Next Man, Better Plan novel Chapter 34

Stephanie had no choice but to agree.

The thirty-minute drive took them just over twenty.

Stephanie got out of Joseph's car with a smile, bending down to say, "Thank you."

Joseph nodded. "Don't mention it."

Stephanie waved as the car drove off. Once it was out of sight, she turned to head into the hotel lobby.

But as she turned, she met a pair of all-too-familiar eyes.

Quennel's gaze was fixed on her, his eyes filled with the cold mockery of someone who had caught her red-handed.

He walked toward her, his eyebrow raised mockingly. "So desperate to leave me. Turns out you already had someone else lined up, is that it?"

Stephanie hadn't expected Quennel to find her hotel so quickly.

Then again, with the Gonzalez family's influence in Veridian, tracking one person down was child's play. She'd have to avoid hotels altogether to escape him.

Quennel asked, "What's that guy's name? How long have you two been together?"

Stephanie gave him a cool glance, not bothering to explain.

There was nothing left to say to him.

"Stephanie, stop."

Quennel moved to block her path, a chill entering his eyes. "Walking away without a word... a guilty conscience?"

She'd never seen such a classic case of the pot calling the kettle black.

He was the one who had betrayed their relationship, and now he had the audacity to stand on his moral high ground and judge her.

Stephanie found it laughable, though a hint of sorrow crept into her eyes. "What do I have to feel guilty about? We're over. Am I not allowed to have dinner with another man? Do I need to report to you now?"

Quennel frowned. "Who told you we're over? You ended things unilaterally. I never agreed."

Stephanie laughed. "So you're saying the great heir of the Gonzalez family wants to chase after me?"

"Stephanie, you're the one who started this. Don't you dare regret it!"

Without another glance, Quennel turned and walked away, disappearing into the night.

Watching his retreating figure, Stephanie clenched her fists, her eyes unexpectedly welling up.

Then, in her line of sight, Victoria appeared from out of nowhere and got into Quennel's car.

Quennel didn't object, letting Victoria cling to him as the car drove away, growing smaller and smaller in her vision.

The innocent love of their youth had finally come to an end. She just never imagined that their shared history, spanning more than twenty years, would conclude in such a messy, unceremonious way.

Maybe she should have never accepted his help all those years ago, never moved in with the Gonzalez family.

Then none of this would have ever happened.

Goodbye, Quennel.

It's time for me to start my own life now.