Crossroads

Stephanie dined at Wellington Villa, not as reserved as before but rather courteous, not daring to be presumptuous.

Meanwhile, George and Dominick at the table were very attentive to dining etiquette, eating elegantly with their forks and speaking little.

She spooned some nutritious oatmeal into her mouth but discreetly stole glances at Dominick beside her.

Dominick seemed to have little appetite, only chewing on a few vegetables before setting down his fork.

Stephanie suddenly got excited, as if she had noticed Dominick's furrowed brows and even beads of sweat were forming on his forehead.

Stephanie leaned in, unconsciously drawing closer to him.

"Steffi, what are you looking at?"

George, across the table, asked calmly, noticing her improper posture while dining, Dominick turned, meeting Stephanie's gaze unexpectedly. Their eyes met briefly, both startled at first, then Stephanie blushed, looking guilty, quickly turning away.

"Nothing She glanced around awkwardly, finally fixing her gaze on the pot of beef stew on the table, casually finding an excuse. "I want soup..."

The maid standing nearby heard her request and promptly served her a bowl.

Though she had many dietary restrictions due to pregnancy, she could have the beef stew, though it was very hot.

To disguise her embarrassment, Stephanie looked down, leaned towards the bowl of soup, and blew on it repeatedly, appearing genuinely eager to have some soup.

"Take your time."

Dominick stood up from his chair, his voice unexpectedly hoarse..

Leaving the table, he casually placed his own less hot bowl of soup in front of Stephanie.

Stephanie widened her eyes slightly, looking up, but accidentally touched Dominick's hand as he withdrew it.

"Is your hand burning?" she asked.

Furrowing her brows, she stared directly at him.

Dominick seemed to be hiding something, his cold expression showing some displeasure.

He turned abruptly, saying nothing, avoiding her gaze, and left quickly.

"Hey, didn't you catch a cold from being in the river before... Stephanie remembered Vincent mentioning Dominick had a slight cold when he was discharged. Her actions were quick, almost instinctive, as she reached out and grabbed Dominick's wrist.

Her expression suddenly changed as Stephanie spoke, and she abruptly stood up from her chair.

"You have a high fever!"

Dominick listened to her exclamation, his expression somewhat grim, waving his right hand to shake her off.

"Let go." His deep voice carried some hoarseness.

But she held on tightly, or perhaps Dominick didn't use much force..

Stephanie only felt a buming sensation from touching his skin, a surge of anxiety rising in her heart. "Dominick, have you taken any fever- reducing medicine?" Dominick didn't answer her, his complexion gloomy. "Let go. Do you hear mel"

He seemed impatient, this time using his other hand to pry her fingers away, and he quickly pushed Stephanie back.

"It's none of your business!" He seemed very averse to her concern.

He pushed Stephanie away, looking very pitiful.

Dominick seemed unwilling to see her like this, quickly turning around and quickly walking towards the door.

Stephanie watched him stride away, feeling angry.

Suddenly, as if she had some feud with him, she rushed forward again, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist, holding him tightly.

This time, Dominick froze in place.

Even the other servants at Wellington Villa standing nearby were stunned.

Everyone stared in astonishment as Stephanie lunged forward like that, all eyes fixed on her. Deep down, they couldn't help but wonder if Dominick, known for his surly temper, would lash out at her.

Stephanie held onto him tightly.

Turning, she shouted nervously to George, "Grandpa, he's burning up badly!"

George, seated at the dining table, was initially stunned, then furrowed his brows.

Stephanie had expected George to yell at Dominick, but he didn't. Instead, George seemed unperturbed, setting down his fork and simply saying, "Take care of yourself."

"Stephanie....

Dominick turned his head slightly, his face already darkening, and gritted his teeth as he muttered her name, clearly displeased with her clinging behavior.

He detested women who clung to him like this.

"If you want to scold, then scold. It's up to you. I must do this!"

She exclaimed, her face indignant, as she raised her voice, staring straight at him, "Dominick, do you know people can die from a high fever?"

As if remembering something, she became somewhat agitated. "When I was a child, I had a playmate who had a high fever at home all day. No one bothered to take him to see a doctor. A week later, when I looked for him at kindergarten, he became completely dumb, and nobody could make him speak.

"Everyone said his fever damaged his brain, turning him into a fool..." She almost shouted as if deeply angered by this memory.

Dominick's expression was complex as he glanced at her hands tightly wrapped around his waist. He could feel her strength, the slight tremble, and...a sense of...nervousness.

He wondered if she was this nervous because of him.

"Dominick, you need to get an IV drip today." Her tone was very serious.

Whether due to a delayed reaction from the fever or for some other reason, Dominick actually let Stephanie drag him away...

On the other side of the dining table, George watched their departure, then glanced at Brad beside him, both somewhat bewildered.

George felt quite relieved. His appetite improved a bit. He picked up his fork and chewed on a piece of beef.

Dominick's patience had grown significantly after marrying...

Stephanie dragged Dominick back to the bedroom, and soon the doctor arrived, took Dominick's temperature, which wasn't too serious, and then prescribed some medication.

