Chapter 91
The force of the collision caused the Mercedes-Benz to be pushed aside.
Hearing the loud sound, the security guards in the residential area felt a
chill go down their spines.
What a spectacle! Rich people certainly know how to have fun, don’t they?
Just look at how that Bentley collided with the Mercedes-Benz without a
second thought. The repair costs alone could amount to half of our
lifetime salary!
“Mackenzie? Mackenzie!” Hubert wanted to go after her, but the security
guard stopped him from entering.
“Mackenzie, I love you! I will make you fall in love with me and marry you
one day!” he announced.
The more rudely Mackenzie treated him, the more he saw it as a
challenge, fueling his determination to win her over.
Mackenzie remained unfazed in her Bentley, but her driver was amused.
I can’t believe a rich heir is fawning over Ms. Quillen. He has no idea she’s
already married!
After getting out of the car, Mackenzie took the elevator upstairs alone.
“Ms. Quillen, you’re back!” Emmanuel greeted her when he saw her
coming home.
To his surprise, Mackenzie merely scoffed in response.
Did I offend her again? I don’t remember anything, though.
2/6
Soon, Mackenzie took a shower and returned to her room, locking it behind
her as usual.
It was still early, and Emmanuel didn’t know if she already had dinner.
However, he dared not pose that question to her as she seemed to be
mad at him.
Right then, Emmanuel received a call from Ryder, who informed him that
he was waiting downstairs at Yociam Residence and wanted to have a
conversation.
Emmanuel quickly went downstairs. “Ryder, what happened? Why are you
here late at night? Did Shawn ask you for money again?”
3/6
Ryder shook his head, a grin spreading across his face. “No, that’s not it. It
was strange how he barged into your house and suddenly said that he
had gone to the wrong house before fleeing the scene. He stopped asking
me to repay the debt ever since.”
That struck Emmanuel as strange, too. As a doctor, he didn’t believe in
humans getting possessed, but that seemed to be the only plausible
explanation for Shawn’s strange behavior.
“Manny, I brought some peaches for you today. Here you go. Share them
with your wife!”
Ryder hauled a box of peaches off his electric bike and handed it to
Emmanuel.
“Ryder, did you come all the way here to deliver the peaches to me?”
Emmanuel was touched by his gesture, but he wasn’t at all surprised by
his generosity.
Ryder had always been this way. In the past, he would often drop by
Emmanuel’s place to bring them gifts or simply spend time together.
Ryder valued family relationships greatly, treating Emmanuel and
Roselynn as his own siblings.
“I didn’t make the trip here on purpose. I’m currently working at a
plantation base as a fruit distributor. I happened to pa*s by here on my
way home and thought I’d drop by!” Ryder explained as he hopped onto
his electric bike.
Emmanuel wanted to invite him upstairs but knew Mackenzie wouldn’t like
that. Feeling guilty, he waved goodbye to Ryder.
“By the way, Ryder, I remember that Tommy lacks nutrients, right? I’ll give
you some money to buy him some supplements,” Emmanuel offered
generously.
Emmanuel knew Ryder wouldn’t accept payment for the fruits, so he had
to figure out another way to give Ryder money.
Ryder gave a dismissive wave. “I don’t need your money. I can work and
earn enough to buy things for him myself. If you have money, spend it on your wife. Buy her something she likes, like jewelry or makeup.”
5/6
He specifically said that as he knew a little about Emmanuel’s situation.
Emmanuel felt bad when he saw Ryder speeding away on his old electric
bike.
He didn’t know what others thought, but to him, the more impoverished
people were, the more they cherished their families. Conversely, the
wealthier one became, the more guarded and cautious they tended to
Uncle Benny might be rich, but he never lends any money to us. Mackenzie
is also wary of me.
Feeling heavy-hearted, Emmanuel headed upstairs with the box of fruits.
He wanted to share them with Mackenzie as he knew they were delicious.
To his astonishment, he found himself locked out without the keys, which
he had left upstairs hastily.
