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.

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

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 lighting of the

was rare for Stephanie to remain

time with many patrons around, an

don’t scold her. This is all my fault,” Hayley said, her voice tinged with

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

drove through the rainy night, Hayley looked back frequently with

table. Stephanie turned her attention away from the scene outside the

appetite is impressive,” Vincent remarked sarcastically,

her spoon and

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

continued to ignore

think I’m wrong to reprimand you?” Vincent

Chapter 190

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

fault“, it was said in a

What was wrong

with her!

soon as they got

alright?” Sandra’s voice quivered with concern. But the woman stepping out of the car seemed oddly composed, her first words demanding. Td like some soup,

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

as a

impassive as she watched the man move heavily beside her,

couldn’t pinpoint when it had started; the dynamics between them had shifted. For instance, they were

was, in fact, worse

settling in her heart as

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

asked for

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

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

bath. She

in the large bathrub, the droplets shimmering

bathroom, expansive with its ventilation systems in every corner, offered her a sense of

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

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

startling the naked Stephanie and

not soak in the bathtub for too long? Get