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.

on Hayley, who

the early autumn evening, 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

rare for Stephanie

place and it being dinner time with many

This is

Outside, Dominick and Hayley spoke quietly, with Hayley looking remorseful. He handed her his coat, which she gratefully accepted and offered a small smile before slipping into the

rainy night,

on the table. Stephanie

remarked

up her spoon and began eating, treating

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 idea how guilty she

continued to ignore

you?” Vincent persisted, sensing something unusual

Chapter 190

she set the spoon down and said calmly, “It’s all my fault” With that, she

“It’s all my fault“, it was said in a fit of

What was wrong

with her!

Sandra was waiting at the entrance. As soon as

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. He

much as a glance and headed directly upstairs

as she watched the man move heavily beside her, his

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

in

in her heart

console her. “Mrs. Wellington, in truth, Mr. Wellington is

asked for his

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

what he would get. He better not talk to me for the rest of his

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

in the large bathrub, the droplets shimmering in the soft bathroom light, wetting her hair and

in every corner, offered her a

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

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

startling the naked Stephanie and causing her to almost slip

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