Next Man, Better Plan novel Chapter 192

The concern on Quennel’s face was genuine, and Stephanie lowered her gaze.

Though she valued their history, she wasn't one to waver.

After all, once you've struggled through a rough, muddy road, it makes no sense to turn back and walk it all over again.

You have to look forward, not back.

Besides, some of those memories were far from pleasant. She and Quennel were childhood sweethearts, but that hadn't stopped him from abandoning her for Victoria time and time again.

If it hadn't been for Jonathan that night, she would have likely died at the hands of that kidnapper.

At this thought, a clear sense of distance entered Stephanie’s eyes.

She looked at Quennel and said softly, “Quennel, thank you for your concern, but my husband treats me very well. I don't want to hear anyone slander him or speak ill of him.”

Quennel froze, his face a mask of disbelief, as if he had misheard. “What did you call me?”

Long ago, before they were even dating, Stephanie had always called him Quennel.

Although they had been betrothed since childhood, the adults around them never really treated them like a couple when they were young.

It was only on her eighteenth birthday, when Quennel publicly confessed his feelings for her, that his role slowly shifted from “brother” to “boyfriend.”

Stephanie tilted her head, her gaze as clear as a sister looking at her brother. “Quennel, you’re a few years older than me, so of course, you’re like a brother to me.”

Quennel was speechless.

His lips pressed into a thin line as he grabbed her shoulders in agitation.

“Don’t call me that! You haven’t called me that since you were eighteen! Stephanie, I’m your husband! And you’re calling me your brother? That’s absurd!

“A man like that is a ticking time bomb,” Wilma said. “Stephanie, you’ve been sheltered your whole life. You can’t play his games.”

Quennel exploded, refusing to accept it. “Fallen for him? Mom, don’t be ridiculous! How could Stephanie fall for him? She’s just been deceived!”

“I haven’t been deceived,” Stephanie said. “Jonathan gave me his shares in his own company as a bride price.”

At this, you could have heard a pin drop in the room.

Even Ternence, who had been silent until now, sat up a little straighter.

He adjusted the glasses on his nose. “What did you say? What shares?”

“Shares in Ironhold Investment Group. Jonathan gave me all of his,” Stephanie said, looking at them calmly. “So, you see, we’ve been very open with each other.”

In an instant, the color drained from Quennel’s face, leaving him looking ashen and lost. “How is that possible… How could he…”