Chapter 92
“What’s going on? I don’t remember locking the door,” Emmanuel
muttered under his breath as he tried to open the door.
He was sure he only closed the door and did not lock it.
Only one possible scenario exists; Mackenzie must have locked the door.
Likely she didn’t know I was out of the house and went to lock the door
when she pa*sed by the living room since it was nearing bedtime. What
do I do now?
Emmanuel knew pressing the doorbell would not work if Mackenzie was
already in her room with the door closed. With the exceptional
soundproofing and the location of her room being the farthest in the
house, she could not hear the doorbell sound.
Emmanuel had no choice but to call her.
Ever since they signed the agreement, their relationship became tense.
Even making a phone call now made Emmanuel jittery for fear Mackenzie
would lose her temper. This did not happen in the past.
After being together for a while, Emmanuel knew Mackenzie did not like to
be disturbed during her rest. Hence, she would switch off her phone while
she slept.
He was mentally prepared to spend the night outside the house should
the call not get through.
After all, he had slept outside once when he was drunk.
Unexpectedly, the call got through. But, nobody answered.
He tried dialing again. After waiting for a while, the call was disconnected.
What’s the meaning of this? Emmanuel was flabbergasted.
Mackenzie did not answer Emmanuel’s call despite her phone being
switched on!
Meanwhile, Mackenzie was wide awake in her room. Earlier, she purposely
locked the main door even though she knew Emmanuel was outside the
2/6
house.
She could not explain her actions, but perhaps the earlier sight of
Emmanuel and Claudette together prompted her to do so. She felt they
looked more compatible, and thus, she decided to give them her blessing.
Well, go and find Claudette since you can’t enter the house!
In Mackenzie’s mind, Emmanuel was a love scammer who purposely
became a gynecologist and portrayed a favorable image to get close to
his victims. But in reality, he did not love them and only married them for
his benefit.
Yes, that must be it! Grandpa has fallen to his scam! If I am to bear him a
baby boy, which technically will not happen, but if that happens, he will
find ways to lay his hands on Grandpa’s ten billion worth of savings.
Thus, Mackenzie felt Emmanuel must have changed his strategy and
secretly worked on a backup plan after she forced him to sign the
agreement.
Claudette was his backup. Though her family might not be as prestigious
as Mackenzie’s, she was still someone of stature. Further, she was naïve,
which made her more susceptible to deception.
That must be why he started to make his move on her. Yes, no doubt
about it!
The more Mackenzie thought about it, the firmer she was about her
conjectures, so she refused to answer his call even when the phone kept
ringing.
Finally, the phone stopped ringing.
Meanwhile, Emmanuel felt Mackenzie would not open the door and was
mentally prepared to spend the night outside.
But he could not resist it and sent Mackenzie a voice message. “Ms.
Quillen, you have locked the door, and I can’t enter the house as I don’t
have the key. However, as I need to prepare for work tomorrow morning,
please leave my key below the doormat when you leave the house. Thank
you!”
With that, he prepared to press the elevator and leave.
He was not worried about spending the night outside-he knew of a
suitable spot within the residential area.
Moreover, it would not be difficult to find lodging for one night, even
without an ID card, as long as one was willing to spend.
At that moment, the apartment door opened about the same time as the
elevator door.
Donned in thin sleepwear, Mackenzie stood at the door and scorned
coldly, “What’s the matter? Going to look for your backup?”
Emmanuel’s brows drew together. He was baffled by her words.
Irritated by his reaction, Mackenzie scoffed and proceeded to close the
door.
Emmanuel reacted quickly and rushed forward to get hold of the door
before it closed.
Given a choice, he rather not go through the ha*sle and spend the night
outside.
Chapter 93
Mackenzie did not bother about him and headed back to her room.
“Wait up, Ms. Quillen!” Emmanuel called out to her after entering the house
and locking the door.
“Did I step on your toes today? Why are you acting so angsty? Also, what
do you mean by looking for backup? Let’s settle things once and for all
now!”
