written all over his face. “Mr. Richardson, we’re still looking. But Ms. Greene disappeared from surveillance not long after she left the villa. That makes tracking her pretty tricky. So far, no luck on her exact location.”
“Keep looking.” Declan growled.
After Patrick left, Declan’s frustration only deepened. The documents in his hands seemed to have turned blank, and he couldn’t focus on a single word.
By the time Phoebe returned to the villa in Northern District, it was already past midnight. Barely holding herself up, she pushed open the door. The moment she stepped inside, her legs gave out, and she collapsed.
Just as she was about to hit the floor, an arm caught her around the waist. She wanted to see who it was, but her eyelids were too heavy to open. Right before she blacked out, she heard a barely audible sigh.
When she woke up again, Phoebe noticed her wounds had been cleaned and bandaged. She sat up with effort, pulled on a robe, and slowly made her way downstairs.
As soon as she reached the living room, a cold sweat broke out on her back. Hearing noise from the kitchen, she was about to head that way when Mason walked out with a bowl of soup in his hands.
Mason paused his steps when he saw Pheobe, surprise flashing across his face. Immediately, he set the bowl down and strode over to steady her. “The doctor said you need to res—”
Before he could finish, a knife was pressed to his throat.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Phoebe’s voice was ice–cold, all traces of past warmth gone.
She had already told him last time to stay away from her. Now, after she got injured, he just happened to show up. That was too much of a coincidence.
Mason froze for a second and then met her gaze to explain, “I left a script here. I just came back to get it and saw you collapse. When I saw your injuries, I got a doctor to bandage you.”
Seeing Phoebe’s unreadable expression, Mason let out a quiet sigh. “If I really wanted to hurt you, do you think you’d still be standing here?”
Silence stretched between them before Phoebe finally lowered the knife. She met his eyes and said, “Sorry, I jumped to conclusions.”
Mason smiled and waved his hand. “Don’t worry about it. And don’t stress, I won’t ask anything about last night. The doctor I brought won’t say a word either.”
Phoebe
gave a small nod.
Seeing her finally let her guard down, Mason handed her the bowl and said, “Here, drink this. You lost a lot of blood, so you need to build your strength back up.”
“Thanks,” replied her.
Just as Phoebe lowered her head to take a sip, the doorbell rang.
Mason walked over to answer the door. The moment he saw who it was, his eyes flickered, but he still opened the door.
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Chapter 23
The moment he opened the door, he said, “Mr. Richardson, Phoebe-”
Before he could finish, Declan shoved Mason aside and stepped into the room, his towering presence filling the space.
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His eyes instantly landed on Phoebe, who was sitting at the dining table in her robe and sipping soup. His expression turned ice–cold. “So you spent days with this guy?”
Phoebe hadn’t even spoken before Mason cut in, “Mr. Richardson, don’t get the wrong idea. Phoebe
Declan’s glare turned lethal and he interrupted Mason, “Did I ask you? Or is Phoebe mute now and needs you to speak for
her?”
Mason’s face turned awkward, his brows knitting together. “You’re her husband, and yet you have no idea-”
“Mason.” Phoebe took a deep breath and met Mason’s gaze. She said in a calm tone, “Thanks for taking care of me. Why don’t you leave now? I’ll treat you to dinner another day.”
Mason’s eyes dimmed slightly, but he nodded. “Alright. Take care.”
Grabbing his script, Mason left.
Silence swallowed the room, suffocating both of them. Phoebe continued drinking her soup as if nothing had happened.
Declan let out a cold laugh and demanded, “Don’t you think you owe me an explanation?”
Without a word, Phoebe walked over to a drawer beneath the TV, pulled out a card, and placed it on the table. Her expression was calm, almost indifferent. She said, “There’s 15 million dollars on this card. Tomorrow, we’re getting the divorce papers signed.”
“Phoebe!” Declan’s eyes burned with fury. He grabbed her wrist, his grip tight. “What the hell is going on between you and Mason?”
AD
