Mistaken Match Marrying the Enigmatic CEO novel Chapter 161
Chapter 161
“What are these?”
Seated at the dining table, Mackenzie knitted her brows slightly when she
saw the simple yet strange–looking dishes on it.
“I’m sorry, Ms. Quillen. I was so busy recently that I didn’t have time to go
grocery shopping. I randomly cooked three dishes with whatever ingredients
we have at home.”
Thereafter, Emmanuel introduced his dishes to her, saying, “This one is fried
pork ribs, this is grilled baby prawns with carrots, and the last one is
vinegared lettuce.”
I can’t believe this! Mackenzie had never heard of the dishes before, let alone
try them.
It didn’t help that they looked extremely peculiar to her.
“Come, dig in. You have to eat on time!”
Emmanuel served Mackenzie a piece of lettuce.
Truth be told, Mackenzie wasn’t keen on eating but was too shy to decline on
the account that Emmanuel had prepared them for her.
As she took a small bite, she was pleasantly surprised by the taste.
After watching Mackenzie swallow the lettuce whole, Emmanuel broke into a
vibrant smile. “That’s my favorite dish, Ms. Quillen. During my army days, this
particular dish will make me finish at least five plates of pasta when I come
across it!”
“Five plates? At least?”
Mackenzie was stunned. Is he a pig? Who in the world eats this much?
“That’s right!”
Unaware that Mackenzie was wondering if he was a pig, Emmanuel
continued proudly, “That’s why I went into the kitchen and learned how to
cook this dish, hoping that I can let my wife try it someday.”
The words brought a reddish hue to Mackenzie’s porcelain–white face. She
could even feel her cheeks burning a little.
Little did she expect to become the wife of a “pig” who could eat more than
five bowls of pasta.
“These two other dishes are also my favorite home–cooked food. Go ahead
and try them!”
Although Emmanuel invited her to do so warmly, he refrained from serving
her food. He was well aware that she didn’t like to be treated that way.
The sight of how enthusiastic Emmanuel was about the food whet
Mackenzie’s appetite.
She then picked out a baby prawn from amongst the carrots. I’ve eaten
lobsters that are a hundred times bigger than this seemingly stunted prawn.
Can it even be eaten?
After taking a small bite, Mackenzie was still capable of stomaching it despite
it not being comparable to lobsters.
“I’m done. You should hurry up and finish. We’ll be heading to Greendale
Village after this.”
Mackenzie put down her cutlery a short while after.
“That fast? Looks like taking care of you is easy.”
Disappointed to see Mackenzie stop after just half a plate of pasta,
Emmanuel resigned himself to finishing everything else on the table, and
Mackenzie could only stare at him in disbelief.
How much does he eat anyway? This amount of food is enough to feed me
for three whole days!
“My friend, who has investigated the matter, has reported that the trending
article was sent from Greendale Village. Since your cousin and granddad are
incapable of writing something so melodramatic, someone must have
helped them from behind the scenes.”
While Emmanuel was eating, Mackenzie took the opportunity to explain.
“Mmm–hmm, I think so too!” Putting down his cutlery, Emmanuel said, “Thank
you for the information, Ms. Quillen. We should head over at once to find the
culprit and what their motive is.”
With that, both of them quickly set out.
Meanwhile, at Verkade Group, Hubert barged frantically into the CEO’s office,
yelling, “Gautier, give me another two million. I want to continue boosting my
article! I simply can’t believe this! After spending so much money, I still can’t
get my confession to Mackenzie into the trending topics!”
Chapter 162
I learned that trick from reading novels online. The domineering male leads
always use this method to confess their feelings to the female leads. The
whole city will learn of their love story, causing the female lead to be
inadvertently labeled as the male lead’s woman. Slowly but surely, the
female lead will not escape the clutches of the male lead, so what went
wrong?
Despite having spent more than a million, he still failed to boost news of his
romantic confession to Mackenzie into Yeringham’s headlines. Instead, it was
continuously subdued by news related to relatives accusing each other of
being ungrateful.
“Even if you spend ten million, it isn’t going to make a difference. All you’ll end
up being is a sideshow,” Gautier stated the truth, showing no intention of
being carried away by his emotions, unlike his brother.
“Why?”
Hubert was clueless to his brother’s reasons.
“You fool! Don’t you realize the top trending topics are filled with news and
articles attacking Emmanuel? Do you even know how they ended up there?
The money you spent has ended up shaping public opinion for someone
else!”
While Gautier was giving his brother a dressing down, the latter walked over
to take a look.
Only then did he see the headlines filled with news of Emmanuel’s relatives
accusing him of being an ingrate for forgetting about them.
