Crossroads

The car exited the highway and headed towards the largest private hospital in Caelorium.

The man at the wheel kept glancing at the woman beside him, and finally said, "Steffi, Jessica looks so much like you. She..."

"She's not related to me by blood!" Stephanie said blankly before quickly adding, "Please let me off at the front."

The man parked the car on the side and turned to gaze at her profile, his tone suppressing complex emotions. "I'm just concerned about you...

"Kevin! I told you I don't need your concern!"

Stephanie eagerly opened the car door, wanting to get out.

"Stephanie, there's no need to avoid me like this. I truly mean no harm to you. If I wanted to harm you, I would have done it in the past three years."

Kevin paused, his eyes reflecting a mix of emotions.

Then, he spoke calmly. "I just want to say that the women in our circle may look innocent, but they're not. Jessica's resemblance to you is likely due to plastic surgery. You need to be careful."

Stephanie was somewhat surprised because Kevin did sound genuinely concerned.

She opened the car door and stepped out, lowering her gaze to meet the man inside the car. She spoke slowly and deliberately. "Kevin, you're here this time in Caelorium for your marriage with Claire, right? Frankly, I'm not so generous to be able to forgive you, so I won't give you my blessings! But I won't stand in your way either. Remember, we're done."

She separated her feelings clearly. When she loved someone, she would give it her all, and she did not care for the concerns that came too late.

Meanwhile, he sat in the car, glaring fiercely at Stephanie who was walking away. "Stephanie!"

For some reason, he couldn't control himself and shouted loudly at her retreating figure, "Stephanie, I care about you not because you're from the Reed family! I just..."

It was because...

Kevin watched her disappear around the corner. Even he couldn't answer the question himself as to why he cared about her.

As he had pledged to George that he would marry Claire, he and Claire went to the city hall to sign the papers and obtain their marriage license the next day. All the wedding preparations went on smoothly in the last few days, yet a sense of inexplicable melancholy and reluctance lingered in his heart.

Kevin, consumed by frustration, unleashed his anger on the steering wheel, causing the car horn piercing through the air like a sharp cry.

In the midst of his tumultuous emotions, a blend of restlessness and confusion enveloped him, as if certain truths were veiled from him, and he had been deceived and manipulated all along Meanwhile, at the bend in the road, Stephanie took a deep breath. Furrowing her brows, she muttered in annoyance, "What's gotten into him7

10:36

However, Jessica was flaunting her closeness with Dominick in the private room earlier, and Kevin's sudden appearance somewhat saved Stephanie from being further embarrassed.

Without dwelling on it too much, Stephanie composed herself and headed towards the hospital across the street.

Her visit to Caelorium was solely to see her grandmother in the e hospital. She planned to return to Havencrest soon as this place made her feel uneasy.

As she entered the hospital ward where Samantha was admitted, the elderly woman greeted her with delight. "Steffi, you're here."

In contrast to her grandmother's excitement, Stephanie remained composed. "Grandma, how are you feeling?"

"Where's Dominick?" Before she could say anything else, Samantha eagerly scanned the area behind her.

However, seeing no one else with Stephanie, Samantha's expression turned reproachful. "Steffi, don't always wear that stern look and make Mr. Wellington feel uncomfortable. Others are going to say that our family's younger generation lack manners."

Frozen in place, Stephanie yearned to retort, but she held her tongue.

Looking at her granddaughter, Samantha couldn't help but recall past grievances. "It's all because your mother was too petty. She pushed Courtney downstairs, causing her to suffer a miscarriage. My eldest grandson was lost because of her!"

"Grandma, that has nothing to do with my mother. Courtney fell on her own!" Stephanie bit her lip, unable to contain her rebuttal.

"Courtney was bearing your father's child. Why would she be so careless and fall on her own?" Seeing that Stephanie dared to argue with her, Samantha's face darkened, her sharp and scornful temperament emerging.

The older generation preferred boys to girls. After Courtney's miscarriage, her health problems left her unable to conceive again, which made Samantha resent Madison even more, blaming her for the end of the Reed family line.

"Grandma, I have urgent matters to attend to in Havencrest. If you need anything, just call for the nurse," Stephanie did not want to stay a minute longer if Samantha was going to continue insulting Madison.

"Wait, I haven't finished speaking!" Samantha was displeased that Stephanie was going to leave so soon.

"With your temperament, how could you serve Mr. Wellington well in the future? You've been through a divorce once. Do you want to be abandoned by a man for the second time? Our family can't afford to be embarrassed like that," Samantha mocked.

Standing outside the ward, Stephanie clenched her bag tightly and suppressed her emotions.

