Crossroads

"What are you doing here!"

As Stephanie pushed open the door to the ward, she encountered Dominick's cold interrogation.

Stephanie's gaze fell on Jessica in the hospital bed. She paused for a moment before speaking. "I just..."

"Ms. Reed, I'm not feeling well. Dominick has been with me all this time, and we haven't done anything else! Please, don't be mad!"

However, Jessica lying in bed looked timid, as if startled by Stephanie's sudden appearance. She quickly explained, her voice weak and nervous.

"Stephanie, go back immediately!" Dominick's voice grew even colder.

Dominick turned to look at the frail and frightened Jessica as if Stephanie had come to cause trouble for the delicate beauty in bed.

Feeling a bit aggrieved by his scolding, Stephanie was also quite angry.

"It was your grandfather who sent me here! If you don't come home for Christmas, Dominick, then do whatever you want. I couldn't care less!"

Dominick's face turned dark.

With a stern face, Stephanie turned and immediately strode away, not wanting to see him.

He almost instinctively went to chase her, but his right hand was held by Jessica on the hospital bed.

"Dominick, don't make things difficult for her," Jessica softly pleaded.

"Scott told me that you married her because she was pregnant, following your grandfather's orders. She's carrying your child, after all. Don't be so harsh on her..."

The VIP floor was indeed very quiet, so even Stephanie, who had already walked out, could hear the last thing Jessica said.

"Don't make things difficult for her."

"You married her because she was pregnant, following your grandfather's orders..."

Stephanie was shocked that Jessica, with that gentle voice, was actually pleading with Dominick for her sake. But those words left a bitter feeling in Stephanie's heart.

Without hesitation, Stephanie walked briskly toward the elevator, her steps seeming a bit hurried as if she was afraid to stay there.

Suddenly, she felt like a third wheel between them.

Stephanie smiled wryly, somewhat humble.

She knew she had no right to interfere in Dominick's private matters, but....

Stephanie didn't understand why he was so cold just now as if he wouldn't spare her if she had really hurt Jessica.

Stephanie wasn't in a good mood as she returned to Wellington Villa.

"Where is he? Didn't Dominick come back with you?" George sat in the hall, and seeing her return, he asked in a deep voice..

"I don't know."

"Is he still with that damn Jessica?" George's face darkened as he cursed.

Then he looked at Stephanie with disdain. "Why are you so useless? Didn't I ask you to bring him back? It's Christmas. Can't you keep an eye on your husband!"

Stephanie had just been scolded by Dominick at the hospital, and now she was being lectured by George as soon as she returned. She felt they were just unreasonable...

Unable to tolerate it any longer, she retorted angrily, "If you want Dominick to come back, call him yourself. I'm not going to find him!"

Stephanie didn't care about her usual respect for George. She was too angry, so she turned around and went straight back to the bedroom.

"Stop! I still have something to ask you. How did things go when you and Dominick went to Reed Villa last time..." George shouted after her.

Hearing the words "Reed Villa", Stephanie quickened her pace.

George couldn't believe that she angrily left, daring to ignore him.

"Mr. George Wellington, I think Mrs. Wellington might be because..." Brad tried to intervene calmly.

"Enough, enough! Now, no one in the world fears me, right? Everyone treats me like I'm dead, daring to ignore me!" George's face turned dark.

Brad wore a wry smile. "Mr. George Wellington, the Reed family from Caelorium just called. They said Mr. Wellington personally notified them to cancel the wedding..."

George, still fuming over Stephanie's disobedience, suddenly paused. He then looked up and erupted in anger, "What did you just say?

"Dominick wants to cancel the wedding because of Jessica! How dare he!"

George clenched his teeth in frustration.

Brad sighed softly, "Indeed, Mr. Wellington did send a notice to cancel the wedding...

Brad guessed it might be because the wedding was canceled that Stephanie was upset.

George's chest heaved with rage as he reprimanded, "Jessica disappeared for so many years, and now she suddenly shows up! What's her intention? Dominick has lost his mind as he's so infatuated with that woman."

"Well, Stephanie..." Brad said, thinking of something.

George, furious, interrupted him and snorted, "Don't mention Stephanie to mel How could she be so foolish! I agreed to let her marry Dominick, yet she doesn't even try to please him. Now that Jessica is back, she even acts like she doesn't care at all. She is so weak!"

Brad couldn't help but chuckle at this, "Mr. George Wellington, Stephanie's pregnancy was just an accident. She has no feelings for Mr. Wellington..." Brad felt that Stephanie's indifference towards the appearance of Dominick's ex was understandable.

"What do you mean?" George furrowed his brow. "Are you suggesting Stephanie doesn't like Dominick?"

George was upset that Stephanie disliked Dominick raised by him personally. After all, George still remained biased towards his grandson.

Everyone chuckled helplessly.

Despite laughing it off, they couldn't help but feel that dealing with the Wellingtons was a tough job for Stephanie.

"It's Christmas. Are you really not coming back to Wellington Villa for dinner?"