Even the discussion about how the headline had pushed down Hubert’s
confession to Mackenzie had shot up into the top ten trending topics.
“F*ck! Are they idiots? This headline is clearly a result of all the money I spent
on boosting traffic to my article. How can they twist the facts now?” Hubert
fumed.
Unable to help himself, Gautier slapped his brother on the backside and
roared, “Don’t you understand yet, you imbecile? Your confession to
Mackenzie isn’t controversial at all. Instead, only news that is morally
contentious can spark a huge debate online. No matter how much money
you throw at the problem, you’ll only play second fiddle to such news.”
When Hubert finally understood, he exclaimed in frustration, “In that case,
what should I do, Gautier?”
“I can’t believe how dumb you can be!”
Gautier continued in a frosty tone, “Don’t you want the entire city to know
about your romantic confession to Mackenzie? Since these trending topics
can help increase traffic to your article, you should spend money to boost
them instead. On top of that, I’m very sure that Mackenzie and Emmanuel
enjoy a close relationship!”
Only then did Hubert realize what was going on.
That’s right! Even though my article didn’t become one of the top trending
topics, I can use the existing trending topics to destroy Emmanuel’s
reputation in Yeringham. By then, he would be too ashamed to continue
staying in the city, and I would be able to have my revenge!
“That’s why you don’t have to spend two million. Just boost the top trending
topic with three hundred thousand, and it will automatically improve the
traffic for your article.”
Gautier proceeded to give his brother three hundred thousand before
dismissing him.
Thereafter, an insidious smile gradually emerged on his face.
After he was beaten up by Emmanuel, Gautier did a background check on
the man and discovered that he was an army veteran from the Northern
Region. Emmanuel was also the one behind Mackenzie’s brutal strategy to
complete her warehouse project.
Those two are responsible for stealing the one billion contract that was
supposed to go to Verkade Group. There’s no way I’m going to allow them to
live in peace!
As evening approached, Emmanuel arrived at Greendale Village together
with Mackenzie.
Due to the sensitive timing, Emmanuel was worried that Mackenzie’s car
would be vandalized by those who were misled by the internet articles
maligning them. As a result, he decided that both of them should take a taxi
instead.
Moreover, worried that the driver would recognize them, Emmanuel and
Mackenzie even put on facial masks.
Unfortunately, they were immediately recognized the moment they stepped
out of the vehicle.
“Hey, isn’t that Emmanuel? What is he doing here at Greendale Village?”
Chapter 163
Mackenzie was taken aback by the voice, realizing that their undercover
mission in Greendale Village could be jeopardized if their true identities were
exposed.
Maintaining a calm demeanor, Emmanuel responded, “Oh, Remi, it’s you. Just
got off work?”
“Yeah, just finished. I heard some outrageous things about you, Emmanuel.
Your granddad and your cousin vilified you on the internet. They claimed that
you swindled them out of their money and even labeled you heartless for not
helping your uncle. How could they twist the truth so blatantly?”
Mackenzie felt a wave of relief wash over her upon hearing Remi’s words. She
didn’t expect the people of Greendale Village to be so reasonable and
understanding.
“The dividends of Greendale Village were distributed based on the names
listed in the household registry. Your mother retained her status as a villager
when she got married, so it’s only natural for her to receive the annual
dividends. How could they accuse you of conning them out of their money?”
Remi continued, her voice filled with righteous indignation.
Her words shed light on the motivations behind the slanderous accusations
made by Hermann and Jamison against Emmanuel and his family.
Greendale Village would receive a lump sum of money each year for leasing
their land out for construction yards and breeding farms. The village leader
would distribute this money as an annual dividend among the villagers.
The amount varied from year to year, usually around seven or eight
thousand. At the very least, the villagers would receive a minimum of three to
four thousand per annum. Alessandra, being a resident of Greendale Village,
was entitled to a share of the dividend each year.
However, Hermann’s family had been unlawfully taking Alessandra’s portion
for over thirty years, ama*sing a sum of over a hundred thousand.
Alessandra had chosen to overlook it until she found herself unable to afford
surgery for her kidney stones. At that point, Roselynn took matters into her
own hands and confronted Hermann and his family, demanding the return of
Alessandra’s rightful share.
After several heated arguments and intervention from the village leader,
they were able to recover a little over forty thousand. However, Hermann’s
family was now falsely accusing Roselynn of maliciously taking away the old
man’s hard–earned money.
Infuriated, Mackenzie turned to Remi and asked, “Where can we find these
people who helped Hermann spread those lies?”
vive
Remi replied, “They are the village’s minions, spreading rumors for anyone
willing to pay, regardless of truth or falsehood.”
