Next Man, Better Plan novel Chapter 4

Quennel stood in the hallway, knocking. "Stephanie, there's really nothing between us. Victoria just came to drop off your birthday gift."

Hearing the words "birthday gift" only made Stephanie feel more aggrieved.-

"My birthday was over a day ago. Do I need your mistress to bring me my gift?"

Quennel protested, "Don't talk like that. Victoria is not my mistress."

Stephanie laughed through her tears. "Then who is? Am I?"

Unable to get her to open the door, Quennel left.

It made sense, really. As the young master of a top-tier elite family, he was used to being coddled wherever he went.

The honeymoon trip to the Maldives never happened for Stephanie.

But someone else went in her place.

The next afternoon, her best friend, Cecilia Parker, sent her a photo.

"What's going on? Is Quennel cheating on you? Why did he take Victoria to the Maldives?"

In the photo, Victoria was wearing a bikini, a massive diamond ring on her ring finger so bright it was blinding.

Stephanie recognized it.

The ring was a globally exclusive design, one of a kind, symbolizing a love that was one and only for a lifetime.

A few days ago, it had been bought at auction for an exorbitant price by a mysterious tycoon.

And now, it was on Victoria’s hand.

Victoria was sitting in the turquoise water, her skirt hitched up, revealing a pair of slender, toned legs curled beneath her in a tantalizingly forbidden pose.

A few meters away, under a beach umbrella, Quennel held a coconut drink, his gaze fixed gently on her.

To any observer, they looked like a newlywed couple on their honeymoon.

Cecilia tried to comfort her. "Stephanie, don't be sad. Victoria isn't one of us. She has no background, no family. I'll help you tear her down!"

Stephanie replied, "If you mess with Quennel's new flame, he'll fight you to the death. Besides, I don't want this man anymore anyway."

Cecilia was taken aback. "What did you say? You don't want Quennel? Can you really let him go? Are you okay with that?"

Everyone in their circle knew that Stephanie had lived with the Gonzalez family since she was sixteen.

After living under the same roof for so many years, even setting aside their romantic relationship, Quennel's parents had long become her own.

Even if they fought, they would still have to eat at the same dinner table when they went home.

"Quennel only has eyes for you. When your father died in that car crash, he brought you home and protected you like a treasure."

"Has he ever been with another woman besides you all these years? Stephanie, you can't be an ingrate and spread rumors to ruin his reputation."

A flicker of disappointment crossed Stephanie’s eyes. Her fingers tightened slightly, a chill seeping up her spine.

They really were mother and son. Before even figuring out the truth, she was already defending him.

To be fair, the Gonzalezes had been good to her over the years, and she had come to see them as her own family.

But whenever a problem arose, they were still a family, and she was not.

But the sadness lasted only a moment before Stephanie lifted her head.

Because… she didn't owe the Gonzalez family a thing.

She forwarded the photo Cecilia had sent to Wilma's phone. "Victoria. You've probably met her, haven't you?"

Wilma frowned. "It's just a picture. They aren't doing anything intimate. Isn't this just some kind of misunderstanding?"

"The Maldives—Quennel took her there, a man and a woman alone together. What kind of misunderstanding could there be?"

Stephanie sounded weary. "Do I really need a private investigator to throw pictures of them in bed at you…"