Chapter 316
Unable to sleep, Scott opened Instagram and scrolled through his new feeds in the middle of the night.
To his surprise, he found a post made from his account that he had no recollection of making
It took him just a second to realize it was his son Andy’s mischief. Have I been spoiling him too much? I’ve heard that boys need to be raised with strier discipline, he mused, reflecting on his parenting.
Andy’s post was titled Our Happy Day), which displayed the typical elementary school writing level. It included six photos and a ten–second video.
Lying on his side in bed, scout scrutinized the post. It contained photos from the dinner at Stephanie’s place with Vincent and Andy.
The photos and video all prominently featured Molly. There were shots of her cooking in the kitchen, serving soup, and the others sat and waited. with Andy grinning widely in every frame.
Thinking back on what he ate just now, Scott realized he couldn’t even remember the dishes.
“You little brat,” he muttered, knowing his son had taken these photos to taunt him.
Scott tapped
After contemplating, he noted. “She’s not mad.”
the screen as he searched for Molly’s Instagram. He scrolled through her recent posts. A
Like many other girls, Molly posted about interesting and happy moments. It seemed his outburst hadn’t affected her. Smiling, he thought. Such a simple–minded creature He then turned off his phone and went to sleep.
But Molly wasn’t as carefree as she appeared. She was in a foul mood, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.
She began questioning herself, wondering why she was drawn to Scott, a seemingly refined but cunning man. Not only that, but he came with a mini–version of himself. After all, she had never been in love and never imagined becoming a stepmother.
“Im not exactly ugly. Are all men blind?” she muttered, hugging her blanket and sighing.
Perhaps spending so much time with Stephanie was to blame. Being around her friend often made her feel inadequate by comparison, and she lamented why she was made so average.
Molly had another pressing concern, which was her money–hungry mother. Andrea had arranged a blind date for her on Christmas, which she skipped, and now her mother wouldn’t stop nagging her about it,
No money, no man, and a bunch of troublesome relatives. And she hadn’t even found a job yet.
“Why is my life such a mess? It’s not like I’ve done anything immoral, Molly grumbled, ruffling her short, fuzzy hair in frustration before burying her head under the blanket.
In the long, restless night, the adult world’s many worries made a peaceful sleep till dawn a rare luxury.
Stephanie had been suffering from insomnia recently.
Ever since Vincent brought Andy over for dinner the other day, her apartment had returned to its usual quiet, almost eery. Sometimes, the silence was too much for her..
She had also noticed that the t man upstairs hadn’t been back for quite some time.
Stephanic habitually checked her WhatsApp every morning, but Dominick hadn’t asked her to buy breakfast in days, and there was no more basketball noise from above.
“Let’s go upstairs and find him.” She struggled with herself for a minute before deciding against it. Going to look for him would be like offering herself up willingly.
That w
I would be too foolish.
It was time for her weekly shooting practice at the club. This time, without the coach from Aurorastra having to prompt her, Stephanie arrived early.
The practice went smoothly, and as the coach packed up, he chatted with her in his broken Aurithian. “Ms. Reed, what are you distracted by?”
“Tru not distracted at all. Feeling caught out. Stephanie awkwardly raised her gun and fired a shot into the distance. The loud bang made the couch laugh heartily
He said, “Soon, you won’t need to come here anymore.”
10.27 AM
Chapter 316
“What do you mean?” Stephanie suddenly became alert.
The coach looked at her stubborn face and smiled, “What’s the matter? Before, you didn’t want to come, and now that you’ve mastered the skill.. you’re hesitant to leave? Are all women of this country this reserved and shy?”
Stephanie remained expressionless, thinking, “What reserved and shy nonsense?‘ She looked at the seemingly honest coach and hesitated before saying, “Where is Dominick? Has he gone abroad recently?”
The coach’s eyes widened, surprised by her sudden inquiry about his boss. Noticing her unusual behavior, he chuckled and teased, “Do you care about him?”
“Who cares about him!” Stephanie snapped, her frustration evident. “Someone like him doesn’t need caring. Not from me, anyway. He has plenty of people lining up to serve him. I just want to say I’m not a puppet. I have my own thoughts.
“He always shows up when he wants and disappears when he feels like it, never explaining anything. What does he think I am, a toy! You tell him. All my patience and waiting are not for him. Dominick better not think he’s so special. I just want an answer. I only care about the result that
matters to me.”
Her face was a mix of emotions, and she clearly had held this in for a long time. She quickly said her piece and turned to leave.
The
coach watched her storm off and sighed, “Ms. Reed is not as obedient as other women. She’s quite a handful
Skipping dinner, Stephanie left the club feeling a wave of self–destructive emotions. She was overwhelmed with frustration.
As the night descended, Stephanie walked into a convenience store and bought a six–pack of beer and a large bag of peanuts. Hugging her beer, she headed to a small park across the street and found an empty bench. She started drinking heavily.
Christmas had passed. The nights in Havencrest were getting colder, the winter chill seeping into her bones. Her pretty face turned a bit rosy, and she let out a drunken hiccup.
“Are you drinking alone here?” Under the dim streetlight, a shadow stretched and approached her step by step. The voice was unfamiliar, and the Aurithian accent was thick and awkward Stephanie couldn’t place it.
“Having some troubles? Maybe I can help, the man said.
She looked up, and her vision blurred. The backlight made it hard to see his face, but she knew it was a man. His voice carried a mocking tone. “Get lost. Stephanie was in a foul mood. She was used to unwanted attention from strange men and found it irritating.
“Dear, there’s no need to be so rude.”
le. His “dear” was anything but endearing, laced with cold sarcasm.
The man’s eyes were dark and intense. He scrutinized her from head to toe as if fascinated by her.
Stephanie didn’t care who he was. She grabbed an empty beer bottle and hurled it at him. “I said get away from me, stay far away!”
The bottle missed as he deftly dodged it.
Under the dim light, he turned and walked away, his shadow elongating. His voice lingered, echoing down the deserted street. “Your man will be. back soon. Aren’t you going to find him and get some answers?”
His words were odd enough to jolt her into alertness. She looked up again, but he was already gone.
The biting winter wind cleared her head a bit. She frowned, picked up the empty boules, tossed them into the trash, and then hailed a taxi to go
home.
Stephanie didn’t go back to her own apartment. Instead, she went upstairs to Room 502.
Fueled by the alcohol, she banged on the door. “Dominick! Dominick, open the door, open it! I have something to ask you. I need answers today Open the dona!”
Stephanie’s Lace was flushed with anger and a bit of drunkenness. She yelled at the door. Her stubbornness was palpable, but no one responded, no matter how long she shouted and knocked