Emmanuel’s tone was a*sertive; no men had spoken to Mackenzie in that
manner before.
Mackenzie glanced back over her shoulder, her eyes giving off an icy glint.
Seeing her expression, Emmanuel knew she must be harboring a grudge.
Mackenzie could hide her feelings well in front of people, except for
Emmanuel, whom she did not give any qualms about outright displaying
her emotions.
“How did you come back earlier?”
“What do you mean?” Emmanuel’s brows knitted tighter.
“Which woman sent you home?” Mackenzie raised her voice, her tone
increasingly cold.
A sudden realization dawned upon Emmanuel. So it’s because she saw
Claudette sending me home?
“Emmanuel, listen up!”
Seeing Emmanuel not respond, Mackenzie became frustrated and gave a
stern warning. “I may not like you, but I’m still your legal wife. I hope you
give me due respect and don’t cheat on me during our marriage.
Otherwise, it’ll be a thorn in my flesh even after we divorce. I don’t care if
you want to hook up with a young, pretty heiress, but just not while we’re
still married. Do you understand?”
Emmanuel found her words so ridiculous that it made him laugh.
“What are you laughing at?” Mackenzie was fuming mad. How dare he
gives such a response? Is he tired of living?
Just then, Emmanuel strode toward her.
Mackenzie became flustered when she saw Emmanuel’s eyes firing like a
beast. She stuttered while trying to be composed, “W-What are you trying
to do?”
She looked around, searching for a weapon to protect herself in case
Emmanuel tried to do something funny.
However, Emmanuel quickly pinned her against the wall before she could
escape.
Shocked and furious, Mackenzie glared at him in disbelief.
What audacity!
“Listen!”
t
Emmanuel did not care about her feelings and yelled, “Ms. Lenoir sent me
home today because I was giving her treatment! She was already my
patient before I knew you. Other than a doctor-patient relationship, we’re
also friends. But why do we sound like a cheating couple in your eyes?”
Mackenzie bit her lower lip in anger. “You…”
She could not rebuke him.
It was true that she did not catch them doing anything out of line.
Ultimately, it was her wild imagination acting up.
Gosh! When did I become such a person?
Emmanuel continued, “There’s a saying; a person with a black heart is
blind to goodness. You are beautiful, yet, you view the world with tainted
eyes. I have nothing to hide from my relationship with Ms. Lenoir. You
portray us as a cheating couple and deduce that I must have gone
looking for her if I’m not home.”
・・
The more Emmanuel spoke, the closer his face inched toward hers.
Mackenzie’s body increasingly stiffened.
She did not know if it was her misandry condition or her nervousness
causing it.
She was tempted to kick Emmanuel’s groin and see if he still dared to
treat her that way.
But ultimately, she did not move and could not even utter a single word.
Chapter 94
“Please don’t jump to conclusions like that again, Ms. Quillen. People might
think you’re jealous.”
Emmanuel raised his arm and stepped away from Mackenzie.
“Hmph! I told you I don’t like you. Why would I be jealous?”
Mackenzie was not going to admit that an all-powerful CEO who hated
men like her that such an ordinary man could incur her jealousy.
Impossible! Absolutely impossible!
“Good point.”
Emmanuel laughed. “I remember you mentioning once that you wouldn’t
mind if I spoke to other women after our marriage, Ms. Quillen. I’ve never
taken you up on the offer. Why the sudden change in mind?”
Mackenzie wheezed with rage. Her chest heaved rapidly. “As I said, this is a
matter of pride! I’m only worried about people finding out about your
indiscretions!”
Emmanuel turned to regard her. As the atmosphere had regained its
calm, he teased, “I see. But your actions earlier did make it look like you
were jealous.”
“Stop dreaming! I told you I don’t like men, and you even less!”
Mackenzie clenched her teeth in visible agitation.
The mighty and imperious CEO is losing on every end to the gynecologist.
“There’s no need to emphasize your dislike for me, Ms. Quillen. I don’t really
like you myself; I just need a woman to deal with my mother and keep her
happy, so she would not keep trying to set me up! I’m just worried my
mother would not take our divorce well.”
