Crossroads

Chapter 190

Stephanie leaned back, casually glancing towards the restaurant entrance, her gaze tinged with boredom and mild curiosity.

In the next heartbeat, her eyes widened slightly, caught off guard by what she saw.

“Thank goodness you’re

you’re here. The words rushed out from a figure sprinting towards her breathlessly.

Stephanie struggled to comprehend the situation. Hayley appeared before her, drenched to the bone. Water dripped from her clothes, hair, and fingertips, painting a picture of utter disarray.

“What are you doing?” Stephanie asked, a hint of disbelief coloring her tone

Hayley’s voice trembled with urgency and regret as she gasped for air. “Stephanie, I’m so sorry, I used Dominick’s phone earlier, but I shouldn’t have answered your call just now…” Her complexion, pale from the torrential rain, betrayed her distress. “We were worried sick about you. Please don’t be angry with Dominick. I’m really sorry about this.

“She was sorry? What for? Stephanie wondered.

“Stephanie, why are you being so willful!”

From beyond the restaurant’s glass doors, a figure strode purposefully towards them, his voice laced with biting frustration

“In this pouring rain, you run off and then shut off your phone. Are you deliberately seeking attention, Stephanie?“

Vincent’s anger flared, his e

Leyes narrowing as he observed Stephanie seated calmly while Hayley stood before her, soaked and apologetic. He fought the urge to reprimand her on the spot.

He had cautioned Dominick countless times against indulging women as it only fostered unnecessary drama.

The atmosphere in the small restaurant, which was not more than a thousand square feet in size, tensed noticeably with the arrival of these prominent guests.

The few waitstaff huddled in a corner, if their memory served them right, recognized the man with brown hair as Vincent, the most popular among women in the city. The other man, though unfamiliar to them, seemed even more formidable and less approachable based on his demeanor.

Clearly, these were important individuals

Stephanie’s face remained impassive, unmoved in her seat.

Ignoring Vincent’s chastisement completely, she sat in silence. Yet, she couldn’t ignore Dominick’s intense gaze, which spoke volumes.

“What have I done wrong this time? Stephanie thought.

remained expressionless, his gaze finally settling on Hayley, who stood before him, drenched

attire, a white, semi–transparent dress, clung to her damp skin, revealing her delicate shoulders and the faint outline of her legs beneath the skirt. The soft

for Stephanie to

being dinner time with many patrons

is all my fault,”

needed to leave quickly in her drenched state. Outside, Dominick and Hayley spoke quietly, with Hayley looking remorseful. He handed her his coat,

car drove through the rainy night, Hayley looked back frequently with a

with a tray, carefully placing a small pot of soup on the table. Stephanie turned her attention away from the scene outside the

is impressive,” Vincent remarked sarcastically, seating himself opposite

react angrily. She calmly picked up her spoon and began eating, treating Vincent as if he

more agitated. “Hey, Stephanie, have some self–awareness. Hayley was worried you’d turned off your phone because of jealousy, so she ran out into

to ignore

to reprimand you?” Vincent persisted, sensing something unusual in

Chapter 190

she set the spoon down and said calmly, “It’s all my fault” With that, she stood up and walked towards the restaurant door

all my fault“, it was said in a

What was wrong

with her!

the entrance. As soon as they got out of the car,

woman stepping out of the car seemed oddly

paused, momentarily taken aback by the request before turning to Dominick who had also emerged from the car. “Mr. Wellington, earlier on the phone, you mentioned.

Stephanie without so much as a glance

impassive as she watched the man move heavily beside her, his steps echoing with

he would have surely reprimanded her immediately. But now, she couldn’t pinpoint when it had started; the dynamics between them had shifted. For instance, they were silent on the entire way home without talking

was, in fact, worse than

a chill settling in her heart as she wondered.

her. “Mrs. Wellington, in truth,

for his

seething with frustration. Unable to contain it any longer upon their return home, she vented her anger, slimming the door shut behind

what he would get. He better not

for another bath. She lay in the

splashed the water in the large bathrub, the droplets

systems in every corner,

soothing warmth, the full–length mirror on the right wall obscured by a haze

can’t let my sons go hungry. Her thoughts wandered, realizing she hadn’t eaten enough for dinner and

then, the bathroom door swung open, startling the naked Stephanie and causing

to not soak