Next Man, Better Plan novel Chapter 16

Tobias thought he’d spoken too fast for Jonathan to hear, so he repeated himself. “Stephanie and Quennel are a couple. They…”

Suddenly, Jonathan clapped a hand on Tobias' shoulder. At first, Tobias didn’t think anything of it, but then the pressure grew heavier and heavier until he could barely stand it. His knees began to tremble, and a thin layer of sweat broke out on his back.

“Jonathan?” Tobias asked tentatively. “Did I say something wrong?”

They had been friends since they were kids. Jonathan wouldn’t normally treat him this way unless… he’d been an idiot and crossed a line.

Jonathan glanced at him coldly. “You should consider donating that mouth of yours.”

Tobias blinked, then quickly said, “Hey, you know me, I’ve always had a big mouth. This isn’t the first time you’ve noticed.”

Jonathan walked into the restroom and stood before the mirror, repeatedly tracing the bite mark on his lip with his finger.

Tobias watched him for a moment, then realization dawned. “Holy crap! Jonathan, is that how you got hurt? You kissed her?”

“No way! I thought we were going to be bachelors together! You’re just going to abandon me like that? But she and Quennel are…”

He trailed off as he met Jonathan’s sharp gaze, instantly shutting his mouth.

Fearing Jonathan might actually make him donate his mouth, he rephrased. “So, what is this? A secret affair? Are you poaching his girl? Stealing her away?”

He fired off a barrage of questions, but Jonathan didn’t answer a single one.

Tobias stared at Jonathan’s reflection in the mirror, and a strange thought occurred to him…

It was almost as if Jonathan had enjoyed getting slapped by Stephanie.

Was he serious?

Tobias poured himself a glass of red wine and downed it in one gulp to calm his nerves.

Stephanie said, “I never thought he’d do this to me, not after twenty years of being childhood sweethearts.”

Cecilia immediately started cursing. “If I’d known, I would have confronted them when I saw them in the Maldives! I should have pushed Victoria into the ocean to feed the sharks!”

A few days ago, Cecilia had been in the Maldives for work. As a gossip columnist, she was tailing a famous celebrity.

She didn't get any dirt on the star, but she did snap photos of Quennel and Victoria on vacation together by the sea.

Stephanie curled up on the sofa.

“Are you just going to let them get away with it? You should blow this whole thing up! Let everyone see what a fraud Quennel is! Otherwise, he’ll keep up his devoted partner act, and people who don’t know any better will think you’re the difficult one. You should at least ruin them socially!”

Cecilia was fiercely loyal and had a strong sense of justice.

Stephanie lowered her eyes. “The Gonzalez family took me in for years, and Mr. Gonzalez was my father’s best friend. My dad arranged this marriage for me before he died. I don't want to make a scene and… cause him to rest uneasy.”