Emmanuel opted to be frank. “You can blackmail me with this, Ms. Quillen,
but please do not accuse me of being unfaithful. You want your reputation
and pride, but it cannot be at the cost of my innocence and dignity.”
Throughout their quarrel, he noticed that Mackenzie did not argue like
other girls, who would remain stubborn and force their boyfriends to
compromise.
She thought Emmanuel had a point, so she took her time to regain her
composure before saying, in a lower voice than before, “I’m sorry. I have
been hasty in my judgment.”
Emmanuel was surprised. He laughed a moment later. “No worries. I’m
glad we straightened things out. You can tell me if there is anything
bothering you instead of dropping hints like you did last night!”
“Hmph! I know that.”
Without another word, Mackenzie returned to her room.
Of course, I know that! I ask the same thing from my employees, and I
hate more than anything the presumptuous ones who do as they please.
How have I become somebody like that tonight?
She noticed that his company was making her more uncertain.
3/5
This guy is such a jinx!
As she had retired to her bedroom, Emmanuel turned and returned to his.
He was hurt earlier; his claim of not being fond of Mackenzie was untrue.
Fortunately, the woman does not have the discernment I do to have
noticed it.
The rest of the night was spent in silence.
The couple awoke early the following morning.
Mackenzie was about to leave when she found a large stack of boxes at
the door.
They were the gifts from Hubert the day before.
Frowning, Mackenzie called the guards to ascertain the matter.
“It’s like this, Ms. Quillen: the man, Mr. Verkade, left the items with us and
said it’s a gift to you. As it was late last night, we only had the items
4/5
delivered to you this morning for fear of bothering you.”
The, head guard for the day’s shift responded to Mackenzie’s query
respectfully.
No matter how hard Mackenzie tried to hide her fortune, the guards were
more discerning than Emmanuel in that regard-they knew that her
wealth belonged in the upper echelons of society.
“I see.”
After an indifferent reply, Mackenzie hung up.
She did not feel a need to express her gratitude as those items were, to
her, trash she did not need.
Chapter 95
“Get rid of this crap for me if you’re free today, Emmanuel.”
“What crap?”
Emmanuel hurried to the entrance and jumped when he saw the items.
Aside from the bouquet of fiery-crimson roses, the boxes were filled with
valuable herbs.
Many were herbs to aid Mackenzie’s convalescence, while the others were
supplements.
Though Emmanuel was a gynecologist, he was still a doctor and was
aware of their value.
All together, these are worth at least three hundred thousand!
“Are you sure you’re not mistaken, Ms. Quillen? You want these thrown
away?” Emmanuel asked, flabbergasted.
“These are sent by my admirer. Do you want me to keep them?”
Mackenzie grinned, looking pleased with herself.
SR
He’s not the only one with an admirer. My admirer would kick his admirer’s
a*s!
Emmanuel was in no mood to argue; he knew he was no match for her.
“Send it back if you won’t accept it,” he said firmly. “It’s a waste to throw it
away! I won’t condone it!”
“In my mind, it’s already in the trash. Do what you want with it.”
Without another word, Mackenzie turned to leave. Emmanuel’s calls fell on
deaf ears.
Emmanuel tried to send it back but did not know who the sender was
since Mackenzie did not mention it.
He could not bring himself to throw it, as he felt it would be an awful waste,
so he decided to bring it home.
I’ll gladly throw the bouquet of roses, though.
As they had not gotten a divorce, Mackenzie was still his wife. He
wondered who was audacious enough to send her flowers.
3/5
Emmanuel mulled it over during work that day before succumbing by
sending Mackenzie a text to ask if he could bring the supplements home if
she did not want them.
He also made it clear that they were meant for Tommy and not him.
Mackenzie responded to his message in seconds: Whatever you like. It’s as
good as gone to me.
Since their quarrel the night before, she had wisened up against accusing
him.
