《A Whirlwind Marriage with the Beautiful CEO》 Chapter 1 Chapter 1 ¡°I know, Mom. I¡¯m in front of the caf¨¦. Call youter!¡± Emmanuel Lowe hung up on his mother impatiently. The twenty-eight-year-old man had never been in a rtionship. After spending seven years in the army, he retired from the military and worked at a hospital in Yeringham for three years. He was a gynecologist at the hospital and madeeighty thousand a year. Worried he would end up old and alone, Emmanuel¡¯s mother urged him to settle down. Since he had no idea where to begin when it came to dating, his mother took matters into her own hands and set him up on multiple blind dates. Thanks to her efforts, he had gone on seventeen blind dates so far. s, wedding bells were clearly not on the horizon for Emmanuel. It was frustrating. He knew he was just going through the motions at that point. ¡°Help! Someone help me!¡± Right before Emmanuel entered the caf¨¦, he heard someone calling out weakly for help. you for your kindness!¡± replied the old man with a smile. Emmanuel realized then that the old man¡¯s attire was at odds with his airs. Despite his tattered clothes, the old man¡¯s clean hands looked like those of a man ustomed to wealth. Still, he had no time to satisfy his curiosity. After confirming that the old man was unharmed,Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. Emmanuel rushed into the caf¨¦ for his blind date. He never once considered being repaid for his kind act earlier. The caf¨¦ was massive and practically structured like a maze. Emmanuel¡¯s mother mentioned that his blind date was seated at table number eight. He wandered through the confusing caf¨¦, but before he could locate the correct table, he stumbled into a special area. The lighting was softer there, and the floor was scattered with fresh petals. The sweet scent of flowers wafted through the air. He wondered if he had set foot in heaven. Emmanuel raised his eyes and immediately froze. A beautiful, elegant woman sat before a table in the room. It was no exaggeration to say she embodied perfection itself. The heavens clearly decided to shower all their favors on her. The woman quietly sipped her coffee with her legs crossed neatly to the side. On the table was a non- tranted copy of The Power Broker. When she noticed Emmanuel barging into the room, she looked up at him in confusion and disgust. Thump! Thump! Thump! When Emmanuel recovered from the shock of stumbling upon the beautiful stranger, he realized his heart was about to beat its way out of his chest. Never once had he ever felt so attracted to a woman in his twenty-eight years of life. The countless female bodies he had seen in his work as a gynecologist hardly appealed to him. At some point, he even wondered if he was attracted to women at all. Against all odds, it seemed, the young woman before him made his heart race like a runaway horse. Am I simply nervous, or am I already attracted to her? More surprisingly, Emmanuel noticed arge number eight sign on the woman¡¯s table. She¡¯s my blind date? He took a deep breath to calm himself before approaching her table and taking a seat opposite her. The young woman¡¯s expression grew increasingly bbergasted. There was even a hint of hostility in her pretty eyes. The audacity of this man! Barging into my private room is bad enough, but he¡¯s going to sit opposite me like it¡¯s nobody¡¯s business? More surprisingly, Emmanuel noticed arge number eight sign on the woman¡¯s table. She¡¯s my blind date? He took a deep breath to calm himself before approaching her table and taking a seat opposite her. The young woman¡¯s expression grew increasingly bbergasted. There was even a hint of hostility in her pretty eyes. The audacity of this man! Barging into my privateroom is bad enough, but he¡¯s going to sit opposite me like it¡¯s nobody¡¯s business? Emmanuel ignored her expression. It was not the first time a woman had scoffed at him. They were free to go their separate ways after getting the blind date done and over with. He introduced himself, dering, ¡°Hi! My name is Emmanuel Lowe. I¡¯m twenty-eight years old, and I work as a gynecologist. I make eighty thousand a year and don¡¯t own a car or a house.¡± Any man would need an incredible amount of courage to say such things to a woman, but Emmanuel appeared unusually calm and unfazed. The young woman stared at him in shock. A momentter, her lips curved into a smirk, and she replied with an introduction of her own. ¡°Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Mackenzie Quillen. I¡¯m twenty-seven years old with dual doctorates in finance and business administration from Harvard University. I made three billionst year, and I have a car and a house.¡± Emmanuel was stunned. What the heck is happening? He always thought women on blind dates came with red gs. Mackenzie, however, was arguably wless. Where¡¯s the catch? Perhaps she¡¯s mental? Or crippled? Or infertile? All sorts of fantastical theories filled Emmanuel¡¯s mind. Mackenzie smirked at his perplexed expression. The pride in her cool gaze was evident. She deliberately introduced herself to put the stranger in a difficult spot and intimidate him into retreating. As expected, awkward silence lingered in the air after her words. Urgh, forget it! Whether Mackenzie was telling the truth was beside the point. Emmanuel decided to go through all the motions so he could at least mollify his mother, even if the date did not result in a trip to the altar. He dered, ¡°I don¡¯t make much, but if you decide to date me, I promise I¡¯ll always protect and cherish you. I¡¯ll take over all the household chores so you can be a queen at home. Of course, I hope you¡¯ll allow me to preserve my masculine pride in front of my family. If we do get married, I can give you about five to six thousand every month.¡± It was a well-worn script that Emmanuel recited in a single breath. Mackenzie was dumbfounded at his earnest expression and apparentck of shame at his much lower sry. A long whileter, she burst into a chuckle. She had never met a man who could humor her so. ¡°What are youughing about?¡± Unimpressed by her reaction, Emmanuel continued, ¡°I know I don¡¯t check all the boxes, but I promise I¡¯ll be a good and responsible husband if we¡¯re married!¡± Mackenzie failed to keep in her snigger. An annoyed Emmanuel demanded, ¡°Why are youughing, Ms. Quillen? Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re being rather rude?¡± ¡°Sir, you¡¯re a very good man!¡± Mackenzie stopped smiling and retorted coldly, ¡°But I think you¡¯re the confused one here. I¡¯m not here for a blind date!¡± Huh? What is going on? Emmanuel¡¯s eyes widened in horror as he sputtered, ¡°Isn¡¯t this table number eight?¡± ¡°Yes, but this is the VIP area. You must be looking for table number eight in themon dining area. Please go out and turn right!¡± She pointed a slender finger at the exit. ¡°I¡­ Sorry! I¡¯m so sorry! I mixed things up!¡± Emmanuel wished he could sink into the floor in embarrassment. He jumped to his feet, ready to make a hasty escape. That was so embarrassing! How could I sit at the wrong table for a blind date? No wonder she was laughing so much. She must have thought I was shooting above my weight! Shortly after Emmanuel¡¯s departure, an old man entered Mackenzie¡¯s private room, escorted by four ck-d bodyguards. Emmanuel would have been astonished if he was still around. The old man was none other than the stranger he had helped earlier in front of the caf¨¦! He implored, ¡°Perhaps this is fate, Mackenzie. You¡¯re twenty-seven, but you¡¯ve never been in a rtionship because of your misandry. No man would daree near you! But that young man seeded! He¡¯s also a kind and just person. A while ago, he helped me outside the caf¨¦ and didn¡¯t expect a reward for his actions!¡± The old man¡¯s true identity was Terence Quillen, chairman of Yeringham¡¯s premier financial corporation. While his wealth could trump that of entire nations, he had a major regret in life. Terence had had three sons who tragically passed away before him. They either had no children of their own or only left daughters behind. Mackenzie was Terence¡¯s favorite granddaughter and next-in-line to helm Terence Group. Her intelligence and charisma did not change the fact. that she was a woman. Before Terence met his maker, he wished his favorite granddaughter could give him a great-grandchild. That spurred him to fake his fall in front of the caf¨¦ and scout a decent man for his granddaughter. To his surprise, the young man who helped him earlier made a blunder of his own blind date and ended up meeting Mackenzie instead. Mackenzie remained stoically unmoved by her grandfather¡¯s words. ¡°Grandpa, he may have passed your test, but he hasn¡¯t passed mine. I¡¯ll marry him if he aces my test.¡± She wanted to fulfill her grandfather¡¯s wish, but she naturally wished to promise herself to a good man. Marrying a man after one blind date was simply too hasty and careless. Terence¡¯s gaze lit up expectantly, and he replied, ¡°All right! I¡¯m sure he will pass your test!¡± Chapter 2 Chapter 2 After turning right at the door, Emmanuel finally found table number eight in themon dining area. Sure enough, a woman was seated at the table, looking like she was running out of patience. Dressed in professional attire that entuated her beautiful curves, she was, by all means, a sight to behold. Even though she didn¡¯t exude the same air of elegance that Mackenzie had, there was no denying she had the power to make men fall at her feet. Thankfully, Emmanuel wasn¡¯t disappointed in the slightest. After all, he was well aware of his own qualities. Without further ado, he straightened himself up and approached the woman with a smile. ¡°Sorry I¡¯mte! My name¡¯s Emmanuel Lowe. I¡¯m twenty-eight years old, and I work as a gynecologist with an annual sry of eighty thousand-¡± ¡°Stop!¡± the woman coldly interrupted before he could finish his introduction. ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this? With what little you have to offer, do you seriously think women would want to marry you? I can¡¯t believe you even had the nerve to bete! What right do you have to keep a woman waiting? This has been an utter waste of my time. Hmph!¡± After firing off a barrage of questions, the red-faced woman angrily sshed a ss of water on Emmanuel¡¯s face. Thetter, who was caught off guard, instantly became soaking wet. Nevertheless, Emmanuel didn¡¯t lose his temper. After all, he was indeedte because he went to the wrong ce, so he could understand why the woman was upset. ¡°Hmph. You¡¯re twenty-eight and still only earning eighty-thousand a year. No wonder you¡¯re doing so poorly! Not only do youck punctuality, but you also don¡¯t seem to take life seriously. You¡¯re doomed to be at the bottom of the social hierarchy your entire life! I¡¯m shocked you even have the guts to go on a blind date with me¡­ Stop being delusional!¡± the woman scolded as she shot Emmanuel a look of contempt. The next second, she grabbed her bag and stormed off, not once bothering to leave her name. To add insult to injury, she even waved a wad of cash in front of Emmanuel¡¯s face, then pped it hard on the table as payment for the bill. Thetter¡¯s gaze darkened instantly as rage began pulsing through his veins. This woman is humiliating me! I may not have high expectations for marriage, but that doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t have a temper! Argh! As much as I want to make her regret her actions, I know I don¡¯t have that capability¡­ Since the woman was gone, Emmanuel, too, left the caf¨¦ glumly. To his surprise, he had only just stepped out the door when he saw a long-haired man deliberately colliding into a BMW and screaming in pain. Emmanuel couldn¡¯t help but furrow his brows. Oh, gosh. That man is clearly staging a car ident. Why is there so much trouble in this caf¨¦ today? ¡°Ah! Someone¡¯s been hit!¡± ¡°Argh! My leg¡¯s broken! Murderer!¡± Four men immediately rushed out to join the ground. Those guys must be the co-conspirators! Just then, a youngdy hastily exited the BMW, d in a maroon sleeveless dress that revealed arge expanse of tender, fair skin. With her long, shapely legs and her cleavage peeking out from the neckline, there was no denying that she was incredibly sexy and alluring. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? How could I have injured your leg when I was driving so slowly?¡± she asked anxiously. Secondster, the long-haired man¡¯s buddies surrounded the woman, demandingpensation. ¡°Cut the crap! Pay up! Pay up now!¡± Several people in the caf¨¦ had witnessed the staged ident, but unfortunately, they were so afraid of the big, burly men that no one dared to confront them. ¡°How much do you guys want?¡± the woman muttered helplessly, having resigned herself to the fact that she¡¯d have to settle the matter with money. The group of thugs, however, began leering at her bosom and drooling over her. ¡°Haha. Hey, sexy, why don¡¯t you have some fun with us?¡± one of the men suggested as he shamelessly tugged at her dress. Just like that, what had started as a staged ident quickly turned into public sexual harassment. The pretty woman was so scared out of her wits that she staggered backward until she bumped into Emmanuel. Instead of taking advantage of her like the other thugs, Emmanuel stepped in front of her and red at the long-haired man. ¡°Your leg¡¯s broken, and you¡¯re asking forpensation, huh?¡± Upon seeing Emmanuel¡¯s menacing expression, the thugs felt chills down their spines. At the same time, Mackenzie was sitting in the caf¨¦ and watching the entire scene unfold. Well, well, well. Who knew that man would be so brave? I¡¯m sure no one else would have the guts to go up against five thugs. The next second, Emmanuel stunned everyone by viciously kicking the long-haired man¡¯s leg. ¡°Argh!¡± thetter shouted in pain as he began hopping on the leg that was supposedly broken. Goodness gracious! That man is daring! Mackenzie, too, had curled her lips into a smile. The caf¨¦ was one of her properties, so naturally, she had also seen how Emmanuel¡¯s blind date went. I thought he was a coward when he didn¡¯t re up despite being sshed with water. Who knew he was just a gentleman who doesn¡¯t lose his temper with women? I must admit, he looks rather charming when he shows his tough side! ¡°What¡¯s this? Didn¡¯t you say your leg¡¯s broken? I¡¯m mocked. When the onlookers realized that the long-haired man had lied about his injury, they wasted no time scolding and criticizing him. By then, the other thugs had also lost their bravado and fell silent. After all, they knew the tables had All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. turned on them. ¡°Hmph. I¡¯ll let you off this time, brat! You¡¯d better watch your back!¡± the long-haired man warned before running away with his tail between his legs. With that, the pretty woman gave Emmanuel a warm smile and coyly gestured for him to get into her car. ¡°Hey, handsome, thank you so much for your help. Would you like to go to my house for a drink?¡± Emmanuel, however, brushed her off without a second thought. ¡°No, thank you. I have other things to do!¡± Seeing how unmoved he was by her advances, the woman couldn¡¯t help but stomp her feet in frustration. What the hell¡­ Am I not sexy enough? I¡¯ve already made the first move, so why won¡¯t he reciprocate? Back in the caf¨¦, Mackenzie heard her grandfather burst into loud guffaws. ¡°Haha! I told you so, Mackenzie! Didn¡¯t I say that man has an excellent character? Your assistant, Lexi, is such a beautiful woman, yet he refuses to give her the time of day! Once you guys are married, you won¡¯t have to worry about him cheating on you!¡± The more Mackenzie ruminated about Terence¡¯s words, the more her impression of Emmanuel improved. I hate men because they¡¯re always so lustful¡­ However, Emmanuel Lowe seems to be quite the exception! ¡°Don¡¯t be too happy yet, Grandpa! Men are either after looks or money,¡± Mackenzie uttered coldly before getting up. Ha! I doubt Emmanuel can pass my second secret test of character! Meanwhile, Emmanuel had gotten home after his matchmaking session failed spectacrly. Needless to say, his sister, Roselynn Lowe, was frustrated beyond belief. ¡°What? Another unsessful blind date?¡± This is the eighteenth time, for goodness¡¯ sake! My brother¡¯s a six-foot tall, fit, and upstanding young man. Why won¡¯t any woman take a fancy to him? He may be thick-skulled at times, but surely, someone will still appreciate him for his good looks, won¡¯t they? Emmanuel¡¯s mother, Alessandra Cadigan, seemed even more anxious as she hurriedly dragged him out. of the house. ¡°Mom, what are you doing?¡± Emmanuel asked, startled by how panic-stricken Alessandra was. ¡°What am I doing? I¡¯m worried sick about you!¡± the woman scolded without breaking her stride. ¡°I don¡¯t understand it, either. Our neighbor¡¯s an unkempt up at home, yet he¡¯s already nning for his second child! Why can¡¯t my son get a girlfriend? That woman didn¡¯t even stay for the blind date, did she? I paid good money to set this up for you! Let¡¯s go see her at her house right now!¡± ¡°What?¡± Emmanuel choked out. Did I hear that right? I can¡¯t believe Mom has gotten this desperate! The matchmaking session was an utter failure, so why must she still insist on dragging me to the woman¡¯s ce? Wouldn¡¯t I just be embarrassing myself again? Chapter 3 Chapter 3 In any rtionship, the party taking the initiative was often seen as more lowly and desperate. Therefore, upon seeing Emmanuel and his family at her house, Mni Zimmerman wore an even haughtier expression than when she was at the caf¨¦. Ha! I knew this loser wouldn¡¯t be able to get over my looks, so he¡¯se to badger me again! Mni¡¯s mother, Melody us, was just as smug when she learned of the Lowe family¡¯s intention. ¡°If your son wishes to marry my daughter, you¡¯ll have to give us a betrothal gift of five hundred thousand,¡± she said as she raised her palm. ¡°We won¡¯t ept anything less!¡± Emmanuel¡¯s heart instantly sank. Oh, my goodness! Five hundred thousand? Is she trying to sell her daughter? Alessandra, however, gritted her teeth and nodded. ¡°T-That¡¯s fine!¡± As long as my son can get married, I¡¯ll do anything to make up for the betrothal gift, even if it means selling the house! how would she pay for the couple¡¯s car and home? ¡°Sure. That¡¯s no problem!¡± Roselynn piped up, even going so far as to pull her brother back when she realized he wanted to object. She was just as eager for Emmanuel to start a family, and at thirty years old, she had worked and saved up enough to make the necessary down payments for him. Since Mom is settling the betrothal gift, I shall help Emmanuel with the car and home! ¡°Lastly, he will bear all household expenses after the wedding!¡± Mni suddenly said. That, however, was thest straw for Emmanuel. ¡°Are you guys marrying off your daughter or selling her? I don¡¯t mind paying this much if she¡¯sing to work for us as a housekeeper, but if she expects to be treated like a princess or queen, you can forget it! I don¡¯t need that!¡± ¡°Look at your son! What¡¯s with that attitude?¡± Mni yelled. ¡°We aren¡¯t even married yet, and he¡¯s already so domineering. Wouldn¡¯t it be worse down the road?¡± ¡°No, no, no¡­ The marriage will work out. It¡¯d work out just fine!¡± Alessandra pleaded, desperate to finalize the wedding. I can¡¯t wait any longer¡­ I must fulfill my husband¡¯s dying wish by the end of the year! Having seen how things were going, even Roselynn knew she had to step in to persuade her mother. ¡°Mom! Stop forcing it!¡± Manny¡¯s right. There¡¯s nothing wrong with giving a betrothal gift, car, and house. However, asking him to be the sole supporter of his family after the wedding is too much! What about his wife, then? Why can¡¯t she chip in? Will she be sending her own money back to her parents? Just then, Mni¡¯s younger brother, Jacob Zimmerman, suddenly appeared with a cocky grin stered on his face. ¡°Haha! Don¡¯t forget about me, Mni! When it¡¯s my turn to get married, I¡¯d be counting on you guys to buy me my car and house too!¡± Upon hearing that, Emmanuel instantly exploded with rage. ¡°What the f*ck! Am I marrying your sister or your entire family? I may as well support all of you!¡± Even though Emmanuel had only meant that as an Candy Crush Saga Riches angry remark, Mni decided to hold him to his word. ¡°Hah! You¡¯d better remember what you just said! In that case, I¡¯ll leave you to n and pay for the wedding banquet and honeymoon. Don¡¯t tell me you can¡¯t afford that¡­¡± ¡°Get lost! I¡¯d rather marry a pig than a woman like you!¡± Emmanuel retorted as the rage and ferocity he used to experience on the battlefield came flooding back. He didn¡¯t know what the Zimmermans were ying at, but there was no doubt they were monsters. ¡°Look at yourself! You¡¯re just an uncultured brute with marriage! I¡¯d rather marry a boar than you!¡± Mni snapped back. Given my qualities, I have no problem marrying a rich man, so why should I settle for a pauper like Emmanuel? I¡¯m only too happy that he wants to fall out with me! After giving an exasperatedugh, Emmanuel stood up and stormed off, leaving Alessandra and Roselynn with no choice but to follow suit. To their surprise, they had only just stepped out of the Zimmerman residence when three luxury cars pulled up in front of them. The Zimmermans quickly popped out to see the saw the car lineup. Oh, d*mn! Those cars are worth tens of millions! What¡¯s going on? Since when were the Lowes that fancy? Emmanuel, on the other contrary, seemed to recognize one of the cars. Hmm¡­ Didn¡¯t I see that car outside the caf¨¦? The next second, Terence stepped out of the car, surrounded by his convoy of suited bodyguards. He smiled as he approached Emmanuel and said politely, ¡°I¡¯m here to return the favor, Mr. Lowe, after you helped me outside the caf¨¦!¡± Needless to say, everyone was stunned. Roselynn couldn¡¯t hide her excitement and gripped her Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. brother¡¯s arm tightly. Ah! Isn¡¯t this like those rags-to-riches stories? The more Emmanuel thought about it, the more he frowned. Wow¡­ Who knew this old geezer was a millionaire? Could he have intentionally fallen at the caf¨¦? Terence waved his hand, and within seconds, his subordinates had unloaded several boxes of gifts. Not only were there precious stones and jewelry, but there were also famous paintings, antiques, and even a Porsche key. The total value of the items had to be at least ten million. For someone who earned a mere eighty thousand a year, ten million was an eye-watering amount of money that Emmanuel could only dream of! Upon witnessing the scene, the Zimmerman family almost copsed in shock. Mni might be a well-dressed woman, but the truth was, her family was just like any other average family. To them, ten million was undoubtedly an astronomical sum! Sh*t. If I had known Emmanuel would be a multi-millionaire, I¡¯d have married him straightaway! After snapping out of her daze, she smiled and hastily clutched Emmanuel¡¯s arm. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, darling? Oh, wow¡­ You¡¯re so kind to help the elderly! I love that about you!¡± ¡°Who¡¯s your darling?¡± Emmanuel asked, embarrassing Mni so much that she wanted to crawl into a hole. As though that wasn¡¯t enough, he brusquely pushed her away and added, ¡°Didn¡¯t you just reject me? Why are you still using honeyed words?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ I-¡± Mni muttered, clearly at a loss for words. Her family, too, was incredibly frustrated. After all, they had just missed out on getting a wealthy son-inw! Meanwhile, Alessandra was about to say something when Roselynn tugged at her. As much as I want Manny to start a family, I can¡¯t let him settle for the horrible Zimmermans! Besides, he¡¯s rich now! I¡¯m sure he can find an even better woman! ¡°Mom, Roselynn, let¡¯s go!¡± Emmanuel said before ushering both women into the car. He didn¡¯t want to ept the gifts, especially since he knew he hadn¡¯t done anything to deserve them. However, it wasn¡¯t the time and ce to discuss the matter, so he decided to leave instead. Once the Lowe family had left, a gust of cold wind swept over the Zimmermans as they seethed silently. ¡°How could you have made such remarks earlier, Mni? Do you think it¡¯s easy to find a millionaire these days?¡± Melody berated. ¡°W-What should I do now, then?¡± In all honesty, Mni was at aplete loss. She had gone on several blind dates to find a rich husband who could give her a life of luxury. s, who knew she¡¯d let a multi-millionaire slip right through her fingers? ¡°What else can we do? They¡¯ve alreadye to our ce to ask for your hand in marriage. Can¡¯t we do the same?¡± Melody suggested. Jacob, who was just as anxious, instantly eximed, ¡°I don¡¯t care, Mni! You have to marry that multi-millionaire! When my girlfriend and I get married, you must give us a house and a luxury car! Otherwise, I¡¯ll disown you!¡± ¡°Okay, okay. I got it!¡± Mni replied with a long sigh. Argh! Emmanuel and I left on such bad terms¡­ Would he still care about me? Chapter 4 Chapter 4 ¡°Take all of these things back!¡± Emmanuel had Terence take everything back after hitching a ride. ¡°What?¡± Terence wasn¡¯t the only one shocked by Emmanuel¡¯s demand, though. Alessandra and Roselynn were just as surprised as he was. ¡°These things are worth at least ten million! Are you sure you don¡¯t want them?¡± Terence asked again to make sure his ears weren¡¯t deceiving him. Ten million may be a small figure for me, but it should be an astronomical sum for this young man and his family! ¡°That¡¯s right; I don¡¯t want them. Myte father taught me not to ept things I don¡¯t deserve. I can¡¯t be epting such expensive gifts simply for helping you,¡± Emmanuel replied firmly. Roselynn could only let out a helpless sigh when she Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. saw how noble he was. Alessandra felt a little upset as she wondered when Emmanuel would be able to find himself a girlfriend and get married. Chapter 5 Chapter 5 Chapter 4 Getting Married ¡°Haha! Very well, then!¡± Terence nodded excitedly and brought the gifts home. Fearing that Mackenzie wouldn¡¯t believe him, he even recorded the entire process and showed it to her as proof. ¡°Do you see that, Mackenzie? I told you that man would be able to pass the test! Now that you¡¯ve lost the bet, it¡¯s time to honor your word and marry him! I want my grandchildren!