Crossroads

Chapter 173

It had been many years since Stephanie last cto the luxurious, 54 thousand square feet, foreign-style Pearson Villa. The villa looked exactly the sas she remembered, every inch of it still making her feel the sdistaste as before.

As she stood in the middle of Pearson Villa's grand hall, the shimmering crystal lights cast a glow on her delicate face. Yet, Stephanie was frowning as she observed the bustling crowd with a serious expression. She saw that the elegantly dressed guests were happily chatting and toasting. Numerous business and political figures had gathered to celebrate Teresa's birthday.

"Oh, that's Mr. Wellington from the Wellington family. Hello, Mr. Wellington..."

As Stephanie walked arm in arm with Dominick toward the inner hall of the banquet, they heard flattering voices along the way. "It's a pleasure to see you here. It's truly an honor..."

He barely acknowledged these people, responding with a slight nod and a blank expression.

"How has Mr. George Wellington been? I visited Wellington Villa during Christmas but missed you. It's been ages since we last met. You probably don't rememberanymore...".

Vincent, with his usual smile, replied casually, "Sir, how could we younger folks ever forget you? You're still in your prime. Every tI switch the TV channel, there you are giving a speech. It's impossible to forget you."

"You sure know how to make people laugh, Vincent. You've definitely inherited your grandfather's charm..."

Vincent chatted with a man in his sixties. At such occasions, it was inevitable to engage in small talk.

Г

Stephanie was surprised, as she had just seen this older man giving a solemn speech on the news yesterday. She then discreetly tugged on Dominick's

's arm and whispered, "Isn't that the old man who..." Her sneaky gesture was quite improper, prompting the old man to ask first, "And who might this be?"

It was only then that Dominick looked up at the old man and replied, "My wife, Stephanie."

up at the such a This was the first tStephanie encountered such a prominent figure from television, and she felt a little tense. She quickly straightened up and respectfully greeted, "Hello, Mr. Johnson."

When the old man heard her address him as "Mr. Johnson", he paused for a second before his face lit up with joy as if feeling particularly proud. His eyes crinkled as he smiled, "So, you are Mr. Wellington's wife. You're gorgeous, very elegant, and gentle."

Vincent, who was standing nearby, had just taken a small sip from a cocktail he picked up from a waiter's tray, and his eyes widened in shock at the word "gentle", nearly spitting out his drink.

He thought, 'Yeah right! If Stephanie is gentle, then there's no such thing as a woman! Who on earth doesn't know about Dominick's precious wife? Stephanie is already infamous for her fiery temper and stubbornness. This woman is dangerous! Stay away!'

"Steffi, I heard you're the sole heiress of the Reed family. I bet you're a bit bored now that you're pregnant, huh? The Johnson family has a few heiresses around your age. Since women naturally love beauty, they'll definitely pester you with skincare questions if they see you. Feel free to bother them with any of your worries..." The formally dressed, imposing older man in front of Stephanie suddenly started chatting away. He even affectionately called her "Steffi" and rattled on enthusiastically.

She was somewhat astonished. Her previous impression of this dignified and stern figure from TV was utterly shattered. Stephanie then wondered why he had changed so much.

Upon hearing that, Stephanie didn't know how to respond for a moment. Dominick, standing beside her, naturally smoothed a few stray strands of hair from her chest and responded on her behalf, "Mr. Johnson, she's tired. She'll go rest for a bit."

The older man's enthusiastic expression instantly shifted at Dominick's cold response, making him feel somewhat embarrassed. He then quickly changed the subject, saying, “Sure... Take care of yourself. Pregnancy is indeed exhausting. You should rest more."

Stephanie's face was stiff as she nodded slightly to the older man. "I'll go rest over there. You all can continue."

She recalled this "big shot" coming to Wellington Villa around Christmas to ask George for a favor, which the Wellington family had declined. It seemed his current flattery had ulterior motives.

Dominick never let Stephanie get involved in these complicated matters, so he reminded her as how he usually would, "Go sit over there and don't wander off."

"Got it." She was unusually well-behaved today.

The Pearson family also cfrom a business background, but they were nowhere near as established as the Wellington family, who had a history Chapter 173

in the arms trade. Stephanie took a seat in a corner and looked around the grand hall of Pearson Villa with a complex the villa luxurious and dazzling, but after spending the past six months in Wellington Villa, it no longer impressed her.

Pearson Villa remained unchanged, but she couldn't help but wonder aloud,

"Where is he?"

Stephanie then craned her neck to search around for the person she was looking for.

She wondered, 'Is Oscar not here today?'

She used to find Stephanie thought it was improper to wander around with her pregnant belly, so since the banquet hadn't officially started yet, she patiently sat and waited, thinking she might see him on the stage later.

After all, Oscar was the Pearson family's only third-generation heir, even if he was an illegitimate child.

Soon after, a server bustling through the banquet hall kindly brought Stephanie a glass of juice and a piece of dessert cake. She sat alone at a small round table, gloomily poking at the mousse cake with a fork, feeling bored.

Meanwhile, Dominick and Vincent were toasting and chatting with selders in the distance. Dominick would occasionally look in her direction. Stephanie watched as her man was surrounded and flattered by the crowd. He had a slight furrow in his brow, indicating he wasn't in a good mood. Unfortunately, those people didn't notice, or maybe they were too excited to meet Dominick, so they kept trying to engage him in conversation.

Feeling bored, she sipped her juice and muttered under her breath, "You are so rude, Dominick You could've at least smile..." It seemed like Dominick didn't really enjoy socializing with these people.

'Is Dominick very close to the Pearson family?' Stephanie suddenly wondered, as it was her first tseeing him actively participate in a banquet, and it was just a woman's birthday party.

"I heard that Mr. Pearson and Mrs. Pearson are going to announce their retirement today, which means the Pearson family will be taken over..."

"I can't say for sure who it will be, but it definitely won't be that fool."

Suddenly, a few ladies not far to Stephanie's right were gossiping. She couldn't hear them clearly, so she' lapked cundusly in their direction and wondered who they were calling a fool. Those elegant ladies also noticed Stephanie.

"No, no, she's not that fool's girlfriend... She's the wife of the Wellington family's heir..."

Stephanie then saw those women quickly disperse and vaguely heard the words "the wife of the Wellington family's hein." She wasn't interested in these women and happened to think of Molly. She would much rather spend twith Molly than with them.

Stephanie then called her and asked, "Molly, are you still in the hospital? How are you feeling now?"

"I've already been discharged. I'm alive and kicking, Stephanie. Don't worry about me," Molly replied.

Stephanie could tell that she indeed sounded lively. It seemed her tolerance for alcohol had improved a bit.

She asked, "Where are you now. Are you back in Havencrest?" "Since I'm in Frostvale now, I'm planning to explore a bit..." Molly seemed to have cto terms with her "resignation" and was excitedly talking about visiting shistorical towns.

Stephanie then warned, "Molly, don't go to the old district. There's nothing fun there, and it's quite a rip-off..."

Molly, holding her phone, heard her talk about various Frostvale's attractions, paused for a moment, and asked, "Why do you seem so familiar with Frostvale, Stephanie?"

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