Next Man, Better Plan novel Chapter 172

Stephanie knew this wasn’t a place she belonged. Perhaps no one here welcomed her at all; her presence was utterly disposable.

She walked out of the lounge and headed straight downstairs.

The elevator was on the lower level, accessible only by a winding spiral staircase.

Just as she stepped onto the first stair, a voice called out from behind her. “Stephanie.”

She frowned, recognizing Victoria’s voice. What was Victoria doing at an event like this?

Stephanie turned around and saw Victoria in a server’s uniform, and everything clicked.

She had snuck in.

But why was she soaked in alcohol? Even her hair was dripping wet.

“Quennel dumped me, and Dave is trying to drag me back.”

Victoria looked exhausted, with dark circles under her eyes. “I have nowhere to go. I can’t even go back to my job. Stephanie, we were friends. Are you really going to be this ruthless?”

Stephanie’s brow furrowed. “Isn’t this all your own doing? What does it have to do with me?”

Victoria’s eyes glistened with tears. “How does it not have to do with you? You were the one who pulled me out of that remote village, and now you’re the one sending me back! Stephanie, you’re so cruel! You gave me hope, only to snatch it away and leave me in despair!”

She had already been married off and was about to resign herself to her fate. That night, when that crippled bastard was on top of her, Victoria had bitten her lip so hard it bled, thinking there could be nothing more painful in the world.

She saw Stephanie standing there quietly in a calf-length dress, her hair styled like a princess. Next to her, Victoria felt like a clown.

It was laughable. Victoria realized then that Stephanie was draped in designer labels, the heiress of a wealthy family.

In that moment, Victoria understood that she and Stephanie were from two different worlds.

Her struggles and Stephanie’s were fundamentally different. The life Victoria had fought for with every ounce of her strength and luck was something Stephanie had been born into.

Stephanie’s sponsorship felt like charity, the amount less than what she probably spent on a single handbag.

Victoria had tried to distance herself, but Stephanie was always so friendly, never minding her shabby clothes and even offering her the prettiest dresses from her own closet.