¡± Terence urged her. Although Mackenzie said nothing in response, she was not one to go back on her word. Since she had lost the bet with her grandfather, she decided to take care of things the next day. Otherwise, he would surely pester her about it every day. Emmanuel received a phone call from an unknown number very early the next day. ¡°Since you refused to ept my gifts yesterday, I have decided to introduce a potential wife to you instead. You wouldn¡¯t say no to this, would you, young man?¡± This voice¡­ It¡¯s the strange old man from yesterday! ¡°Hey, old man, are you some kind of scammer or something? Is this a new tactic to scam people out of their life savings?¡± Emmanuel responded with a chuckle. Of course, he didn¡¯t actually think Terence was a scammer. He could tell from Terence¡¯s aura that the old man was incredibly wealthy. However, he couldn¡¯t seem to figure out why Terence chose him out of everyone else. Terence deliberately taunted him by saying, ¡°Haha! Yes, I want to scam you into marrying a woman. What¡¯s the matter? Are you scared?¡± ¡°What a coincidence! That¡¯s the only thing I¡¯m not afraid of!¡± Emmanuel replied seriously. Alessandra had been pestering him non-stop after his eighteenth matchmaking session ended in failure yesterday, so he was willing to marry any woman just to shut her up. ¡°Then head over to City Hall right now with all the relevant documents,¡± Terence instructed. Fine! I¡¯ll go! I¡¯m not afraid of getting married! With that in mind, Emmanuel did as told and headed over to City Hall with all the relevant documents. Terence had told him that the other party was a strong and capable professional in the corporate world, so Emmanuel did not have high hopes for her appearance. Being a gynecologist, he had gotten so used to seeing the female body that he didn¡¯t even care about her figure. All Emmanuel wanted was for her to have a decent character. At the very least, she would have to be better than Mni. His jaw dropped in shock when he arrived at City Hall and saw the woman he was supposed to marry. What? Mackenzie? Her icy-cold aura and the red convertible she was in was a clear indicator that she was from a wealthy family. Despite how beautiful she looked, no guy dared hit on her because she was clearly out of their league. ¡°Well? What are you waiting for? Come on over!¡± Mackenzie called out to him. Her gaze alone was enough to make Emmanuel That old man wasn¡¯t lying when he said she was a powerful woman in the corporate world! She has such an authoritative and domineering air about her! ¡°Ms. Quillen? Are you the one who wants to marry me?¡± Emmanuel asked as he was still in disbelief. ¡°What, you don¡¯t want to marry me?¡± Mackenzie retorted with a slight frown. Man, that icy-cold aura of hers sure is scary! I bet she¡¯s Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. still single because most guys are intimidated by her! ¡°Of course I do! I wouldn¡¯t havee here otherwise!¡± Emmanuel wasn¡¯t sure if he was excited or afraid of his situation. Mackenzie may be the most beautiful woman I¡¯ve ever seen, but she seems a bit difficult to get along with. Oh, well¡­ I just need to get married to shut my mother up, so it doesn¡¯t really matter if we get along or not! ¡°Then let¡¯s head inside and get this over with!¡± Mackenzie said as she got out of the car and walked right into City Hall. Having gotten used to doing things by herself, she was all alone even when getting married. She was walking so fast that Emmanuel had to jog to ik keep up with her. ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to reconsider this? It¡¯s not toote to change your mind,¡± Mackenzie reminded him when they were about to get registered as a married couple. Since she didn¡¯t actually want to marry Emmanuel, she hoped that he would change his mind. That way, Terence would have no choice but to stop pressuring her. ¡°For someone with a cold personality, you sure are surprisingly hesitant and indecisive,¡± Emmanuel replied with a nonchnt smile. The look in Mackenzie¡¯s eyes intensified when she heard that. Her gaze was so sharp that it was as though it could slice Emmanuel in half. ¡°You¡¯d better not regret it, then!¡± ? ? That was the final thing Mackenzie told him before they got married. Ten minutester, the two of them walked out of City Hall with their marriage certificate in hand. Because Mackenzie had remained silent and maintained an icy-cold expression the entire time, the staff at the registration counter even wondered if they hade to the wrong counter. Are they here to get divorced or married? ¡°I¡¯m only marrying you to fulfill a promise I made to my grandfather, so don¡¯t take this marriage too seriously. You can just carry on with your life, and I¡¯ll do the same on my end. I won¡¯t even care if you¡¯ll be sleeping around with other women,¡± Mackenzie said coldly. Although a little hurt, Emmanuel couldn¡¯t help but smile in amusement when he heard that. Did Mackenzie get our roles mixed up or something? Usually, it¡¯s the job of the sc*mbag husband to say those lines to his wife. ¡°Oh, by the way, you mentioned that you haven¡¯t bought a house, right?¡± Mackenzie asked all of a sudden.. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right,¡± Emmanuel replied with a nod. Mackenzie then handed him a set of keys, much to his surprise. As the CEO of Terence Group, she had gotten used to being prepared. Candy Crush Saga ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this?¡± Emmanuel asked. ¡°It¡¯s a patriarchal world that we live in, so women are expected to move in with their husbands. I refuse to move into your house, so I got us our own ce instead. You can stay there from now on, but keep in mind that I will hardly be around,¡± Mackenzie replied with an expressionless look on her face. ¡°Is it just me, or am I being treated like a kept man?¡± Emmanuel refused to ept the keys as his pride and honor would not let him do so. ¡°Take the keys!¡± Mackenzie ordered coldly. That authoritative tone and prating gaze were all it took to make Emmanuelply. As expected of a powerful executive in the corporate world! You just can¡¯t bring yourself to defy her! Emmanuel had no choice but to ept the keys. ¡°Fine! I suppose being a kept man is better than nothing!¡± Since they were already married, getting into conflicts over such trivial matters would only make his life even more difficult. ¡°Goodbye!¡± Mackenzie said as she got ready to leave. ¡°Wait up, Ms. Quillen!¡± Emmanuel called out to her while grabbing her by the wrist. When Mackenzie turned around, however, her gaze was so intense that Emmanuel quickly let go of her hand. ¡°What else do you want?¡± Mackenzie asked coldly. She disliked people, especially men, who were indecisive andined a lot. ¡°There are three things that we need to make clear.¡± It was said that married couples had a tendency to behave like each other. A bit of her personality was already rubbing off on Emmanuel as he said in a simrly professional tone, ¡°First of all, I will need your contact details. That way, I¡¯ll be able to call you whenever I need to. Just like how you married me to satisfy your grandfather, I¡¯m also doing it to satisfy my mother. I¡¯ll have to be able to reach you in case she asks me about you, right?¡± Despite Mackenzie¡¯s cold personality, she was still a reasonable person, so she agreed to his request. ¡°Here, you can reach me on WhatsApp.¡± After saving her number, Emmanuel continued, ¡°Second of all, I will pay you a sum of five thousand every month. You may think of it as paying rent for the house or as me keeping my promise during our ?????? ? ????? previous date.¡± Mackenzie¡¯s lips curled into a disdainful smile when she heard that. Given the amount of money she had, five thousand was a ridiculously small figure for her. Even so, she did not turn his offer down. ¡°Third of all, I want to know your ns regarding our life as a married couple,¡± Emmanuel continued with a serious look on his face. Chapter 6 Chapter 6 Marriage is not a child¡¯s game. Now that we¡¯re married, we need to decide how we will do a certain something that married couples do! ¡°Heh¡­ As expected of a man!¡± Mackenzie rolled her eyes when she heard that. I knew it! Men and women do think differently, after all! I care about our life as a married couple, but he¡¯s only concerned about our sex life! ¡°Unless you win my heart over, you can forget about ¡°Very well, then!¡± Emmanuel liked Mackenzie¡¯s short and simple reply. He never believed that a dense man like himself would be able to win the heart of an ice queen like her. While it was true that she could get his heart racing with her beauty, that didn¡¯t mean she would turn him on. In fact, he even thought he was unable to be turned on by women. Hence, one of the main reasons he didn¡¯t want to get married was that he was afraid of not being able to satisfy his wife sexually. As such, Mackenzie¡¯s refusal to have sex with him came as a huge relief. Mackenzie, however, wasn¡¯t too pleased with his response. What the¡­ This b*stard! I can tell he¡¯s not faking it! I know that most men wouldn¡¯t dare express their interest in me because of my cold personality, but that doesn¡¯t mean they don¡¯t lust over me! I know I¡¯m a very beautiful woman, so why doesn¡¯t this b*stard even want to have sex with me? Is it because he¡¯s a gynecologist? I hate this so much! The two then headed their separate ways after they had made their terms clear with each other. N?velDrama.Org exclusive content. Emmanuel saw Mni at his doorstep with a basket of fruits the moment he got home. She looked like apletely different person with that sweet smile on her face. Disgusted by her pretentious behavior, Emmanuel told her the truth right away. ¡°What? You rejected all of the gifts?¡± Mni was shocked to the core when she heard that he had returned the gifts worth ten million. Oh, my goodness! Why would he do something so stupid? Does he think he¡¯s all high and mighty for turning down those gifts? Ugh! Now I see why he¡¯s so unsessful in life! No one in their right mind would ever want to marry a guy like him! They¡¯d be poor for life! Alessandra came out of her room when she heard the weed Mni excitedly when she saw thetter standing at the door. After all, that was the first time a woman hade to see her son. Alessandra was so desperate to marry Emmanuel off that she didn¡¯t even care if Mni¡¯s family were a bunch of horrible people. To her surprise, however, Mni¡¯s attitude changed instantly. ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯m really busy! Also, you can forget about having me marry your son! He isn¡¯t even worthy of being my footstool, let alone my husband! I bet he¡¯ll never be able to find himself a wife! Goodbye!¡± Mni shouted and stormed off immediately after. Honestly, I don¡¯t even know why my mom wanted me toe visit him! This was such a huge waste of time! Alessandra was left speechless by her sudden outburst and change of heart. What just happened? Why would she change her mind so suddenly? Did she bring those fruits here just to insult my son? What is wrong with her? Emmanuel knew full well that Mni¡¯s response was due to the ten million that he gave up on. Naturally, he had no interest in a gold-digger like her either. ¡°My goodness! What a crazy woman she is!¡± Roselynn eximed angrily when she came out and saw Mni leaving. M She then turned toward Emmanuel and tried to women like her, Manny! Don¡¯t take her words to heart!¡± To her surprise, however, he didn¡¯t seem to be bothered in the slightest. ¡°Mom, Roselynn, I¡¯m already married, so you two don¡¯t have to worry about me anymore.¡± Alessandra and Roselynn were so shocked that they both screamed in unison, ¡°What?¡± Roselynn¡¯s voice was so shrill that she nearly shattered the ssware in the house. ¡°Did you just say you¡¯re married?¡± ¡°Who are you married to?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not messing with us, are you, Manny? If I recall correctly, you never had a girlfriend!¡± Alessandra and Roselynn both fired questions at him one after another. Instead of trying to convince them, Emmanuel simply whipped out his marriage certificate and showed it to them. The truth spoke for itself, leaving the two women wide-eyed with shock. Although the woman on the marriage certificate looked gorgeous, they were still worried about her personality. ¡°She looks hard to get along with!¡° ¡°Are you sure this isn¡¯t some kind of scam?¡± Emmanuel could understand their concerns, so he lied to reassure them. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. She¡¯s a woman I met while I was a soldier at Northern Region. She¡¯s a strong woman and a perfectionist who cares a lot about her image, so she didn¡¯t want people to know about our rtionship. That¡¯s why we¡¯ve been keeping it a secret all this while.¡± ¡°Ah, so that¡¯s what happened¡­¡± That exins why he refused to get himself a girlfriend all these years! Turns out, he already had one all along! ¡°I¡¯m sorry for keeping it a secret from you two for so long! I only did it to protect her career. Anyway, you two no longer have to worry about me getting married. Mackenzie and I will surely live a happy life together,¡± Emmanuel reassured them, but they were still worried. Roselynn was especially suspicious of his exnation. If Manny already had a girlfriend all along, then why did he wait until now to tell us about it? Why did he waste his time attending those eighteen matchmaking sessions? Oh, well¡­ He must have his reasons for lying to us, and I don¡¯t want to make Mom worried by exposing him. ¡°What does she do for a living, Manny? Why didn¡¯t she Alessandra asked curiously. No mother wouldn¡¯t be curious about her daughter-inw, and Alessandra was no exception. Emmanuel knew she would surely ask about Mackenzie¡¯s background, so he had prepared himself to answer her questions. ¡°Mackenzie is a high-level executive in a huge me.¡± ¡°What? Where will she stay, then?¡± Alessandra pressed 1. ¡°She bought a house of her own, Mom. Now that we¡¯re married, I¡¯ll be moving in with her soon.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Alessandra¡¯s eyes teared up all of a sudden. Roselynn didn¡¯t want Emmanuel to leave either, but she tried tofort Alessandra anyway. ¡°Manny is a grown adult now, Mom. It was only a matter of time before he moved out. You want to have grandchildren, don¡¯t you? It¡¯ll be hard for that to happen if he stays with you all the time!¡± Of course, Alessandra understood that very well. After all, no woman would want to live with their inws these days. It would be very inconvenient for them to have sex at night, too. Even so, Alessandra¡¯s tears still refused to stop flowing. ¡°I won¡¯t object to your rtionship if you love her, Manny. I just have one request. Could you bring her over so I can have a look at her? Also, I want you to arrange for both our families to meet each other.¡± Alessandra¡¯s sincere requests were actually very simple ones, but they were incredibly difficult for Emmanuel to fulfill. There¡¯s no way a woman like Mackenzie would be willing to visit our house! I don¡¯t know what her job title is, but her attire and attitude alone show that she¡¯s no ordinary woman. I doubt I can even afford to pay for the dry cleaning if we end up getting her clothes dirty! As for meeting her parents, that¡¯s practically never going to happen. She said she only agreed to marry me to satisfy her grandfather, so getting her to show up here and put up an act for me is simply asking for the impossible. What do I do now? Chapter 7 Chapter 7 ¡°I¡¯ll tell you about it after talking it through with her, Mom.¡± Emmanuel decided to leave things be for now. Since he couldn¡¯t agree or refuse, he had no choice but to take it one step at a time. ¡°All right, then,¡± Alessandra responded. ¡°Well, how about you move out and go live with her today? Girls love it when guys are romantic. It¡¯s your wedding night, so you¡¯d better not leave her on her own! Take good care of her. Do you understand?¡± Wedding night? Emmanuel scoffed internally. If that hadn¡¯t even crossed his mind, then Mackenzie certainly wouldn¡¯t have thought of it either. The woman had never even thought about consummating their marriage. There¡¯s just no way it¡¯d ever happen! Still, he nodded at his mother and sister. ¡°I¡¯ll be off, then. Take care of yourselves. Call me whenever you need me.¡± That alone was enough to make Alessandra and Roselynn tear up again. Given how Emmanuel¡¯s father had died young, and the two women had watched Emmanuel grow up, seeing the only man in the family leave home made their hearts heavy. ¡°Don¡¯t cry, Mom. How are you going to have grandkids if Manny doesn¡¯t stay with your daughter-inw?¡± Roselynn urged, even though she couldn¡¯t stop crying herself. The women spent a long while helping Emmanuel pack his valuables. Alessandra shoved a bank card into his hands just as he was about to leave. ¡°What are you doing, Mom?¡± The man hastily gave it back, knowing that his mother only had one card. It was baffling that she was handing him her social security fund. There was no way he could ept it. ¡°Take it,¡± Alessandra insisted. ¡°Your wife agreed to marry you without you giving her any betrothal gifts. Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. She even bought a ce for you two so you could live together, so don¡¯t let her down. Give her everything she deserves! There are about sixty thousand on this card. Go buy your wife a ring and some jewelry. Do you hear me?¡± Upon hearing that, Emmanuel felt his nose burn. I¡¯m such a horrible son. This is her retirement fund! She¡¯s already fifty-seven. What is she going to do if I take all that she has left? ¡°Take it, Manny. It¡¯s what Mom wants.¡± Roselynn shot him a nce. The young woman knew her mother well, so she was aware that Alessandra would surely fear her daughter-inw leaving if Emmanuel didn¡¯t do as she asked. Hence, the man had to take the money to ease her mind and present it to Mackenzie-whether she wanted it or not. ¡°If you really want to thank Mom,e back here with your wife as soon as you can so we can take a look at her,¡± Roselynn added. In truth, she had her doubts. Her brother had gotten into a blitz marriage, after all. ¡°I understand.¡± With that, Emmanuel spun around and left quickly. It wasn¡¯t that he had no emotions; he just didn¡¯t want his family to see how red his eyes had be. He felt so, so guilty now. His mother had always wanted him to have a blissful marriage, but instead, he had found himself a random woman to take part in a mere act. ¡°The truth can nevere to light-at least not until she¡¯s left this world,¡± the man muttered to himself, feeling terrified all of a sudden. There was no way Alessandra would be able to handle it if she found out that this was all a show. After leaving home, Emmanuel headed over to Yociam Residence as instructed by Mackenzie via text message. The ce was an upscale area in Yeringham and cost over ten thousand per square meter. There were many buildings there, but Mackenzie had only told him that the apartment number was 1701 without mentioning the block number. Good thing I had the sense to get her WhatsApp contact outside City Hall. I¡¯d better ask her now. Thus, he left Mackenzie a voice message. Yet, despite it being six in the evening, Mackenzie was still in the middle of a meeting at work. As the CEO of Terence Group, she never checked her messages during meetings. After waiting for a long while and not receiving a response, Emmanuel figured that the woman¡¯s current circumstances didn¡¯t allow her to listen to his voice message, so he sent her a text message instead. There was still no reply. The sky had turned dark, and Emmanuel¡¯s empty stomach ate at his patience. Ultimately, he decided to video call her. The man knew how aloof Mackenzie was and didn¡¯t really want to speak to her. Mackenzie hadn¡¯t added him to her contacts when they exchanged numbers earlier. At present, she suddenly heard her phone ring and nced at the screen impatiently. This was an extremely rare urrence. Those who knew her understood that she would reply to every text that mattered to her, but when it came to people whom she didn¡¯t bother responding to, not even a video call would change her mind. Seeing someone with the username Covertly Magnificent with an unfamiliar profile picture call her, the woman frowned and blocked his number instantly. Strange. When did I ever give this person my contact? From how she hung up, Emmanuel knew Mackenzie had her phone with her and tried redialing her number. Yet, he received a notification: This user only epts calls and messages from friends. What the hell? Emmanuel stared at the screen in a daze for a long time. She¡¯s not messing with me, is she? Thankfully, the man was smart enough to remember that Terence was her grandfather. Even though he didn¡¯t have Terence¡¯s number saved, thetter had called him earlier this morning, so all it took was a quick look at his call history to find it. Candy Crush ¡°Hey, Gramps, what¡¯s up with your granddaughter? She told me to live with her at Yociam Residence, but she ended up blocking my number! Are you guys just ying around with me? Is this some sort of marriage scam? It¡¯s not like I have anything you can take from me!¡± Terence was instantly bereft of words. She really does hate men¡­ ¡°Calm down, youngd. I¡¯ll call her right now!¡± He tried his best to console Emmanuel, worried about losing his new grandson-inw. The Quillen family was so powerful that even Terence didn¡¯t know how many more businesses Mackenzie had established out there. He had to find out from her. Meanwhile, Mackenzie was about to resume the meeting when her phone rang again. She wanted to hang up, but upon realizing that it was her grandfather, she had no choice but to answer. ¡°What is it, Grandpa? I¡¯m in a meeting now. Don¡¯t you know that?¡± Like I care about your meeting! That¡¯s not as important as giving me a great-grandchild! ¡°Mackenzie, didn¡¯t you ask Emmanuel to live with you? He¡¯s already at Yociam Residence, but he doesn¡¯t know which block it is!¡± Oh, right. Mackenzie finally recalled that she had gotten married today. Darn it! What was his name again? Seriously, men are such a pain! ¡°Tell him we¡¯re staying at Block B, Grandpa.¡± Right after saying that, Mackenzie hung up so that her grandfather wouldn¡¯t be able to tell her to contact Emmanuel herself. She didn¡¯t know how to, anyway. Upon hanging up, the woman noticed all the subtle ncesing her way. Of course, given that she was Terence Group¡¯s CEO, no one dared utter a word-except for a youngdy who leaned over with a giggle. ¡°Was that your husband, Mackenzie?¡± Mackenzie shot her a re, causing her to shut up immediately. The woman was none other than Mackenzie¡¯s sister, Beatrix. She was secretly d to be the younger sibling. Otherwise, she would have been the one marrying that fine specimen of a man who had just called her grandfather. At the same time, she was also curious as to who on earth could have the courage to take her man-loathing sister as his wife. Hehe. I wonder how long he¡¯d be able to put up with her temper. Three days? Or maybe he¡¯d be done and move out by the second day! Candy Crush Chapter 8 Chapter 8 Being the magnanimous man that he was, Emmanuel cast aside all his displeasure as soon as he found the apartment and dragged his luggage in with him. The unit was huge-more than twice the size of his three-bedroom home-and the interior wasvishly decorated. The four-bedroom apartment felt a bit like a maze on one¡¯s first visit. One thing that Emmanuel noticed, however, was that although the unit was fully furnished, there didn¡¯t seem to be any fast-moving consumer goods. Candy Crush Saga That means she probably doesn¡¯t live here on a regr basis. Rich people sure love wasting what theyAll content is ? N0velDrama.Org. have, huh? I shared an eighty-square-foot home with two family members, while this woman bought a two-hundred-square-foot apartment and left it unupied. If her grandfather hadn¡¯t forced her to get married, and she needed to use this ce to keep me, it probably would¡¯ve stayed empty forever. The man scoffed at his own thoughts. Wait, ¡°keep me?¡± I just made myself sound like I¡¯m living off her. That¡¯s not what I¡¯m here for! I just needed to find a woman to spend my days with, and we¡¯re both getting something out of each other. Besides, I Candy Crush Saga much the same as paying rent. Out of the four bedrooms, only the biggest one had multiple closets filled with brand-new clothes. This must be herir. There was an array of shirts and coats, but only three pairs of underwear-all of which were either fully white or ck and made of cotton. What a waste of a body like that. Why doesn¡¯t she wear something spicier? Despite thinking that, Emmanuel had no interest in touching her clothes and walked away. Then, he picked the bedroom furthest from hers as his own. Considering how much Mackenzie hated men, he knew he was better off staying as far away from her as possible. Rumble. Feeling his stomach growl again, Emmanuel headed into the kitchen. Seriously? All this premium cookware and equipment, but no food! What¡¯s the point? Am I supposed to eat a frying pan? Thus, the man decided it was time to make a trip down to the nearby supermarket. Since he couldn¡¯t go back to his family for now, he could only make this ce his new home. He was so hungry that he bought himself a bun before doing his grocery shopping. Back at Terence Group, the meeting had just ended, and Mackenzie nced at the time. It was already past nine. Per usual, her mind was filled with work as she walked over to her Bentley. The driver took her in the direction of the family mansion. ¡°Stop!¡± she called out halfway through the journey. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Ms. Quillen?¡± the driver immediately hit the brakes and asked politely. The woman naturally didn¡¯t answer him. In fact, she had only just remembered that she was now married, and Terence had warned her not to return to the Quillen family mansion until she had given birth. A woman should be wherever her husband was; this was the country¡¯s millennium-long tradition. Regardless of her status, she still had to live with her husband now that she was married. ¡°Turn around. Take me to Yociam Residence.¡± ¡°Yes, Ms. Quillen.