Next Man Better Plan novel Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The moonlight was cold and desolate.

Inside the dilapidated factory, Stephanie Jackson was bound by coarse ropes.

Her slender wrists were bound high above her head, forcing her body against the hard, cold wall.

The man behind her gripped her soft waist, his smile lecherous.

“Ms. Jackson, if no one’s coming to pay your ransom, then I’m afraid I can’t help you.”

She heard the sound of a belt unbuckling behind her. Realizing what the kidnapper intended, Stephanie’s heart pounded with panic.

“Let me call Quennel Gonzalez one more time.

The kidnapper sneered. “You could call him ter more times, but he’s not coming, is he? Robbery or rape, I’m gonna get something out of this, one way or another.”

His words seemed to galvanize Stephanie.

She struggled against her restraints. “He will come for me, don’t you understand? You dare hurt me and Quennel will kill you!”

Stephanie’s eyes were bloodshot, but the slight tremble of her fingertips betrayed her

terror.

Her fierce display gave the kidnapper pause. After a moment’s thought, he impatiently tossed her the phone.

“Last time.”

This time, the call connected.

It was on speakerphone. Before Stephanie could say a word, Quennel’s deep voice came through first.

“Stephanie, something’s come up with Victoria Powell. I’ll celebrate your birthday with you later.”

Stephanie’s gaze instinctively fell to the time or her phone: 10:30 PM.

Her birthday would be over in an hour and a half.

She had dressed up and waited for him at the restaurant all afternoon.

Quennel never showed. Instead, the moment she stepped out of the restaurant, she was shoved into a car by kidnappers.

She suppressed a sob. “Quennel, I’ve been kidnapped. Help me.”

1/3

14:57

Chapter 1

A few seconds of silence followed from the other end of the line.

Quennel sounded exasperated. “Stephanie, Victoria was in a car accident. She broke her

wrist.”

“So?”

Stephanie screamed into the phone, “But I’m about to die, Quennel, don’t you get it! Your wife is about to be killed by those kidnappers!”

Silence again on his end.

After a moment, his tone softened, as if trying to coax her.

“Victoria doesn’t have any family or friends in Veridian. Her arm is broken, and she’s lying on the side of the road. If I don’t take care of her, what’s she supposed to do? Stephanie, don’t joke about being kidnapped.”

Stephanie froze. Was she joking?

An uncontrollable bitterness welled up in her eyes, and a suffocating dizziness made it hard to breathe.

“She broke her arm, she’s not dead!”

A grim smile touched Stephanie’s lips, her voice laced with sorrow. “Fifty kilometers north of the city, at an abandoned pharmaceutical plant. Quennel, you can come collect my body tomorrow morning.”

As the last word left her mouth, the call was ruthlessly disconnected.

The kidnapper was furious, grinding his teeth as he stared at her. “Playing games with me while you’re pinned under me?”

Stephanie laughed at herself. “What’s there to be afraid of? He’s not coming.”

Who was Victoria? When Stephanie had first sponsored her, she never imagined she’d be nurturing such an ungrateful snake in her bosqm.

Victoria came from a poor family but had excellent grades, so Stephanie sponsored her education in Quennel’s name.

Six months ago, after finishing her studies, Victoria showed up, claiming she wanted to repay their kindness.

At first, she would wait for Quennel outside his company building, saying she would do anything to thank him.

For elite families like theirs, charity was about reputation, and they never expected anything in return, so Quennel naturally paid it no mind.

But after that, Victoria began to appear in Quernel’s life more and more frequently.

2/3

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify