Next Man, Better Plan novel Chapter 215

Mark was clinging to the leg of a middle-aged man, his face a mess of tears and snot.

“My knee, Dad! I scraped my knee, it’s all red! And this outfit… Mom just bought it for me! I’ve only worn it twice, and now it’s ruined!”

He looked utterly disheveled, as if he’d just been pulled out of a mud puddle.

Patricia stood nearby, fanning the flames. “Mark has never had his ear pulled in his life! Look at it, it’s all swollen, practically twice its normal size.”

Mark chimed in, “I’m only five! And she wouldn’t even go easy on me! How can a woman like that be fit to marry into our Vasquez family? Dad, you have to kick her out!”

In his youth, York must have been a handsome man.

The lines around his eyes and between his brows were marks of time, yet they didn’t make him look old.

Years of being in a position of authority had given him an imposing presence. The moment he stood in a room, it was clear he was the master of the house.

Rumor had it he had stepped back from the family business, recently retiring and handing over the massive Ironhold Investment Group entirely to Jonathan.

Now, he spent his days admiring art and antiques with friends, a frequent and extravagant spender at top auction houses.

An entire floor of the Vasquez mansion was dedicated to his collection. It was said that the only thing York cared about more than his late wife, Grace, were those priceless artifacts.

Verna glanced at Stephanie with concern.

Mark had been spoiled rotten over the years. As the son of York’s later years, he was naturally doted upon.

And now Patricia was adding fuel to the fire, slandering Stephanie to him.

Verna whispered, “Ma’am, should I go get the matriarch?”

Mrs. Vasquez Sr.’s seniority was undeniable. No matter how angry York got, with his mother present, he would have to show some restraint.

Stephanie replied softly, “There’s no need.”

And yet, Jonathan had done nothing wrong. His only “crime” was getting separated from Grace and being abducted by traffickers when he was Mark's age.

Grace, unable to find her son, had wasted away from grief, and York had laid the blame for his wife’s death squarely on Jonathan’s shoulders…

It was unfair!

Ten-year-old Jonathan was not at fault, and twenty-something Jonathan was even less so!

Though their marriage was one of convenience, and Stephanie knew it was wisest to stay out of the Vasquez family’s affairs, she couldn’t just stand by and watch Jonathan suffer without anyone speaking up for him.

Her eyes red, Stephanie hurried down the stairs.

She ran towards York, her voice trembling as she called out, “Dad!”

The three people in the room turned in unison at the sound.