Next Man, Better Plan novel Chapter 136

Downstairs from Sapphire Group, Jonathan was leaning against the car. When he saw Stephanie emerge, he tilted his head slightly.

He frowned when he noticed her eyes were red and swollen.

Stephanie didn't look well.

She couldn't quite put her finger on it. She had thought getting revenge on Victoria would feel satisfying, but instead, she just felt an indescribable heaviness.

She had once considered Victoria her best friend, someone she could talk to about anything, someone she shared her secrets with.

They had similar pasts—both without parents, without anyone to rely on. They had encouraged each other through the toughest of times.

But now, they were madly attacking each other's vulnerabilities, stabbing each other right in the heart.

There were no winners in this fight. It was mutually destructive, with nothing gained.

Instead, they had just exposed their most private wounds for everyone to judge and mock.

Stephanie found it all so pointless. She hated this kind of mutually destructive drama.

When she saw Jonathan, a flicker of surprise crossed her eyes.

"What are you doing here?"

The early morning sun was just right. The wind rustled the leaves of the trees by the road, and a ray of light fell behind him.

Jonathan watched her approach with a lazy posture, the gentle breeze tousling the tips of his hair. In that moment, he seemed softer than usual.

He watched her and said, "I was passing by. Thought I'd give you a ride."

A hint of confusion flashed in Stephanie's eyes. "Then how did you know I was here?"

"That wasn't hard to guess."

Jonathan glanced at Stephanie's satin dress. The skirt was full, and one of the folds was hanging out of the car, nearly touching the ground.

Her mind was entirely on the cake, and she hadn't noticed at all.

He smiled, reached out with his well-defined hand, and tucked the fabric inside before walking back around to the driver's side.

Seeing that she had already started eating, Jonathan took a steaming cup of milk from the center console's storage compartment and handed it to her.

"Eat slowly. If you choke to death, I'll be a widower."

Cough, cough—

The warm milk flowed from the glass bottle into her mouth, but Jonathan's words made her choke.

Jonathan's expression was calm, as if he didn't think there was anything wrong with what he'd just said.