¡± That was all the driver responded with, despite his curiosity. As Mackenzie¡¯s only remaining male driver, he wasn¡¯t going to risk losing his high-paying job by being careless with his words. It was past ten when Emmanuel returned to the apartment. He had left the lights on when leaving, so he didn¡¯t realize Mackenzie was already home, especially since the ce looked as tidy as before. Drenched in sweat after grocery shopping, the man took off his shirt and walked toward the bathroom, only to freeze on the spot the moment he opened the door. He stared wide-eyed at the woman in the tub, having lost his ability to blink. Mackenzie was enjoying a bubble bath with her legs sticking out of the tub, her pink toes looking like flower buds in a field of snow. Even though the bathtub was filled with bubbles, Emmanuel could still vaguely see what was underneath the water from where he was standing. The woman¡¯s figure was stunning beyond description, and her skin shimmered like moonstone. Thump. Thump. Emmanuel¡¯s heart began to race again, and this time, it was ten times faster. Having seen so many women as a gynecologist, he had never felt anything. However, this time, he knew Mackenzie was different from the rest. ¡°Are you done staring? Do you want me to carve out your eyes?¡± Instead of screaming, the woman threatened him icily and red at him with eyes that could kill. She never locked the bathroom door as she was used Candy Crush Saga to staying alone, but she now regretted not doing that. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Ms. Quillen. I didn¡¯t know you were back.¡± Feeling goosebumps all over his skin, Emmanuel hurriedly fled. Despite acting calm initially, he leaned against the wall immediately upon exiting the bathroom and gasped for air. Any second of dy, and I¡¯d probably be dead. This is exactly the problem with blitz marriages. You don¡¯t know the other person¡¯s habits. Her eyes were so scary, but my God, every inch of that body was just unreal. To think that even he, a gynecologist, would feel this way. Meanwhile, Mackenzie clutched her chest while inside the bathtub. While she had managed to y it cool when the man walked in, she now feltpletely on edge after he left. I can¡¯t believe a man saw my body! Sure, he¡¯s my husband, and it¡¯s not like he was being creepy or anything, but still! I feel so grossed out! ¡°I knew getting married was a bad idea¡­¡± The woman sighed helplessly. What if it¡¯s all on purpose? She had always been distrusting of others since she was young, and when Emmanuel passed her two tests so easily, she began suspecting him of having ulterior motives. I bet he knows I¡¯m loaded, but he pretended not to care about any of that just because Grandpa was testing him. Mackenzie refused to believe that there was someone with no desires in this world, especially a man. However, she could only keep up the act since she had no proof. After her bath, Mackenzie walked into the living room. Emmanuel was sitting on the couch and pressing the remote button aimlessly when he nced up and noticed her. Then, he felt his body tense up. ¡°Ms. Quillen, from now on, could you please put on some underwear after your bath?¡± Emmanuel requested sincerely. What kind of man could resist such a beautiful and alluring woman like Mackenzie walking around in nothing but a thin nightgown? Even Emmanuel, who had a higher resistance due to his profession, could feel his body temperature rising. ¡°Hmph! It¡¯s not like I knew you¡¯d be waiting for me out here in the living room.¡± The woman stared at him with frosty eyes. What woman wears her underwear after a bath? That¡¯s such a hassle! She loved living without care, so having a man in her house now made things unbearable for her. Candy Crush Saga ¡°I¡¯ll go to my room, then.¡± Emmanuel got up to make his escape. This woman¡¯s way too cold. I thought of having a chat with her to win her over slowly, but I guess I overestimated myself. I don¡¯t even know what to say to her now! How am I supposed to continue living with her? As Beatrix had anticipated, he was beginning to waver. Yet, the man heard a loud thud the moment he turned to leave. He then nced back and saw Mackenzie kneeling on Candy Crush Saga the floor, seemingly in pain. The sight of her cor loosening while she had no undergarments on made Emmanuel feel as though his soul had been captured. ¡°Ms. Quillen! What¡¯s wrong?¡± Chapter 9 Chapter 9 Emmanuel hurried over to help Mackenzie up, but his hand stopped in the air abruptly when he sensed an intimidating aura around her. He hesitated, wondering if he should touch her. Looking at the motionless woman with beads of sweat trickling down her forehead, he eventually mustered his courage and picked her up. To his surprise, she felt much lighter than he expected for a five-and-a-half-foot-tall person. In fact, he reckoned she weighed only around a hundred and ten pounds. ¡°D-Don¡¯t touch me!¡± Mackenzie still managed to shoot him a steely re despite the gripping pain she felt. It was nothingpared to how much she detested the touch of a man, let alone being carried by one. Goosebumps broke out across her body the moment Emmanuel touched her. The man evaded her hostile eyes and gently put her down on the couch, saying, ¡°Just look at you. You don¡¯t eat regrly. That¡¯s why you¡¯re having stomach flu now.¡± Wait. How does he even know that? We¡¯ve only known each other for a day! Mackenzie was taken aback by how much Emmanuel knew about her, but before she could respond, Emmanuel had lifted her nightgown. ¡°W-What do you think you¡¯re doing? I¡¯ll kill you!¡± Mackenzie exploded in a burst of energy, twisting Emmanuel¡¯s arm. There was no way she would let a man like him take advantage of her, especially when she was a daughter of the Quillen family and had been practicing martial arts her whole life. Despite how painful the grip was, Emmanuel did not fight back. ¡°I¡¯m just trying to help ease your pain,¡± he exined, gritting his teeth. Looks can be deceiving, man. She¡¯s notdylike at all, despite how gorgeous she is! ¡°A-Aren¡¯t you a gynecologist? Do you know internal medicine too?¡± Mackenzie had doubts, but there was no time for that. Another sharp spasm of pain struck, forcing her to let go of Emmanuel and hold her stomach. ¡°I can well call 911 if you don¡¯t trust me, but you¡¯ll have to endure the pain until you reach the hospital.¡± Candy Crush Saga Hearing this, Mackenzie took her phone to make a call, for there was no way she would swallow her ego and let Emmanuel have his way, but when thetter saw her curl into a ball because of the pain, he swept her phone aside and squatted down in front of her. Then, Mackenzie felt a big, warm palm lifting her gown right after, but she did not stop him. With Me Besides, she figured she should trust Emmanuel once, since she could break him into piecester if she found out he was purely taking advantage of her. Meanwhile, Emmanuel felt his heart start pounding vigorously when he saw Mackenzie¡¯s pair of fair and wless legs. In fact, he gulped without even knowing when he lifted her skirt. As a gynecologist, he had never felt a sense of irresistible attraction toward any woman except for Mackenzie, but he quickly collected his thoughts and rubbed his hands before warming her stomach with the heat from his palms. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Mackenzie finally felt morefortable when a rush of warmth went through her stomach, dispelling the pain from earlier. Then, Emmanuel repeated the gesture a few times and massaged her lower abdomen. Oh, her abs are tight and toned. She must be disciplined enough to work out regrly. ¡°W-What is this you¡¯re doing?¡± Mackenzie asked, biting her lower lip. She had always abhorred men¡¯s touch, but this time, it felt different when Emmanuel touched her. Although the sense of distaste was still there, Mackenzie felt good and embarrassed simultaneously. The feeling perplexed her. ¡°I¡¯m applying pressure on your acupoints,¡± Emmanuel answered, looking down to avoid eye contact. As his gaze lowered, he could not help but steal a nce at Mackenzie¡¯s legs. She¡¯s truly a work of art! Little did he know, Mackenzie was watching his every move. I knew it. This man is finally showing his true colors. They all put up a front as if they are true gentlemen before they marry you, but the truth is that all men are the same. They¡¯re all perverts. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Emmanuel asked suddenly. ¡°I¡¯m fine already. You should stop touching me now,¡± Mackenzie instructed coldly. Emmanuel did as she told, but on second thought, he reminded, ¡°What¡¯s with this aversion? I¡¯m your husband. Besides, I¡¯m just trying to help you.¡± Mackenzie bit her lower lip and scoffed. Seriously? I don¡¯t understand why human reproduction has to happen between a man and a woman. I bet other women feel ufortable about it too! ¡°Let me make you something to eat. Also, make sure you don¡¯t work overtime with an empty stomach next time,¡± Emmanuel remarked, standing up to leave. ¡°Are you doing this as a doctor or as a husband?¡± she asked indifferently. ¡°Is that even important?¡± Pfft. Does she have to be so serious? Mackenzie ignored that question and informed instead, ¡°I¡¯m turning in at eleven, so make sure not to disturb me after that.¡± Emmanuel rolled his eyes and smiled in resignation. I swear, getting along with apany executive is harder than working at the hospital. Ten minutester, Emmanuel headed to her room and knocked on the door with a te of spaghetti with egg. The sight baffled Mackenzie when she opened the door. ¡°Did you buy the ingredients? Wait. Do you also know how to cook?¡± ¡°Of course I bought groceries. Your kitchen is literally empty. Do you think the food just dropped from heaven?¡± With that, Emmanuel entered the room with the food and ced the te on the table. ¡°Eat it while it¡¯s still warm. You¡¯re not supposed to be eating anything cold.¡± N?velDrama.Org exclusive content. ¡°Are you seriously telling me what to do?¡± Mackenzie asked, slightly amused. She was still not used to living together with a man. Before this, not even her mother dared to tell her what to do, so it caught her off guard when Emmanuel did that. I¡¯m the CEO of Terence Group. Who dares to boss me around? ¡°This is just a friendly reminder,¡± Emmanuel replied sternly all of a sudden. ¡°You¡¯re my wife and, more so now, a patient, so you should listen to me.¡± A frown crept on Mackenzie¡¯s brows as she stared at the man. In the end, she gave up arguing with him and started eating, but when she saw the cheap food, she could not help but frown again. ¡°Is this even edible?¡± ¡°You won¡¯t die from a tasteless meal, but you¡¯ll definitely suffer if you go through the night with an empty stomach!¡± Emmanuel was on the verge of losing his temper-he could not understand why Mackenzie could be so intractable. Atst, Mackenzie budged and spun the pasta with her fork. She began to chew slowly before her face abruptly changed. ¡°Mm! This is pretty good. I hope I don¡¯t gain weight from an asionalte-night treat,¡± shemented. For the first time, Mackenzie thought living with a man was not entirely a bad idea, for it sure felt different from having a housekeeper at home. Her behavior rendered Emmanuel speechless. I guess a woman will always be a woman. She might be a misandrist, but she still cares about her body image, just as all other women do. Her beauty is all she lives for. ¡°I¡¯m done. Is this fine?¡± Mackenzie asked Emmanuel like a patient seeking approval from their doctor after only taking two bites of the food. Emmanuel was exasperated. I can¡¯t understand how someone can be this difficult! I made this specifically for her, yet she only takes two bites of it! Knowing there was no point in trying to change her mind, Emmanuel held his dissatisfaction and collected the te and cutlery before leaving. ¡°By the way,¡± he suddenly voiced out when he almost reached the door. ¡°When will you be free to go home with me? My mom would love to meet you.¡± His heart thudded loudly with anxiety as he waited for an answer. Chapter 10 Chapter 10 Chapter 10 Emmanuel Has a Wife ¡°What should we do? My mom might die if she dys getting the surgery!¡± Frederick finally broke down and started sobbing in front of Emmanuel. Emmanuel let out a sigh and said, ¡°Please don¡¯t cry. Let me try asking my wife. I¡¯m sure she will lend it to you!¡± In reality, Emmanuel was not sure if Mackenzie would agree to help. However, both of them had run out of ideas. With their social status, it wouldn¡¯t be easy for them to borrow three hundred thousand in such a short period of time. ¡°Your wife?¡± Frederick was so shocked that his tears stopped at once. ¡°Emmanuel, have you gone crazy as well? Since when did you have a wife?¡± Not knowing how to exin the situation, Emmanuel merely smiled helplessly before calling Mackenzie. After the previous day¡¯s incident, Emmanuel had memorized Mackenzie¡¯s number in case she blocked him on WhatsApp again. ¡°Hello. What¡¯s up?¡± Emmanuel was relieved that the woman had picked up his call. Besides, from the clear tone and steady pace of her voice, it did not seem like she was in a meeting or in a rush. ¡°Ms. Quillen, I would like to borrow some money from you,¡± Emmanuel stated the purpose of his call directly without beating around the bush. Ms. Quillen? Frederick was stunned. Is she really his wife? Why would he be addressing his wife that way? ¡°Borrow money?¡± Mackenzie froze at Emmanuel¡¯s words. After returning to her senses a momentter, an amused smirk crept across her face. Before receiving Emmanuel¡¯s call, she was having doubts after what happened the night before, thinking that the man might not have married her for her money after all. Is he already showing his true colors? Despite her skepticism, she asked, ¡°How much do you need?¡± ¡°One hundred and twenty-eight thousand!¡± Emmanuel replied at once. Frederick and he had managed to pool together one Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. hundred and seventy-two thousand thus far, so that was the remaining bnce they needed. Mackenzie¡¯s curiosity was aroused at once. ¡°You rejected it when I offered you a hundred thousandst night. Now you¡¯re asking to borrow one hundred and twenty-eight thousand from me?¡± ¡°Yup. Will you lend it to me?¡± Emmanuel asked casually. He never liked exining himself, and neither did he want to act pitifully in front of his wife. Beep¡­ Beep¡­ Mackenzie hung up the phone without replying. A crease appeared between Emmanuel¡¯s brows when he heard the disconnection tone. What kind of a reply is that? Is it a rejection? Frederick had yet to fully process the situation, but Emmanuel did not sound like he was talking to his wife. It felt more like he was requesting a favor from his superior! ¡°Emmanuel, maybe I should try borrowing from loan sharks instead¡­¡± Frederick did not want to put his best friend in a difficult spot. It was toote for him to take out a loan through proper channels, but Frederick was confident that loan sharks would lend him a hundred thousand straight away. ¡°You can¡¯t do that!¡± Emmanuel objected. ¡°You would be in deep trouble if you failed to repay them on time.¡± Ding! While the two of them were feeling torn, Emmanuel suddenly got a text on his phone: You have received Has a Wite two hundred thousand wired to your ount from Mackenzie. What the heck? Frederick could hardly believe his eyes when he saw the message. Fixing his gaze on Emmanuel, he said with envy, ¡°Oh my goodness! Is this woman really your wife? She¡­ Is she very rich?¡± He was certain that she had nock of money, seeing that she had instantly transferred Emmanuel two hundred thousand, almost twice the amount thetter had asked for. Emmanuel simply smiled without replying. He could not help but feel embarrassed when he saw the look on Frederick¡¯s face. It was as though thetter was envious of him living off a woman! Moreover, apart from knowing that Mackenzie was a senior executive at apany, he had no idea about her true identity and how wealthy she was. Hence, he was unable to answer Frederick¡¯s question. ¡°Take it and ask the hospital to arrange for your mom¡¯s surgery immediately!¡± Emmanuel said while transferring the money to Frederick. ¡°Thank you! Please help me thank your wife too. Tell her I will return her money as soon as I can!¡± Tears of gratitude flowed down Frederick¡¯s cheeks. He was immensely thankful to the couple for lending him a helping hand in this time of crisis, thereby solving all his problems. ¡°No rush. Don¡¯t worry about this now!¡± Emmanuel reassured with a smile. From the looks of it, he was sure that Mackenzie was not hard up for the money. That being said, he would still try to pay her back as soon as possible. After all, he did not want Mackenzie to mistake him for a gold digger. Mni had just finished settling her bill when Frederick approached the counter to make payment. Upon seeing him, she was stunned that Frederick had managed to scrape together three hundred thousand so quickly. She could not believe that the pauper who was begging her to lend him two hundred thousand just a moment ago had gotten the money to pay for the surgery in the blink of an eye. ¡°Ha! I bet you went to a loan shark, didn¡¯t you? Be careful of thepounding interest. You might end up having to pay them with your life!¡± Mni mocked. Frederick did not like the woman in the first ce. After hearing what she said, he retorted sharply, ¡°Emmanuel¡¯s wife lent me the money. In fact, she transferred two hundred thousand to Emmanuel¡¯s ount right after he asked. Thank goodness Emmanuel wasn¡¯t interested in a woman like you. Otherwise, his life would be so sad!¡± What? Mni was in utter disbelief when she heard that. Emmanuel¡¯s wife? That pauper has gotten himself a wife? Chapter 11 Chapter 11 When Mni regained herposure, her expression instantly turned into a look of disdain. She did not believe for a second that Emmanuel already had a wife. Laughing off the idea, she remarked, ¡°You must¡¯ve gotten the money from loan sharks. Now, you want to rub it in my face. That¡¯s why you¡¯re spouting such lies. What a joke!¡± I was at Emmanuel¡¯s house just yesterday, and it sure didn¡¯t seem as though he had a wife. If he does, why would he still go on a blind date with me? Does he not care that he¡¯d bemitting bigamy? Seeing that she doubted him, Frederick started panicking. Emmanuel had to go over and tug on his arm. Saving his mother is the most pressing matter on hand. Why does he care what nonsense this woman is saying? Upon noticing Emmanuel, Mni did not attempt to hide her sneer. ¡°Emmanuel, I heard you have a wife. Who¡¯d be willing to marry you? Why don¡¯t you send me a photo of her so I can see what she looks like?¡± Naturally, he was not about to send Mni a photo of Mackenzie just to embarrass her. Firstly, I don¡¯t have Mackenzie¡¯s photo. Secondly, this woman still wouldn¡¯t believe me even if I had one to show her. And thirdly, Mackenzie isn¡¯t really my wife, so what¡¯s there to brag about? Hence, he remained silent while pulling Frederick toward the operating room. After all, the most important thing they had to do now was to urge the hospital to operate as soon as possible. It only amused her further that he dared not utter a retort. ¡°Hmph! You two are just a couple of broke losers, stubbornly trying to cling to your pride and dignity!¡± After getting off work that evening, Emmanuel headed home. He still rode an electric scooter as he had no Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g! money to buy a car. During the journey back, he kept thinking about Frederick. We¡¯ve managed to schedule the operation, but I¡¯m afraid it¡¯ll take Frederick years to return the money. He can take his time paying off the sixty thousand from Mom. As for Mackenzie, however, who knows how she¡¯ll take it if I dy returning the two hundred thousand I borrowed from her for years? He was so preupied with his thoughts that he identally rammed into the front of a Bentley while turning a corner. Bang! The impact sent him tumbling to the ground, and when he looked up, his face fell. D*mn it! That¡¯s an expensive car! The driver of the Bentley stepped out of the vehicle with a grim expression. In an icy tone, he asked, ¡°Hey, are you all right?¡± The man had sounded his horn just before turning to alert the others at the intersection. Despite that, Emmanuel had not slowed down at all. Hence, the way he saw it was that the ident was Emmanuel¡¯s fault. Nheless, he could not help worrying as the area had no surveince cameras. If he can¡¯t get up, the traffic police will likely rule the car liable for the ident when they get here. And if this guy staged the ident, he might go as far as to ckmail my boss for a hefty sum of money! With those concerns in mind, the driver dared not berate Emmanuel despite his anger, fearing thetter would get annoyed and pretend to be severely injured. ¡°I¡¯m all right! So sorry about that!¡± Emmanuel quickly scrambled to his feet. Although his calf was bleeding, he kept insisting he was fine. He was well aware he had caused the ident by not slowing down at the corner, and if the other party demandedpensation, he knew it would not be a small amount. Hence, he quickly limped off while pushing his scooter after apologizing. When he had left, Mackenzie finally emerged from the car. She furrowed her brows while watching him hobble away. What on earth was he doing? How could he drive around so distractedly? Is he trying to get himself killed? Not knowing that the man who had just collided with the car was her husband, the driver asked, ¡°Ms. Quillen, do we need to call the police?¡± ¡°No need for that. It¡¯s no big deal. Take the car to have its paint touched up. I¡¯ll walk the rest of the way.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± For a moment, the driver was stunned. Then, he finally nodded and said, ¡°Very well, Ms. Quillen.¡± Nheless, he was puzzled. This Bentley is her favorite car. Had something like this urred in the past, she would¡¯ve thoroughly investigated the matter. With her connections and capabilities, it wouldn¡¯t be difficult for her to make the other partypensate and apologize for their mistake. This time, though, why did she let that guy off the hook just like that? When Mackenzie arrived home, she saw Emmanuel getting out the medical kit to treat the injuries on his calf. The fall had caused a chunk of his flesh to get scraped off, and the wound was a bloody mess. Even so, he did not flinch while applying the antiseptic. Does this guy even feel any pain? Although she knew perfectly well what had happened, she feigned ignorance and slowly walked over to him. ¡°What happened to you?¡± He was momentarily startled. Then, he smiled wryly and replied, ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing. I identally hit a Bentley on my way back.¡± ¡°It looks like a bad ident. How much did you ask that person topensate you?¡± she asked, a half-smile still tugging at her lips. ¡°Compensate me? I was the one not paying attention to the road. I should be counting my lucky stars that they didn¡¯t arrest me and demand I pay for the damage,¡± he admitted frankly. At that, her smile widened slightly. So, he does know how careless he was, does he? If Emmanuel hadunched into an angry tirade and pushed away all the me, she would have flown into a rage. In fact, she would have revealed her identity and exposed his lies, then made him cough up money for the damages. However, her anger subsided when she saw him readily take responsibility for the incident. She even sat beside him on her own ord and examined his injuries. His heart raced as he gazed at her stunningly beautiful profile up close and caught a whiff of the faint floral fragrance emanating from her body. Is she an angel from heaven? Te A momentter, however, she stretched out a finger and deliberately poked at his wound. Finally unable to bear the stinging pain, he let out a cry. ¡°Ouch!¡± ¡°Oh, so you do feel pain!¡± Mackenzie remarked in surprise. ¡°What are you on about?¡± He was boiling with rage. Is she a cold-blooded woman? She can see how badly hurt I am, yet she prods at my wound on purpose to confirm something so stupid! She¡¯s evil incarnate! ¡°I¡¯m not dead, so why wouldn¡¯t I feel any pain?¡± he growled. She merely chuckled when she saw how furious he looked. Instead of answering his question, she asked, ¡°Are you an idiot? With the extent of your injuries, why didn¡¯t you ask forpensation from the owner of the Bentley? From the looks of it, you can barely walk with these injuries. Even if it means paying you two hundred thousand, that person has to do it!¡± Her words reflected her true thoughts. If Emmanuel goes to the police with those injuries, then ckmails me for two hundred thousand, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything I could do about it. However, he pursed his lips at her suggestion. ¡°Didn¡¯t I already exin? It was my fault, so how can I make that person paypensation?¡± Mackenzie¡¯s lips curved upward as she smiled even more sweetly. Still testing him, she replied, ¡°But that area has no surveince cameras, so who would know it was your fault? What a simpleton you are!¡± He shot her a re. In a stern tone, he uttered, ¡°The heavens know, I know, and the other party knows. How can you say no one knows?¡± His reply stunned Mackenzie. She had not expected him to give such a ssic response. He¡¯s genuinely a righteous man. In that case, it appears I can¡¯t let him find out I¡¯m the owner of that Bentley. ¡°By the way, I won¡¯t be able to pay back the two hundred thousand I borrowed from you so soon. However, you have my word that I¡¯ll return it to you,¡± he continued, taking advantage of the little pause in their conversation. He still did not reveal his reason for borrowing the money, Inexplicably, she felt herself looking at him in a different light. He doesn¡¯t seem to be a self-righteous phony. She rose to her feet and was about to go to her room when she suddenly thought of something. Turning around, she said, ¡°Oh, right. If you help me do something, I won¡¯t ask you to return that two hundred thousand.¡± Emmanuel¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°What is it?¡± With Frederick¡¯s mother¡¯s condition, he would probably still have to borrow money from Mackenzie even after returning the two hundred thousand he owed her. Hence, after hearing her mention that he need not pay ¡ª her back, it was only natural that he was curious to find out what he could do to offset that debt! Chapter 12 Chapter 12 In the next moment, Mackenzie turned on her phone and tossed it at Emmanuel. Emmanuel grabbed the phone, but before he could read the information on the device, he heard Mackenzie speaking to him in an irresistible tone. ¡°Help me expedite this project. It needs to bepleted within a month!¡± Baffled, he quickly read the content. Terence Group requested Cloud Construction to build arge-scale, strategic warehouse. The contract involved one billion, and the deadline for the project was the end of the month. However, Cloud Construction informed Terence Group two days ago that the project couldn¡¯t bepleted in time. Confused, he asked, ¡°Terence Group can recoup the funds and demand fifty million from Cloud Construction for breaking the contract if they can¡¯t to get it done?