Next Man, Better Plan novel Chapter 273

Tobias declared, “Start a rivalry with Quennel for her affection!”

Jonathan frowned instantly. “A rivalry?”

“Think about it. Stephanie and Quennel were childhood sweethearts, but now he’s betrayed her. She’s definitely going to be wary of trusting someone with her heart again.”

“But if you compete with him, the more of a scumbag Quennel acts like, the more sincere you’ll look in comparison, right?”

Tobias puffed out his chest, proud of his idea. “And I’ve got the latest scoop. I heard Quennel has a new flame—he’s with that young lady from the Yates family.”

Jonathan’s face turned colder. “The Yates family?”

“Vivian! You met her at the Yates family’s anniversary party, remember?”

At that, Jonathan’s expression became glacial.

Was Quennel insane?

Years ago, Susan had married into the Yates family, abandoning Stephanie in the process.

Quennel knew all of this, yet he was now involved with a woman from that very family? He’s such a fool!

“Jonathan, trust me! Compete with Quennel! Not only will it make him back off, but it will also make Stephanie completely devoted to you. She’ll see how good you are to her.”

Jonathan still thought Tobias was giving him terrible advice.

“Stephanie is long over Quennel. This would only put her in an incredibly awkward position.”

Just like during that live television broadcast, where all the viewers were watching the drama unfold.

That kind of scandal didn’t affect men much, but the public criticism directed at women was always far more severe.

After the broadcast, a torrent of ugly comments had appeared online, all of them slut-shaming Stephanie and calling her promiscuous. That gossip was what had given Patricia the ammunition to turn the family elders against her.

He had acted quickly, buying up all the negative press so Stephanie would never see it.

He refused to put her in that kind of situation again for his own selfish reasons.

…

Stephanie felt a strange sense of distance from Jonathan.

Since getting back from travel, his desire toward her appears to have faded.

Including the days he was away, they hadn't been intimate in a week.

“You bought a car?”

“The company gave me a minivan for covering stories out in the field.”

A few seconds of silence passed before Cecilia spoke again. “It looks like a sports car, but I don’t recognize the logo. It… it’s probably not too expensive, right?”

As she spoke, Cecilia snapped a photo of the car’s emblem and sent it to Stephanie.

“…That’s an Aston Martin. A limited edition. There are less than ten of them in the entire world.”

Cecilia wasn't a car person. Since her family had gone bankrupt, she was just a diligent employee who never bothered to study luxury vehicles.

Her voice trembled. “How much does a car like that cost?”

“Two hundred thousand, at least.”

“…Just kill me instead.”

While she was panicking, someone knocked on her driver-side window. Cecilia slowly rolled it down.

Tobias leaned one hand on the roof of the minivan, his shirt unbuttoned in a way that made him look roguish and charming.