Stephanie stood nearby, watching the thermometer display 102.2 degrees Fahrenheit, extremely worried, strongly insisting that Dominick must receive an injection and IV drip.

Sensing the strange atmosphere, the doctor and the e servants quickly walked out.

Dominick's face was gloomy, especially when his gaze fell on the IV drip attached to his left hand. He felt he couldn't work like this. He was used to signing documents with his left hand!

Stephanie knew he was in a bad mood. Rarely, she acted like a dutiful wife, softly asking. "Do you want to lie down on the bed?"

He ignored her.

Looking at the two bottles of medicine on the stand, estimating the time, he still had a lot of things to do.

"Dominick, lying in bed would be more comfortable..." She approached him, somewhat insistently, gently asking.

Dominick raised an eyebrow, staring at her face.

She was genuinely worried about him.

Feeling a strange emotion in his heart for unknown reasons, Dominick lay down on the bed as if compelled by some unseen force.

"Dominick, do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?

"Your forehead is still burning up. Shall I put on a cooling patch for you? Or do you prefer cold water or physical cooling with alcohol?"

She was incessant.

Dominick lay on the big bed, weakened by the fever, closing his eyes, only hearing her chattering beside him, continuously bustling around him.

"Dominick..."

Stephanie leaned over the bedside, seeing him with his eyes closed and not speaking, deliberately lowering her voice to softly call his name.

"What else?"

10:47 Sat, 22 Jun Chapter 80

Lying in bed with a high fever, Dominick sounded a bit hoarse, but his annoyance and helplessness were evident in his tone.

"Oh, nothing. I thought you were asleep, so I called out to you." Stephanie began to reflect on herself. "Well, I won't disturb you then. I'll leave you to rest.

"Wait."

Hearing her say she was leaving, Dominick suddenly opened his eyes.

"Are you feeling unwell?" Stephanie stood by the bed, gazing at him intently.

Dominick felt a bit embarrassed, showing a hint of awkwardness as he uttered oddly, "Headache."

"Let me massage it for you..."

Stephanie treated him like a serious patient, took off her shoes, and got onto the bed.

Looking down at Dominick lying on the bed, she honestly admitted, "Massaging temples? I don't have much experience."

"It's okay...

As it turned out, Stephanie was not lying. She really had no experience.

Dominick silently complained about her unexpectedly strong rub.

With his head under her rub, Dominick felt even more headache than before under her kneading Stephanie, being self-aware, tried to lighten her touch. "Dominick, can you turn around?"

"Hmm?"

With her rubbing his temples and suffering from a fever, Dominick didn't feel like talking anymore.

Dominick lay on the bed like a log, his face pressed against the pillow by Stephanie. He found it hard to breathe and suspected Stephanie was taking advantage of his illness to get back at him.

Stephanie found it easier to deal with him in this state as Dominick had turned away from her, reducing her embarrassment.

Her massaging technique was still not very skilled, but she had clearly mastered the strength. Dominick felt somewhat relieved that he was worth the trouble being in this state.

"After Little Pillar had a high fever that time, he didn't speak for two whole years... The bedroom was too quiet. Stephanie recalled the past and started talking to him.

Dominick was puzzled by the mention of Little Pillar.

The nickname sounded quite endearing to Dominick..

Dominick wondered if Little Pillar was a boy or a girl.

Dominick didn't stop her from continuing. The only thing he cared about now was the g gender issue.

"Little Pillar's grandfather was a close friend of my grandfather. I knew him since I was very young." Stephanie recalled her childhood playmate, her tone tinged with sadness., TU:48

"He was born out of wedlock. His mother was deceived by a man. At first, she didn't know that man was married Later, she went back to her parents' home when she got pregnant. Being from a single-parent family wasn't a big deal, but unfortunately, Little Pillar's mother died in

childbirth...

"Soon after, his father took him in, but his father and stepmother treated him very poorly. His stepmotherm often locked him in the dirty and narrow attic, feeding him leftovers as if he were an animal. Once, she even locked him in the trunk of a car to scare him....

As Stephanie spoke, she became agitated. "Little Pillar was such a fool.All text © NôvelD(r)a'ma.Org.

e He had always been quiet, and he wouldn't resist even when badly treated by others. Those people would hit him with sticks, and he wouldn't know to run away..."

At that time, she didn't like this boy very much, thinking he was too stupid. She even gave him a nickname, calling him Little Pillar because he always stood there like a pillar and didn't know how to run away from malice. However, later on...

"What happened to him later?" Dominick suddenly spoke from the bed, his tone somewhat insistent.

But as soon as he turned, he saw Stephanie's eyes reddening, on the verge of tears.

"Stephaniel"

He suddenly raised his voice with anger.

Startled by his shout, Stephanie immediately came back to her senses. "What's wrong?" Dominick didn't care about what happened to that Little Pillar later. Perhaps he had encountered unfortunate events, but he wasn't interested in those..

"Stephanie, my shoulder! Rub it," He commanded without politeness. His voice was somewhat muffled.

After a moment of thought, he lowered his voice, emphasizing, "No talking!"