Vincent received a call from Dominick and drove over to pick him up. Waiting at a traffic light, he couldn't resist asking, "Dominick, I heard you've canceled the wedding?"

Leaning against the seat back, Dominick, feeling weary, half-closed his eyes, pretending to doze off. He didn't want to be nagged by George, so he had Vincent drive over.

Hearing Vincent mention the canceled wedding, Dominick thought about Stephanie again worriedly.

Vincent gripped the steering wheel, noticing Dominick's lack of response, and glanced at him from the corner of his eye.

"Dominick, did you really cancel the wedding because Jessica returned and you didn't want to make her heart-broken? Regardless, Stephanie is legally your wife now. Suddenly canceling the wedding is unfair to Stephanie..." Vincent felt it was unjust.

Vincent didn't finish his words because Dominick suddenly snapped, "Stop the car!"

Confused, Vincent swiftly complied, smoothly pulling over.

"What's wrong?"

Vincent noticed Dominick's dark expression as he stared at the left side of the car window. Following his gaze, Vincent froze then.

Vincent was shocked to see Stephanie.

He wondered why she was wandering alone there at this late hour.

"Stephanie!" A familiar and excited voice sounded.

Stephanie was feeling down today. Dominick hadn't come back, and George had scolded her inexplicably again, so she was annoyed and decided to go out for a walk to clear her mind.

11:24 Fri, 21 Jun Chapter 36Exclusive © material by Nô(/v)elDrama.Org.

Upon hearing someone calling her name, she looked up, her face darkening even further.

"How are you feeling? Are you okay? When you were abducted, I was so worried about you. I went to the village with Dominick and the others to find you..."

Kevin happened to be driving by and saw her, so he got out of the car excitedly and ran over, quickly saying a bunch of things.

"Thanks for your concern."

Stephanie's voice turned cold as she consciously stepped back to keep him at arm's length.

Kevin felt sad, seeing her obvious detachment.

He felt they were once at least a couple. Although he had neglected her in the past, Stephanie had always put up with him for the past three years.

"Last time..." Kevin's gaze at her grew more intense. He paused for a moment and nervously asked m "Stephanie, Jast time when you jumped into the river to save me, was it because you love me, or...because you thought I was the one who saved you during the high school graduation trip?"

Stephanie's expression became complex as he brought up the past.

She had always avoided mentioning the nightmare of their high school graduation trip. Her right hand clenched slightly as she took a deep breath.

"It doesn't matter," she replied lightly.

With this, she turned to leave.

"This matters to me!" Kevin suddenly took a big step forward, gripping her arm excitedly, urging her, "Stephanie, tell me, do you still love me or not?"

She paused, looking at his determined expression, feeling somewhat ridiculous.

In truth, Stephanie wasn't sure if she had risked her life to save him because she mistook him for the man who saved her during that graduation trip....

She just had an inexplicable urge to find that man from that day, feeling as though she owed him a significant promise.

Stephanie was annoyed and didn't want to deal with him. "Kevin, it's Christmas today. Aren't you supposed to be with your lover and daughter...

Hearing her words, Kevin felt guilty.

He hurriedly explained, "Stephanie, if you still love me, why don't you face your true feelings? I promise I'll make it up to you, I'm with Claire solely because of my daughter. Give me some time to sort things out. Besides, I heard that Dominick's ex-girlfriend is back, and he sent out a notice canceling your wedding..

Upon hearing about the canceled wedding, Stephanie, who had never cared much about it herself, felt infuriated being portrayed as the abandoned one by others.

11:24 Fri, 21 Jun Chapter 36

"It is none of your business!"

Stephanie was getting more upset as Kevin kept bothering her. She immediately grabbed her phone and called for the driver from Wellington Villa to pick her up.

Kevin watched as she got into the Wellington family's car, unable to do anything but stare resentfully as the car drove away...

And at that moment when Stephanie left, Dominick said in a deep voice, "Drive back to Wellington Villa now."

"Uh, Dominick, didn't you say we were going to the bar?" Vincent, acting as his driver, trembled slightly, sensing Dominick's terrified demeanor.

"Back to Wellington Villa!" he impatiently repeated.

Vincent was startled, wondering if Dominick was rushing back to confront Stephanie. "Stephanie might have saved Kevin purely out of kindness, nothing more..." Vincent kindly spoke up for Stephanie. "Besides...

Ow Jessica is back. The wedding is canceled too. Stephanie said she would leave you after giving birth to the child. "Dominick, Don't make things too difficult for her...

Along the way, Vincent was somewhat nervous. Glancing in the rearview mirror, he was shocked to see Dominick's face growing even darker.

"Don't make things difficult for her."

Dominick found this was the second time he had heard such words today.

Dominick's face turned cold, suppressing a mixture of emotions.

His right hand clenched into a fist. Dominick was infuriated hearing others say he would make things difficult for Stephanie.

Dominick wondered when he had ever made things difficult for her!