In relationships, the party who takes the initiative is often perceived as desperate and inferior. As a result, when Emmanuel and his family arrived at Milani Zimmerman's house, she wore an even more arrogant expression than she did at the café.
Milani's mother, Melody Claus, shared the same smugness when she heard about the Lowe family's intentions. "If your son wants to marry my daughter, you'll need to provide us with a betrothal gift of five hundred thousand," she demanded, raising her hand. "We won't settle for anything less!"
Emmanuel's heart sank immediately. "Oh my goodness! Five hundred thousand? Is she trying to sell her daughter?"
However, Alessandra clenched her teeth and reluctantly agreed. "T-That's fine! I'll do anything to ensure my son can get married, even if it means selling our house to fulfill the betrothal gift."
But the question remained, how would she afford 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!" Milani suddenly said.
That, however, was the last straw for Emmanuel. "Are
you guys marrying off your daughter or selling her? I
don't mind paying this much if she's coming 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?" Milani
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, Milani's younger brother, Jacob Zimmerman,
suddenly appeared with a cocky grin plastered on his
face. "Haha! Don't forget about me, Milani! 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, Milani decided to hold him to his word.
"Hah! You'd better remember what you just said! In
that case, I'll leave you to plan 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 playing 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!" Milani
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 exasperated laugh, 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
commotion and almost dropped their jaws when they
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
café?
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 café!"
Needless to say, everyone was stunned.
Roselynn couldn't hide her excitement and gripped her
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
café?
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 collapsed in shock.
Milani 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 become 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
Milani 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-" Milani 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-in-law!
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 accept the gifts, especially since he
knew he hadn't done anything to deserve them.
However, it wasn't the time and place 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.
16/18
"How could you have made such remarks earlier,
Milani? Do you think it's easy to find a millionaire these
days?" Melody berated.
"W-What should I do now, then?"
In all honesty, Milani was at a complete loss. She had
gone on several blind dates to find a rich husband who
could give her a life of luxury.
Alas, who knew she'd let a multi-millionaire slip right
through her fingers?
"What else can we do? They've already come to our
place to ask for your hand in marriage. Can't we do the
same?" Melody suggested.
Jacob, who was just as anxious, instantly exclaimed, "I
don't care, Milani! 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!" Milani replied with a long sigh.
Argh! Emmanuel and I left on such bad terms… Would
he still care about me?
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. My late father taught
me not to accept things I don't deserve. I can't be
accepting such expensive gifts simply for helping you,"
Emmanuel replied firmly.
Roselynn could only let out a helpless sigh when she
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 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 accept 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
Milani.
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
comply obediently.
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!
9/78
"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
still single because most guys are intimidated by her!
"Of course I do! I wouldn't have come here otherwise!"
10/20
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
too late 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 nonchalant 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 minutes later, 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
had come 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 place
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?"
15/20
Emmanuel refused to accept the keys as his pride and
honor would not let him do so.
"Take the keys!" Mackenzie ordered coldly.
That authoritative tone and penetrating gaze were all
it took to make Emmanuel comply.
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 accept 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 and complained 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
similarly 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
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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 plans regarding our
life as a married couple," Emmanuel continued with a
serious look on his face.