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

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 red lace

rare for

dinner time with

scold her. This is all my fault,” Hayley said, her voice tinged with

quietly, with Hayley looking remorseful. He

through the rainy night, Hayley looked back frequently with a yearning

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

is impressive,” Vincent remarked sarcastically, seating himself

didn’t react angrily. She calmly picked up her spoon and began eating, treating Vincent as if he were

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 idea

to ignore

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

Chapter 190

the soup. Finding it bland, she set the spoon down and said calmly, “It’s all my fault” With that, she stood

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

What was wrong

with her!

Sandra was waiting at the entrance. As soon as they got out of the car,

out of the car seemed

Wellington, earlier on the phone, you mentioned. He mentioned

without so much as a glance and headed directly upstairs to his

impassive as she watched the man move heavily

when it had started;

in fact, worse

settling in her

trying to console her. “Mrs. Wellington,

for his

it any longer upon their return home, she vented her

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

for another bath. She lay in the

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

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

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

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

startling the naked Stephanie and causing her to almost slip

you to not soak in the bathtub for