¡± In response, Mackenzie smirked as a domineering and resolute look entered her eyes. ¡°If this warehouse can¡¯t bepleted in time, Terence Group will suffer an obscene profit loss. It¡¯s not something fifty million can Emmanuel was stunned by that look of hers. No wonder this woman is an executive in arge corporation. She has an ambition that even a man doesn¡¯t have! Someone else would¡¯ve been content earning fifty million, but she wants even more profits! I didn¡¯t believe her in the past when she said she earns three billion annually. But now, I think she¡¯s telling the truth. It¡¯s a shame that the money she earns goes to thepany, not her pocket. Otherwise, she would be living in a mansion instead of a two-hundred-square-foot apartment in a residential area. Chapter 12 Emmanuel Again ¡°You think too highly of me, Ms. Quillen.¡± Suddenly, Emmanuel smiled. ¡°If Terence Group¡¯s employees in charge of this project can¡¯t solve this issue, why do you think a mere gynecologist like me can pull it off?¡± ¡°Useless!¡± A sigh slipped out of Mackenzie¡¯s mouth. She wouldn¡¯t have thought much of his response if other men had told her that instead. However, because he was her husband, he was a lot more special in her eyes. The project was very important, so as the CEO of Terence Group, she couldn¡¯t just watch it fail without doing anything to save it. Of course, she had sent many to urge Cloud Construction toplete the project in time, but all returned without sess. Initially, she had already epted the fact that the project was botched. However, when she saw Emmanuel not even flinching despite suffering severe injuries, she abruptly recalled how he faced five thugs fearlessly and thought he was a tough nut. That was why she had unrealistic expectations about him. ¡°Wait!¡± Emmanuel didn¡¯t feel great seeing the disappointment in Mackenzie¡¯s eyes, so he offered, ¡°I¡¯ll help you out, but if I seed, you must do one thing for me in return.¡± She turned to face the slightly agitated man and grinned. I seem to have ignited his fighting spirit by looking down on him. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll have to return home with me to meet my mother and sister as my wife,¡± he stated firmly. This is my best chance to pull it off. If I miss this opportunity, there¡¯s no telling how long I¡¯ll need to wait before she¡¯s willing to return home with me. As she stared at him, her expression shifted multiple In reality, she still hadn¡¯t acknowledged the marriage. In fact, she thought it would end at any moment, which was why she didn¡¯t want anyone else to get involved. Otherwise, things would only be more However, she didn¡¯t think he would seed, so she agreed. Chapter Again Upon receiving her agreement, Emmanuel released a sigh of relief. I¡¯m so excited! I bet Mom¡¯s worries will be eased when she sees my wife. Meanwhile, when Mni returned home, her mother yapped at her again. Melody was a woman who yed favorites as she constantly badgered her daughter to go on blind dates. Her goal was for her daughter to marry a wealthy scion, obtain his betrothal gift, and help her son marry a wife. Therefore, when Mni told her Emmanuel had returned the ten million, she reacted simrly to Mni. On the other hand, Jacob was so furious that he tore some hair off his head. How can anyone be that stupid? I¡¯m still waiting for my future brother-inw¡¯s betrothal gift so I can buy a house and a car! ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mom. Thepany has noted my worth and promoted me to project supervisor!¡± To prevent her mother from urging her to attend another blind date, she quickly added, ¡°Once Iplete the project, I¡¯ll earn an additional three hundred thousand as a Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. bonus! Maybe it¡¯ll even help me get promoted again!¡± She was the new project supervisor at Cloud Construction. However, her knowledge of thepany¡¯s upper echelons was stillcking because she had just been promoted. In reality, she was given the position because the previous supervisor quit. They were unable to handle the pressure of the job because Terence Group kept urging them to finish the project, even though its progress kept stagnating. No one wanted the hot potato that was the project. Hence, the higher-ups offered enticing rewards to find a scapegoat. Mni was gleeful about her promotion because she waspletely unaware of all that. Upon hearing what she said, Jacob leaped in joy. ¡°Really?¡± If she gives me her entire bonus, I¡¯ll be able to buy a decent car! ¡°Of course. In any case, you can count on me to take care of your wedding.¡± Mni puffed her chest with pride. ¡°You¡¯re the best, Mni! I love you!¡± ¡°We¡¯ll be counting on you, Mni,¡± said Melody. Mni¡¯s family had a lot of hopes for her. During the night, Mni almost couldn¡¯t sleep due to her excitement whenever she thought about how bright her future would be. When she arrived at the office the next day, she received an email from Terence Group inviting her to a meeting at eight that night. It would be at the caf¨¦ where she had her blind datest time. Mni was puzzled by the location and time of the meeting. Do they know I¡¯m a beautiful woman, so they want to use this opportunity to hit on me? Now that I think about it, it¡¯s possible. I¡¯m aware many male employees in thispany see me as their goddess. With that thought in mind, she deliberately put on heavy makeup after work. In the end, she appeared prettier than how she looked when she went on that blind date with Emmanuel. Before leaving for the cafe, she adjusted her bra until she was happy with her cleavage. She was a crafty woman, thinking if the client happened to be a somewhat influential man and she could please him, she wouldn¡¯t need to worry about maintaining her position. Who knows, if everything goes well, I might not even need to worry about money for the rest of my life! Excitedly, Mni arrived at the caf¨¦ once again. After waiting at table eight for five minutes, she felt slightly anxious because the other person hadn¡¯t arrived yet. When she raised her head after checking her watch, she had a sense of deja vu as there was Emmanuel again,te just likest time. He then sat before her with a smile. What the heck is this situation? Stunned, Mni gazed at him with wide eyes. Chapter 13 Chapter 13 ¡°I¡¯m sorry for beingte!¡± Emmanuel apologized. Mni furrowed her brows and stared at Emmanuel for a while before roaring, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you, Emmanuel? I¡¯m not here on a blind date. Why do you keep showing up everywhere? Leave! I¡¯m here for an important matter today!¡± With that, she wanted to beat Emmanuel out of there. What I¡¯m here to talk about today will enormously affect my future! I can¡¯t mess it up! Suddenly, Emmanuel smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s such a coincidence! I¡¯m also not here for a blind date. I¡¯m Chapter 13 Business On A Blind Date Mni couldn¡¯t be bothered by that, though. If this man gets away, so will my chance to rise through the ranks! My mission today is to lessen the penalty thepany needs to pay! ¡°Behave yourself, Ms. Zimmerman!¡± Emmanuel stared into her eyes and reminded her expressionlessly, ¡°We aren¡¯t dating! What we have is simply a working rtionship.¡± Tch! He¡¯s so pretentious! Mni was fuming, but she didn¡¯t dare to show it. I know Emmanuel is a lustful man! Otherwise, why would he go to the hospital to examine women¡¯s bodies? I don¡¯t know how a gynecologist became a representative of Terence Group, but I¡¯m pretty sure he¡¯s just a runner working for Terence Group. He¡¯s using Terence Group to boss me around! Ugh! How despicable! Mni gritted her teeth discreetly before shing a smile. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Lowe. I was too worked up just now. Let¡¯s have a discussion.¡± Emmanuel couldn¡¯t say no to that, so he sat back down. After all, I¡¯m here to make sure Cloud Construction delivers the project on time. Nheless, his ultimate goal was to bring Mackenzie home to meet his parents. ¡°Mr. Lowe, what¡¯s your position in Terence Group?¡± Mni asked the moment Emmanuel sat down. At the same time, there was a dubious look in her eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t have a position for the time being. The executives of Terence Group have appointed me to urge yourpany to deliver the project on time,¡± Emmanuel answered truthfully. At that time, Mackenzie was his superior, and he had never even been to Terence Group. Mni rolled her eyes at him discreetly upon hearing that. So is he merely a third party Terence Group had employed? Is this his part-time job? Regardless of how she looked down upon Emmanuel, he still represented her client. Therefore, she couldn¡¯t afford to offend him. ¡°Ms. Zimmerman, on behalf of Terence Group, I need to formally inform you that the project must be delivered before the end of the month. Otherwise, it will be considered a breach of contract!¡± Emmanuel was concise and frank. ¡°Uh¡­¡± Mni looked troubled. If Cloud Construction could deliver the project by the end of the month, they wouldn¡¯t have appointed me as the project manager. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Emmanuel frowned slightly. Although he was intimidating Mni, he knew for a fact that Mackenzie¡¯s goal was to have the project delivered on time instead of getting paid the penalty. Hence, Emmanuel wanted to know why Cloud Construction couldn¡¯t finish the project on time. Mni¡¯s ego wouldn¡¯t allow her to humble herself, so she uttered in an authoritative tone, ¡°Mr. Lowe, perhaps you could tell the person in charge of Terence Group to extend the deadline by three months. Hm?¡± Emmanuel was amused. Does this woman still think i¡¯m here for a blind date? ¡°Is that the attitude to have when you¡¯re asking for a favor?¡± he asked. ¡°Um¡­¡± Mni bit her lower lip. I hope you¡¯ll be infertile and never have kids, Emmanuel! Despite her anger, she had no choice but to squeeze out a smile. She even tried to seduce him by holding his hand and saying, ¡°I beg of you, Mr. Lowe!¡¯ TO OR with you on a date if you can get Terence Group to extend the deadline by three months.¡± Chapter 13 Business On A Blind Date ¡°Let go of me!¡± Emmanuel demanded coldly. Mni was seeing red. How shameless can this b*stard be? Before this, he came to look for me with his family because he wanted to marry me. Why is he ying hard to get now? D*mn it! Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g! Although Mni was furious, she let go of his hand at once. ¡°Why can¡¯t Cloud Construction deliver the project on time? What¡¯s the reason?¡± Emmanuel asked directly. I need to know the problem, so I¡¯ll know how to fix it. ¡°Hmph! That¡¯s because there¡¯s a dispute over thend itself! A group of thugs protects thatnd, and they¡¯ve been xg whatever is possible to dy our work, and that¡¯s why there¡¯s a dy in the project!¡± Mni uttered grumpily and tried to push the me on others. ¡°Is that all?¡± Emmanuel was surprised. ¡°Cloud Construction is a big corporation, no? Why couldn¡¯t you guys deal with a bunch of thugs? Why didn¡¯t you guys call the police?¡± ¡°If it¡¯s that easy, don¡¯t you think Cloud Construction would¡¯ve settled the issue by now?¡± Mni scoffed. As a matter of fact, she knew the leader of the thugs was a ruthless man in Yeringham. That man had already threatened to kill the project manager¡¯s family Candy members if thepany were to involve the police. That was why the previous project manager was too scared to do anything rash. After all, no one would risk the safety of their family members for money. At that moment, Mni was merely taking a step at a time and dragging things out. It would be nice to get paid a few more months of a manager¡¯s sry. Although she could afford to drag it out, Emmanuel couldn¡¯t. ¡°Bring me to the project site tomorrow,¡± he ordered. Mni¡¯s disdain grew stronger. So far, Cloud Construction had already sent out three groups of legal specialists to negotiate with the thugs, but their efforts were to no avail. Could a gynecologist possibly solve the issue? No! However, this loser is representing the client. If I don¡¯t y nice, he can proceed with the legal ims against us. If that happens, there goes my reward payment! Obviously, she didn¡¯t have the nerve to voice her opinion. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I have ns tomorrow. I can¡¯t bring you there. Instead, I¡¯ll get thepany¡¯s legal officer, Sheldon Zophar, to apany you.¡± Mni didn¡¯t want to go to the project site with Emmanuel. He can go and mess with the thugs all he wants, but I¡¯m not getting myself involved in this. Emmanuel couldn¡¯t be bothered by what she had in mind. All he wanted was to get to the bottom of the situation and fulfill Mackenzie¡¯s goal. The following day, Emmanuel took half a day off and arrived at Cloud Construction early in the morning. Mni soon appeared with a man with sses. ¡°Are you Emmanuel?¡± The man with sses was decisive and frank. ¡°I¡¯m Sheldon Zophar, a legal officer working for Cloud Construction. Let me be clear about something. I¡¯m only bringing you to the project site, and I won¡¯t help you get those people off thend. The leader of the thugs is Samuel Webber. He¡¯s a big shot in the underground circle. That¡¯s not someone we can afford to mess with!¡± Emmanuel couldn¡¯t help but furrow his brows when he realized Sheldon was backing out even before they got to the project site. Mni initially wanted to avoid getting involved, but she couldn¡¯t stop herself from running her mouth. ¡°Are you seriously going to chase those thugs away just because you were told to do so, Emmanuel? Do you have a death wish? Must you risk your life for such a paltry sum of money?¡± Upon hearing Mni¡¯s sarcastic remark, Emmanuel mocked, ¡°I would rather risk my life for money than to be a free-loading coward like you!¡± ¡°You!¡± Mni was infuriated, but she had nothing to defend herself with. ¡°No wonder Cloud Construction can¡¯t deliver the project on time. That¡¯s because thepany had employed a useless employee as the project manager! Just wait! If you fail to deliver the project, I¡¯ll make sure you lose your job!¡± Emmanuel didn¡¯t hold back on his criticisms. With that, he left with Sheldon. Mni stomped her feet in fury and cursed, ¡°You¡¯re a b*stard, Emmanuel! Mr. Webber has a lot of capable subordinates. I hope they kill you! I¡¯ll dance on your grave after you die! Ugh!¡± Chapter 14 Chapter 14 Soon, Emmanuel and Sheldon arrived at the project site. The project site was originally an abandoned factory. Terence Group bought thend and wanted to build a warehouse. Halfway through the construction, thend had been taken over by a group of thugs as their activity site. They did so because the previous factory owner owed them their sries. ¡°What the f*ck? Are you guys a bunch of dimwits? Are you guys here to chase us away again?¡± ¡°The previous owner hasn¡¯t paid us, so we¡¯re not leaving!¡± ¡°Besides, Mr. Webber isn¡¯t negotiating with you guys. No matter how many times you try, you will achieve nothing!¡± ¡°Are you not afraid of death? I dare you guys to get the police involved!¡± Upon seeing Emmanuel and Sheldon, the thugs in the factory started swearing at them fearlessly. If Cloud Construction could deal with the thugs, they would¡¯ve left the factory long ago. At that moment, Sheldon cast a helpless nce at Emmanuel, and he was already thinking about fleeing. However, Emmanuel wanted to bring Mackenzie to meet his mother, so he wasn¡¯t giving up so easily. ¡°Get your boss to meet me now! Otherwise, I won¡¯t show any of you mercy!¡± Emmanuel threatened the thugs with a determined look in his eyes. I know how to deal with these thugs. If I were to go soft on them, they would just keep pushing me around. The only way to deal with them is to do it the hard way! True enough, the thugs immediately stopped swearing, and some were even so bbergasted that they dropped their cigarettes onto the ground. Wow! This man is a bad*ss! The thugs had been there for a long time and had never seen someone as bold as Emmanuel. There are only two of us here. How dare he talk like that? Sheldon was shivering in fear. Is Emmanuel a fool? Is he going to fight these thugs for money? Right then, Mni, in an MPV owned by Cloud Construction, arrived at the entrance of the factory. She had gone there specifically to watch Emmanuel die because she couldn¡¯t swallow her anger. In her pair of stylish sunsses, she was smiling and waiting for the show to begin. Emmanuel couldn¡¯t care less about why she was there. Nevertheless, he was d she showed up. ¡°Mni! Bring the legal documents here! Show these guys the documents so that they¡¯ll scram!¡± What the f*ck? Mni was stunned when she heard Emmanuel¡¯s words. Is he stupid? Does he think the thugs care about thews? If they did, this matter would¡¯ve been settled long ago! ¡°What are you waiting for, Ms. Zimmerman? You¡¯re here to bring us the legal documents, right?¡± Sheldon was a dense man, and he had no idea what was on Mni¡¯s mind. Hence, he walked up to her instantly. Right then, all the thugs in the factory were staring at Mni and smiling lecherously. Seeing that, Mni started to tremble in fear. If the thugs choose to take matters into their own hands, I¡¯ll surely get dragged into this mess. What if theye after me because of my good looks? I won¡¯t be able to escape their clutches! With that in mind, Mni answered, ¡°What are you talking about, Sheldon? What documents? I don¡¯t know what nonsense you are talking about!¡± Mni was eager to distance herself from Emmanuel and Sheldon, and she even wanted to run away there and then. I came to watch Emmanuel get into trouble, but I¡¯m about to end up in hot water myself! Before she could drive away, Emmanuel reached his hand into the car and took out the legal documents in the car! After that, he shed a half¨Csmile and uttered, ¡°Ms. Zimmerman, are you already forgetting things? Aren¡¯t these the legal documents?¡± Mni¡¯s face went pale, and a grim expression soon appeared on her face. In a fit of rage, she gritted her teeth and thundered, ¡°Are you crazy, Emmanuel? You might want to die, but I Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. don¡¯t! What makes you think you can get rid of these thugs? If you can do it, I¡¯ll give you a kiss in return!¡± To her surprise, Emmanuel answered nonchntly, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m really not interested in you.¡± Mni was so enraged that her mind had gone nk. Instead of saying anything, she could only re at Emmanuel. Thetter ignored her, grabbed the legal documents, and walked toward the entrance. The moment he turned around, he saw a dozen burly men walking out of the building. All of a sudden, the burly men had the three of them surrounded. ¡°Emmanuel, we should leave now.¡± Sheldon was chickening out when he saw that. I want to get my job done, but I¡¯m not risking my life for it! Meanwhile, Mni quickly returned to the car and rolled down the window to make fun of Emmanuel. ¡°Loser, you¡¯ve lost your mind, haven¡¯t you? Are you risking your life to make money because you¡¯ve failed to find yourself a wife?¡± Emmanuel didn¡¯t bother to respond to that. I can¡¯t find a wife? I¡¯m fighting for my future wife now! Without the slightest fear, Emmanuel opened the documents and showed them to the thugs. ¡°This is the real estate document of Terence Group and the construction permit of Cloud Construction. Thisnd has long been owned by Terence Group and has nothing to do with your previous boss. Please leave immediately!¡± Upon hearing Emmanuel¡¯s serious tone, the thugs froze momentarily before bursting intoughter. ¡°Haha! This fellow is a simpleton! Why is he telling us that?¡± ¡°Cut the crap! Let¡¯s finish him!¡± The group of thugs clenched their fists and got ready to fight. Sheldon was so frightened that his knees had gone weak. I¡¯m just an office worker. I have never even been in a fight! On the other hand, Mni locked her car doors from the inside, and she was ready to drive off at any time. The principle of betraying a friend rather than sacrificing oneself described the situation perfectly at that moment. All she wanted was to stay alive. Emmanuel wasn¡¯t afraid, though. He was in the army for seven years. He was used to risking his life on the battlefield on a daily basis, so he wasn¡¯t backing down from a group of thugs and a fight. This is nothing but a joke! ¡°Die, punk!¡± A man with an afro swung a chain at Emmanuel. That man was one of Samuel¡¯s capable fighters, and he was involved in fights all the time. If he were to beat up a guy that came to chase them out of the factory, Samuel would be more than appreciative. In fact, the man with an afro had beaten up quite a few people before, and some were so badly injured that they had to receive emergency treatment at the hospital. That was how they scared the people from Cloud Construction off. None of the people involved in the project dared to call the police on the thugs. Gradually, they gained control of the piece ofnd. When everyone was waiting to see the chain hit Emmanuel and him bleeding all over the face, Emmanuel swiftly dodged it and threw a punch. Bang! The man with an afro was sent flying away. Not only did blood stter everywhere, but the man with an afro also ended up knocking six other thugs down. Oh, sh*t! The smiles on the thugs¡® faces froze. Mni was stumped when she saw Emmanuel fight. This man can fight! Before the man with an afro could stand up, Emmanuel walked over to him with an icy expression and stomped on the man¡¯s leg. Crack! ¡°Ah!¡± The man¡¯s body was flung into the air before crashing back onto the ground. All of a sudden, the man¡¯s face turned purplish, and he was rolling on the ground as he screamed in pain. Having witnessed that, everyone at the scene broke into a cold sweat. That¡¯s so ruthless! He broke the man¡¯s leg without batting an eyelid! How is he so cold¨Cblooded? Who is he? Chapter 15 Chapter 15 ¡°Kill him! Kill him!¡± Fro¡¯s orders ripped through the air, spurring the thugs into action. He might be powerful, but he was only one person, so why should they be afraid of him? A dozen men charged toward Emmanuel in the following second, clutching various weapons in their hands. Sheldon froze at the unfolding scene, bing aware of a strange tingling sensation at the top of his head. Mni took advantage of the chaos to flee in her car. This is none of my business! The car suddenly screeched to a halt some distance away, and she bolted out of the car, shocked by what she saw in the rearview mirror. Emmanuel was fighting more than ten guys and seemed to be winning! ¡°Are you kidding me?¡± A shudder crept down her spine as one burly man after another copsed on the ground. Sheldon staggered to his feet after sitting on the ground, his legs still like jelly. Then, he knelt toward Emmanuel in reverence. This man is too d*mn incredible and ruthless! Emmanuel¡¯s savagery made fear crawl icily up their Office Reader INSTALL spines. Emmanuel spat out a mouthful of blood and grabbed Fro by the cor, coldly asking, ¡°Will you tell me where Mr. Webber is now?¡± He, too, was wounded and bleeding after taking down approximately ten guys, radiating a malevolent air that filled everyone with dread. ¡°I¨CI¡¯ll tell you!¡± It was obvious he had taken lives. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t exude such a violent aura. Fro swallowed audibly. ¡°I¡¯m not sure about Mr. Webber¡¯s itinerary, and I couldn¡¯t contact him. He recently has the hots for the head girl at The Paradise and will often frequent the establishment for pleasure.¡± The Paradise? As a citizen of Yeringham, of course, Emmanuel had heard of its ptial area and hidden nooks and crannies. It wouldn¡¯t be easy to locate someone inside, but he would do it toplete the task given by Mackenzie. Emmanuel flung Fro away and turned to leave. Shocked to his core, Sheldon closed his gaping mouth with effort and gave chase. ¡°Emmanuel¡­ I mean, Mr. Lowe, are you really going to look for Mr. Webber?¡± Mni¡¯s gaze shifted to Emmanuel after Sheldon posed the question, her heart hammering. ¡°Yes, and I need to get rid of all these people for Cloud Construction toplete the project on time.¡± Sheldon, and especially Mni, was taken aback by his reply. Is he out of his mind? He¡¯s even more insane than I am Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g! for money! Emmanuel paid them no heed, immediately returning to Yociam Residence to clean his wounds and rest for a few days. Mackenzie was still in a meeting in Terence Group after working hours, discussing thepany¡¯s strategic warehouse project and how if it weren¡¯t utilized by the beginning of next month, Terence Group would lose out on arge number of business deals and nearly one billion in profit. The shareholders were feeling the pressure, and in turn, Mackenzie felt her stress mounting. At that moment, she thought of Emmanuel. A day has passed, and he hasn¡¯t updated me. How unreliable! ¡°Lexi, check on the progress of Cloud Construction¡¯s project and update me immediately!¡± ¡°Yes, Ms. Quillen!¡± she quickly replied. Lexi Summerton was Mackenzie¡¯s secretary, and her biggest responsibility was to keep Mackenzie updated on any and all progress. A few minutester, she approached Mackenzie and gave a detailed report. ¡°Ms. Quillen, the Cloud Construction project is still on hold and will not be from Terence Group went to the site today and got into a brawl with the thugs there.¡± ¡°What?¡± Lexi was startled by Mackenzie¡¯s vehement response. Beatrix, who was seated beside Mackenzie, was Chapter Surprised shocked at her animated expression. Mackenzie had always been an ice queen for as long as she could remember. ¡°What happened to our representatives?¡± Mackenzie asked nervously. Is Emmanuel dumb, or what? Those thugs have nothing to do with Terence Group. Even if a fight broke out, Cloud Construction should be the one to break it 1. up. Why did he intervene? ¡°Ms. Quillen, it seems like he left after the fight. I¡¯m not sure of the situation.¡± Lexi was still unaware that Emmanuel was Mackenzie¡¯s husband. She was bewildered by Mackenzie¡¯s unusual manner and her disy of concern for him. ¡°Dismissed!¡± Mackenzie rose to her feet and left the conference room. The senior management of Terence Group exchanged puzzled looks at the sudden shift in her attitude. ¡°Lexi, who sent out representatives from Terence Group?¡± Beatrix inquired, still aghast.