Obtaining Mackenzie’s permission, Emmanuel headed to Ryder’s house
with the supplements immediately after work.
Ryder refused to accept them, deeming the gifts too expensive.
“Just take them, Ryder. I didn’t pay for any of it but instead took them from
home for Tommy. We don’t use them, anyway.”
“No way, Manny. I fear your wife will have something to say about the way
you give us things from your house.”
Ryder was an honest man who was well acquainted with the ways of the
world.
Though a married couple shared their a*sets, Emmanuel’s wife might
think of him as a freeloader-especially since she had paid for the house
he lived in.
Even if she did not raise her objections, Mackenzie might remember it,
which might harm their marital relations.
“Don’t worry, I’d asked Ms. Qui-Mackenzie, and she agreed. Otherwise, I
wouldn’t bring them here!”
After some more persuasion, Emmanuel convinced Ryder to accept the
boxes.
After setting down the gifts, Emmanuel had to dash off to his part-time job
and thus did not stay for dinner.
After he left, Abellyn emerged from her room. Her beady eyes glinted
when they caught sight of the heap of valuables.
“Excellent! We’ll make a small fortune once we sell them!”
“Don’t even think about it. They’re for our son!”
Ryder knew his wife well enough to foresee her selling them to play poker.
Abellyn flew into a tantrum on the spot. “Go, then! Take it all! Don’t bother
stopping Shawn from coming for me when the time comes. Let him take
me to the bathhouse and serve the men to pay off my debt!”
Chapter 96
Ryder had never won an argument against his wife. At last, they came to
an agreement to gift Shawn the supplements to offset eighty thousand
from her poker debt.
Shawn was not even thinking about collecting the debt, so he thought he
had no reason to turn her away when she delivered to him herself.
Out of curiosity, he asked Abellyn quietly, “Are you related to Ms. Quillen,
who was in your uncle’s house the other day?”
Ryder was Emmanuel’s elder cousin, but Emmanuel’s father was older
than Ryder’s. Even more bizarre, Ryder was younger than Benny.
Ryder’s father had fathered him when the former was seventeen. Thus,
the difference in age between the two generations of the Lowe family had
always been a distinct oddity.
“She’s the wife of my cousin–in–law, Emmanuel. What about her? You don’t
have a crush on her, do you? You men are pigs!”
As she chided, Abellyn pinched Shawn on the waist.
Though she feared him, she was also trying to seduce him; she thought it
would be more worth her time to be with Shawn, the son of a rich man,
than to be with a pauper like Ryder.
“I did not! Don’t say that. I would never dare!”
Shawn denied vehemently, deathly afraid that the woman was subjecting
him to some sort of test.
Even a rich man’s son like Shawn did not dare indulge in the fantasy of
being with somebody like Mackenzie.
Abellyn grew curious at the sight of his panic. “You were joking, right? What
women do you not dare court?”
“Watch your mouth, Abellyn! I’m keeping the gifts, and you can consider
your debt written off. You’d better get going!”
Shawn sent Abellyn and her husband away, still reeling from the discovery
that the cold CEO of Terence Group had become a married woman.
What is going on?
Shawn’s father had business with Verkade Group. He had even developed
a long–standing business relationship with them.
Thus, he lost no opportunity to curry favor with Hubert, a playboy like
himself.
He knew very well that Hubert coveted Mackenzie, having heard that
Hubert had been relentlessly pursuing Mackenzie. How could she have
gotten married?
To get to the bottom of the matter, Shawn hurriedly sought an audience
with Hubert under the pretense of delivering a gift.
“I heard a rumor, Mr. Verkade. Ms. Quillen is married, it seems!”
“Who would spread such vile lies?”
With his feet propped on the table, Hubert was savoring his coffee when
not believe it.
married?”
pa*sing it along as I heard it. Anyway, I’m here today with some gifts.”
Shawn’s confession.
Hubert swept an indifferent gaze over it and did a double take.
What is this? Why do these boxes look so familiar?