She then provided Mackenzie with their names and addresses, and with her
exceptional memory, the latter memorized the information instantly.
Mackenzie planned to have Lexi send some men to have a conversation with
these individuals.
Filled with a plethora of ideas on how to extract the truth from those men and
turn the tables on Hermann, Mackenzie was eager to witness the Cadigans‘
reaction when the tide turns against them.
“Hey, you’re not Roselynn, are you?”
It wasn’t until then that Remi noticed that the tall, slender woman standing
beside Emmanuel wasn’t Roselynn. Curiosity got the best of her and she
asked, “Emmanuel, who is she?”
“Um, she’s my wife!”
Surprised, Remi exclaimed, “Since when did you get married? Why didn’t you
tell me? Hermann even called you useless because you couldn’t find yourself
a wife…”
Remi had a tendency to talk nonstop once she got started.
Mackenzie gave Emmanuel a meaningful look, and he quickly found an
excuse to leave the conversation.
To avoid being recognized, Emmanuel put on a cap and even walked with a
hunched posture, making it difficult for anyone to identify him.
According to Lexi, the IP address responsible for defaming Emmanuel and his
family was traced back to Greendale Village, West Road, House Number 105.
To reach their destination, Emmanuel and Mackenzie would have to pa*s by
Hermann’s house first.
Hermann resided in a splendid house within the village setting. The two–story
residence they had built for themselves stood proudly on a spacious plot of
land. It was undoubtedly more valuable and impressive compared to
Emmanuel’s modest single–story house.
Chapter 164
“Hermann vehemently refused to sell his house back when Uncle Emerson
owed a hefty sum of money. He even pressured my mom to sell our house
and squeezed a substantial amount of cash out of her and Roselynn!”
Emmanuel’s voice trembled with emotion as he shared his past with
Mackenzie.
She, too, held a deep–seated disdain for such despicable individuals and
vowed to help Emmanuel turn the tide.
As they strolled past Hermann’s residence during dinner time, they were
taken aback to hear the sound of clinking gla*ses.
Jamison gleefully exclaimed to Hermann, “Grandpa, Emmanuel and Roselynn
are toast this time! Haha! Who would’ve thought our little tricks would have
such a profound impact!”
In a soft voice, Olivia spoke up. “Jamison, we’re still family at the end of the
day. Isn’t this crossing the line?”
Hermann sheered in response, “Crossing the line? No way! Not when we’re
dealing with such an ungrateful bunch! You ladies are too soft! Now, get out
of our sight! Don’t you dare interrupt us!”
Jamison chimed in, “Exactly! Grandma, have you forgotten how they brought
people over and took more than forty thousand from us? My dad is their
uncle, and they didn’t even bother to fork out eighty thousand to bail him out
when he was imprisoned abroad! They deserve every bit of this!”
“Jamison, that’s not right of you to say. That forty thousand belonged to Aunt
Alessandra. It was her rightful dividend. We’ve only returned a quarter of the
money to their family. How can you accuse them of robbing us? Emmanuel
and Roselynn are facing cyberbullying because of the things you wrote
about them online. It’s been a trending topic ever since,” Henrietta voiced her
concern.
“Shut your mouth!” Hermann bellowed, delivering a harsh slap to Henrietta.
Slap! The sound reverberated through the house, audible even to Emmanuel
and Mackenzie who were standing outside.
To their dismay, Hermann continued his rampage by dragging Henrietta
away from the dinner table and subjecting her to a series of brutal kicks, all
because she had dared to defend Alessandra’s family.
Emmanuel had always known Hermann had a patriarchal mindset, but the
extent of his maternal grandfather’s cruelty caught Emmanuel off guard.
Mackenzie felt an overwhelming urge to burst into the house and give
Hermann a taste of his own medicine.
“Hmph! Women are nothing but trash, always taking the side of outsiders!”
Hermann shouted, his voice filled with contempt. “You can skip dinner
tonight! Get out of my sight! Shouldn’t older sisters live to support their
brothers? I raised your aunt, so what’s wrong with asking for some money for
your dad? How dare they demand the money back from us? I’ll make them
pay double the amount! I’m telling you, I won’t stop until they cough up two
hundred thousand! Those ungrateful bunch will live with cyberbullying for the
rest of their lives!”
Emmanuel seethed with anger as he listened to Hermann’s words.
He couldn’t fathom how anyone could have respect for such an
unreasonable and stubborn old man.
In his view, his mother wasn’t meant to live solely for the sake of his uncle.
She had her own children and her own family, so why should she sacrifice
everything for her good–for–nothing brother?