Samantha harbored no fondness for her; Stephanie's disposition lacked the gentle charm that Claire effortlessly exuded. She was too headstrong, too spirited from her youth, unlike the demure socialites the old lady favored. Apart from her appearance, Stephanie offered nothing to appease the old woman's expectations.

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But now, she thought it was great that Stephanie managed to marry someone from the prestigious Wellington family. With this realization, Samantha's tone softened slightly. "Steffi, you're my only granddaughter. I want nothing but for you to be happy. But there are some truths you may find hard to accept. Men prefer women like Courtney and Claire who are more obedient."

Hearing that she should emulate Courtney and Claire, Stephanie suppressed a scornful sneer.

She lifted her head, addressing the elderly woman on the hospital bed. "Grandma, if there's nothing else, I'll hasten back to Havencrest to learn how to please Mr. Wellington."

After uttering these words, Stephanie strode out without hesitation this time.

10:36

"Stop right therel I haven't finished!" Samantha, aware of Stephanie's stubbornness, shouted orders as her granddaughter walked away.

"Help your father more with his business, and make good use of the child in your belly! Don't let other women take advantage of the situation...

Stephanie slammed the door of the ward shut, and finally, Samantha's voice gradually faded into the distance.

Smiling bitterly, she muttered, "I shouldn't have come to visit her. Sometime I hate how soft-hearted I am."

Leaning her fragile figure on the hospital wall, Stephanie closed her eyes and tried to compose herself. "I want to go back to Havencrest."

Although the old man from the Wellington family always wore a stern expression, Stephanie found herself longing to return to Wellington Villa.

She knew she had no family anymore. The Reed family didn't care about her and only saw her as a tool for them. Wellington family was just a temporary refuge for her, but at least...

Suddenly, she wanted to return to Wellington Villa.

She also know that the ly to find a missed call and a text message for her.

Retrieving her phone from her bag. Stephanie intended to book the fastest return ticket, only to It was a call from Dominick.

[I'm in Caelorium.] His message was short and concise.

"Dominick is in Caetorium." Stephanie felt a strange stirring in her heart upon learning that he was here too.

Her gaze lingered on the screen, and she hesitated for a moment before lightly touching the callback button, her heart fluttering with anticipation as she awaited his response.

Stephanie pondered if should she ask him why he had come to Caelorium. Was it for business or to see her?

"Was he here to me?' Lost in a whirlwind of thoughts, her cheeks flushed with a delicate blush.

Yet, half a minute later, Stephanie's spirits plummeted as she realized the call remained unanswered.

"Why? Could it be because I missed his call earlier, so now he's deliberately ignoring me?", she m muttered despondently to herself, urging herself to try again. She was convinced he would surely answer this time.

But alas, reality proved otherwise, as Dominick continued to elude her call.

Stephanie was unhappy about it, saying to herself, "Should I wait for him to join me on the journey back to Havencrest?"

Listening to the mechanical hum on the other end, she pressed her lips together and decided to leave him a message. [Dominick, I'm staying at Royal Park Hotel.]

The phone chimed as new messages were received.

er, its owne s owner remained oblivious, as the sleek black device, along with a branded suit jacket, had been left abandoned in the car.

However,

"It sounds like Dominick's phone is ringing, right?"

Vincent immediately turned his head to look at the back seat upon hearing the sound, then glanced at Scott in the driver's seat and asked, "Should we give him the phone?"

Scott's gaze shifted towards the entrance of Elite High School, then lowered in thought for a moment before he replied nonchalantly, "Let's not disturb him."

Vincent glanced upward and saw Dominick getting out of the car, walking towards the high school alone. His expression was somewhat strange, clearly indicating his desire not to be disturbed.

Since that was the case, Vincent and Scott didn't dare to follow him into the place. The with this high schones associated hschool were quite heavy for Dominick. It had been six years, and they almost never talked about it.

However, Vincent noticed that Dominick was holding a small golden object in his right hand curiously, he patted Scott's shoulder and said, "Scott, it seems that Dominick treasures his pocket watch..."

Scott responded with a soft acknowledgment.

He remembered one time when they were hanging out at Lockchain Tower, Dominick accidentally dropped his pocket watch, and the 36- story tower was nearly wrecked.

Vincent leaned in conspiratorially. "Hey, Scott, you mentioned seeing a photo of a woman inside Dominick's pocket watch. You said it was Jessica, but did you get a good look? Was it really her?"

Scott hesitated, feeling somewhat uncertain.

He had only managed to catch a quick glimpse at the photo before Dominick snatched the pocket watch back. He hadn't looked too closely.

"It should be Jessica. Who else could it be?"

"Jessica, where are you.

At that moment, a youn