* ¡°It¡¯s Emmanuel, Ms. Beatrix. He had direct orders from Ms. Quillen.¡± ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Realization dawned on Beatrix, and she bit Chapter 15 Color Emmanuel Surprised her lip to stifle a smile. Only she noticed that the switch in Mackenzie seemed to be precipitated by that man. Mackenzie returned to Yociam Residence to bloody bandages strewn across the floor as soon as she opened the front door while Emmanuel was dressing his wounds. Her brows drew together, and she said coldly, ¡°Do you have a death wish? To go up against them alone?¡± Emmanuel raised his head and met her gaze, continuing his ministrations wordlessly. ¡°What a jerk¡­¡± Mackenzie bristled with anger. She had never been ignored, no matter what the circumstances or people. He really has a death wish. She took in the injuries covering his entire body and the gashes still oozing blood from his back and approached him to tend to his wounds. Whatever he did, he did it either for money or to bring her home. Emmanuel stilled when he felt her touch on his back. Color me surprised! Am I mistaken? Is this proud woman tending to my wounds? He reflexively pulled away from her, worried that his sweat and blood would dirty the hands of this ¡°Don¡¯t move!¡± Mackenzie barked, and it was as if her voice held a sorcery that rendered Emmanuel immobile. Then, she applied the remaining antiseptic on his back mercilessly, like she was kneading dough. Emmanuel yelled and jumped in pain, snarling, ¡°Are you trying to kill me?¡± Mackenzie wore an impassive expression. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re afraid of pain? I thought you were invincible when you decided to fight with the thugs!¡± His anger rose at her words, and although he wanted to yell, I did all that so you could aplish your goal, the words were stuck in his throat. She could tell what he was thinking by the unconcealed expression on his face, even if he didn¡¯t say a word. ¡°Sit back down!¡± Mackenzie ordered sternly. Emmanuel frowned. It serves me right that I can¡¯t reach the wounds on my back. I have no choice but to sit back down. To his surprise, her touch gentled, and everyone in Terence Group, especially Beatrix, would have a mental breakdown if they witnessed this scene, wondering why a distinguished female CEO would minister to a man. ¡°If Cloud Construction¡¯s engineering team can¡¯t get on site to start work tomorrow, the project will almost certainly not bepleted by the end of the month. Can you get rid of those people?¡± Mackenzie asked after a moment passed. In reality, there was nothing she could do to drive away those thugs without hurting anyone. Emmanuel looked her square in the eye and gritted his teeth. ¡°I¡¯ll give you an answer by tonight.¡± A tremor ran through Mackenzie¡¯s body as her beautiful eyes took in the bloodied man in front of her, and she was suddenly acutely aware of a wave of Chapter 16 Chapter 16 On that night, Emmanuel arrived at the nightclub named The Paradise. Beneath his clothes were all bandages! Standing alone by the door, he puffed at a cigarette in annoyance. His mood plummeted when he received a call three minutes ago, and Roselynn¡¯s voice was still echoing in his ear. ¡°Manny, Mom was admitted to the hospital again. She has nephritis! She was asking for you, wondering when your wife wille and visit. She thought your wife should havee to see her already since you two are married.¡± Roselynn¡¯s words rendered Emmanuel speechless, and her remarks still echoed in his ears. Their father passed away at a young age, and their mother had to raise him and his sister singlehandedly. She worked too hard when she was young, and her unhealthy diet caused her to develop kidney stones. Some ten years ago, she had to have one of her kidneys removed, and her only kidney was inmed. Emmanuel did not know how long his mother¡¯s body could hold up. Her only wish now was to meet her daughter¨Cinw. Even seeing her grandchild being born would be a luxury! Emmanuel knew he had repeatedly disappointed his mother, but this time, he was determined to bring Mackenzie home to fulfill his mother¡¯s wish! Meanwhile, Mackenzie was in a daze. She might be staring at the screen, but she was, in fact, zoning out. She had never been so worried for someone in her life that it significantly reduced her efficiency at work. All of a sudden, her phone rang. It was a call from her grandfather. ¡°Hey, Mackenzie! Can the strategic warehouse project bepleted in time? All the directors kept pressuring me for the progress update!¡± Terence sounded anxious. After all, all shareholders wanted profits. As the majority shareholder of thepany, Ter¨¦nce undoubtedly hoped the project would seed. ¡°Grandpa, I¡¯m waiting for an update from someone,¡± Mackenzie said calmly. ¡°Updates from someone? Who¡¯s the CEO of Terence Group? Who¡¯s the decision maker of thepany? And you¡¯re telling me you¡¯re waiting for updates from another person?¡± Terence expressed his dismay. What happened to my granddaughter? That¡¯s not how she would usually behave! ¡°I want you to give me an answer right now!¡± The agitated Terence raised his voice. ¡°Grandpa, that person is Emmanuel!¡± she responded. ¡°What? Emmanuel?¡± Terence froze for a moment and kept mum. After a while, he expressed his shock. ¡°Why do you have to wait for him to make a decision for Terence Group?¡± ¡°Grandpa, stop asking, okay?¡± Mackenzie replied indifferently, ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ve informed the engineering team from Cloud Construction to be on standby. I¡¯ll issue an ultimatum by tomorrow morning.¡± After that, she ended the call. Mackenzie let out a long breath and found herself unable to sit still. She could not believe that even during that critical period, she still found herself expecting Emmanuel to solve the problem. As the night fell, Emmanuel flicked his cigarette in front of the entrance of The Paradise and was ready to enter the premises. Suddenly, someone pulled him from the back, and the person was Sheldon. ¡°Emmanuel, have you lost your mind? Would you really stoop to anything for the sake of money? Mr. Webber is not an easy person to deal with, yet you went to him and warned him and his men to vacate that piece of hapter 16 Fits fubordinate Do you realize that?¡± Sheldon eximed in agitation, trying to dissuade the man. Though he only had a professional rtionship with Emmanuel, from human to human, he did not want the man to risk his life. Yet, Emmanuel ignored him and walked straight into the nightclub. Unfortunately, the receptionist refused to reveal any information about their guest to him: The security guard even chased him out of the club after he refused to leave. ¡°Emmanuel, can you stop acting crazy? We can¡¯t even locate the person. Just give up, okay? It¡¯s impossible for us to earn that money!¡± Sheldon stayed back, further dampening Emmanuel¡¯s spirit. Emmanuel continued giving him the cold shoulder. He knew Sheldon was saying that for his own good. But he doesn¡¯t know how I¡¯m feeling and why I¡¯m doing this. It¡¯s pointless for me to exin to him at this point. All of a sudden, an Audi arrived at the parking lot. As a stunningdy stepped out of her car in high heels, all eyes were drawn to her. She was dressed in a shimmering silver gown that revealed her long and slender legs, and her skin was so smooth that it resembled white poppy flowers. Emmanuel¡¯s jaw dropped when he saw the woman. Apart from the aura she exuded, the woman¡¯s beauty and allure could rival Mackenzie¡¯s! Mackenzie¡¯s sex appeal and attractive appearance might not even hold a candle to her. ¡°Oh my goodness, isn¡¯t that Elena Lyle, the top hostess of The Paradise?¡± Sheldon eximed, captivated by her beauty. He was so taken aback that he could hardly move. As a man living in Yeringham, he was naturally familiar with the legends surrounding the top hostess of The Paradise. It was said that she never apanied her clients on outings, and those who wanted to drink with her had to pay thirty¨Ceight thousand per hour. She was also known for her exclusive taste in wine and would only drink Lafite. In other words, Elena would only befriend people who were wealthy and influential. She was, indeed, the very definition of a sessful hostess. Emmanuel knew nothing about Elena, but the moment Sheldon told him she was the top hostess in the. nightclub, he walked toward her directly. Fro told him that Samuel would alwayse and look for her, so he was confident that he could get information about Samuel¡¯s whereabouts from her. Emmanuel¡¯s sudden presumptuous move left Sheldon dumbfounded. Is he trying to hit on the top hostess? What makes him think he could go after a woman who¡¯s clearly out of his league? After standing in front of Elena to stop her from leaving, Emmanuel greeted her, ¡°Nice to meet you, Ms. Lyle!¡± Elena knitted her brows. If any man had interrupted her like that, she would have ignored him or even had the bouncers throw him out. Nevertheless, as someone who ced great importance on appearance, Elena was impressed with Emmanuel¡¯s looks, physique, and calm demeanor. She concealed her impatience. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I¡¯m working for Mr. Webber and was told to wait here for you, Ms. Lyle!¡± he replied. Sheldon was rendered speechless by Emmanuel¡¯s audacity. If his true identity is exposed, he¡¯ll be doomed! Elena felt disappointed when she learned that he was just Samuel¡¯s subordinate. Her brows creased even more deeply. ¡°Tell him to wait patiently in the private room. I¡¯ll go over in an hour!¡± ¡°All right, then!¡± Emmanuel was pleased to hear that. Nice! I¡¯ll be able to locate Mr. Webber if I stay with her! After Elena left, Sheldon walked up to him. ¡°You¡¯ve got some nerve, Emmanuel! What gave you the courage All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. to strike up a conversation with the top hostess of this club?¡± Emmanuel¡¯s boldness left Sheldon astounded. Being able to talk to the top hostess of The Paradise was the dream of every man in Yeringham! Yet, Emmanuel let out a cold snort. Elena might exude a cold and distant aura, but she was nowhere near as haughty and aloof as the missus in his house. If I had the nerve to marry McKenzie, I surely would have the courage to talk to this woman. ¡°Hey, where are you going?¡± Sheldon asked. When Emmanuel was about to enter The Paradise, he could not help but exim, ¡°Are you really going to follow Ms. Lyle¡¯s lead and scheme your way into The Paradise just to track down Mr. Webber?¡± The thought of Emmanuel¡¯s n sent chills up his spine. He¡¯s just trying to get himself killed! Emmanuel hummed in acknowledgment. ¡°Go home if you¡¯re scared. I¡¯ll take it from here!¡± He strode confidently into the nightclub¡¯s lobby, not once ncing over his shoulder. As Sheldon gazed at Emmanuel¡¯s back, he was impressed by his suave demeanor, which seemed to repeat himself. If Randal refused to drink, he would have to nake him. dash of frostiness shed in his eyes as he gripped Randal¡¯s w, forced his mouth open, and poured the ss of urine into is mouth. ulp, gulp, gulp¡­ onsecutive gulping noise could be heard. ndrius forcefully poured the urine into Randal¡¯s mouth, tunning the other Trust Fund Kids. They were all petrified nd did not know how to react. Until Andrius tossed the empty ss on the floor, the noise of the broken ss shocked everyone, forcing them to react. Randal, on the other hand, fell on his knees and started to retch. ¡°Ugh! Cough! Ugh-¡± He coughed and retched terribly, and even tears were squeezed out of his shut eyes. However, he had drunk all the urine, and it was unlikel he could cough it all out. His friends tried to help him but did not know what to do They panicked. ¡°F-F*ck! Get him! F*ck him up!¡± Randal coughed his lungs out, yet he was still able to order his friends and men to get Andrius. Everyone then jumped on Andrius, swarming towards him like a flock of birds. ¡°You guys asked for it,¡± Andrius chuckled. Chapter 84 Chapter 84 Ugh!¡± ¡®he stench from his own urine infuriated Randal. ¡°You little iece of sh*t! You are really a pretentious b*stard! Believe me when I say I can call a bus full of men here just to eat you up. You will be f*cked so hard that you can¡¯t even sh* or p*ss properly! Stop being a pretentious f*ck in my face!¡± ollowing Randal¡¯s threats, the other Trust Fund Kids echoed nd mocked Andrius. Hey, punk, you are more pretentious than the urinal that olds my uncle¡¯s c*ck!¡± Are you out of your mind? How dare you ckmail Young Master Hanshu?¡± I think someone needs to f*ck you up, hard!¡± ndrius was toozy to reply to their nonsense. He never liked > repeat himself. If Randal refused to drink, he would have to nake him. dash of frostiness shed in his eyes as he gripped Randal¡¯s w, forced his mouth open, and poured the ss of urine into is mouth. ulp, gulp, gulp¡­ onsecutive gulping noise could be heard. ndrius forcefully poured the urine into Randal¡¯s mouth, tunning the other Trust Fund Kids. They were all petrified nd did not know how to react. Until Andrius tossed the empty ss on the floor, the noise of the broken ss shocked everyone, forcing them to react. Randal, on the other hand, fell on his knees and started to retch. ¡°Ugh! Cough! Ugh-¡± He coughed and retched terribly, and even tears were squeezed out of his shut eyes. However, he had drunk all the urine, and it was unlikel he could cough it all out. His friends tried to help him but did not know what to do They panicked. ¡°F-F*ck! Get him! F*ck him up!¡± Randal coughed his lungs out, yet he was still able to order his friends and men to get Andrius. Everyone then jumped on Andrius, swarming towards him like a flock of birds. ¡°You guys asked for it,¡± Andrius chuckled. The Trust Fund Kids spent their strength on having sex with women, not exercising. The so-called ¡®fight¡¯ was suicidal for them as Andrius knocked them out each with one punch. Fair and square. Ten secondster, not one of them remained standing. Then, Luna arrived and saw the terrible state inside the room. Axel saw Luna. He went up to her and used Andrius, ¡°Look at what your husband did! He forced Young Master Hanshu to drink urine and beat everyone in here up! Just wait! The Hanshus will definitely destroy the Crestfalls for this!¡± Luna was horrified but she asked, ¡°Who are you?¡± The muffled voice sounded familiar, but she could not recognize the person. His face was heavily disfigured. ¡°I¡­I¡¯m Axel!¡± Axel felt heavily insulted. ¡°Huh?¡± Luna ignored him because she saw Randal throwing up on the floor. She recognized him as one of the most influential and wealthy figures in Sumeria, and she could not afford to offend him or his family. ¡°Young Master Hanshu!? I am so sorry about this! I¡¯ll punish Andrius for what he did. Please¡­¡± Luna started apologizing to Randal, but before she could finish, Randal red at her. ¡°It¡¯s toote!¡± Randal¡¯s expression turned grim. It was impossible for him to vomit it out anymore, hence he would never forgive what Andrius did to him. ¡°Just wait! You, your husband, and your family! You will feel my family¡¯s wrath!¡± He grudgingly stared at Andrius before he left the room. angrily. The Trust Fund Kids helped each other up and left together. They even mocked Luna on their way out. ¡°Luna Crestfall, what a man you¡¯ve got there.¡± ¡°Just wait and see! Randal will definitely f*ck you up!¡± ¡°Your family is over now!¡± A few minutester, they all left, leaving Andrius and Luna alone in the room. Luna was infuriated. ¡°Andrius, what the hell was that? Why did you force Young Master Hanshu to drink urine?! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?!¡± Sheshed out at Andrius before leaving the room as well. Things had gotten worse now that the Hanshus, a powerful family, was involved. She had to go back to discuss with her father to form a n. Andrius came in to stop Axel and Randal out of goodwill, but when Luna arrived, she would rather believe Axel¡¯s nonsense than ask him for an exnation. She evenshed out at him without finding out the truth. Even the Wolf King felt he was treated unfairly. Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g! If it was not for him, Luna would have ended up on Randal¡¯s bed. That woman was indeed troublesome. Aggrieved, Andrius called Noir, ¡°Noir,e out and have a drink with me.¡± Noir nodded. ¡°Alrighty, Andy Boy, tell me the ce and I¡¯ll be right there.¡± Andrius simply gave him a drinking spot and hung up the phone. A whileter, Noir arrived with a mischievous smile on his face. ¡°Andy, you look terrible. What happened?¡± Andriusined, ¡°That crazy woman is driving me nuts. How can I be okay?¡± ¡°Luna Crestfall?¡± Noir knew who he was referring to. ¡°Who else?¡± Andrius sighed. ¡°I know why people say it¡¯s difficult to deal with a woman and a prick. Thankfully I still have a few months left, or I will go crazy soon.¡± Noir listened to Andrius¡¯ints and asked, ¡°What did she do now?¡± ¡°Just now, back at the hotel¡­¡± Andrius told Noir what happened in the hotel. He also added in the end, ¡°I did a good deed, but I was treated as the troublemaker, the viin, instead. What the hell is wrong with that? That woman is mindless. She would rather believe that bunch of b*stards than listen to me. I¡¯m so done with it.¡± Noir squinted when he heard Andrius¡¯ exnation. A hint of killing intent shed in his eyes. ¡°Andy, do you want me to bring a team over to eliminate that b*stard and his family? He is courting death by insulting and challenging you.¡± He was ready to kill someone. Andrius waved his hand. ¡°Can you not be so violent? This is a mega city, not the border. Resolving in violence will only make things moreplicated.¡± Noir pondered and found his words make sense. ¡°Then, what should we do? Are we just going to let that b*stard off like this?¡± Andrius chuckled. His eyes narrowed coldly. ¡°I¡¯m not going to him, but if he¡¯sing to me, I¡¯ll destroy him.¡± They drank and chatted until it waste at night. Andrius did not want to go back to Dream¡¯s Waterfront, so he went back to the Royal Garden for the night. Meanwhile, in the hospital, after the doctors did some emergency treatment, they sessfully removed all the urine from Randal¡¯s stomach. However, the taste lingered in his throat, and he could not erase it no matter what he drank. Randal¡¯s expression turned grim. He pulled his phone out and called someone. ¡°Dark Night, I want you to leave first thing tomorrow and destroy the Crestfalls.¡± Meanwhile, at the River Helm mansion, Suletta rushed into the living room with a delighted look on her face.¡± Grandfather, I just got something huge!¡± Anthony looked at her gently and asked, ¡°What is it that has made you so happy?¡± ¡°Grandfather, you told me to deal with Andrius Moonshade¡¯s matter, right? So, I¡¯ve been tailing him, and guess what I just found out?¡± Suletta continued, ¡°I found out that Andrius just offended Randal Hanshu! Randal Hanshu was admitted to the hospital, and he has contacted his family¡¯s assassin team to move out tomorrow morning to destroy the Crestfalls!¡± Anthony¡¯s cloudy old eyes glinted. He knew that Andrius was Luna¡¯s husband, and if the Hanshus were after the Crestfalls, given the difference in power, the Crestfalls would not be able to fight back. If he was able to lend a helping hand to the Crestfalls during their most desperate time, then he would be able to repay his debt to Andrius. It was a great opportunity! ¡°Suletta, tell the men to get prepared.¡± Anthony rxed his brows and smiled as if he had everything nned out. ¡°Tomorrow morning, lead our men to help the Crestfalls to ovee this crisis.¡± ¡°I understand, Grandfather. I¡¯ll go make the necessary arrangements.¡± Suletta shared the same thoughts with her grandfather when she got the news. The next morning, Andrius got the news as well and he quickly headed to the Crestfalls¡¯ mansion. After all, he started it, and Master Crestfall was there, thus he could not just ignore it. The atmosphere at Dream¡¯s Waterfront was tense. Master Crestfall was sitting in the main seat. Behind him were Harry, Dick, and George. The young ones, like Luna and her peers, were also inside the house. Every one of them looked terrible. They would nce at Luna from time to time grudgingly, filled with the intention of ming her for what happened. Luna looked guilty as well, but she dared not lift her face. Earlier in the morning, they had received a warning from the Hanshus. The Hanshus woulde to their ce to deal with the matter, and if the Crestfalls ran, they would hunt them down, killing every single one of them. This was all because of Luna, or more precisely, Luna¡¯s husband, Andrius. Finally, someone snapped, ¡°Luna, if you know your husband is an idiot, why can¡¯t you keep an eye on him? Now he¡¯s causing huge trouble for us, and we are all going down because of him. Are you happy now?¡± The one who spoke was Luna¡¯s uncle, Dick. After that, everyone else echoed in agreement. ¡°Luna, you are a sinner! A sinner who has dragged the family down!¡± ¡°You started this, and your stupid husband! You¡¯ve dragged us all down!¡± ¡°Damn you, Luna. Damn you, Andrius.¡± The brothers, Harry, George, and Dick, and their respective families, never saw eye to eye. With this incident upon them, they all vented their anger on Luna and Andrius. They did not want to ovee the crisis together as a family. Instead, they were considering turning Andrius and Luna in just to save their own skin. Chapter 85 Chapter 85 ¡°Luna, this is happening because of you!¡± ¡°It¡¯s because of you two that we are all in trouble!¡± ¡°You¡¯d better do your partter. Drag your useless husband to Young Master Hanshu and apologize! Don¡¯t drag us into this mess!¡± As soon as George voiced hisints, the others echoed. ¡°Yeah, apologize!¡± ¡°Clean up your own mess! Apologize!¡± Then, Andrius appeared at the entrance. ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal. Is it really necessary?¡± He could not bear listening to the family¡¯s nonsense, and he had no idea how Luna endured all of it. He voiced out his grievance because he felt bad for Luna, but his words attracted everyone¡¯s attention, which made him amon target for everyone tosh out at. Theyshed out at Andrius fiercely like how they had done to Luna earlier. In fact, they were even fiercer than before. ¡°Andrius Moonshade!¡± ¡°You are just a useless piece of trash, yet you are still talking arrogantly?¡± ¡°Not a big deal? The Hanshus are going to destroy us, and you are saying it¡¯s not a big deal? Are you out of your mind? How dare you say something like that?¡± George yelled at him. ¡°Andrius, if you want to get yourself killed, you can just hang yourself on top of a tree or jump into the lake!¡± ¡°Why the hell must you attack someone from the Hanshus!?¡± ¡°You are dragging us down into your mess! Happy now?!¡± N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. Dick also scolded Andrius harshly while the others echoed. The Hanshus were going to destroy them, and it scared them. Instead of thinking of a way to ovee the problem, they decided to take it out on Andrius first. ¡°Andrius, you are a jinx!¡± ¡°You are not just a useless piece of trash. You are a harbinger of disaster!¡± ¡°I must have done something wrong in the past life to have you in our family. Why am I suffering like this?¡± ¡°Andrius, why did you do it? What are you trying to do?¡± ¡°If you have a death wish, just jump out of the building. Why must you go and piss Randal Hanshu off? You cannot afford to piss him off!¡± ¡°That is what people from the mountains are like! Barbaric savages!¡± The more they scolded him, the uglier their words became. It was as though they were trying to drown and suffocate Andrius with their words. ¡°Enough!¡± Then, Master Crestfall roared to stop all the scolding. However, the others continued to stare at Andrius with resentment as they really hoped they could strangle or snap Andrius¡¯ neck themselves. Master Crestfall looked at Andrius and sighed. He said, ¡± Andrius, I don¡¯t know how you ended up in a conflict with Randal Hanshu, but since it has already happened, just leave. Leave before they get here. You can still make it.¡± Master Crestfall was the only one in the entire family who cared about Andrius. Andrius was slightly moved. It was not bad for someone his master had saved. He said, ¡°Master Crestfall, the Hanshus aren¡¯t¡­¡± Before he could finish, Master Crestfall pushed him out of the door and said, ¡°Leave! Leave the city! Go as far away as you can and don¡¯te back!¡± ¡°Leave? Not a single person in your family can leave!¡± Then, a cold voice came from outside the gate. Master Crestfall looked outside and his expression shifted. Disheartened, he almost lost his bnce and fell down. Arge group of men appeared in front of the gate, and the leading man was Randal. Behind him were hitmen in tight suits with a crest emblem on their chests. They were the notorious hitmen group of the Hanshus the Dark Night. Chapter 86 Chapter 86 The intimidating scene shocked everyone in the Crestfalls, especially the young ones who shuddered and their legs trembled. Luna was also afraid, but the thought of Andrius being the cause of the situation and her being indirectly responsible for it made her clench her teeth and approach Randal. ¡°Y-Young Master Hanshu¡­¡± Luna¡¯s voice shook, but she mustered enough courage to N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. continue, ¡°I know it was Andrius¡¯ fault at the club yesterday. I hereby apologize to you on behalf of him. Please can you let my family go?¡± Luna did not see any emotion on Randal¡¯s face except a frosty grin. She clenched her teeth again and said, ¡°We can She could make more money if she lost her wealth, but if she lost her life, it would be over. However, her suggestion was made without confidence as she, too, could note up with a suitable amount forpensation. ¡°Compensation?¡± Randal sneered in disdain. ¡°The Crestfalls are tiny specks of dust, and your total assets are not even as much as my monthly expenses, and you suggest He sounded as arrogant as possible when he said those words, but he was speaking facts as well. Luna was at a loss for words. She did not know whether she should step back or continue, so she froze on the spot. Then, she gritted her teeth once more and asked, ¡°Young Master Hanshu, what must we do for you to spare us? ¡°Spare?¡± Randal sneered. ¡°From the moment I came out from my ce, I have never thought of sparing you people. Unless His lips curled into a ridiculing grin. ¡°Every one of you kneels before me and bows ten times. If it makes me happy, I¡¯ll consider it.¡± Then, Randal scanned over the Crestfalls with a ridiculing gaze. Luna was both embarrassed and angry when she heard Randal. ¡°Impossible!