Love at the Wrong Table (Emmanuel Lowe and Mackenzie) novel Chapter 10

Frederick was in utter shock at that diagnosis. Just then, a doctor from the internal medicine department approached him and said, “Your mom’s cancer is already at the advanced stage. She needs to be operated on immediately. Otherwise, her life will be in danger!” Frederick’s voice was shaking as he asked, “How… How much does the surgery cost?” “Three hundred thousand. Any additional procedures will be charged separately.” The doctor left after saying that. Being a doctor at the hospital, Frederick knew the hospital policies well. He was aware that the surgery would only be arranged after payment was made. “Emmanuel, what should I do now? I don’t have three hundred thousand!” Frederick was at a loss as to what to do. He had only been working at the hospital for two years, and most of his income had been spent on his younger sister’s college education. As such, he did not have much savings left. “Don’t worry, we will think of something!” Emmanuel comforted his friend. After a pause, he shoved the bank card that Alessandra had given to him into Frederick’s hand and said, “Take this first. There’s sixty thousand in here.” “T-This… Isn’t this your mom’s bank card? How can I use this money?” Frederick’s body was trembling as his eyes welled up with tears. That was his best friend’s mother’s hard-earned money, and it did not feel right for him to use it. “Don’t worry about that. The current priority is to save your mom!” Emmanuel insisted that Frederick keep the bank card. “But even with this, I still don’t have three hundred thousand! A hundred thousand is the most I can scrape together by today,” Frederick replied in a quavering voice, sounding as if he was on the verge of bursting into tears. “Besides, I really can’t take your mom’s money. I don’t know how long it will take for me to repay it…” Emmanuel felt rather helpless as well upon seeing the agonized look on Frederick’s face. At that moment, Milani happened to walk past and noticed the interaction between the two men. “Ha! Don’t you guys find it embarrassing for two grown men to be seen crying in the hospital?” Milani had always looked down on Emmanuel and had just fought with Frederick earlier. Obviously, she would not miss the chance to mock them upon witnessing the scene. “Milani, just shut up!” Emmanuel chided the woman for her sarcastic remarks. As Frederick was already devastated by the news of his mother’s cancer diagnosis, Emmanuel could not let Milani rub salt into the man’s wound. However, unexpectedly, when Frederick saw Milani, he took the initiative to plead with her, “The most beautiful Milani, judging by your glamorous appearance, you must be very rich, right?” Taken aback by the man’s unusual attitude, Milani took a few steps back and asked cautiously, “W-What do you want?” “Please lend me two hundred thousand! My mom has just been diagnosed with cancer and needs to be operated on immediately. Please, I’m begging you! I will return the money once I have it!” Frederick pleaded with Milani desperately. He was that close to going on his knees, but the woman still had no intention of lending him any money. Besides the fact that she did not have that much money, even if she had, there was no reason for her to lend it to him. “Hah! You’re out of your mind. I don’t have two hundred thousand to lend you.” Taking a pause, she continued, “That’s why poor people are so pathetic. You can’t even afford your mother’s surgery expenses. Is it any wonder no woman wants to marry you?” Not only did Milani not agree to help, but she also added insult to injury before she walked off. Frederick was burning with anger after the woman left. If Emmanuel had not stopped him, he would have beaten her to a pulp! “Frederick, calm down!” Emmanuel held Frederick in a tight embrace, trying his best to comfort his friend, who was on the verge of breaking down. Frederick eventually managed to cool off. If he had beaten Milani up, he would have been arrested, and there would be no one to find the money to fund his mother’s surgery. Frederick proceeded to contact people in his phone book, including those he was not close to. He made more than ten calls consecutively, asking to borrow money from them. In order to help his friend, Emmanuel also reached out to some people he knew. Despite their efforts, the two men had only managed to borrow seventy thousand in total, which was not even a third of the three hundred thousand they needed. “What should we do? My mom might die if she delays 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 explain 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 moment later, 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 hundred and seventy-two thousand thus far, so that was the remaining balance they needed. Mackenzie’s curiosity was aroused at once. “You rejected it when I offered you a hundred thousand last 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 explaining 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 too late 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 two hundred thousand wired to your account 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 no lack of money, seeing that she had instantly transferred Emmanuel two hundred thousand, almost twice the amount the latter 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 the latter was envious of him living off a woman! Moreover, apart from knowing that Mackenzie was a senior executive at a company, 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. Milani 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 the compounding interest. You might end up having to pay them with your life!” Milani mocked. Frederick did not like the woman in the first place. 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 account right after he asked. Thank goodness Emmanuel wasn’t interested in a woman like you. Otherwise, his life would be so sad!” What? Milani was in utter disbelief when she heard that. Emmanuel’s wife? That pauper has gotten himself a wife?