Crossroads

These past few days had been particularly exhausting.

Three days passed before the results of the Innovate Group advertisement came out, leaving Stephanie anxious and waiting. As soon as she returned to her room at 402 from her trip, she collapsed into bed, her mind a chaotic mess, filled with a sense of wanting to escape.

She wondered. Who exactly is Lucy? What if I can't land the Innovate Group ad? Why did she make me participate in the ad audition? And why was I told to stay away from Vincent!

These questions and more tormented her mind, turning into nightmares that felt like endless mazes with no way out.

"Stephanie, don't make me angry.

"Don't do things you shouldn't, and stay away from those men because I don't like it.""

She jolted awake, lying flat on her bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.

She felt sluggish, and Dominick's voice echoed in her head. It was low and grumbling, filled with irritation, just like when he used to get mad at her.

Dreaming of her life in Wellington Villa surprisingly made her nostalgic.

Stephanie turned her head towards the window. The sky was a murky gray, making it hard to tell if it was morning or evening

"Achoo!" A cold wind had blown in, making her shiver. She quickly got up, grabbed a thick coat, and wrapped it around herself. She guessed that the cold had woken her up.

Stephanie hurried to shut the window tightly. Looking out, she saw that the streetlights in the neighborhood below were lit. It was already evening.

They had taken a flight back at dawn and arrived in Havencrest by around 8 AM. She was so tired that she forgot to turn on the heater. She grabbed a few tissues to cover her nose and realized she had caught a cold again Her phone showed a missed call from Molly around noon. She cilled back, barely saying "hello" before Molly's fierce voice came through.

"Stephanie, you caught another cold! Do you have a fever? Do you have any medicine at home?"

With her foggy mind, Stephanie listened to the loud questions on the other end and couldn't help but admire Molly's swift reaction. Her few months working as a nanny for the Roberts family seemed to have given her some authority.

Holding an electronic thermometer in her left hand, Stephanie stared at the reading of 100.76 degrees. She hesitated for two seconds. "No fever"

"Don't think I don't know you're lying. Molly snapped. "If it's a mild fever, use physical coolings, drink plenty of water, and rest. If it goes over 102.2 degrees, get to the hospital immediately Stephanie was taken aback but stubbornly refused to admit it, "I'm fine.

Molly replied, "Stephanie, you might not realize this, but your voice always sounds guilty when you lie. I don't know how you've managed all this time. You're just like Andy, that little rascal."

Molly's tirade continued while Stephanie quietly listened, feeling that Molly had changed and matured somehow.

"Molly, you're becoming more and more like an old nag, Stephanie signed, her voice heavy with the cold.

Thinking about Molly's transformation, which seemed to start when she began working at the Roberts, Stephanie checked on her friend. "Molly, you said you were quitting your job there. How's that going?"

The noise on the other end of the line increased.

"Molly, I'm hungry." It was Andy's voice, Then Molly's exasperated voice came through. "I just saw you eat three slices of pizza with my own eyes! How can you still. be hungry? Go find something else to do."

The child protested in a sweet, innocent voice. "But my tummy is still hungry. It's growling. Listen, you can hear it."

Molly glanced at his round belly, clearly irritated. That's because you overate."

"Stephanie, what were you saying?" Molly asked, returning to the phone.

Stephanie paused. She silently hung up, realizing that with Andy pestering Molly, quitting her job would not be easy.

Molly's nurturing nature made her think, "Molly would make a great mom. For some reason, this thought made Stephanie feel a bit down.

She couldn't picture herself as a good mother.

The small apartment felt so cold and empty with just her in it Stephanie ordered clam chowder on her phone and ate absentmindedly at the coffee table. The TV in front of her was playing some entertainment news, and suddenly, she thought of another friend.

"Vincent hasn't been in the tabloids for a while." She missed seeing his name in the latest gossip.

He was one of her few friends, and she hadn't meant to rush him off that day. "I wonder if he's mad?" Probably not. He was pretty easygoing.

She didn't dare tell him about Lucy. What if Lucy decided to target him? And if Vincent knew, then Dominick would surely find out soon after.

"Dominick." She placed her spoon back in the bowl, repeating his name over and over, lost in thought.

"Ms. Reed, do you believe I have your kids?"

"Don't bother asking who I am. Just cooperate and don't ask questions. I'm just informing you."

"Mr. Wellington drove a black Ferrari himself."

A sudden ring from her phone snapped her back to reality. She glanced at the caller ID, feeling a twinge of disappointment.

She had thought of him and hoped it was him, but it wasn't, It was Diana. Stephanie greeted her.

Diana said, "Molly told me you've been busy with work lately. How are you holding up? Don't overworkm yourself” Her voice was gentle. She knew Stephanie had started working at the Innovate Group but carefully avoided mentioning the Wellingtons, trying not to make things awkward for either side.

Diana was a remarkably considerate and graceful woman, a fact Stephanie knew well

While others might directly ask probing questions, Diana would always wait for the other person to speak first, never forcing the conversation Stephanie appreciated her aunt's sensitivity and care. This made it even harder for Stephanie to understand why Diana despised the Wellingtons.

Stephanie responded politely to her aunt, but there had been a rift between them ever since the car accident and the kids" misfortune. The intimacy they once shared was replaced by a cautious distance.NôvelDrama.Org holds © this.

Stephanie struggled to find something to talk about, wanting to and the awkward call. She no longer harbored resentment about the accident.

Though not the best at small talk, e

Diana had a reason for calling today. "Do you remember Mr. Tucker? He was a good friend of your Com grandfather. Our families were very close until they emigrated, and we lost touch. Recently, they came back to the country and found me.

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"I don't want to leave Havencrest for now. Stephanie wasn't sure why she added

"for now." Perhaps deep down, she was already weary of the city, vof She couldn't be certain if she'd stay forever, but she wasn't ready to leave just yet.

"It's okay. Take your time to think about it. Diana didn't press her and even hung up the phone gently.

Stephanie went to take a shower, trying to clear her mind of the many troubles that swirled within it. The warm water helped her gradually relax. Afterward, she wore a bathrobe and went to the living room. She busied herself cleaning up the takeaway boxes and the trash in the kitchen. She then did a thorough cleaning and even tidied up the bedroom. She gathered several bags of garbage to take downstairs. One bag, two bags...

Stephanie rarely engaged in housework so diligently. But as she stood outside her apartment door, watching it slam shut, she realized she had forgotten to take her keys. "Oh no." A rare look of panic crossed Stephanie's face. She checked her coat pockets, but they were empty. No keys, no money, no phone, and no bra.

It was late at night, and she had planned to throw the trash out quickly and then go to bed, not bothering to put on a bra under her long coat.

Now, she stood staring at her door, feeling oddly homeless. Suddenly, an idea came to her. She looked up, thinking about the resident in apartment 50