¡± Apart from her, the other Crestfalls¡¯ expressions changed when they heard Randal. Randal was toying with the family, insulting them as human beings. However, none of them dared to voice their thoughts because they were afraid that they would exacerbate the matter beyond redemption. Andrius suddenly scoffed. ¡°Randal Hanshu, I¡¯ll give you a suggestion as well. Kneel before me and bow until I¡¯m happy, and I will spare your life today.¡± His words shocked everyone at the scene. Every one of the Crestfalls looked at him as if he was an idiot. Had Andrius lost his mind? Why would he continue to provoke Randal after what he has done yesterday? Was he trying to get the entire family killed? The hitmen Randal brought looked at Andrius as if he was a clown. Despite them being a whole group of merciless hitmen, Andrius still had the gall to threaten Randal in their faces. The man must have lost his mind. Randal was infuriated. He thought of the disgusting taste of urine fromst night and he yelled, ¡°Andrius Moonshade, kneel before me when you talk!¡± Andrius scoffed and ignored him. As the situation could not get any worse, two young Crestfalls stepped out. ¡°Andrius!¡± ¡°This is all your fault! If it¡¯s not for you, we wouldn¡¯t have ended up like this!¡± ¡°Young Master Hanshu wants you to kneel before him, so you kneel and apologize for what you¡¯ve done. Or else, don¡¯t me us for being rude!¡± The two of them went up to Andrius and attempted to make him kneel. They were still young and did not want to die. Chapter 87 Chapter 87 They hoped that Randal could spare them just because they helped turn Andrius in. ¡°On your knees!¡± The two of them put their hands on each of Andrius¡¯ shoulders from the back and wanted to make him kneel. Andrius¡¯ eyes turned frosty. He had helped the Crestfalls out of goodwill, yet the two little rascals wanted to make him kneel in front of Randal? Little pieces of sh*ts! Smack! Smack! Andrius pped the two of them in the face, sending them flying and crashing into their family members. ¡°The enemy is in front of you. Instead of thinking about how to fend off the enemy, you decide to turn one of your own to the enemy? This is the first time in my life I¡¯ve seen such nonsense! How could the Crestfalls have someone as cowardly as you two?¡± Andrius pping the two young Crestfalls was like a stone N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. tossed into a calmke. The Crestfalls already disliked Andrius. When he pped and lectured them, it fueled their anger to the boiling point. p, p, p. Randal pped his hands and smiled brightly. ¡°Andrius Moonshade, you are a man with dignity, and I hope you can keep that up.¡± Randal¡¯s expression turned grim as he continued, ¡°After this, you will have to kneel and crawl like a dog in front of me for the rest of your life. ¡°I¡¯ll also strip Luna Crestfall naked and make you watch how I f*ck her! I¡¯ll see if you can continue to act the same way.¡± While Randal scoffed wickedly, the hitmen behind him echoed andughed. Andrius¡¯ expression turned frosty. Luna was his nominal wife. Even though they had no feelings for each other, she was not someone that any John Doe could insult. He said coldly, ¡°Randal Hanshu, it seems like you still haven¡¯t digested the piss that I fed youst night. Your mouth stinks.¡± Drinking the urinest night was the biggest insult in Randal¡¯s life, and he could never remove the stain from his life. When Andrius mentioned the eventst night, it was like an act of prying his wound open and sprinkling salt on it. Randal was infuriated, but before he could say a word, Andrius disappeared. Then, his hand reached out to Randal¡¯s neck, grabbing him and lifting him into the air. The suffocation shocked and horrified Randal. His legs fluttered nervously, but he could not break free from Andrius¡¯ restraint. The fear made him wet his pants. ¡°L-let go of me!¡± ¡°Dark Night, s-save me!¡± Everyone was equal in front of Death. Suffocating in fear, Randal reached out to his hitmen for help. The hitmen surrounded Andrius, but with Randal in his hand, the hitmen dared not act recklessly by jumping on him. The leader of the Dark Night stared at Andrius and bellowed, Let go of our master! If you hurt him, I¡¯ll make sure the Crestfalls go down with you today.¡± Andrius looked at him. While the leader and the rest of the hitmen stared at Andrius cautiously, Andrius lifted his other hand and pped Randal¡¯s face. p! The clear and loud p echoed across the front yard. Chapter 88 Chapter 88 The p was not that loud, but the shock that it brought stunned everyone. Everyone in the Crestfalls was astounded, including Luna. Petrified, everyone¡¯s jaw dropped, and they did not know how to respond. No one expected Andrius to be so audacious as to p Randal after what he had done yesterday. It was suicidal! Everyone was shocked and furious, they really wanted to punch Andrius to death after what he just did. Even the Dark Night, Randal¡¯s own hitmen, could not believe what just happened. Andrius had just pped their employer in front of their faces. It was not just a p on Randal¡¯s face; it was a p on their faces as well as the faces of the Hanshus. Randal was stunned and furious. How could Andrius have the nerve to p him under such circumstances? However, he was being seized by the neck and could not utter a word. All he could do was re at Andrius. Momentster, the Dark Night hitmen finally reacted to the unbelievable scene. ¡°Andrius Moonshade!¡± ¡°Let go of Young Master Hanshu right away, or you will die Andrius was not only dumb, but he was also stupid. He had offended Randal, yet he did not know how to behave and tame his arrogance. The Crestfalls did not care if Andrius wanted to die, but his actions dragged them down. ¡°Young Master Hanshu, are you alright?¡± ¡°Sir, are you alright?¡± The hitmen immediately caught Randal and surrounded him, looking concerned and worried. Randal was finally freed from Andrius¡¯ restraint. Infuriated, his swollen face looked ferocious and ugly. He pushed the hitmen away and red at Andrius begrudgingly. ¡°Why are you guys still standing there? ughter Andrius Moonshade!¡± Shoosh! As soon as his voice subsided, more than half of the hitmen grinned viciously and threw themselves at Andrius. They dared not attack him earlier because he held Randal hostage, but with Randal released, they had no more concerns. They all moved swiftly and took aim at Andrius¡¯ neck. ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. They knew Randal would reward them handsomely once they severed Andrius¡¯ head. ¡°Die!¡± ¡°Andrius Moonshade, death is the only end for you now that you¡¯ve offended Young Master Hanshu!¡± ¡°Cut the crap and kill him first!¡± The hitmen yelled and bellowed as they swung their knives and des at Andrius. Chapter 89 Chapter 89 Andrius was not only dumb, but he was also stupid. He had offended Randal, yet he did not know how to behave and tame his arrogance. The Crestfalls did not care if Andrius wanted to die, but his actions dragged them down. ¡°Young Master Hanshu, are you alright?¡± ¡°Sir, are you alright?¡± The hitmen immediately caught Randal and surrounded him, looking concerned and worried. Randal was finally freed from Andrius¡¯ restraint. Infuriated, his swollen face looked ferocious and ugly. He pushed the hitmen away and red at Andrius begrudgingly. ¡°Why are you guys still standing there? ughter Andrius Moonshade!¡± Shoosh! As soon as his voice subsided, more than half of the hitmen grinned viciously and threw themselves at Andrius. They dared not attack him earlier because he held Randal hostage, but with Randal released, they had no more concerns. They all moved swiftly and took aim at Andrius¡¯ neck. They knew Randal would reward them handsomely once they severed Andrius¡¯ head. ¡°Die!¡± ¡°Andrius Moonshade, death is the only end for you now that you¡¯ve offended Young Master Hanshu!¡± ¡°Cut the crap and kill him first!¡± The hitmen yelled and bellowed as they swung their knives and des at Andrius. The ring reflection on the des looked scary, terrifying the Crestfalls even more. They trembled, unable to speak a word from their tightly sealed mouths. Only Master Crestfall managed to warn Andrius, ¡°Andrius, be careful!¡± To him, Andrius might be reckless, but he was more courageous than the young Crestfalls. At least, he was manly enough to bear the responsibility and fight the enemy. While the hitmen were jumping at him, Andrius took a moment to turn around after hearing Master Crestfall. ¡°Master¡­ Grandfather, don¡¯t worry.¡± His little reaction infuriated the hitmen even more. ¡°Andrius Moonshade, you are too arrogant!¡± ¡°You are surrounded by us, yet you still have the time to be distracted? Die!¡± ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. ¡°Die, Andrius Moonshade!¡± They dashed toward Andrius and swung their knives down at him. Swoosh! Andrius finally made a move. He took a step forward and grabbed the first hitman¡¯s wrist. The strong grip caused the hitman to squeal in pain. The knife fell out of his hand, and Andrius seized it for himself. He sessfully seized a weapon from the hitman while unarmed! Then, Andrius swung the knife at the hitman, ending his life. The whole process happened within three seconds. The other hitmen were shocked and fearful, but they moved even faster. However, no matter how quickly they moved, they were no match for Andrius. Andrius had experienced countless battles on the battlefield, and the hitmen¡¯s movements felt like they were slowed down on purpose. He took a life with every swing of the knife. In less than a minute, more than a dozen of the hitmen were killed. The sheerbat power shocked Randal. Since when was Andrius this powerful? However, his eyes glinted coldly, and he yelled, ¡°Come back! Use your guns!¡± Swoosh! The remaining hitmen retreated to a safe distance immediately. Then, the hitmen armed with guns unlocked their safety pins and pointed them at Andrius. Randal immediately became arrogant as he assumed he had regained control of the situation. With his swollen face, he said in a muffled voice, ¡°Andrius, do you think you¡¯re so good at fighting? Being good at fighting is useless! With my guns, I can shoot countless holes in your body!¡± Andrius smiled and scoffed, which further infuriated Randal. ¡°F*ck you, why are youughing? Shoot him! Shoot his brains. out! ¡°As for the Crestfalls¡­ Send the men to the South East Domain and let them rot there. As for the women¡­¡± Randal stared at Luna¡¯s perfect face and lust filled his eyes. He licked his lips pervertedly and said, ¡°Strip them clean and throw them on my bed!¡± Chapter 91 Chapter 91 ¡°Alright, Young Master Hanshu!¡± ¡°We¡¯ll st multiple holes in his body!¡± ¡°Die, Andrius Moonshade!¡± ¡°It¡¯s time for you to meet your maker!¡± The hitmen grinned viciously. They wanted to see the fear and despair on Andrius¡¯ face when he died. However, to their surprise, Andrius stood there with his arms crossed and ignored their threats. How could Andrius be so confident and arrogant at a time like this? None of the hitmen could bear his attitude. Right before they pulled their trigger¡­ Vroom! Vroooooom! Loud noises of a motorcade, consisting of expensive cars, came closer. The leading car was a Rolls- Royce Phantom and the number 8 on the car te caught much attention. ¡°Stop!¡± an aged but dignified voice thundered. All the hitmen were surprised. They looked at Randal, waiting for his next order. Randal looked at the Rolls-Royce Phantasm. He raised his hand, signaling his hitmen to stop. However, the guns were still pointed at Andrius. Screech! Secondster, the expensive motorcade stopped in front of the Crestfalls¡¯ gate. The bodyguards came down and opened the door. A dignified old man with a powerful aura came out from the car. It was Anthony Henderson, the richest man in Sumeria! Randal¡¯s eyes shrank in fear. How well-connected were the Crestfalls? He brought his own hitmen to their doorstep, and it attracted the attention of the richest man in the city? He did not expect this at all. The Crestfalls were also shocked. Anthony Henderson was the true pir of the city, the person who single-handedly contributed to the city¡¯s development and GDP. There were countless people who would kill to just be rted to the Hendersons because it would mean a sessful career or life. Even being a watchdog for the Hendersons would be worth it. However, the Crestfalls did not know the man, or else they would not have ended up in this awkward situation. What could have brought Anthony Henderson here? Could it be¡­ The Crestfalls¡¯ hearts skipped a beat and looked at Andrius. Not only did Andrius offend the Hanshus, but he even offended the Hendersons? Everyone¡¯s hearts pounded wildly. Had Andrius offended Anthony Henderson, the Crestfalls would be doomed. While everyone was drowned in their own anxiety, Anthony walked to Andrius with his golden cedarwood walking stick. It was over! No one could save the Crestfalls now! George, Dick, and Harry cried inwardly, and the only expression on their faces was despair. Master Crestfall and Luna¡¯s hearts skipped a beat as well. ¡°I am Anthony Henderson,¡± Anthony introduced himself as he held the golden cedarwood walking stick in front of him. He simply had a nce, and everyone¡¯s heart skipped a beat as if they were facing an army. ¡°Master Henderson!¡± Randal greeted him immediately. ¡°Master Henderson!¡± ¡°Good afternoon, Master Henderson!¡± Before Anthony stated his intention, everyone in the Crestfalls tended to be respectful and polite towards him. Anthony nodded. He then lifted his expensive walking stick and put it on Andrius¡¯ shoulder. The Crestfalls got nervous. The moment had finally arrived. Their hearts raced, and they grew even more nervous than before. ¡°You cannot kill this man.¡± ¡°Young Master Hanshu, can I ask you to leave for now? For my sake?¡± Anthony spoke softly but his words held weight. When it entered everyone¡¯s ears, it shocked them. The Crestfalls felt like a heavy burden lifted. With someone as influential as Anthony Henderson speaking on their behalf, they would be able to ovee the crisis easily. Randal¡¯s face started to twitch. A sudden thought rushed into his mind and he realized what was going on. No wonder Andrius was so arrogant! It was because he knew the richest man in Sumeria! On top of that, things had gotten so far out of hand that Anthony himself came here. No matter how aggrieved Randal was, he had to ept it. Not even he, Randal Hanshu, could get on the bad side of the Hendersons. N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. ¡°Since you¡¯ve mentioned it, I¡¯ll respect your request.¡± Randal forced a bitter smile on his face and then waved at his hitmen. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± With that, the hitmen dragged their fellow hitmen¡¯s bodies and left the Crestfalls¡¯ estate. When they all got into the car and left, the leader of the Dark Chapter 92 Chapter 92 Night asked with a grievance, ¡°Young Master Hanshu, are we just going to let this slip? Andrius Moonshade killed a dozen of my men. He was furious. ¡°You really think I don¡¯t want to kill him?¡± Randal bellowed angrily. ¡°Who the f*ck would have known that he¡¯s rted to Anthony Henderson?! If we killed that f*cker on the spot, none of us could have walked away alive!¡± With the Hendersons¡¯ influence and power, taking care of them and the Hanshus would be a piece of cake. ¡°Then, what are we going to do?¡± the leader asked. Randal said grimly, ¡°We wait. Didn¡¯t you hear Master Henderson¡¯s words? He said ¡®this time¡¯, which means there will be no next time. Get it?¡± N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. A sudden epiphany rushed into the leader¡¯s mind. ¡°Are you saying Master Henderson is only saving him this once?¡± Randal cackled. ¡°Knowing Anthony Henderson is a priceless asset. Countless well-known families want to know him and they will do whatever it takes. You really think Anthony Henderson will continue protecting Andrius Moonshade?¡± The leader shook his head. ¡°No. There is no way.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why¡­¡± Randal squinted. A glint of frostiness shed in his eyes. ¡°After Master Henderson and his motorcade leave, we¡¯ll go back and assassinate him.¡± ¡°I got it, Young Master Hanshu.¡± The leader nodded with a wicked grin. Back at the Crestfalls, Suletta went up to Andrius and said, ¡± Andrius Moonshade, we¡¯ve repaid our debt of gratitude. We are equal now.¡± In other words, Andrius should no longer bear the favor in mind. Andrius said, ¡°I¡¯ve said it before. It¡¯s nothing, and I don¡¯t need anything from you. I don¡¯t need you to repay anything to me. Besides, it¡¯s not like I can¡¯t solve this myself.¡± Suletta wanted tough out loud when she heard Andrius. She said in disdain, ¡°All you know is how to brag. Do you know who Randal Hanshu¡¯s grandfather is? That¡¯s someone you cannot afford to piss off. One fart from him, and he can destroy you and the Crestfalls! Be grateful you are still alive, and stop the nonsense.¡± Andrius was speechless. One fart and he would be destroyed? Not even the strongest family in the world would dare to say that. He then said, ¡°Those good-for-nothing b*stards. If not for you, I would have eliminated them.¡± ¡°Hahaha¡­¡± Suletta could no longer hold herughter back. Sheughed until her stomach hurt. She recovered after a while and said in disdain, ¡°Whatever. You can say whatever you like. We¡¯ve repaid your favor and we are even. Do whatever you want. Just stop ckmailing my grandfather.¡± Chapter 93 Chapter 93 As a matter of fact, after Randal left, Harry, Master Crestfall, and the others wanted to speak to Anthony, but they dared not approach him due to his overwhelming aura. They stood on the spot and listened to the conversation from afar. They were able to make out the words ¡®debt¡¯ and ¡® gratitude¡¯ from the conversation between Suletta and Andrius. What could those words possibly mean? Could the Hendersons owe Andrius a debt of gratitude? Harry mustered up enough courage and went up to them. He cautiously asked, ¡°Ms. Henderson, I wonder what you mean when you refer to ¡®debt¡¯ and ¡®gratitude¡±?¡± Suletta nced at Harry but did not take him seriously. However, when she noticed that the Crestfalls were looking at her with a longing gaze, her eyes fluttered and she came up with a way to mess with Andrius. She said, ¡°A few days ago, Andrius Moonshade saved my grandfather.¡± The words shocked everyone in the Crestfalls, and their gaze turned eager. After all, it was a great opportunity for the family. Then, Suletta switched her tone and ridiculed, ¡°But when we offered him a reward of five billion, he rejected it. He said that it¡¯s his duty to save people since it¡¯s a doctor¡¯s responsibility¡­ Tsk, tsk, tsk.¡± She clicked her tongue loudly. Everyone could listen to her contempt between the lines. They were forced to look at Andrius differently. How foolish of him! He was so stupid that he rejected a five- billion-dor reward! ¡°Actually¡­¡± Suletta grinned in disdain, ¡°He rejected the reward because he knew who we are and how big our business chain is, so he¡¯s trying to ckmail my grandfather for arger reward. BUT we rescued you all from the Hanshus and also saved Andrius from the trouble. Now, we are even.¡± She observed the reaction of the Crestfalls as she exined. As expected, their expressions switched from excitement to disappointment. They were probably disappointed in Andrius, or even resented him for his stupidity. Suletta was delighted as if she won a battle. If Andrius was that pretentious, he could continue to y the pretentious game with the Crestfalls. Anthony returned to the car with the bodyguards¡¯ help. After Suletta was done with the exnation, she, too, returned to the car with her heels cking. ¡°Goodbye, Master Henderson!¡± ¡°Goodbye, Ms. Henderson!¡± The Crestfalls bowed and sent them off respectfully. What they got in response was the rumble of the car engine. ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. Harry, Master Crestfall, and the others watched the motorcade disappear beyond their sight before they regained their senses. They then switched their attention back to Andrius and criticized him for his stupidity. ¡°Luna, your husband is really a weirdo.¡± Dick sneered. ¡°He doesn¡¯t want the five billion and even spouted about a doctor¡¯s duty. Pfft, he¡¯s trying to pay for his meal with a doctor¡¯s duty.¡± ¡°The people from the mountains are really strange. What an epiphany.¡± Luna felt bad as well. Five billion was lost just like that. If she could get a hold of the money, other than proceeding with the Valiant Institute¡¯s project with ease, she could also expand thepany even further. Now, everything was toote. She red at Andrius and did not even bother to berate him. ¡°Five billion!¡± George sighed and looked at Andrius in disappointment. ¡°If he had taken the money, our family could have used the money to reach new heights!¡± Chapter 94 Chapter 94 ¡°Fools grow without water.¡± Even Harry said, ¡°Andrius, why are you so greedy? Not only did you lose five billion, but you got nothing in return.¡± He was already prejudiced against Andrius, and now hepletely disregarded him. ¡°Enough.¡± Master Crestfall looked at his sons and said, ¡°If Andrius had taken the money, how could we have dealt with Randal Hanshu?¡± His words silenced the others immediately, but they were not overly concerned. With five billion, they would have been able toe up with a way to deal with Randal. Now, everything was just talk. They lost the five billion and the debt of gratitude to the Hendersons, and made an enemy out of the Hanshus. Everyone sighed and returned home. Luna brought Andrius back to Dream¡¯s Waterfront. On the way back, she said, ¡°Andrius, can you just stop being so stubborn for a while? If the Hendersons hadn¡¯te to save us, you would have dragged our entire family down.¡± Andrius simply said, ¡°You can¡¯t say that for sure.¡± ¡°Enough!¡± Luna knew based on his response that Andrius was ready to brag again, so she shut him up. She growled and added, ¡°Andrius, I¡¯m warning you. We might not be husband and wife for real, but you? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. are still nominally my husband, the son-inw of the family. Every move you make and every word you say represents the Crestfalls. Do you understand?¡± Andrius nodded and hummed. ¡°So? Can you stop causing trouble? You were lucky because Anthony Hendersone to save you, but what about the next time? Don¡¯t tell me you have another rich man toe to your rescue again next time.¡± Andrius did not say anything, but he was amused. He could order countless powerful organizations to destroy the Hanshus with just a nce, so why would he need the Hendersons to save him? Luna took his silence as his realization of how severe the situation was. She added, ¡°Remember, don¡¯t cause any more trouble. It will only drag the family down.¡± ¡°I understand,¡± Andrius said. Luna¡¯s frosty expression warmed up a little. Andrius suddenly thought of Axel¡¯s n of drugging Luna. It seemed like those b*stards had nned it all out and were ready to flee the city. Out of goodwill, he offered a kind reminder about the Cloverfields¡¯ shares. ¡°Ms. Crestfall, you had better sell the Cloverfields¡¯pany shares. It will be toote if you keep holding on to them.¡± Luna¡¯s mood plummeted to the abyss once more when he heard Andrius. She stepped on the brakes. Screech! The car stopped by the road and the door was flung open. ¡°Get out!¡± Luna bellowed. Seeing her angry expression, Andrius felt helpless as he got out of the car. Vroom! Luna drove off immediately, leaving him alone on the road. He was rendered speechless. He did not want to go back to Dream¡¯s Waterfront, so he went over to Noir¡¯s mechanic garage. Twenty minutester, Noir saw Andrius in front of his shop. ¡°Andy, what¡¯s wrong? Did that particr someone piss you off again?¡± Andrius felt aggrieved. ¡°What do you think?¡± ¡°Hahaha!¡± Noirughed but when he met Andrius¡¯ gaze, immediately zipped his mouth. he He wiped the grease on his overalls and pulled out a cigarette from his pocket. ¡°Andy, you heard it wrongly. Nothing happened!¡± Andrius took the cigarette from him and felt better. Suddenly, he looked up and said meaningfully, ¡°Noir, I haven¡¯t seen you kill anyone for a long time.¡± Chapter 95 Chapter 95 Noir chuckled in surprise and said, ¡°If you like it, I¡¯ll perform something for you right now.¡± As soon as his words subsided, several minivans stopped in front of his garage. Seven to eight men came out from each minivan and immediately surrounded Noir and Andrius. Armed with lethal weapons, they were the Dark Night, the hitmen from earlier. They had been waiting outside the Crestfalls¡¯ estate. After Anthony left, they spotted Andrius in Luna¡¯s car, so they tailed him to this garage. ¡°Andrius Moonshade!¡± The Dark Night leader stepped up and grinned wickedly, seeming like he had the situation under control. ¡°I supposed Anthony Henderson can¡¯t save you twice.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Where¡¯s your arrogance now?¡± ¡°It¡¯s time to pay for what you did.¡± The hitmen approached them with vicious and ridiculing expressions. When they were five meters away from Noir and Andrius, the leader of the Dark Night bellowed, ¡°Andrius Moonshade, with Anthony Henderson involved, our Young Master Hanshu said you are allowed to live, but you must be punished. Young Master Hanshu wants to destroy your kneecaps so that you will crawl like a dog on the ground.¡± Randal came up with the decision after some meticulous consideration. If he killed Andrius, he would be indirectly disrespecting Anthony, which was a risk he could not afford to take. He had to wait until Anthonypletely forgot about Andrius. Then, he could take Andrius¡¯ life whenever he wanted, and he could torture him in between that. It was a marvelous idea. Andrius did not even bother to look at the hitmen. He looked at the clock on the wall and said, ¡°If any of them are standing in three minutes, I will put you through the drill¡¯.¡± He was talking to Noir. Noir gasped. He reacted like the drill that Andrius mentioned was something terrifying. ¡°Andy,e on. Cut me some ck,¡± Noir said with a bitter look and gulped nervously. In fact, Noir knew that the men were hitmen and that Andrius had led them here because he was unhappy. Andriusmented that he had not seen Noir kill for a long time. In other words, he wanted Noir to deal with the hitmen and test his speed. He was used to training his men this way. