Next Man, Better Plan novel Chapter 22

Quennel put down his glass, stuck a cigarette between his lips, and muttered, "Do you know how to take a picture?"

…

Cecilia was called away by a phone call.

Apparently, some huge superstar had suddenly tweeted that he was secretly married with a kid, crashing the whole platform.

As a gossip columnist, Cecilia had to rush back to the office for an emergency meeting.

Stephanie, having eaten only half her salmon, lost her appetite.

She used a ride-sharing app to call a car and, while waiting under a streetlight, she opened Facebook.

The first thing that popped up was a post Yves had made just two minutes earlier.

[My man Quennel's got a charm you can't even dream of!]

The accompanying photo showed Victoria in a midriff-baring slip dress, sitting next to Quennel on a sofa against a backdrop of dim, colorful lights. She was gazing at him adoringly, her eyes filled with admiration and infatuation.

Only half of Quennel's face was visible, his expression unclear. He wore a white shirt that gave him a refined, almost ascetic look.

He was gently swirling a glass of red wine, his gaze not lingering on Victoria.

Stephanie took one look and closed the app.

After a moment's thought, she unlocked her phone again.

A few minutes later, Quennel asked, "Did she reply?"

Yves glanced at his screen. "Nope. Radio silence."

Quennel frowned. "Are you sure she saw it?"

After a moment of hesitation, Yves tapped on Stephanie's profile picture. "Should I send her a message to test the waters?"

Yves quickly typed: [Hey, Quennel's had too much to drink. Can you come pick him up?]

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