Mistaken Match: Marrying the Enigmatic CEO
Samantha asked right away, “Mackenzie, where is Emmanuel? Didn’t he leave the table with you just now?”
“He’s got something to deal with.” Mackenzie didn’t say that Emmanuel had left; she just wanted to evade the question. All at once, the atmosphere at the dining table changed. That guy is the focus of attention at the Quillen residence tonight! How dare he actually disappear halfway through when everyone in our family has shown enough respect for him despite his humble background?
“What on earth happened, Mr. Grishaw? I saw Emmanuel and Mackenzie walk together toward the gate just now!” Samantha immediately asked Alfred, who came back afterward.
Alfred threw a look at Terence before answering her truthfully, “Emmanuel has left with Quintus Lenoir to go to the Lenoir residence.”
“What?!”
“Why is he going to the Lenoir residence?”
“Didn’t he know that we’re holding this dinner party for him tonight?”
“How,dare he! He’s not giving a damn to our family at all!”
Many women in the Quillen family blew up then and there. In reality, many of them didn’t want a man from a humble background to marry into their family and make the Quillens a public laughingstock. After all, it was a common belief that one should marry within their station. It was only out of respect for Mackenzie and Terence that they had no choice but to play nice with Emmanuel just now; despite their inner protests, they dared not voice them out loud. However, now that Emmanuel had done something like this, they couldn’t stand it anymore!
“Shut up, all of you! I don’t remember our family ever having the tradition of arguing over dinner! Where’s your sense of decency?” barked Terence at once, stopping these women’s protests with his authority.
In her heart, Mackenzie also felt bitter. She had long known that many in her family would frown upon Emmanuel, which was why she felt under pressure and wanted him to behave better today. At first, he had done admirably well tonight, showing both the usually hidden clever and humorous side of him and his readiness to take charge as a man. But now that he was gone like this, the women in the Quillen family would never remember anything good about him. All they would remember was that he had made the Quillens and his own wife look bad by leaving halfway through the dinner party!
“Mackenzie…” Seeing her frosty and dejected expression, Beatrix worried about her somewhat. Why isn’t she speaking for Emmanuel? “Actually-” she began, but then, she sensed Mackenzie’s gaze from the corner of her eye.
Recalling Terence’s reproach just now, she eventually held back her words. Emmanuel, you damn b*stard! Why are you making trouble for Mackenzie and pissing her off again? I won’t let you off for this when I see you next time! she thought inwardly.
As a result of Emmanuel’s departure, the Quillen family’s reunion dinner tonight ended up turning sour. As the dinner party entered its later half, it once again became a networking party for the upper class. Terence had to socialize with some important figures, while Mackenzie refused to talk to anyone. Leaving the party in a cold manner, she went straight back to the Quillen residence’s private residential area.
“What happened, Mackenzie? How could you let Emmanuel go just like that?” Samantha followed her all the way back, followed by Mackenzie’s fifth aunt, Hannah Quillen. They insisted on knowing the truth.
Mackenzie also knew that Samantha would insist on getting to the bottom of this. This aunt of mine is the kind who would pester someone for several days straight unless they tell her the truth. She had no choice but to admit with a faint sigh, “Claudette’s condition is unstable, so he has to go check on her.”
Only then did Samantha finally understand what had happened. “I see!” She also knew that the Lenoirs had recently retreated from the energy market instead of continuing to viciously try to grab market share from the Quillens!
This was all because Emmanuel had saved Claudette’s life. Although she understood Mackenzie, Hannah didn’t. “Mackenzie, forgive me for prying, but I’m saying this for your own good!” she said frostily. “This Emmanuel guy is such a drinker. The way I see it, he’s certainly not a decent guy, but the type of man who uses his good looks and sweet talk to get ahead one way or the other. A man like him is only good at pretending, vacillating between different upper–class ladies and socialites so that he can have their money and have sex with them!” she continued. “You can fool around with him, but once you get tired of him, you should dump him right away. Don’t seriously fall in love with him. Otherwise, he’ll become another Felicity Lenoir in our family sooner or later!”