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. ¡°That¡¯s ten seconds gone.¡± Noir shuddered. He jumped towards the hitmen immediately. The hitmen were infuriated when they heard Andrius. Both of them were incredibly arrogant! ¡°Kill them!¡± the leader bellowed, ordering his men to take Andrius and Noir¡¯s lives. In the blink of an eye, the hitmen were already a few inches. away from Noir. Noir could even feel the frosty killing intent. from their knives. The leader remained standing on the spot with a gun in his hand. He aimed it at Andrius¡¯ knee. Nevertheless, Andrius remained seated as if he did not see the gun. ¡°Aiming a gun at Andy? You¡¯re asking for it!¡± Noir noticed the gun. He grabbed the nearest item and tossed it at the leader¡¯s hand, smashing the gun into pieces. nk! The broken gun fell out of the leader¡¯s hand and scattered all over the ground. The leader then realized that a screw had broken his gun, amon screw that could be found anywhere in a mechanic¡¯s garage. It was a normal item, but it was an unusual tool to use in an assault. Before he could say a word, Noir was already in front of him. Then, his vision turned dark and he lost his breath as Noir extinguished his life with one punch. Once the leader was down, the other goons were easier to deal with. Noir killed a man with every punch and dealt with them easily. Not a single hitman was spared alive. ¡°How did I do, Andy?¡± Noir asked in delight. ¡°Two minutes, forty-five seconds. That¡¯s a borderline pass.¡± Andrius then pointed at the bodies on the floor. ¡°It¡¯s rude for us to not return the favor. Cut their heads off and follow me to the Hanshus.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Chapter 96 Chapter 96 Noir did as he was told. Meanwhile, at the Hanshus, Randal was drinking with a beautiful woman in his arms. However, he still could not get rid of the stench of his own urine in his throat; not even the wine could wash it away. As a matter of fact, it was just his own nightmare haunting him because the doctor had washed all the urine out of his body on the first day. Unfortunately, he had been traumatized and could not ovee the horror. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. ¡°Damn it! Why isn¡¯t the Dark Night replying to my message?¡± Randal picked up his phone and wanted to call the leader. Suddenly, a frosty voice came from outside the door. ¡°You don¡¯t need to call them. They are already here.¡± Why did the voice sound like Andrius? Randal jumped to his feet as fear shrouded his face. A round object crashed through the door and flew towards Randal. Shocked, Randal jumped onto the couch to avoid the iing projectile. Thunk! The round object fell on the table and bounced twice before stopping. Some red liquid sshed, and a drop of itnded on Randal¡¯s lips. Randal instinctively licked it off his lips. It tasted sweet but also coppery. He looked at the object on the table, and when he finally got a clear look, he was horrified. His legs turned weak as he copsed on the couch. It was the head of the Dark Night leader. The man¡¯s eyes were bulging, and it was evident that he had died a terrible death. The headnded on the table and was facing Randal. ¡°Aaaargh!¡± The woman beside Randal passed out immediately. Bang! Bang! Thunk! Clunk! Then, all of the heads of the hitmen were tossed inside, and theynded in front of the couch. Randal was so terrified that he wet his pants. His face paled and his voice trembled as he said, ¡°A- Andrius Moonshade?!¡± ¡°Hmph?¡± A scoff could be heard. Then, someone walked in. It was Andrius. ¡°A-Andrius, y-you are not dead?!¡± Randal was horrified. He retreated until he reached the wall, and there was nowhere for him to run. ¡°Dead?¡± Andrius chuckled. ¡°You are still alive, so why would I be dead?¡± Then, he strutted over to Randal slowly but confidently. Andrius disliked killing people, especially when he arrived in Sumeria, a mega city. Thews and environment were unlike the battlefield or the border. However, Randal challenged his patience again and again. If Andrius continued to let Randal roam free, he could not forgive himself. ¡°D-don¡¯te near me!¡± Randal leaned against the wall. The wet stain on his crotch expanded wider. ¡°I¡¯m the young master of the Hanshus! My grandfather is Simon Hanshu! If youy a finger on me, he will not spare you! Stop it! Stop!¡± However, Andrius continued towards him. Randal swallowed nervously, but his throat felt terribly dr said hoarsely, ¡°Andrius Moonshade, you might be good at fighting, but one word from my grandfather, and the Cresti will be doomed!¡± The moment his words subsided, the atmosphere in the room turned even frostier. Andrius¡¯ figure shed and appeared in front of Randal. Before Randal could react, his neck was seized. ¡°Randal Hanshu. There¡¯s one thing that you should not do, which is threaten me. I hate being threatened.¡± His frosty voice was like judgment from hell. Chapter 97 Chapter 97 ¡°Y-You¡­A-Andrius Moonshade, y-you can¡¯t kill me!¡± The strong suffocation tightened Randal¡¯s jaw muscles to the point that he could not even speak a proper sentence. He was just a Trust Fund Kid, a yboy. He was but an empty vessel. When he faced death, he was no different from other normal human beings. In fact, he was more horrified and looked even more wretched than others. Everyone was equal in front of death. ¡°Oh?¡± Andrius looked at Randal and asked, ¡°Give me one good reason why I shouldn¡¯t kill you.¡± Then, he started to tighten his grip on Randal¡¯s neck. Randal felt his hold tightening and was more terrified than ever. Not only did he wet his pants, but he sh*t his pants as well. As he struggled between life and death, he came up with a reason. ¡°I-it¡¯s illegal to kill people!¡± Andrius cackled withughter. Heughed so hard that he lost his voice. He had killed more people at the border than Randal had seen in his entire life, and Randal was telling him that killing was illegal? On top of that, Randal had his own gang of hitmen, the Dark Night, and he had definitely killed more than he could count, yet he came up with themest excuse ever. Andrius said with disdain, ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll take it.¡± ¡°W-what?¡± Randal did not think Andrius would ept such ame reason. He came up with the reason because he panicked and did not know what else to say, yet Andrius epted it. He looked at Andrius in disbelief and his eyes showed a hint of anticipation. ¡°A- are you for real?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Andrius smiled, showing off his white teeth. Then, he tossed Randal onto the couch and left Randal was still in shock. Andrius simply let him go? Was it because he was afraid of breaking thew? Randal had countless thoughts shing through his mind, and his gaze then turned vicious. Andrius might be afraid of breaking thew but not Randal. He had already thought of 36 ways of torturing Andrius, and 72 ways to make Andrius wish he was dead. He wanted to make Andrius regret coming into this world. The thought delighted him, and it put a wicked grin on his face. Then, Andrius, who was already at the door, turned around and said, ¡°I¡¯m not killing you, but you still have to be punished.¡± Before Randal could react, a silver light shot into his body. ¡°Aaaaaargh!¡± Excruciating pain spread across his both, hurting every inch of his muscles. He screamed painfully, ¡°I¡­ I¡­ I¡­ Uh¡­ Huh? Huh? Uh¡­¡± Randal was turned into a retard! After Andrius and Noir left, Randal¡¯s continuous screams and mumbles rmed his family. N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. His father, the second son of Simon Hanshu, Wayman came the quickest. He was furious when he saw the pile of severed heads on the table. Then, a head popped out from under the table and mumbled at him. It was his son, Randal. Wayman was furious like an erupting volcano. ¡°Who did it? Who the f*ck did it?¡± he roared. His roar woke the woman up, and she said, ¡°It was Andrius Moonshade!¡± She added, ¡°Young Master Hanshu told the Dark Night to get Andrius, but Andrius killed all of them. He came here just now with all these heads¡­¡± Chapter 98 Chapter 98 After hearing the woman, Waymen¡¯s eyes overflowed with rage. He grabbed the fruit N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. on the table and stabbed it into the woman¡¯s heart. Mife o ¡°My son has be an idiot, so there¡¯s no point for you to live anymore.¡± She widened her eyes in shock and disbelief before she lost all signs of life. Ten minutester at Centro Hospital, after the specialist checked on Randal, he came out with a regretful expression and said to Wayman, ¡°Mr. Hanshu, I¡¯m sorry¡­ Your son has suffered tremendous shock, and it messed up his mind. His central nervous system is damaged. That¡¯s why he¡¯s acting like a mindless child. There¡¯s nothing we can do. You have to find someone else to treat him.¡± Bang! Wayman punched the wall, leaving a dent in it. He was furious. ¡°Andrius Moonshade!¡± The name was squeezed out from his gritted teeth, and he was drowning in his own rage. ¡°You made Randal like this¡­ I will skin you alive and rip you apart, or I am not a Hanshu!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Wayman and his men brought the mentally¨Cdamaged Randal out from the hospital and left in a hurry. ¡°Go, use whatever we have or whatever way you can think of, but I want to find the best doctor to cure Randal at all costs!¡± Wayman gave his men orders on the way back. He was a smart man. He knew that there was a golden period to cure all kinds of sickness, and once that period was over, the sickness might be permanent. Andrius¡® life could wait but Randal¡¯s condition could not. At the same time in a secret room, Axel was sitting on the couch with a middle¨Caged man. It was his father, the boss of the Cloverfields¡®, Richard Cloverfield. Both of them were on their phones, and they were looking at trading charts and banking information. They were transferring the money they got for selling thepany shares with all kinds of tricks and scams to a foreign ount. ¡°Hahahaha. We are rich, we are rich this time!¡± As the number in the ount increased, Axel could not help but guffaw out loud. His Andrius might be afraid of breaking thew but not Randal. He had already thought of 36 ways of torturing Andrius, and 72 ways to make Andrius wish he was dead. He wanted to make Andrius regret coming into this world. The thought delighted him, and it put a wicked grin on his face. Then, Andrius, who was already at the door, turned around and said, ¡°I¡¯m not killing you, but you still have to be punished.¡± Before Randal could react, a silver light shot into his body. ¡°Aaaaaargh!¡± Excruciating pain spread across his both, hurting every inch of his muscles. He screamed painfully, ¡°I¡­ I¡­ I¡­ Uh¡­ Huh? Huh? Uh¡­¡± Randal was turned into a retard! After Andrius and Noir left, Randal¡¯s continuous screams and mumbles rmed his family. His father, the second son of Simon Hanshu, Wayman came the quickest. He was furious when he saw the pile of severed heads on the table. Then, a head popped out from under the table and mumbled at him. It was his son, Randal. Wayman was furious like an erupting volcano. ¡°Who did it? Who the f*ck did it?¡± he roared. His roar woke the woman up, and she said, ¡°It was Andrius Moonshade!¡± She added, ¡°Young Master Hanshu told the Dark Night to get Andrius, but Andrius killed all of them. He came here just now with all these heads¡­¡± After hearing the woman, Waymen¡¯s eyes overflowed with rage. He grabbed the fruit knife on the table and stabbed it into the woman¡¯s heart. ¡°My son has be an idiot, so there¡¯s no point for you to live anymore.¡± She widened her eyes in shock and disbelief before she lost all signs of life. Ten minutester at Centro Hospital, after the specialist checked on Randal, he came out with a regretful expression and said to Wayman, ¡°Mr. Hanshu, I¡¯m sorry¡­ Your son has suffered tremendous shock, and it messed up his mind. His central nervous system is damaged. That¡¯s why he¡¯s acting like a mindless child. There¡¯s nothing we can do. You have to find someone else to treat him.¡± Bang! Wayman punched the wall, leaving a dent in it. He was furious. ¡°Andrius Moonshade!¡± The name was squeezed out from his gritted teeth, and he was drowning in his own rage. ¡°You made Randal like this¡­ I will skin you alive and rip you apart, or I am not a Hanshu!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Wayman and his men brought the mentally¨Cdamaged Randal out from the hospital and left in a hurry. ¡°Go, use whatever we have or whatever way you can think of, but I want to find the best doctor to cure Randal at all costs!¡± Wayman gave his men orders on the way back. He was a smart man. He knew that there was a golden period to cure all kinds of sickness, and once that period was over, the sickness might be Andrius¡® life could wait but Randal¡¯s condition could not. permanent. At the same time in a secret room, Axel was sitting on the couch with a middle¨Caged man. It was his father, the boss of the Cloverfields¡®, Richard Cloverfield. Both of them were on their phones, and they were looking at trading charts and banking information. They were transferring the money they got for selling thepany shares with all kinds of tricks and scams to a foreign ount. ¡°Hahahaha. We are rich, we are rich this time!¡± As the number in the ount increased, Axel could not help but guffaw out loud. His grin widened to the point that they almost touched his earlobes. Richard was a man who had been through many tough situations, but even he could not hide the smile on his face. He continued to tap on his phone and asked, ¡°How much did you get?¡± ¡°I have¡­¡± Axel had a nce at his phone, and his lips started to twitch as they widened further. ¡°Eight billion three hundred fifty million!¡± ¡°Not bad. Not bad.¡± Richard inhaled deeply. ¡°We have over fifteen billion which is enough for the both of us for the rest of our lives.¡® ¡°Fifteen billion¡­¡± Axel gasped in delight. Fifteen billion was such a massive sum of money that they no longer had to work for the rest of their lives. ¡°Too bad¡­¡± Everything was fine except for the fact that he did not get to f*ck Luna, but it was not important. With fifteen billion in hand, he could sleep with any woman he wanted. He could a new woman every night and be a groom every day! ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± marry After the two of them transferred all their money away, Richard said, ¡°Let¡¯s leave this city. We should lay low for a couple of days. Tomorrow, Sumeria will be shaken to its roots.¡± Chapter 99 Chapter 99 On the second day, while Andrius was still asleep, hurried knocks on his door woke him up. ¡°Andrius! Wake up! Open the door! Something happened! Wake up!¡± Andrius opened the door and saw Halle. ¡°What? What happened?¡± He could barely open his eyes. ¡°Sumeria¡­is messed up!¡± Halle looked serious as if the sky of Sumeria had copsed. Andrius yawned. ¡°Is it that serious?¡± ¡°It is. It¡¯s as you said the other day.¡± Halle looked at Andrius with aplicated look on her face. ¡°Last night, Axel Cloverfield and his father, Richard, transferred everything under theirpany¡¯s name out from the country. A total of fifteen billion assets have disappeared just like that! ¡°Thepany is just empty now. The shareholders, the people who bought their shares recently, everyone went crazy. From the moment the news got out, which was just an hour ago, there have already been more than a dozen suicide cases.¡± Then, Halle¡¯s phone rang. ¡°Tsk. Another one down the drain. Someone just jumped off a building.¡± Halle shook her head as she looked at her phone. ¡°The police are involved, but that b*stard Axel is already gone.¡± Andrius did not care because it was not his money that Axel ran off with. He looked at Halle and asked, ¡°What about the Crestfalls? How¡¯s Luna doing?¡± If Andrius remembered correctly, when he was chased out of Luna¡¯s car yesterday, she still had a lot of the Cloverfields¡¯ shares. ¡°Luna¡­¡± Halle sighed and shook her head. She looked helpless as she said, ¡°She used all of New Moon Corporation¡¯s funds to buy the Cloverfields¡®pany shares, and I failed to stop her. ¡°Now, everything is gone. Thepany is already short on funds, and now with this happening, the Crestfalls are going bankrupt. The whole family is already at Luna¡¯s house, asking her topensate for their losses.¡± What a stupid woman. Andrius did not know how toment on Luna¡¯s stupidity anymore, but he could not just leave her. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go have a look.¡± Meanwhile at Dream¡¯s Waterfront, George, Dick, and Master Crestfall, plus the young ones, were all in front of Luna¡¯s gate. ¡°Luna, don¡¯t me your uncle for being cold¨Chearted.¡± George looked frosty. He added, ¡°You started all these, you can¡¯t just make both of our families pay for your mistake!¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± Dick stepped forward and bellowed, ¡°Luna, you have topensate for thepany¡¯s losses and relieve yourself of your duty!¡± When it came to their personal gans, not even family could hold them back. ¡°Compensate!¡± ¡°Resign!¡± The others echoed in unison. When Luna heard Axel and his father had fled with her money, she lost it. Her mind went nk, and she did not know what to do. She was drowning in regret already, and now she had to face criticism and me from her uncles. She had no excuse for her actions. Her eyes turned wet as tears blurred her vision. Harry was also anxious. Aside from the debts and liabilities, this investment alone involved arge portion of their funds and was a major problem. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. On top of that, the Valiant Institute project was waiting for their funds to start, and with their money gone, the project might have to be dyed indefinitely. How could they face Mayor Freely after this? Things went from bad to worse in quick session. Harry¡¯s expression shifted multiple times. He gritted his teeth and said, ¡°Calm down first. It¡¯s not beyond redemption. I¡¯ll give Axel a call.¡± Chapter 100 Chapter 100 Harry then pulled his phone out. ¡°People have already run away with our money. Why are you still calling him? What good will it do?¡± ¡°Are you dreaming? Are you still hoping that the money wille back?¡± ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. ¡°All you know is to daydream!¡± George, Dick, and their families criticized Harry¡¯s actions harshly. Harry knew it was stupid and that the chances of reaching Axel were slim, but it was the only way he could think of. To his surprise, the call got through. Harry was delighted. He said gushingly, ¡°Hello? Axel? You¡¯ve always had feelings for Luna, right? You two are made for each other. When are youing to our ce to talk about the engagement¡­¡± Before he could finish, Axel sneered, ¡°Harry Crestfall, are you stupid, or are you taking me as a fool? You want me to go to your ce and get engaged? Are you dumb?¡± Harry¡¯s expression changed as soon as he heard Axel¡¯s mockery. Before he could say a word, the call ended abruptly. Axel had hung up on him. ¡°Harry, you¡¯re an embarrassment to our family!¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got scammed, and you still called Axel just to get yourself insulted. If I were you, I¡¯d bury myself in the ground.¡± George sneered. Harry was flustered, but he did not have the words to refute. ¡°Dad, you saw the response. There¡¯s no way we can get our money back,¡± George said to Master Crestfall. ¡°Besides, if we keep dying the Valiant Institute project, we won¡¯t be able to answer Mayor Freely. Once he puts the me on us, none of us can bear the responsibility.¡± George looked vicious and disheartened. He was against the Valiant Institute project from the start, but now it turned into a good weapon to use against Harry and Luna. ¡°I suggest we sell off their houses and all their assets topensate for our losses and to initiate the Valiant Institute project.¡± ¡°On top of that¡­¡± George scoffed and added, ¡°Luna always makes mistakes at critical moments. I suggest we take back their right to make decisions and expel them from our family!¡± The others, who had followed George to Luna¡¯s house, echoed. ¡°Yeah!¡± ¡°Take back their assets! Expel them from our family!¡± Master Crestfall was in a dilemma. The family was on the brink of bankruptcy and he had the duty to unite his family to ovee this crisis together. Therefore, he was forced to agree to his other sons¡® suggestions. Luna wanted to argue but her expression changed when she saw her grandfather nod. Harry faltered and almost fell on the floor. George scoffed. He pulled out the genealogy book and gave it to Master Crestfall. ¡°Harry Crestfall, Luna Crestfall¡­¡± ¡°Wait a minute.¡± Before Master Crestfall could announce Harry and Luna¡¯s expulsion, a clear voice rang out. It was Andrius. ¡°Andrius Moonshade? What are you doing here?¡± ¡°This is our family affair. You have nothing to do with this. Get the hell out.¡± Two people came out from behind George and Dick respectively and went over to Andrius with a grin. It was Dick and George¡¯s sons, Donnie and Bruce. They had longed for Luna¡¯s expulsion because it would mean their ascension to power. However, Andrius¡® untimely arrival stopped everything, much to their irritation. They wanted to teach Andrius a lesson. p! p! p! The moment they got close enough to Andrius, Andrius pped the two of them and sent them flying. ¡°I am the son¨Cinw of the family, Luna¡¯s husband, so how can this not be my business?¡± Andrius bellowed coldly. He grunted and looked at the others in disdain and said, ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal. I can get the money back.¡± Chapter 101 Chapter 101 ¡°Ms. Quillen! Stop it!¡± Emmanuel was a gynecologist after all. He had a better ability to resist temptation and moved her face away. The next moment, Mackenzie pinned him down domineeringly and started kissing and leaving bright red lipstick marks on his face. Her kisses were soft and wet, tantalizing Emmanuel. What¡¯s going on? Am I going to get intimate with her? Just as Mackenzie was about to take off her clothes, Emmanuel reluctantly knocked her unconscious. They wouldn¡¯t be able to deal with the aftermath if they kept going like this. If Mackenzie was conscious, Emmanuel knew he wouldn¡¯t be able to restrain himself. However, she was not clear¨Cheaded. If he took advantage of her, he would be no better than a jerk. Most importantly, Mackenzie would kill him once she woke up. Emmanuel didn¡¯t want to die because of that. The next morning, the first ray of sunlight shone through the ss windows and fell on Mackenzie¡¯s beautiful face. She opened her eyes groggily and got up with great difficulty. Her eyshes quivered as her nket fell from her body and revealed her gorgeous naked figure. What is going on? Her expression changed drastically. Why aren¡¯t I wearing any clothes? What happenedst night? ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. ¡°Ms. Quillen, you¡¯re awake?¡± At this moment, Emmanuel walked in with the breakfast he had made. He didn¡¯t expect to see his wife¡¯s naked body, which caused his blood to boil. Men are typically full of vigor in the mornings. Is Mackenzie trying to test my limits? ¡°Y¨CYou b*stard!¡± As soon as Mackenzie spotted him, she immediately grabbed something to throw at him. Emmanuel avoided it in time and said, ¡°Ms. Quillen, calm down!¡± ¡°You pervert! What did you do to mest night? I never thought you were such a person!¡± Mackenzie was furious. She had misandry, and even shaking hands with a man would give her goosebumps. She couldn¡¯t imagine that a man would rob her of her virginity one day. Enraged, she grabbed the scissors on the bedside table and pounced on Emmanuel. What the heck! Emmanuel did not expect Mackenzie to act like this. He quickly grabbed Mackenzie¡¯s wrist, taken aback. Does this woman want to castrate me? ¡°Ms. Quillen, stop being unreasonable! I was the victimst night!¡± ¡°You were the victim?¡± Mackenzie was so angry that she was stunned. Her chest rose and fell heavily. She was just like a volcano that would erupt anytime soon. * My clothes are gone, and I have lost my virginity. How could he im to be the victim? Can he be any more shameless than this? ¡°That¡¯s right! You were no longer clear¨Cheaded when I brought you home. You began hugging, kissing me, and even ripped your own clothes! I knew you couldn¡¯t control yourself, so I knocked you out. Then, I left after feeding you some hangover remedy! I even made breakfast for you this morning, but you tried to throw things at me and even kill me with scissors! Aren¡¯t I the.victim?¡± Emmanuel told her the truth agitatedly. He had no idea Mackenzie would undress in her sleep. Could he be med for admiring her body inadvertently? Mackenzie¡¯s face flushed crimson after she listened to the entire truth. She realized her body didn¡¯t hurt at all. Also, the bedsheets were clean, proving that Emmanuel didn¡¯t take advantage of her. ¡°You vomit all over every time you get drunk. I bet I still smell like vomit!¡± Emmanuel continuedining. Mackenzie felt embarrassed. ¡°Stop it! S¨CStop talking! I¡¯m sorry, okay?¡± Even her apology sounded domineering. ¡°There¡¯s no need to apologiz Chapter 102 Chapter 102 In any case, Mackenzie didn¡¯t do it on purpose. Moreover, he enjoyedst night and got to see Mackenzie¡¯s body. It was a pleasing sight to behold. Although Emmanuel wanted to take a few more nces, he felt he should give her, her privacy. He immediately turned around and said, ¡°I made breakfast for you. Remember to eat it. I¡¯m leaving for work now!¡± N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. Bang! He closed the door behind him. Then, he leaned against the wall, breathing heavily. He had seen countless women¡¯s bodies as a gynecologist but had never felt anything. Only when he saw Mackenzie did he felt as though his heart was about to leap out of his chest. Mackenzie slowly calmed down. She had to admit Emmanuel was a gentleman. Any other man would have exploited the situationst night, but he had resisted temptation and stood firm in his principles. Mackenzie pursed her lips as her impression of Emmanuel improved slightly. However, she thought of something else. ¡°Am I not charming? How did he hold back given the situationst night? Are all gynecologists like this?