completion of the project but would also use it as a
steppingstone for further career advancement. Given
the circumstances, Emmanuel was no match for her.
I can’t wait to turn the tables after the project comes to
an end!
To her shock, she felt the flash drive slipping from her grasp as she was squeezing it too forcefully, and it fell
into a cup.
“Ah! Sh*t, I’m doomed!”
Milani quickly fished it out and plugged it into her
laptop. Alas, it couldn’t be used anymore.
Sh*t. With the project nearing completion, it is not the
ideal time to cause any trouble. However, I do not want
to ask Emmanuel for another copy of the original
design, as he will likely find fault with me and end up
telling Mr. Zackas, resulting in a potential scolding or
deduction to my bonus. My best option seems to be to
draw the design according to what it looks like. In this
way, I can still get the job done.
As the project supervisor, Milani had the necessary
skills to make it thus far. Hence, she decided to go all
out for her bonus, promotion, and pay raise.
During the meeting, Emmanuel showed everyone the design of the logo. Milani retrieved the recording of the meeting and took a screenshot of the logo.
After that, she stayed up the entire night to draw the
electronic version of the logo and sent it to the
engineering department. She ended up with dark
circles beneath her eyes due to her effort.
Everything went on smoothly, but Milani still despised
Emmanuel for this. If he hadn’t caused me to fly into a
fit of rage, I wouldn’t have accidentally dropped the
flash drive, resulting in this situation. I must make him
pay by insulting him after the project ends!
Days passed by, and the strategic warehouse project
progressed smoothly.
The anticipated completion date was two days later.
Emmanuel went to inspect the progress and
confirmed that everything was okay. All that was left to
do was to attach the final logo.
He arrived home at ten o’clock to discover that
Mackenzie was having pasta.
Emmanuel’s stomach was grumbling as he asked in
surprise, “Did you make that yourself?”
Mackenzie gave him a smug look. “Why are you staring
at me like that? Is it that hard to cook pasta?”
Emmanuel chuckled. “Ms. Quillen, you’re a genius!”
He wasn’t flattering her; it was a sincere praise.
Mackenzie had never done any housework prior to their marriage. After they got married, she didn’t even know how to use the gas stove or microwave oven.
He couldn’t help but admire her talent as she
managed to learn how to cook delicious pasta in a
3/0
relatively short amount of time.
“Of course!” A smirk flitted across Mackenzie’s lips.
She quickly regained her composure and put on an icy
demeanor.
I’m the CEO of Terence Group. Why would I be
delighted to hear a man’s praise? Nonsense! This won’t
- do.
“I left some pasta for you. Do you want it? If you don’t,
I’ll throw it away.”
Chapter 59
With that, Mackenzie stood up, her face devoid of
expression.
Emmanuel instantly leaped to his feet and raced to
guard his plate of pasta.
The pasta looked really delicious, and the plating was
perfect. Every noodle was cooked to perfection, and
the accompanying sauces and garnishes were
artistically arranged on the plate.
Emmanuel found himself silently admiring her for her
thoughtfulness. If he had been the one responsible for
preparing the pasta, he doubted he would have taken
the extra step to make sure it was presented nicely.
Mackenzie was amused to see him gulping down the
plate of pasta in two mouthfuls. She remarked icily,
“Did you go to inspect a project, or were you recently
released from jail? Why were you famished?”
“Inspecting a project is more tiring than going to jail!”
After clearing the plate, Emmanuel licked his lips,
obviously wanting more. He gave her a thumbs–up
and a wide grin. “This is amazing! You’re an incredible
cook, way better than me.”
Mackenzie’s lips curled slightly, but her smile quickly
slipped away. She retorted, “Even if you flatter me, that
doesn’t mean I’ll make it for you again. By the way, how
is the project progressing?”
“Everything is going well. After the logo is done, they
will affix it and deliver it in a timely manner,” Emmanuel
explained.
He quickly added, “Remember your promise to pay my
family a visit after the project completion. My mom has
already extended an invitation to both Uncle Benny
and Uncle Chester’s families!”
“It’s a formal visit?” Mackenzie frowned upon hearing
that the visit was a formal one as she had never been
fond of attending formal dinners.
Nevertheless, she didn’t say no outright and ordered
coldly, “Clear the table. I’m going to wash up and go to
bed.”
Emmanuel watched with a fond smile as she ambled
away. He was filled with a sense of satisfaction and joy,
knowing that in two days, he would finally be able to
fulfill his mother’s wish.
The following day, Walter summoned Milani to his
office.
“Milani, you have done an outstanding job of
managing the project and making sure that all the
details were taken care of. Your commitment to this
project has been remarkable. After the handover
tomorrow, I will apply for your bonus and pay raise.”
“Thank you, Mr. Zackas!” Milani thanked him excitedly.
She was so overjoyed that she felt the urge to
embrace him and give him a kiss.
I have suffered through countless encounters with the
exasperatingly useless Emmanuel, but my suffering is
finally coming to an end. I must confront him after the
handover tomorrow.
Walter continued, “I’m not the one who deserves your
gratitude. You should thank Mr. Lowe instead.”
