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, who stood before him, drenched

outline of her legs beneath the skirt. The soft lighting of the restaurant wasn’t bright, but it

for Stephanie

it being dinner time

is

and Hayley spoke quietly, with Hayley looking remorseful. He

night, Hayley looked back frequently with a yearning

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

is impressive,” Vincent remarked sarcastically, seating himself opposite

calmly picked up her spoon and began

jealousy, so she ran out into the rain to find you. Do you have

continued to ignore

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

Chapter 190

spoon down and said calmly,

if Stephanie said, “It’s all my fault“, it was

What was wrong

with her!

waiting at the entrance. As soon as

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

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

Stephanie without so much as a

remained impassive as she watched the man move heavily beside her, his

her immediately. But now, she couldn’t pinpoint when it had started; the dynamics between

treatment was, in

settling in her heart as she wondered.

to console her. “Mrs. Wellington, in

asked for

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

get. He better not talk to me for the rest of his life! She berated

grabbing her nightclothes and rushing for another bath. She lay in the tub, the warm water soothing

large bathrub, the droplets shimmering in the soft bathroom light, wetting

expansive with its ventilation systems in every corner, offered

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

hungry. Her thoughts wandered, realizing she hadn’t eaten enough for dinner and promptly

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

I have to tell you to not soak in the bathtub for