Love at the Wrong Table (Emmanuel Lowe and Mackenzie) novel Chapter 11

When Milani regained her composure, 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 be committing 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, Milani 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 Milani 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 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 delay returning the two hundred thousand I borrowed from her for years? He was so preoccupied with his thoughts that he accidentally 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 accident was Emmanuel’s fault. Nonetheless, he could not help worrying as the area had no surveillance cameras. If he can’t get up, the traffic police will likely rule the car liable for the accident when they get here. And if this guy staged the accident, he might go as far as to blackmail my boss for a hefty sum of money! With those concerns in mind, the driver dared not berate Emmanuel despite his anger, fearing the latter 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 accident by not slowing down at the corner, and if the other party demanded compensation, 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.” Nonetheless, he was puzzled. This Bentley is her favorite car. Had something like this occurred 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 party compensate 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 accidentally hit a Bentley on my way back.” “It looks like a bad accident. How much did you ask that person to compensate 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 had launched into an angry tirade and pushed away all the blame, 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 accord 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? A moment later, 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 for compensation 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 blackmails 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 explain? It was my fault, so how can I make that person pay compensation?” Mackenzie’s lips curved upward as she smiled even more sweetly. Still testing him, she replied, “But that area has no surveillance cameras, so who would know it was your fault? What a simpleton you are!” He shot her a glare. 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 classic 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 her back, it was only natural that he was curious to find out what he could do to offset that debt!