Crossroads

Stephanie returned to her old high school, and since today was the school's centennial celebration, the campus is was very lively.

She excitedly grabbed Dominick's arm and shared memories of her past. "I used to climb this very tree back then. Sometimes when I missed curfew, I'd climb the tree to jump the wall, but more often it was to hide from people."

Dominick looked down at Stephanie, whose cheeks were flushed with excitement, and let out a resigned laugh as he let her chatter on.

Vincent also had followed along and now couldn't helpingly tease her, "Who were you hiding from? Your admirers?"

Stephanie, not one to be modest, nodded and replied, "Yes, it was quite troublesome."

Vincent immediately rolled his eyes at her words. "You surely are confident."

Instead of arguing with him, Stephanie reminisced seriously, "Confidence is something you develop. After my mother passed away back then, I had a fallout with my family. I didn't want to rely on the Reed family's money, so I started working part-time jobs. I was clueless at first, constantly getting scolded, and sometimes wrongly accused. But to avoid starving, I had to toughen up and be confident!"

Dominick felt for her at these words.

Stephanie looked up at the locust tree across from the school and started to get lost in her thoughts.

Since her mother's suicide when she was 17, she had become extremely sensitive. Her first year after breaking off from the Reed family was very tough.

And since Diana was in poor health, Stephanie gave all her scholarships to Diana. She always tried to act tough, but in reality, she had only about 20 dollars left for food for the entire semester.

There were times when Stephanie even went days without eating. Once, unable to bear the hunger any longer, she ate a meal without paying and ran out of the restaurant while being chased by the staff.

She had been the pampered young lady of the Reed family since childhood, so being criticized for dining and dashing was deeply distressing for her. But Stephanie was truly hungry back then and had no other choice.

Stephanie was terrified back then. As she heard the curses and footsteps of those chasing her, she swiftly climbed up an old locust tree on a secluded path, curled up among the leaves, and held her breath in fear.

She didn't know how long she had been up there. It wasn't until the sunset painted the street in a dim light that Stephanie cautiously poked her head out to look around.

However, just as Stephanie leaped down from the tree, a man suddenly appeared on her right.

She then landed squarely on him.

The man was casually g with headphones on when Stephanie suddenly fell from above, knocking him down to the ground.

Instead of cursing at her, he looked utterly bewildered.

Stephanie didn't dare to look at his face, thinking he must be furious.

After quickly climbing off the man, instead of apologizing, she wore a fierce expression and angrily scolded him, "Can't you watch where you're going? Don't block my way..."

She actually didn't know why she was angry, perhaps it was because the man was dressed in expensive clothes, which made her feel resentful as she too had once been a cherished heiress of high society.

Still, Stephanie was scared for her life. After scolding the man, she immediately ran off Looking back now, she felt like she had been too arrogant at that moment. Fortunately, the man didn't seek revenge on her.

As Stephanie recounted her hardships, Vincent looked surprised.

He turned his head, only to notice Dominick was also gazing at the same tree as if reminiscing about something.

"I used to work at that beverage outlet over there. Their milkshakes are famous and delicious," Stephanie said, pointing to a shop across the street.

The beverage outlet had expanded and was now full of customers. Stephanie had planned to just grab a milkshake and leave, but the shop's owner recognized her and specially set up a table for her.

The plump owner smiled as she handed the menu to Dominick. "Steffi used to work here. She was the star employee here, drawing in lots of customers."

His expression was somewhat strange, but he took the menu nonetheless. "Let me do the ordering." Vincent said, as he knew very well that Dominick had never been to such a crowded place before and couldn't possibly know what to order.

Just then, a coquettish voice rang out from their left. "They have a couple's combo here, Kevin. Should we get one?" Upon hearing this, Stephanie's face immediately darkened.

Vincent raised an eyebrow and looked over in the direction of the voice. It was indeed Kevin and Claire, and they were with a three-year-old girl, looking like a cozy family of three.Property belongs to Nôvel(D)r/ama.Org.

Dominick and the two of them already stood out with their appearance and attire. So, when Claire turned to call the waiter, she saw them and paused for a moment. Afterward, she fixed her gaze sharply on Stephanie with a grim and unpleasant expression.

Stephanie felt irritated by the recent events involving the Reed family and didn't want be in the same space as Claire and the others. Therefore, she stood up, ready to leave. "Let's go. There's nothing good to eat here anyway."

However, Claire intentionally raised her voice and spoke softly. "Kevin, let's go. I don't want to upset Steffi."

At this, Kevin looked up with a complex expression at Stephanie.

Vincent disliked Claire and coldly mocked, "What do you have to be upset about, Stephanie? You already have Dominick by your side, and you two even got a marriage license. Your relationship is out in the open. Unlike some people, hiding behind lies and parading their out-of-wedlock kid around. Come on, if you have no shame, you still got to consider the kid's emotional well-being."

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Claire's face then turned pale upon hearing his words.

Vincent lowered his voice and asked, "What are you afraid of them for, Stephanie!"

Stephanie then sat back down with a complex expression. Afterward, Vincent casually ordered a table full of desserts and drinks. Even though neither he nor Dominick were fond of sweets, he just wanted to annoy the people across from them Claire and Kevin didn't leave either, and they also ordered a table full of drinks and sweets, with her leaning affectionately against Kevin.

"Kevin, this tastes really good. Here, try some," Claire smiled as she scooped a spoonful of ice cream she had just tasted and brought it to his lips.

Vincent had dated countless women and loathed the overly dramatic types the most. Therefore, as he looked at Claire, his eyes blazed with fury.

He turned and glared at Stephanie across the table. "Do something to retaliate, quick!"

