Chapter 289
These past few days had been particularly exhausting.
Three days passed before the results of the Innovate Group advertisement cout, 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 | can’t land the Innovate Group ad? Why did she make me
participate in the ad audition? And why was | 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 makeangry.
“Don’t do things you shouldn't, and stay away from those men because | 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 cthrough.
“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 | 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.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtMolly replied, “Stephanie, you might not realize this, but your voice always sounds guilty when you lie. | 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 cthrough. “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
ie.”
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 sreason, 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 sentertainment news, and suddenly, she thought of another friend.
“Vincent hasn't been in the tabloids for a while.” She missed seeing his nin 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 nover and over, lost in thought.
“Ms. Reed, do you believe | have your kids?”
“Don’t bother asking who | 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.
. su )
Diana said, “Molly toldyou've
been busy with work lately. How are
3 .
you holding up? Don't OVErWOR
» . q
JEUTSER er veide vas gente. She
Khe Stephanie had started working
at the Innovate Group but carefully
avoided mentioning the Wellingtons,
trying not to make things awkward
for either side. The content is on
novelenglish.net! Read the latest
chapter there!
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 PERO
speak §iyee foreing the
cbaVersation Stephanie appreciated
, ona. 9 q
her aunt's sensitivity and care. This
made it even harder for Stephanie to
understand why Diana despised the
Wellingtons. The content is on
novelenglish.net! Read the latest
chapter there!
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.
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,
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmDiana had a reason for calling today.
«
Do you remember Mr. Tucker? He
was a good friend, of your. cO
grangfathéy Our families were very
close until they emigrated, and we
lost touch. Recently, they cback
to the country and found me. They
want to invite us to Briarwood, saying
anf) q 5
it's peaceful and quiet. Steffi, would
you like to go to The content is on
novelenglish.net! Read the latest
chapter there!
Briarwood? search the (Find)website on Goggle to access chapters of early and in the highest
quality.
“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 tto 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.
x
Suddenly, an idea cto her. She looked up, thinking about the resident in apartment 50