Mackenzie, too, had witnessed firsthand the toxicity of a patriarchal mindset,
where daughters and granddaughters were deemed insignificant.
Although Terence had similar beliefs, he wasn’t as extreme as Hermann. At
that moment, Mackenzie felt a burning desire to confront Hermann and give
him a taste of his own medicine.
“Let’s go,” Mackenzie finally said, her voice dripping with determination.
Once they were out of Hermann’s domain, Mackenzie said coldly, “Don’t
worry, I’ll make sure they regret everything they’ve done.”
“Thank you so much, Ms. Quillen!”
Emmanuel took a deep breath, trying to calm his simmering anger.
He wanted to teach Hermann and Jamison a lesson but knew he couldn’t do
it alone. With Mackenzie by his side, he felt a glimmer of hope.
Having a strong and supportive wife during challenging times made the
future seem brighter.
Chapter 165
“Don’t be so polite all the time, can you?”
Mackenzie liked how Emmanuel would courteously express his gratitude, but
at the same time, she also felt a little irked over how cautious and rigid he
was.
“As I said, a couple is bound together for good and for bad. What concerns
you concerns me too!” she remarked.
Wow. How nicely said. What concerns me concerns her too?
Touched, Emmanuel smiled and claimed, “Ms. Quillen, all of a sudden, I no
longer wish to divorce you. It would be great if you can remain my wife
forever.”
He had thought Mackenzie would reprimand him for indulging in the fantasy
of being with her. Surprisingly, she muttered, “That’ll depend on your
performance, you fool.”
“Huh? What did you just say, Ms. Quillen?”
She was too soft, so Emmanuel did not hear her well.
“I said you’re a fool! Is this the right time to talk about such things? Let’s go!”
“Okay!”
Emmanuel could only nod his head and swiftly catch up to Mackenzie.
Soon, the two arrived before a two–story–high standalone self–built house.
On the first floor hung a large signboard that wrote: Chameleon Studio.
It had been a while since Emmanuel last visited Greendale Village. Hence, he
did not know when someone started an IT studio there.
“Ms. Quillen, what if there’s no one around at this timing?”
“You fool!” Mackenzie snapped. “Those articles that were badmouthing you
online are all uploaded at night. Do you think there won’t be anyone inside
now? Hurry up and knock on the door!”
“Understood!”
Emmanuel nodded and knocked the door hard.
Sure enough, someone came to open the door shortly after.
“Who are you? What do you want?”
The one who opened the door was a plump man. He looked like a homebody
and was reeking of a foul smell from head to toe. As much as Mackenzie was
wearing a mask, she still could not stand the stench and had to cover her
nose up.
“Yenyl Zerway, so it’s you?”
Emmanuel removed his mask at once, not bothering to keep his disguise on
any longer.
He recognized Yenyl. Isn’t this fatso one of Jamison’s friends? I can’t believe
someone like him is capable of starting a studio!
“It’s you?”
Even though Yenyl was good with computers, he only had an average
mental fortitude. Upon seeing Emmanuel, he immediately shut the door and
locked it tightly, almost as if he was feeling guilty.
At that, Emmanuel and Mackenzie exchanged a look. They were amused at
how Yenyl gave himself away just like that. It was clear he was the one who
helped Jamison spread those scandals online.
“Yenyl, don’t blame me for showing no mercy if you refuse to open the door!”
yelled Emmanuel before he cut to the chase. “You can call the cops now. But
once the cops get to the bottom of how you deliberately spread baseless
rumors to defame me, you won’t be able to escape legal punishment!”
Having visited Greendale Village several times, Emmanuel more or less knew
about Yenyl’s character–he was big–sized but barely had any guts.
As the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together. I bet he’s just like
Jamison, only picking on the weak and fearing the strong. He wouldn’t be
bold enough to put up a fight against a toughie, so I must intimidate him first.
Recognizing the lack of response from inside, Emmanuel pushed the iron
door upward, then pulled it strenuously.
Following a dull thud, the iron door was forcefully pried open!
What’s going on?
Mackenzie had been watching from aside. Right then, her eyes went wide in
disbelief.
Is this man a monster? Or is it that this iron door is only for show?
A sudden thought crossed her mind. Wouldn’t it be unsafe for me to sleep at
night even if I locked my door? What if he suddenly gets lustful? A mere room
door can’t stop him from pouncing on me!
“Ms. Quillen, let’s head inside!”
Not knowing what was going through Mackenzie’s mind, Emmanuel whipped
his head around and urged her to head inside.
Mackenzie was a capable CEO, after all. She swiftly controlled her expression
and headed into the studio following a cold snort.