¡± Emmanuel didn¡¯t know what Mackenzie was thinking. He headed downstairs and left for work. There was one thing he was concerned about, and that was the person who had secretly drugged Mackenziest night. Is it Hubert? It doesn¡¯t seem like it though! If he hadn¡¯t brought his wife back home in time, the consequences would have been catastrophic. At this moment, an MPV pulled over to the side of the road near the entrance of the residential area. Yociam Residence was a high¨Cend residential area, so there were very few people in the morning. Four men got out of the car and charged toward Emmanuel, blocking him. They were by no means ordinary people, and Emmanuel was confident that their capabilities surpassed those hooligansst night. Emmanuel frowned and asked, ¡°Are you guys here for me? Are you sure you didn¡¯t get the wrong person?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! It¡¯s you we¡¯re here for!¡± the leader of the group replied coldly as he threw a punch at Emmanuel. The power of his punch could definitely crush Emmanuel¡¯s head. Surprised, Emmanuel dodged to the side. At this moment, an eye¨Ccatching Lamborghini pulled over at the corner of the road. In the car, a handsome and ssy man was eating chocte and watching the scene unfold in front of him. What rtionship does this loser have with Mackenzie? Is he her bodyguard? ! He and Mackenzie had been long¨Ctime business rivals. Although they had their victories and defeats, he was still on the losing side. He didn¡¯t want to let this continue and wanted Mackenzie to be part of his family. He was not going to let a loser derail his ns. However, the next moment, he was dumbfounded by the scene before him that he forgot to chew the chocte in his mouth. Emmanuel had defeated the four thugs whom he had paidrge sums. What is going on? He had hired these thugs who were all champions from various martial artspetitions in Nuthana. Are they all undeserving of their titles? ¡°Who exactly is he?¡± The handsome man was stupefied. When did Mackenzie hire such a bodyguard? She must have paid an exorbitant price for him. Knock! Knock! Right then, Emmanuel knocked on his car window. Although he had suffered some injuries from fighting with the four martial artists, he could still deal with another person easily. The handsome man gritted his teeth. He and Mackenzie were simr in this aspect. They both felt that knocking on the car window was an extremely impolite and disrespectful gesture. It was a sign of provocation. As part of the Verkade family and one of the four renowned bachelors of Yeringham, no one had dared to knock on his car window. It had never happened before. ¡°Sir, I¡¯m here for revenge. Please open the door. Thank you!¡± Emmanuel said to him through the car window. He even smiled, revealing his pearly white teeth. He was a courteous person even when seeking revenge!¡± Emmanuel¡¯s anger instantly dissipated. Chapter 103 Chapter 103 Chapter 103: The handsome man burst outughing once he recollected himself from the shock. He was born with a silver spoon, and he had bullied plenty of people since he was young. His victims could never utter a single word in protest, and none dared to take revenge on him. The man before him was definitely the first who was bold enough to state that he wanted revenge. ¡°I¡¯m really curious. Who exactly are you?¡± the handsome man asked with a smile as he gradually stopped underestimating Emmanuel. It seems that he¡¯s not relying on just luck to be by Mackenzie¡¯s side. In fact, something in my mind tells me that this man isn¡¯t as easy of a target as l thought. ¡°Nice to meet you, I¡¯m Emmanuel Lowe,¡± Emmanuel replied, smiling. s, the handsome man did not introduce himself to Emmanuel. A little displeased, Emmanuel asked, ¡°Sir, have your mother never taught you manners?¡± A sneer instantly grew on the handsome man¡¯s face. ¡°You¡¯re one annoying man.¡± Emmanuel grew even more irked at that. ¡°You¡¯re dressed like a gentleman, so I thought you were someone cultured. I¡¯ve been polite the entire time, so why do you find me annoying? On the other hand, you have a scowl on your face, and you¡¯re disrespectful to others. Even if you¡¯re really annoying, have I said that you¡¯re an annoying vermin? Of course not. Someone as cultured as I will never say something like that.¡± The handsome man was rendered speechless. Are you serious? Your words are even worse than mine! He was impressed. He could not even retort Emmanuel¡¯s words. ¡°Open the door. You tried to take advantage of Ms. Quillenst night, and you even tried to send men to teach me a lesson. If you be good and let me p you twice before apologizing to me, maybe we can put aside our differences and be friends,¡± Emmanuel persuaded. He did not wish to make the other man his enemy, but he could not dismiss what had happened the night before. It would be best if the other man were to agree to his suggestion. The handsome man froze and burst intoughter the next second. He was in disbelief and was even angrier than before. He thought he was arrogant, but he finally realized what arrogance meant after meeting Emmanuel. ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. Is this loser really asking me, the eldest son of the Verkade family, to let him p me so that I can be friends with him? He¡¯s insane! ¡°Sounds good, but unfortunately, I don¡¯t think you¡¯re worthy enough to be a friend of Gautier Verkade!¡± the handsome man mocked. Emmanuel was momentarily stunned. So this man really is Gautier Verkade. Emmanuel had guessed that Gautier was behind Mackenzie¡¯s attack. ¡°All right, Mr. Verkade. It looks like we can¡¯t be friends. I¡¯m going to treat you as my enemy.¡± Right as he said that, he gritted his teeth and his veins popped. Crack! In the next instance, he pried open the car door. What the h*ll? As if he had seen a ghost, Gautier paled. Where did Mackenzie get a monster like him? How did he just pry open the car door? After forcing the door open, Emmanuel casually sat on the front passenger seat before abruptly swinging the back of his hand at Gautier¡¯s face. Smack! It was a swift p. Immediately, blood spurted out of Gautier¡¯s nose and gums, staining the steering wheel. In no time, the metallic stench of blood filled the space in the car. ¡°You-¡± Chapter 104 Chapter 104 Gautier had never thought that the other man would have the guts to hit him, let alone p him that roughly.. Right as he was about to enter an angry outburst, Emmanuel pped him with the back of his hand again. Smack! It was only after Emmanuel delivered two ps to Gautier did he dusted his hands in satisfaction. Gautier felt deted. He wanted to defend himself, but he could not, and somehow, his anger was shoved out of him. He fell silent, and he did not even wipe his blood away, letting the droplets fall from his face. All he did was re at Emmanuel. Emmanuel was unfazed. res could not kill, after all. ¡°Mr. Verkade, it¡¯s time for me to head to work,¡± he said, then let out a sigh. ¡°If you had epted my earlier suggestion, we would have been friends by now. Why did you reject me?¡± Gautier could onlyugh in silence, but the look on his face turned icier and icier as he watched Emmanuel leave with wide eyes. Meanwhile, the driver who sent Mackenzie to work and was in the Bentley had his jaw drop in shock. Gautier hastily left. He did not want others to catch his unsightly appearance. Not long after that, Mackenzie emerged from her residential area. The driver, Wally, quickly drove over to her. Mackenzie furrowed her brows. ¡°Why did you drive your car here?¡± To hide her financial status, she had been instructing her driver to avoid Emmanuel so that Emmanuel would not find out that she went to work in a Bentley. Wally quickly replied, ¡°Ms. Quillen, Emmanuel has already gone to work. I saw him leave with my own two eyes. He even pped Mr. Verkade twice before he left!¡± ¡°What?¡± Mackenzie stiffened. ¡°He pped Hubert?¡± ¡°No, Ms. Quillen. Not Mr. Hubert. It was¡­ It was Mr. Gautier!¡± Wally informed in a shaky voice. ¡°What?¡± Mackenzie grew even more agitated. She had thought it was Hubert who hade again. Emmanuel knew that Hubert was courting him, so she thought he was teaching Hubert a lesson out of jealousy to stop him from harassing her. As it turned out, she waspletely wrong. Mackenzie was in disbelief. She could not believe Emmanuel had actually pped the CEO of Verkade Group. If the socialites of Yeringham find out about this, chaos is going to break out! They¡¯re all going to curse Emmanuel to death! Even though Mackenzie yearned to beat Gautier up, she had never acted on her thoughts. She did not expect Emmanuel to hit Gautier instead. ¡°Wally, why would Emmanuel hit Mr. Gautier?¡± ¡°My apologies, Ms. Quillen, but I don¡¯t know either.¡± N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. Wally had only seen what happened. He did not know what went on between Emmanuel and Gautier. ¡°All right, let¡¯s head to my workce, then.¡± Once Mackenzie was in the Bentley, she called Gautier to find out what the man was feeling at that moment. To her knowledge, Gautier had a violent streak despite his attractive appearance. She was certain that he had to be furious after getting pped by Emmanuel. Yet, much to her surprise, Gautier sounded nonchnt when he picked up the call. ¡°Hey, Mackenzie, I don¡¯t recall you ever calling me this early in the morning. Is something the matter?¡± ¡°Mr. Gautier, where are you right now?¡± Mackenzie asked straightforwardly. ¡°Me? What¡¯s wrong? Why are you suddenly worried about me? I¡¯d think that you have feelings for me if you keep this up.¡± He¡¯s joking at a time like this? Mackenzie drew her brows together. But if Wally didn¡¯t see the wrong person earlier, then I have to say that Gautier¡¯s one h*ll of an actor. He was just beaten up by Emmanuel at Yociam Residence, but he soundspletely fine. 1 ¡°Mr. Gautier, my driver told me that he saw you getting hit pretty badly by the entrance of Yociam Residence earlier. As your business partner, I¡¯m concerned about you,¡± Mackenzie said honestly, wondering what Gautier would answer her. Is it possible that Gautier doesn¡¯t know Emmanuel is my husband? Chapter 105 Chapter 105 ¡°Haha! Your driver must have gotten the wrong person. How could I possibly be attacked? It¡¯s more usible if your driver told you he saw me attacking someone,¡± Gautier denied. Without a doubt, he was never going to tell Mackenzie the truth. He was a man of dignity too. He had brought a group of men to mess with Emmanuel, but he had ended up getting pped by his target. If news of this were to spread, his reputation would be ruined. ¡°Hmm, you¡¯re right. How could you possibly be attacked, Mr. Gautier? Everyone knows that you have arge group of capable bodyguards no one can defeat.¡± Mackenzie¡¯s words were loaded. Even though she had no evidence to prove that Gautier was behind those two incidents, she knew well that he was the mastermind. It was fine by her if Gautier denied that he had been attacked. The man was a predator, not a gossipmonger. He did not need to utter a word of ¡°Anyway, thank you for your concern, Mackenzie. If you ever join the Verkade family, you¡¯ll get to be under the Verkades¡® bodyguards¡® protection too,¡± Gautier responded, still lying through his teeth about his sorry state. ¡°Hrious. I won¡¯t need your group of losers to protect me,¡± Mackenzie icily retorted before ending the call. She was not going to waste her breath on men like him. ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. Gautier lowered his phone as the look in his eyes turned frigid. He felt that Mackenzie was mocking him and rubbing salt into his wound. He had a group of bodyguards by his side, but he had still lost to the one and only bodyguard she had. His reputation would be ruined if anyone were to hear about this. Gautier had never thought about the possibility of Emmanuel being Mackenzie¡¯s husband. He just thought that Mackenzie had hired a pompous bodyguard. I¡¯m going to kill that bodyguard of hers one day. Let¡¯s see how long he can stay smug. By the time Emmanuel returned home at night, Mackenzie was already waiting at home for him. ¡°Did you hit someone when you went out this morning?¡± ¡°Huh? Oh, you found out about it already?¡± Emmanuel had no ns to hide it or ask her how she found out about it either. She was a resident of Yociam Residence, so he was sure that she had many ways to find out about what went on in the neighborhood. ¡°You must have lost your mind! Do you know who you hit?¡± Mackenzie questioned. ¡°Gautier, I think,¡± was Emmanuel¡¯s response. Mackenzieughed in exasperation. Is this what they mean when they say ignorant fools are fearless? Who else in Yeringham is capable of staying so calm after pping Gautier? That¡¯s not something even I can do. Besides feeling angry, Mackenzie also found the man before her courageous. ¡°You¡¯ll be sending me to and fro work from tomorrow onward,¡± Mackenzie demanded abruptly. ¡°What? Why?¡± Emmanuel blinked in confusion. ¡°Is it that tough for you to send your wife to work?¡± Mackenzie asked, fixing her angry gaze on him. ¡°No. I¡¯m just confused. We¡¯re going to be getting a divorce half a yearter, right? So is there really a need for us to cultivate our rtionship?¡± Emmanuel blurted out. He¡­ Ugh! Mackenzie nearly stomped her feet at the peak of her anger. The agreement she had forced him to sign was now a weapon he used against her. ¡°Didn¡¯t your scooter break down? How are you going to travel to work without any vehicle?¡± Mackenzie snapped. Emmanuel nodded. Indeed, that was a problem he was facing. He had to take several transportations to reach his workce. It would be fine if it was only a day or two, but it was going tost for a while. It would be troublesome. Chapter 106 Chapter 106 Most importantly, he was broke. He did not have money to buy another scooter. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m partially responsible for your broken scooter. I¡¯ll borrow you my Maserati tomorrow, and when I¡¯m free, I¡¯ll go with you to buy a new car.¡± ¡°What?¡± Emmanuel could not believe his ears. Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Mackenzie was amused by his expression. Men like cars, so I¡¯m sure he must be excited right now. To her surprise, Emmanuel waved his hands dismissively and said, ¡°It¡¯s fine, Ms. Quillen. I¡¯ll be able to buy a new scooter when I get my sry next month. Before that, I can drive your Maserati to pick you up and send you to work.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you want a car?¡± Mackenzie was shocked. ¡°No.¡± Emmanuel was calm when he said that. ¡°We¡¯re going to divorce anyway. I¡¯ve owed you too many things, and I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to repay you at this rate. I don¡¯t want to owe you anything.¡± Mackenzie curled her fists. She did not know why she was angry, but she knew that she wanted to punch the man. He¡¯s so dense. ¡°All this so that you won¡¯t owe me anything? Where is your dignity? A man shouldn¡¯t be driving a scooter! Do you want others to look down on you?¡± Mackenzie said deliberately. ¡°Yes, others will look down on me, but I should be earning a good reputation on my own instead of relying on a woman for it.¡± The corner of Mackenzie¡¯s lips twitched at that. ¡°Whatever.¡± She was sure that the man would change his mind once he finds out how wonderful a car was. Mackenzie asked Emmanuel to drive her to work not only because he had no transportation, but also because she was getting more and more impressed with hisbat prowess. The man could fight better than the professional bodyguards she had hired. If she were to go to and leave work with him, they could protect each other. Of course, Mackenzie¡¯s bodyguards would be on standby too. If anything were to go wrong, those men woulde to her the second she gave them the signal. She was sure that the battle with Gautier had begun and that the man would not let her and Emmanuel go so easily. Nevertheless, she would find an opportunity to crush Gautier. The following day, Emmanuel sent Mackenzie to Terence Group¡¯s headquarters with the Maserati. However, before they arrived at the office building, Mackenzie asked him to stop, stating that it would be troublesome for him to drive in and back out of the building. Emmanuel did not doubt her words. It was more convenient for him this way. When Mackenzie walked into the office building, the security and employees passing by were stunned. Is Ms. Quillen in a good mood? I can¡¯t believe she¡¯s covering this distance on foot! When Lexi saw the scene, she was bewildered too. She felt as if she was watching an angel descend from the heavens, and she wondered who the angel was descending for. Meanwhile, Emmanuel drove the Maserati into the hospital parking lot. The luxury car, naturally, drew the attention of the hospital staff. When they saw that Emmanuel the gynecologist was the one driving it, their eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. ¡°Wait, what? What did I just see?¡± Frederick happened to pass by. He had thought that some big shot had arrived, only to be proven wrong by the sight of his good friending out of the car. He was jealous and in disbelief. ¡°Emmanuel, did you win the lottery? How much did you win? Did you use all the money on this car?¡± Frederick¡¯s questions were questions the others were thinking about too. Darren, who had just arrived at the hospital, came over upon hearing the After all, he often looked down on Emmanuel, and he had even given Emmanuel¡¯s mother¡¯s ward to someone else back then. He would be in a disadvantageous situation if Emmanuel were to rise to great heights. 1 ¡°You¡¯re overthinking this. This car isn¡¯t mine,¡± Emmanuel muttered. ¡°Whose is it if not yours? Who would lend you a car as expensive as this to drive to work?¡± Frederick probed. Chapter 107 Chapter 107 Obviously, Emmanuel was not going to answer that in public. He waited until they arrived at the Department of Gynecology, when it was just the two of them left, before telling Frederick. ¡°It¡¯s my wife¡¯s car. She lent it to me.¡± ¡°Darn! I¡¯m so envious of you!¡± Those were Frederick¡¯s heartfelt words. It was only a while back when both of them were still bachelors. All of a sudden, Emmanuel had gotten married while his mother had been diagnosed with cancer. Presently, Emmanuel had a wife who provided him with money to spend and a car to drive. In contrast, Frederick had to pay for his mother¡¯s costly medical treatment. How did our lives turn out so different? Although Frederick was envious of his friend, he was not jealous at all. In fact, he was more than happy for him, ¡°Your wife is a hundred times better than Mni!¡± Emmanuel could not help but smile upon hearing that. 3 Indeed, even though Mackenzie had a strange temper, she was so much betterpared to the previousdy Emmanuel had met on a blind date. ¡°By the way, I¡¯m returning you a portion of the money I owe you first,¡± Frederick said as he transferred twenty thousand to Emmanuel. ¡°Where did you get the money from?¡± Emmanuel asked in surprise. ¡°I borrowed it. What are you going to do if you lend me all your money? Your wife has been treating you so well. You should get her a gift to show her your appreciation. I¡¯ll slowly pay you back the rest of what I owe you.¡± Ryder had told Emmanuel the same thing previously. Without providing an exnation, Emmanuel merely smiled helplessly while transferring the money back to Frederick. He and Mackenzie had already signed an agreement, stating that they would divorce half a yearter. If that was the case, there was no need for him to go out of his way to please her. More importantly, he did not want the woman to think that he had ulterior motives. On the contrary, Frederick needed the money more urgently. ¡°What are you doing? Are you looking down on me?¡± Feeling upset, Frederick returned the money to Emmanuel. ¡°A good wife is not easy to lose her.¡± Emmanuel did not know what to say. He had no choice but to ept the money. ¡°All right, then. I¡¯ll keep the money. But don¡¯t hesitate to let me know if you need it! We¡¯re best friends, so you don¡¯t have to feel bad about it!¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Frederick patted Emmanuel¡¯s shoulder. The two men looked at each other and smiled. In the end, Emmanuel decided to take Frederick¡¯s advice and made a trip to themercial district in the afternoon since it was his day off. Although divorce was inevitable, he did not want to feel too indebted to Mackenzie. He wanted to get her a gift as a token of his appreciation regardless of whether she liked it or not. As the mall was very crowded that day, it took Emmanuel quite a while to get a space in the parking lot. Even though he did not have a car, he used to drive armored vehicles when he was serving in the military back then. With his outstanding driving ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. skills, he managed to reverse his car into the lot quickly and with ease. Before he could get out of the car, a Honda Civic stopped next to him. A woman wearing a skin¨Ctight mini¨Cdress stepped out and scolded, ¡°Hey! You¡¯re such a rogue! I saw this parking spot first, but you snatched it from 1. me. How could you be so shameless?¡± A crease appeared between Emmanuel¡¯s brows as he sized the woman 1. Her dress was extremely short. It was almost the same length as her underwear, and Emmanuel could clearly see thece ck edges of her safety shorts. However, that was not the point. What caught the man¡¯s attention was that the woman looked extremely familiar. ¡°Ruby, mind your manners!¡± Just then, another woman¡¯s voice sounded as she walked up from behind. It was Mni. She was far from being magnanimous and had only said that because she did not want to offend the owner of a Maserati. Little did she expect to see a familiar face. ¡°It¡¯s you?¡± * Realizing it was Emmanuel, the woman in the skin¨Ctight mini¨Cdress said with a contemptuous smile, ¡°I was just wondering who this rogue is. It turns out to be Mni¡¯s simp!¡± Emmanuel had also recognized the woman. She looked familiar as he had seen her at Mni¡¯s house previously. Back then, Mni¡¯s family had been attacking him with words of disdain, and the woman had happened to be there as well. She was Ruby Zimmerman, Mni¡¯s older cousin! Chapter 108 Chapter 108 ¡°Hmph! Serves you right for not being able to find a wife! How dare a rude and ungentlemanly person like you even think of marrying Mni? Dream on!¡± Anger was churning inside of Ruby as she started cursing at Emmanuel without fully registering what was going on. Emmanuel was rendered speechless. If they had spoken nicely to him, he would have been more than willing to find another parking spot. However, the woman was raving madly like a shrew. He chose to ignore them and turned to walk away. ¡°Hey! You shameless man! I will scratch your car if you walk away! Try me if you don¡¯t believe me!¡± Ruby bellowed. ¡°Ruby, just shut up!¡± Mni quickly intervened. She was appalled by her cousin¡¯s ignorance. How could she threaten to scratch a luxury car? Can she afford to pay? Earlier, Mni had been harboring thoughts of seducing the owner of the car but was worried that he might not easily sumb. Even worse, he could already be married! If that were the case, Mni would not stand a chance no matter how rich he was. Never in her wildest dreams did she expect to see Emmanueling out of the car. Mni and Darren had broken up after he intentionally used her of hurting his feelings by walking away together with Emmanuel during the meal back then. He had assumed that she had lost her chance of getting a promotion after the cat was out of the bag. However, riding on Emmanuel¡¯s coattails, Mni subsequently managed to Although Walter neither promoted her nor gave her a pay raise due to the logo incident, it was still a rather good oue for the woman. After having a few days to collect her thoughts, Mni concluded that not only should she not me Emmanuel, but she should also be grateful to him. She had also intended to let bygones be bygones since they were not likely to cross paths again. Little did she expect to see him driving a Maserati to the mall that day. Did Terence Group recognize his capabilities and promote him? That¡¯s very likely! It was rumored that Terence Group would earn billions in revenue upon thepletion of the strategic warehouse project. Given that Terence Group was known for treating their talents well, it would not be surprising for them to give Emmanuel a few million as his reward. As Ruby was still fuming, she was not aware of her cousin¡¯s feelings. ¡°Mni, don¡¯t ever entertain this simp again! He has such a bad character. How could he snatch a woman¡¯s parking spot? Is he even a man?¡± ¡°Emmanuel, don¡¯t go!¡± Mni called out to Emmanuel at once. Emmanuel let out a helpless sigh, hesitating if he should bother talking to the two women. ¡°Ha! It seems that it¡¯s your unlucky day. How does it feel to be embarrassed in front of the woman of your dreams?¡± Ruby said while smiling triumphantly. Unable to bear with it any longer, Mil¨¢ni suddenly shouted, ¡°Ruby, please stop! You¡¯re not allowed to scold Emmanuel!¡± What? Ruby was dumbfounded. Has something gotten into her today? From what Ruby had observed previously, both at Mni¡¯s house and the restaurant, it was clear that her cousin despised the man. Ignoring Ruby, Mni immediately ran after Emmanuel in her high heels and grabbed his hand. It was the first time she realized how muscr Emmanuel was. Compared to Darren, he was way more manly. She must have been blind previously to reject a man like him. If given another chance, she would definitely not let him go. ¡°Ms, Zimmerman, please be mindful of your actions in public. People are watching us.¡± Emmanuel shook Mni¡¯s hand away ruthlessly and continued with a stern expression, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter who spotted the parking space first. It belongs to whoever upies it first! Get it?¡± He was waiting for the woman to retort unreasonably, but to his? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. astonishment, she nodded fervently and replied, ¡°You¡¯re right! I totally agree! It¡¯s my cousin who¡¯s being ridiculous. I¡¯ll apologize on her behalf!¡± What the f*ck? What¡¯s going on? Is she really Mni? Is she sick? Emmanuel was in utter shock. Ruby was even more taken aback than Emmanuel. She was so shocked that her eyeballs were about to fall out. Is she all right? Why is she acting so strange today? ¡°Emmanuel, don¡¯t be angry. Aren¡¯t you here to shop? Shall I apany you?¡± Mni said coquettishly while leaning toward the man. Although she could notpete with Mackenzie in terms of looks, she was definitely considered a beauty by traditional standards. If it were any other man, he would have already sumbed to her seduction. However, Emmanuel had goosebumps all over his body. What¡¯s wrong with her today? Did she forget to take her medicine before