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.

gaze finally settling on Hayley, who stood before

Hayley’s 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 lighting of the restaurant

was rare for Stephanie to remain

being dinner time with many patrons

when you go back, please don’t scold her. This is all my fault,”

her drenched state. Outside, Dominick and Hayley spoke quietly, with Hayley looking remorseful. He handed her his coat, which she gratefully accepted and offered a

night, Hayley looked back frequently with

of soup on the table. Stephanie

appetite is impressive,” Vincent remarked

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

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

continued to

think I’m wrong to reprimand you?” Vincent persisted, sensing something

Chapter 190

and said calmly, “It’s all my

Usually, if Stephanie said, “It’s all my fault“, it was said in a fit of anger. But

What was wrong

with her!

at Wellington Villa, Sandra was waiting at the entrance. As soon as

are you alright?” Sandra’s voice quivered with concern. But the woman stepping out of the car seemed oddly composed, her

car. “Mr. Wellington, earlier on the phone, you mentioned. He mentioned that Stephanie was not at the hotel and that she had

past Stephanie without so much as a glance and headed

she watched the man move heavily beside her, his steps

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

in fact, worse

in her

spoke softly to Stephanie, trying to console her. “Mrs. Wellington, in truth,

for

upon their return home,

then that’s what he would get. He better not talk to me for the rest of

and rushing for another bath. She lay in the tub, the

in the large bathrub, the droplets shimmering

in every corner, offered her a sense of security as

in the soothing warmth, the full–length mirror on the right wall obscured by a haze of steam, enveloping the

thoughts wandered, realizing she hadn’t eaten enough for dinner

the bathroom door swung open, startling the naked Stephanie

not soak in