Next Man, Better Plan novel Chapter 21

Cecilia invited Stephanie out to dinner to celebrate her newfound freedom.

They chose a high-end Japanese restaurant. Cecilia stared at the mountain of salmon sashimi piled high on the plate before them.

"This is costing me half a month's salary! See? I'm a good friend, right?"

An amused smile touched Stephanie's lips.

A true friend was a true friend. She might have lost a man, but at least she still had her friends.

Cecilia said, "Are you planning to stay in that hotel forever? You can move in with me if you don't mind that my place is small."

The old Jackson family residence was still there.

But since Quennel had brought her into the Gonzalez family, Stephanie had never gone back.

The place held too many happy memories, and now she was the only one left. Stephanie was afraid of being overwhelmed by the ghosts of the past.

Stephanie said, "Actually, my mother called me this afternoon."

Cecilia put down her utensils. "She has the nerve to call you?"

Just thinking about Susan made Cecilia's blood boil. She couldn't imagine a more heartless mother.

Back then, right after Mr. Jackson and her two brothers died, Susan had abandoned Stephanie to marry into the Yates family, leaving her, a minor, to fend for herself.

She'd deserted her at her lowest point, and now she was calling with some phony concern?

The worst part was, she'd abandoned her own daughter but doted on her new husband's daughter from his first marriage, spoiling her rotten.

Stephanie said, "She wants me to come over to the Yates' house for dinner."

"You didn't agree, did you?"

"Of course I refused. The Yates' house isn't my home."

"Good!" Cecilia nodded emphatically. "If the Gonzalez family was a trap, the Yates family is just another one. You're an adult now; you don't need to live under someone else's roof."

Years ago, after being abandoned, Stephanie had gone to the Yates' house to find Susan once.

But Susan had told her, "It's not that I don't want you, but I've just married into this family. Vivian Yates already has a hard time accepting me. If I bring you along, it will only make things worse."

Vivian was the daughter from Mr. Yates's first marriage; Susan was the stepmother.

Quennel's face fell, and he immediately redialed.

As expected, all he heard was a busy signal.

Quennel was visibly distraught.

Yves tried to console him. "It's just a block, it's not a big deal. What girl doesn't block her boyfriend when they fight? Back when I was with my ex, right after the honeymoon phase, she'd block me three times a day. But the moment she saw a handbag she wanted, she'd unblock me in a heartbeat."

Quennel frowned. "Don't compare Stephanie to those gold diggers."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. They can't hold a candle to her. I was just making a point."

Yves pulled out his own phone. "I'll text her and get her over here for you."

Hearing this, a glint appeared in Quennel's eyes. "On second thought, don't."

Yves asked, "Why not?"

Quennel said, "Call Victoria over first."

Yves was dumbfounded. "...What are you trying to do? Isn't Stephanie already jealous? And you want to call Victoria over now?"