She looked downcast, refusing to glance in their direction,

"Stephanie, don't tell me you still care about that Kevin. What do you see in him anyway? Are you blind?" Vincent yelled.

Dominick, on the other hand, just glanced thoughtfully at Stephanie beside him.

"It's not that, I just..." She felt Dominick's intense gaze, lowered her head to take a sip of her milkshake, and didn't finish her words. Vincent was frustrated, thinking. 'These days Stephanie has been using Dominick to throw her weight around and bully us. But now, when she encounters those two jerks, she suddenly becomes timid."

He then stirred the pot, saying, "Stephanie, Courtney became your stepmom at just the age of 20, and now her sister Claire has stolen your man. How can you still endure it? You're really tolerant."

Stephanie gripped her milkshake tightly and glanced out of the corner of her eye at Claire, who was looking back at her with smug, scornful expression. Stephanie immediately felt a surge of anger boiling inside.

Stephanie then suddenly lifted her head and called out. "Dominick."

When he turned to look at Stephanie, she suddenly leaned forward, wrapped her right hand around his neck, and kissed him on the lips.

Vincent, who was sitting across from them, was taken aback by the scene.

As Dominick and Stephanie, who were both strikingly attractive, embraced and kissed passionately in the crowded beverage outlet, they managed to capture the attention of everyone around.

Dominick was momentarily stunned and could not quite grasp the situation yet. At that moment, he could only feel Stephanie's inexperienced kiss dancing across his lips as a blush spread across his usually stern face.

Kevin glared at them, feeling extremely uncomfortable inside.

This was actually Claire's first time meeting Dominick. He was the kind of man whose looks and background were enough to drive any woman crazy, yet he ended up with Stephanie, which infuriated Claire, However, to everyone's surprise, Dominick suddenly got flustered and disdainfully pushed Stephanie away.

"Don't touch me!" Dominick's voice was hoarse and cold.

Stephanie didn't even get a chance to speak before she saw him angrily stand up and stride out with a dark expression, leaving her looking embarrassed. She wondered, 'It was just a kiss. Why are you so angry?"

"Steffi, don't be too forward with men... Don't worry, I don't think Dominick is that upset with you," Claire from the opposite table said in a seemingly caring tone, though there was a hint of satisfaction in her voice.

"Once you marry Kevin and become part of the Nelson family, then you can start calling him by his first name," Vincent snapped at her and then turned to Stephanie. "Let's go."

Once they got outside the beverage outlet, Stephanie anxiously asked, "What's wrong with him?" She thought, 'Dominick even drove off by himself. Is he really that angry?'

Vincent t was a also puzzled, but after thinking about it, he tried to explain to her, "Dominick has never liked physical contact with women since he was young. He only ever had one girlfriend before. And he tends to react strongly when other women touch him because he finds it very repulsive."

Stephanie then felt somewhat disheartened.

She pondered, "So, even a playful kiss from me is repulsive to him. I thought foreigners often kiss. Didn't he grow up abroad? Why did he react so strongly?" Stephanie complained to Vincent, "It's all your fault, you told me to retaliate. What do we do now? He's so angry he drove off by himself. I didn't mean to..."

"Yeah, I did tell you to retaliate. But who would have known you'd be so bold to actually kiss him," he replied. Vincent then. thought, 'Not many people would dare to kiss Dominick like that. Most likely, they'd end up with broken bones from his retaliation."

Afterward, Vincent drove Stephanie back to the hotel. On their way back, he suddenly received a call from Dominick.

Stephanie nervously leaned closer to Vincent and asked, "How is he? Please tell Dominick I dare not do it again. I swear I won't harbor any feelings for him."

Vincent hung up the phone and asked to her surprise, "Stephanie, was that milkshake you had mango-flavored?"

"Yes, it was made with real mango juice." Stephanie nodded. Vincent's expression then darkened, and he sighed inwardly, 'No wonder."

Upon seeing his mysterious demeanor, Stephanie couldn't resist asking, "What's really going on with him?"

"It's nothing. He said he'll return to Havencrest the day after tomorrow," Vincent replied, his expression somewhat evasive. He

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added, "Oh, and Dominick said he doesn't want to see you for the next few days."

Upon hearing that, Stephanie felt even more disheartened.

Meanwhile, Dominick sat m

expressionlessly in the hospital, emergency room while receiving an They IV drip.

When Vincent arrived at the emergency room and saw him, he had to cover his mouth to stifle his laughter.

"Dominick, are you....are you okay?" he asked with concern, his voice trembling with suppressed laughter.

Dominick glared at Vincent and asked, "Did you tell her?!" His voice was eerily frightening

"No... No, I didn't," Vincent replied. He wouldn't dare to reveal Dominick's mango allergy.

However, seeing Dominick in this state, He couldn't help but laugh out loud. He pondered amusedly, Getting a forced kiss from a woman and breaking out in hives, this must be Dominick's most embarrassing experience ever."

Dominick looked at the bottle of anti-allergy medicine hanging above him, his face darkening.

He thought irritably, "Stephanie, that woman, always causing me trouble!" Stephanie, however, had no idea what was going on with Dominick. Since the day she had forcefully kissed Dominick, she hadn't seen him again.

After having dinner, Stephanie felt gloomy and went for a walk by the riverbank nearby.

It was truly humiliating and hurtful to her pride that Dominick had pushed her away angrily and left, leaving her in the beverage outlet.

As Stephanie walked along the riverbank, she was lost in her thoughts. 'Does he really hate me that much..."

Just then, a man with a complex expression suddenly hurried toward her from behind. "Steffi, wait a minute..."

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