Forbidden Passion

Francis felt that something was off with Phoebe, but she said there was no need to look further. They didn't ask much and quickly copied the video onto a USB drive for her. "Ms. Ziegler, we'll be increasing patrols around your home during this period. Don't worry, our security system is one of the best in all of Kedora." Phoebe smiled at him, "Thank you, sorry for the trouble."

"Not at all. By choosing us, you trust us, and we can't let you down," Francis said.

Phoebe tightly gripped the metal USB drive in her hand. She felt very confused but forced herself to stay calm and nodded, "Francis, you can stop here."

"Alright, Ms. Ziegler, call us if you need anything. The property management department is at your service," Francis said, waving at her.

Phoebe walked out of the property center and almost tripped on the steps outside. She stood by the roadside, looking around in a daze.

Guadalupe was still waiting for her outside. Seeing her expression, he quickly got out of the car and walked to her side, "Ms. Ziegler, did something happen?"

Phoebe looked at Guadalupe in confusion, "Guadalupe, do you think the dead can come back?"

In the middle of the night, Guadalupe felt a chill down his spine at her words. He rubbed his arms and said, "Ms. Ziegler, that's really scary. What did you see on the surveillance?"

"I saw someone who should be dead, but they appeared alive in front of me," Phoebe turned to look at Guadalupe, her expression eerie. "Guadalupe, maybe you should pinch me to see if I'm dreaming." Guadalupe was so scared that he didn't care if Phoebe was his boss. He pinched her arm, almost making her jump.

"Guadalupe, why did you pinch so hard?" Phoebe's eyes welled up with tears.

Guadalupe coughed lightly, "Your look just now scared me. Why are you telling ghost stories in the middle of the night? Let's go."

Phoebe rubbed her forehead, thinking she might be overthinking it. It was just a similar figure, not Donovan. Otherwise, if Donovan were still alive, why hadn't there been any news for three years? Guadalupe drove her back to the villa and only left after watching her go inside.

When Phoebe got home, Evelyn and Pamela had just finished making dinner. Hubert, Boris, Noomi, and Ethan climbed onto their chairs, each with a balanced meal in front of them.noveldrama

Ruby had learned to make mashed potatoes online today, and everyone had a small bowl. The sweet and tangy flavor was a hit with everyone.

Hubert, Boris, and Noomi ate quickly and all stared at Ethan, who still had more than half of his mashed potatoes left.

Noomi, sitting next to Ethan, saw that he hadn't touched his mashed potatoes much and asked, "Ethan, why aren't you eating the mashed potatoes? They're really good." Ethan said, "I don't want to finish them all at once. I want to save them to eat slowly."

The adults at the table fell silent, especially Ruby, who felt heartbroken. She looked at Ethan and said, "Ethan, if you want to eat, just eat. Don't save it. I'll make more for you tomorrow." Evelyn, feeling very sorry, put a drumstick on Ethan's plate, "Ethan, eat some meat. What's so good about mashed potatoes? Eat more meat to grow strong."

Hubert, Boris, and Noomi followed suit, putting the chicken wings from their bowls into Ethan's bowl, "Ethan, eat some meat. You need to grow strong." Phoebe smiled at Hubert, Boris, and Noomi, feeling very touched. She had raised them to be kind, generous, and willing to share.

Phoebe's sense of pride lasted only a moment before she heard Hubert say, rubbing his belly with a pitiful expression, "But I'm still hungry, Grandma. Can I have another big drumstick?"

It turned out that Hubert had given his chicken wings to Ethan in exchange for a bigger drumstick. It was a clever trade.

Evelyn, in high spirits, handed a big drumstick to Hubert. "Alright, our sensible Hubert gets one too. Boris, Noomi, you each get one as well."

The meal was very joyful. The four children had oily faces, and after dinner, Ruby took them to the bathroom to clean up.

Evelyn was washing dishes in the kitchen. Phoebe leaned against the counter, holding a bottle of water, "Mom, have you noticed any suspicious people when you took the kids out recently?"

Evelyn paused in her dishwashing and looked up at her, "I was going to tell you even if you didn't ask. I encountered something strange this afternoon."

Phoebe immediately stood up straight, her expression becoming serious, "What strange thing?"

"This afternoon, we took the kids to the small park outside the villa. I went to buy some seasoning and let them go back first. When I was coming back, almost at the community gate, I felt like someone was watching me." Phoebe's heart skipped a beat, "Did you see anyone suspicious?"

"No, the person was sitting in a car. I was scared and didn't dare to go over, so I quickly ran into the community," Evelyn said.

Phoebe's expression was serious, "You did the right thing, Mom. We don't know who they are, so we shouldn't act rashly and alert them."

Evelyn looked at Phoebe, "Phoebe, did you offend someone outside? Did they come to our door to wait for you?"

"I run a legitimate business. Who could I have offended? At most, it might be a reporter trying to take some photos. But they can't get into the community, so don't worry. I've also informed the property management, and they'll increase patrols."

Phoebe quickly reassured Evelyn to prevent her from overthinking.

"Okay, I understand. Wait," Evelyn looked at her suspiciously, "When did you inform the property management? Are you being watched too?"

"No way," Phoebe's eyes darted away.

Evelyn glared at her, "Tell me the truth. Did you offend someone? Phoebe, you've only been back for a little over two months, and now someone is already seeking revenge at our door. What have you been doing all this time?" "Mom, I really didn't offend anyone. It might just be a reporter. Don't overthink it."

Phoebe hadn't finished reassuring Evelyn when they heard a child crying from upstairs.

"It sounds like Ethan. I'll go check," Phoebe said, seizing the opportunity to escape before Evelyn could ask more questions.

She couldn't tell Evelyn about seeing Donovan in the surveillance video yet. If it was just someone who looked like Donovan, it would only lead to false hope.

Phoebe ran upstairs and heard Ruby's voice coming from the bedroom. She sounded very angry, and Ethan's distressed crying only made it worse. Phoebe didn't have time to knock and pushed the door open.

Under the bright lights, there was some moldy food on the carpet, emitting a foul smell. Ethan was kneeling in front of Ruby, crying sadly.

Phoebe walked over and saw a flash of embarrassment and awkwardness on Ruby's face. She gently asked, "What happened?"