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.

finally settling on Hayley,

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 wasn’t bright, but it highlighted her

was rare for Stephanie to

being a public place and it being dinner time with many

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

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

drove through the rainy night, Hayley looked back frequently with

of soup on the table. Stephanie turned her attention away from the scene

impressive,” Vincent remarked sarcastically, seating himself

angrily. She calmly picked up her spoon and began

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 you. Do you have any

continued to ignore

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

Chapter 190

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

fault“, it was said in a fit of anger. But tonight, her calmness

What was wrong

with her!

As soon as they got out of the car, she hurried over to

quivered with concern. But the woman stepping out of the car seemed oddly

before turning to Dominick who had also emerged from the car. “Mr. Wellington, earlier on the phone, you mentioned. He mentioned that

striding past Stephanie without so much as a glance and headed

watched the man move heavily beside her,

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

was, in fact, worse than

chill settling in

trying to console her. “Mrs. Wellington, in truth, Mr. Wellington is worried about

for

seething with frustration. Unable to contain it any longer upon their return home,

it’s the silent treatment he wants, then that’s what he would get. He better not talk to me for the rest of his life! She berated

was incensed, grabbing her nightclothes and rushing for another bath. She

droplets shimmering in the soft bathroom light,

its ventilation systems in every corner, offered her a sense of security as she

lost track of time in the soothing warmth, the full–length mirror on the right wall obscured

go hungry. Her thoughts wandered, realizing she hadn’t eaten

then, the bathroom door swung open, startling the naked Stephanie and causing her to almost slip

to not soak in