Taking a closer look, he was stunned to discover them to be exactly like
the lowly Ryder. He quickly concocted a lie. “My father bought it when he
was not something he possessed. What he did possess, however, was the
talent of deception. “That’s right! Here’s something you might not know, Mr.
Verkade. Many traditional medicine practitioners were exiled during the
war. These herbs, grown abroad, are the true produce of our motherland!”
“Is that so?”
laughter. “Just as well. I can gift it to Mackenzie!”
If he was being honest, he found it strange as well. Why would Mackenzie
Unfortunately, nobody would tell him the truth, so he contented himself
with the inference that it was closer to her office. A workaholic like
Mackenzie would undoubtedly want to shorten her commute.
it and dash in!”
“Mackenzie! Mackenzie!” Hubert called upon catching sight of her.
Despite the man screaming himself hoarse, Mackenzie did not spare him
so much as a glance.
The bodyguard following Mackenzie in the car behind hers leaped out and
stopped him.
Mackenzie bolstered her security team ever since her a*sault that night,
- on. Incidentally, her gaze swept over, and she saw the items he was
hauling in.
“I promise you I’d thrown them away yesterday, Ms. Quillen!” Emmanuel
explained quickly. “I’ve no idea how they turned up again!”
Mackenzie was seized by an impulse to laugh at the sight of his panic.
look of horror.
“Another batch, Manny?”
Ryder would never have guessed that those were the items they had
given Shawn to offset their debt. He thought Emmanuel had brought them
“Where are the ones I’d given you yesterday, Ryder?”
“Ah, we… uh… finished it!”
Ryder did not dare tell the truth, as Emmanuel had gifted them to Tommy.
“Is that so?”
Emmanuel was confused. Could I have been mistaken? These gifts look
exactly the same as the ones I brought yesterday!
Is this what it’s like to be royal? While we struggle to afford even a few
supplements, Emmanuel is treating them like trash?
“Well, I must be off!” With that, Emmanuel left the gifts there and left.
“Daddy, Uncle Manny is so rich! Mackenzie is so capable, and she’s really
pretty too!” Tommy exclaimed.
“Yes, your uncle has truly found a good wife,” Ryder said with heartfelt
2/5
She could tolerate her son singing praises for the woman, despite
She’s only two years younger than me. How dare she ask Tommy to call
her by her first name? She must be thinking that Aunt Mackenzie makes
her sound like an old woman, huh?
Upon hearing that her husband was praising Mackenzie, she lashed out at
him. “What’s the matter, Ryder? Are you jealous that Emmanuel has such a
beautiful and rich wife?”
“Happy for him, you say?” Abellyn sneered. “I think you just fancy his wife
However, he quickly returned to his senses and ran after his wife.
“What’s gotten into you, woman? When did I ever express my
dissatisfaction with you?” Ryder asked helplessly.
He was at his wit’s end as his face distorted in frustration.
Ryder had married Abellyn back then because she was young and
As furious as Abellyn was, she was secretly pleased, knowing that she had
“Ryder, do you remember what you promised when we got married? You
said you’ll never be interested in another woman and will love only me
forever!” Abellyn remarked.
“Of course, I remember!” he replied impatiently. “How could I ever be
interested in my cousin–in–law? I merely acknowledged her kindness
since she has presented gifts to our family twice.”
When he returned home, Mackenzie immediately ordered, “Emmanuel,
pick me up at Azure Business Club at nine tomorrow evening.”
“Uh, why?” Emmanuel asked.
questions?” she retorted.
to fetch her.
Ever since their signed agreement, this woman had become increasingly
Is she asking me out on a date?
Emmanuel shook his head quickly to dismiss the thought. What nonsense
am i thinking? How outrageous!
The woman was modestly dressed, yet her attire was provocatively
captivating. As she staggered slightly, she resembled an enchanting
It was an enthralling sight to behold.
Upon recognizing her, Emmanuel quickly dismounted his scooter and
jogged to meet her.
To his astonishment, this intoxicated beauty was none other than his wife,
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