He was aware that it was only due to Emmanuel’s
efforts in dealing with the persistent Samuel that the
project was able to be completed and delivered on
schedule.
Alas, Milani despised Emmanuel so much and would
never thank him for his efforts.
That b*stard only went all out for his commission. He
wasn’t sincere in helping me. Why would I thank him?
That very night, Alessandra was bubbling with
enthusiasm when she called Emmanuel.
“Manny, Uncle Chester’s family will come to help us out
that day. We must decorate our place and prepare a
spread for Mackenzie!” she exclaimed happily.
“Mackenzie is free on Sunday, right?” She wanted to be
sure.
As the days leading up to the weekend grew shorter,
Alessandra’s excitement grew ever stronger.
“Yeah. We’ll be there,” Emmanuel assured her.
The project would end tomorrow, and he would be
bringing the ice queen home three days later.
“I’m glad to hear that! You should be incredibly
thankful that you have such an incredible wife.”
Alessandra was obviously over the moon.
Emmanuel let out a chuckle, but on the inside, he was
feeling bitter.
Mackenzie might be capable, but that doesn’t mean
she’s a good wife!
Alessandra suddenly changed the topic. “By the way,
the Zimmerman family invited us to dinner tomorrow
night. They sounded enthusiastic, so I said yes.”
Taken aback, Emmanuel frowned and asked, “Which
Zimmerman family?”
Don’t tell me she’s talking about Milani’s family.
Chapter 60
“Milani’s family, of course.” Alessandra explained, “Her
mother, Melody, had come to me directly to invite me
to a celebratory dinner, as her daughter had been
promoted. She was so enthusiastic about the prospect
that I could not refuse, especially since I knew that
Melody would call me petty if I did not accept the
invitation.”
Emmanuel rolled his eyes.
Mom is naive. It is obvious that Milani’s family is up to
no good. Nevertheless, I had gone on a blind date with
Milani before and worked alongside her on a project.
Now that the project is complete, it would be
inappropriate for me to refuse to attend a party she’s
holding to celebrate. Mom has agreed to be there,
anyway. I don’t want to go against her wishes.
At that moment, Beatrix and Lexi were seized by a
sense of panic in the office of Terence Group.
To their horror, they discovered a mistake in the
strategic warehouse’s logo!
One of the details was supposed to have four
horizontal lines, but only three lines were present.
This discrepancy did not abide by the initial design,
making it an unacceptable error.
“How could Cloud Construction make such a stupid
mistake?” Beatrix demanded angrily.
When Beatrix began her new job, Mackenzie tasked her
with a very important project. She couldn’t believe that
her efforts were foiled by an unforeseen error.
“What is wrong with Cloud Construction? Ms. Quillen
will definitely fly into a rage if she discovers the
mistake!” Lexi was troubled, too.
Cloud Construction is a highly respected and
successful business with a long–standing reputation
for producing quality work. Why would they make such
a crucial mistake?
This mistake would have minimal impact on Terence
Group’s long–term action plan as the logo had little
functionality. However, it would have a significant
effect on their reputation.
was scheduled for the second day of the following
month. However, if there was an error in the logo, it
could lead to public humiliation as well as give their
competitors an opportunity to criticize them.
“I know Mackenzie well. If she discovers the logo is
incorrect, she’ll definitely yell at me. What should we
do?” Beatrix was about to lose her mind.
Despite their close bond, she couldn’t shake her fear of
Mackenzie.
Everyone in Terence Group feared and admired
Mackenzie.
“Ms. Beatrix, this has nothing to do with you. I’ll go find
Emmanuel and solve the problem as soon as
possible,” Lexi comforted her.
Ms. Beatrix might be my superior, but she doesn’t have
experience in handling such matters. I’ll have to take
the matter into my own hands.
“Thanks, Lexi!” Beatrix sighed.
She wanted nothing more than to punish the person
who made the mistake at Cloud Construction, but they
still had no idea who it was.
Meanwhile, Milani was blissfully unaware that she had
made a serious blunder. She was ecstatic to have
received Walter’s verbal promise.
She wanted everyone to be aware of the fantastic
news that she was to receive a substantial bonus of
three hundred thousand and her promotion to a senior
executive position in Cloud Construction with a yearly
salary of three hundred thousand.
The Zimmerman family felt proud of her achievements,
too. In Yeringham, the average annual salary was
seventy thousand, so Milani’s success was an
impressive feat.
At seven sharp, Emmanuel, Alessandra, and Roselynn
arrived at the restaurant to attend the dinner.
They were well–dressed to show their respect for the
occasion.
At the door of the VIP room, they discovered that the
Zimmerman family had invited over thirty guests to
join the celebration.
People started talking when Emmanuel’s family of
three showed up.
They mostly talked about him being Milani’s blind date
and that he earned eighty thousand annually.
After the blind date fell through, his entire family made
the trip to Milani’s family’s home in an attempt to ask
for her hand in marriage but was unfortunately
rejected.
Emmanuel’s brows knitted when he heard them gossip
about him. It looks like Milani has set up a trap for me
tonight.
Indeed, Milani led Emmanuel’s family to a table in the
corner adjacent to the restroom.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: A Whirlwind Marriage with the Beautiful CEO