Next Man, Better Plan novel Chapter 268

Colin was the same age as Jonathan, the son of Elva and her ex-husband.

Wearing a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, Colin had a gentle, scholarly appearance. “After living in this house for so many years, haven’t you figured out Dad’s attitude yet?”

Elva frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Even Mark, his own flesh and blood, doesn’t have any company shares. As a stepson with no blood relation, just being able to live comfortably in the Vasquez household is enough. What more are you hoping for?”

He saw things clearly. Although York would beat Jonathan half to death whenever he was drunk, when it came to business and inheritance, he knew what mattered most.

York didn't want anyone threatening Jonathan’s position as the heir, which was why even his biological son, Mark, had to be sidelined.

Elva glared at her son, frustrated that he wasn’t living up to his potential. “Mark is just a child! A six-year-old boy, what can he do? You’re different. You grew up in the Vasquez family! If you had just shown a little ambition, you would have been in the company long ago.”

Colin spent his days in leisure, making plenty of fair-weather friends but never doing anything serious.

Lately, he seemed to have gotten into motorcycle racing, spending his entire monthly allowance on his bikes.

“I have no desire to join some company, working nine-to-five, dealing with KPIs. I’d suffocate. I’m perfectly happy collecting my allowance every month.”

Besides, as the wealthiest family, even the allowance the Vasquezes gave a stepson was no small sum, more than he might make working at the company.

Only a fool would overreach and challenge Jonathan.

If he offended him, he might lose even his allowance.

Elva was speechless at Colin’s lack of ambition.

Colin shrugged. “I’m off. I’m meeting some friends this afternoon to work on my bike.”

She always managed to pour a bucket of water on York’s fiery temper.

If he could learn that trick, he wouldn’t have to be afraid of his father’s scolding anymore.

Patricia couldn’t believe her own son was siding with Stephanie. “Have you forgotten she pinched your ear?”

“So what if she pinched my ear? It’s still attached to my head, isn’t it?”

Mark’s logic left Patricia speechless.

He holds no standing in the family, owns no stock. What purpose did raising this son serve?

Lately he's only aged her with grief — less a child, more a curse she's repaying.