Next Man, Better Plan novel Chapter 22

Quennel put down his glass, stuck a cigarette between his lips, and muttered, "Do you know how to take a picture?"

…

Cecilia was called away by a phone call.

Apparently, some huge superstar had suddenly tweeted that he was secretly married with a kid, crashing the whole platform.

As a gossip columnist, Cecilia had to rush back to the office for an emergency meeting.

Stephanie, having eaten only half her salmon, lost her appetite.

She used a ride-sharing app to call a car and, while waiting under a streetlight, she opened Facebook.

The first thing that popped up was a post Yves had made just two minutes earlier.

[My man Quennel's got a charm you can't even dream of!]

The accompanying photo showed Victoria in a midriff-baring slip dress, sitting next to Quennel on a sofa against a backdrop of dim, colorful lights. She was gazing at him adoringly, her eyes filled with admiration and infatuation.

Only half of Quennel's face was visible, his expression unclear. He wore a white shirt that gave him a refined, almost ascetic look.

He was gently swirling a glass of red wine, his gaze not lingering on Victoria.

Stephanie took one look and closed the app.

After a moment's thought, she unlocked her phone again.

A few minutes later, Quennel asked, "Did she reply?"

Yves glanced at his screen. "Nope. Radio silence."

Quennel frowned. "Are you sure she saw it?"

After a moment of hesitation, Yves tapped on Stephanie's profile picture. "Should I send her a message to test the waters?"

Yves quickly typed: [Hey, Quennel's had too much to drink. Can you come pick him up?]

Feeling utterly humiliated under everyone's gaze, Quennel shot Victoria a harsh look. "Am I your driver?"

Victoria froze, her eyes welling with tears as she stared at her feet. "Of course not," she said, her voice trembling. "I'm sorry, I overstepped. I'll... I'll just walk home."

Tobias, always one to stir the pot, chimed in, "Her phone's dead, man. If you don't give her a ride, I will. You're her sponsor, after all, Quennel. You should see it through to the end, right?"

Tobias was a notorious playboy. Seeing his lecherous gaze land on her, Victoria flinched and quickly hid behind Quennel. "Quennel…"

Quennel frowned, not wanting Victoria to be harassed. "Yves, you take her home later."

"Huh?" Yves, caught off guard, looked innocent. Then it clicked. "Sure thing. Stephanie's at that Japanese place on Riverside Drive."

Quennel immediately retorted, "Who said I was going to see her?"

Meanwhile, Tobias was lounging on the sofa, casually texting.

[Jonathan, I've infiltrated the enemy camp just to get you this intel. If this works out, I better be your best man!]