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In the place, there was a pungent smell that Mackenzie found unbearable.
If not for Emmanuel’s matter, she would never have stepped into a place like
that.
Even Emmanuel found it intolerable and pinched his nose. What has that
fatso been doing in this studio? How is this a workplace? It looks more like an
abandoned ruin!
While Emmanuel was searching around to see where Yenyl was hiding, a
club swung toward his head out of nowhere.
“Go to h*ll, Emmanuel!”
With a malicious expression, Yenyl hurled the club toward Emmanuel. His
ferocious–looking eyes had a hint of smugness and anticipation.
Though Mackenzie was wearing a mask, her figure alone was enough to
draw Yenyl’s attention and stir up his desire.
I’ll get rid of Emmanuel up first, and this gorgeous woman, who has turned up
in my studio herself, will be at my mercy!
Having only fantasized about women on his computer screen all his life, he
had long wanted to have a taste of satisfying his desire with a woman in real
life.
Sadly, his wonderful dream was shattered in no time.
Smack!
Emmanuel casually lifted his left hand and grabbed hold of that club.
No matter how Yenyl struggled, he could not move the club, not even for the
slightest.
What? This guy sure has some terrifying strength!
Without a choice, Yenyl accepted the harsh fact that Emmanuel’s capability
and strength were far more impressive than his. He released his grip on the
club, intending to find somewhere to hide again.
worried that I’ll find out about it?”
Emmanuel was still lenient toward him at that point.
In the next second, he walked toward Yenyl’s computer, intending to find out
“No! Don’t touch my computer!”
Sensing that Yenyl was reacting out of his guilty conscience, Emmanuel
retaliated and warned, “You’d better stay still! Otherwise, don’t blame me for
not holding back!”
“Don’t look, Mackenzie!”
Emmanuel a knowing look and curled the corners of her lips into a smirk.
Emmanuel felt his cheeks burning up. What the hell? What kind of expression
is that? Why does it feel like she’s laughing at me?
“M–Mackenzie? Gorgeous, is your name Mackenzie? You’re Mackenzie
make it sound like he knows her?
Emmanuel felt as if he had been electrocuted. But before he started to have
wild thoughts, he traced Mackenzie’s line of sight and spotted a folder’s
“Mackenzie!”
Emmanuel froze. What’s going on? This fatso has a folder of candid videos
saved under my wife’s name!
Chapter 167
Bang!
The cup shattered, and blood gushed from the man’s wounded head.
Emmanuel didn’t see his wife’s actions as violent but rather satisfying. He
did you start secretly filming her?”
He had no idea whether Emmanuel was telling the truth or not.
How can Yeringham’s number one beauty turn out to be his wife?Is the
could she possibly grace him with her presence?
“Emmanuel, don’t waste time talking to him. Teach him a lesson!” Mackenzie
She felt a surge of disgust and, with no bodyguards around, she turned to her
the man in his face.
Having once been a Wolf Warrior in the Northern Region, Emmanuel was able
“You pervert! How dare you covet my wife! Rot in h*!!!”
one stronger than the last.
“That’s enough. Don’t actually beat him to death!” Mackenzie reluctantly
interjected.
Strangely, she didn’t feel repulsed when she witnessed Emmanuel lose
control and resort to physical aggression on her behalf. In fact, she found it
However, Emmanuel couldn’t help but caution her, “Ms. Quillen, you should be
her surprise, he nodded earnestly. “Yes, at that moment, it felt like a volcano
erupted inside me! I felt so disturbed, and even now, I can’t shake off the
feeling!”
prevent such things from happening. I promise I won’t let other men touch
me from now on.”
After all, she was the CEO of Terence Group and the heiress of the Quillen
“All right!”
Only then did Emmanuel regain his composure and began searching
Yeny! had never anticipated anyone delving into his affairs, so he hadn’t
Emmanuel muttered in disbelief, “Thirty thousand in a single transaction.
orchestrate such a targeted smear campaign. Yet, the question lingered-
who was behind this relentless a*sault on his reputation?
After contemplating for a short while, Mackenzie deduced, “It must be the
Verkades!”
him. Mackenzie’s suspicions about his involvement, while likely accurate,
“It’s getting late, Ms. Quillen, and Greendale Village is quite a remote location.
identity. She couldn’t reveal herself as the daughter of the Quillen family.
grandfather’s message. She couldn’t help but wonder if there were any
hidden motives behind his proposal.
for me, so never doubt that I am a man again!”
Oh… So, that’s what he meant…
Although Emmanuel had provided proof of his gender, Mackenzie regarded
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