Next Man, Better Plan novel Chapter 31

Julie caught up, asking, "About your dinner with Ms. Cooper later, are you still going?"

Quennel stopped in his tracks, looking completely puzzled. "Ms. Cooper? Which Ms. Cooper?"

Julie lowered her gaze. "Have you forgotten? It was the dinner your mother arranged."

Quennel had to think for a good thirty seconds before he remembered what she was talking about.

A couple of days ago, Stephanie had announced to the Gonzalez family that she was drawing a line and cutting ties with him. In a fit of anger, his mother, Wilma, had set him up on a blind date, which happened to be today.

He had completely forgotten about it. Rubbing the bridge of his nose, he said, "Cancel it."

"Of course," Julie replied, texting someone as she walked. "Ms. Jackson went to the ER last night for acute gastritis, but she was discharged this morning."

She's already been discharged?

Quennel stopped again. "So where is she staying now?"

"Probably at a hotel. Should I look into it?"

Before she could finish, Quennel's phone rang.

Seeing it was Wilma, Quennel answered with a weary sigh. "Mom."

"Ms. Cooper is already waiting for you at Nectar & Grove. Are you there yet?"

"I'm swamped with work. I can't make it."

"Even if you're desperate to sell the company, you can't just rush into marriage like this! What if he's an abusive monster? What about a prenup? Did you sign one? What if that old woman you met already investigated your background and this is all an elaborate scam designed to trap you and take your money?"

Stephanie chewed on her straw and sipped her juice. "We already signed a prenup at the Abbey. Don't worry, it's not as bad as you think. Besides, the old woman didn't seem like a bad person. A sophisticated scam? I don't even have a place to live right now, I'm just holed up in a hotel. What money could they possibly be after?"

Cecilia retorted, "Do bad guys have 'I'm a bad guy' tattooed on their foreheads? I think you're just so heartbroken over Quennel that you're acting recklessly..."

She stopped mid-sentence, seeing Stephanie sitting there quietly. Cecilia didn't have the heart to lecture her anymore.

Stephanie must have felt she had no other choice to have come to this. If she didn't sell the company quickly, was she supposed to just let that scumbag Quennel get his hands on it?

Quennel had been at Meridian Consortium for seven years, and the company was filled with his people from top to bottom. Rather than battling him every day, it was indeed better to just sell it, make a clean break, and get some peace of mind.

"My dear Cecilia, I know you're worried about me, but look at this," Stephanie said, revealing her wrist. "Now do you still think they're after my money?"