Chapter 160

Chapter 160 After listening to Ryder’s story about his marriage, Mackenzie broke into a disdainful smirk. It was clearly a clichéd story of an honest man marrying a woman pregnant with another man’s child. She was just surprised that it happened to one of her relatives. “Men of the Lowe family are truly idiots!” Her words indirectly insulted Emmanuel again, yet he didn’t utter a word of protest. The truth was that he wasn’t in a much better situation than Ryder. To a certain extent, he might actually be worse off. After all, he and Mackenzie had a blitz marriage after meeting each other only once. The interaction they shared was lesser than that of Ryder and Abellyn. At the very least, Ryder and Abellyn were intimate before getting hitched. In contrast to them, he had still not held Mackenzie’s hand. With that in mind, Emmanuel burst into sudden laughter. “That’s right. I don’t deny that we’re idiots. That said, I think I’m a lot luckier than Ryder is!” “What’s that supposed to mean?” When Mackenzie gave him an abrupt stare, Emmanuel explained with a blissful smile, “You’re not only more beautiful than Abellyn, but your character is also so much better than hers. When I first married you for the sake of placating my mother, I admit I was taking a huge risk. But thank God we’re relatively happy now, aren’t we?” Mackenzie pouted on purpose. “Hmph, you’re the one who’s happy, not me!” “Did I do anything to upset you, Ms. Quillen?” Emmanuel inquired immediately. “Isn’t it obvious? You’re still being attacked online. If the matter escalates, I’m afraid I–as your wife–will be dragged into it sooner or later!” “Ah! I–I’m so sorry. I’ll deal with it immediately,” Emmanuel apologized. Back when he declared that he would face it alone, he neglected the fact that he had a lawfully wedded wife. If the online bullying continued, Mackenzie would inadvertently be embroiled in it. “That’s why you’re an idiot. Anyway, what do you plan to do?” “Roselynn and I will reply to every accusation to demonstrate our innocence and prove that our accusers have twisted the facts. That’s how we’re going to execute our counterattack. However, we do face one problem–the ghostwriters hired by our accusers. We don’t have enough funds to hire our own ghostwriters to fight them and also to boost our post.” “That’s not a problem at all!” The issue that was frustrating Emmanuel was no more than a trivial one to Mackenzie. “I’ve plenty of friends in the media who can publish your clarification. As for hiring ghostwriters and boosting your post, I have plenty of money to do so.”  “Thank you, Ms. Quillen!” After expressing his gratitude, Emmanuel added confidently, “Actually, there’s no need to pay for boosting the post. As long as a member of the press publishes our clarification online and showcases the evidence we have, I’m  sure the public would take our side out of a sense of justice.” From the conviction Emmanuel showed, Mackenzie had no doubt that he had made the necessary preparations. On top of having full faith in his character, she was also certain that whoever attempted to throw false accusations at him would definitely be made to pay a heavy price. Emmanuel continued, “I refuse to believe that Granddad and Jamison are powerful enough to do this. I’m sure someone else is helping them behind the scenes, and I’ll definitely get to the bottom of this!”  Mackenzie nodded in agreement. If Emmanuel’s granddad and his family were that capable, they wouldn’t have to go all out just to cheat tens of thousands. It seems there’s more to the matter than meets the eye!  “In that case, we should let the matter fester a while more. The bigger the issue becomes, the more powerful our reprisal will be.” Mackenzie offered, “For now, I’ll help you find out who in the world is behind this!” “Thank you, Ms. Quillen!” Emmanuel expressed his gratitude again, as the woman’s assistance had simplified the matter significantly. She responded with a haughty smile, “Don’t thank me. I just don’t want to be plagued by your problems.” Emmanuel’s heart warmed in spite of her words. Upon returning to her room, Mackenzie put Lexi to work. She ordered the latter to investigate who was behind the malicious article and was spending  money to boost the topic. As for Emmanuel, he went off to prepare lunch instead of joining Mackenzie in her room. Once lunch was served, he received a call from Terence.  “What is it, Grandpa?”  “Manny, I’ve just learned that you’re a victim of online bullying. How are you coping?” Even though Terence was the chairman of Terence Group, the daily operations of the company were left to the younger members of the family. Given that the female members of the Quillen family ran the government and private sectors of Yeringham, there was little left for him to do. His greatest concern now was when Emmanuel and his eldest  granddaughter would bear him a great–grandchild. Therefore, he was calling to find out more about the situation so that he can crush whoever that was causing his grandson–in–law trouble. “Grandpa, I’m fine. Something as trivial as this won’t destroy me, so don’t worry. Mackenzie has returned to help me deal with it,” Emmanuel quickly replied, touched by Terence’s concern. He was filled with gratitude especially when he thought of how Ryder and his own mother treated him. I can’t believe how nice Mackenzie’s family is! “Oh, Mackenzie?”  The reply triggered a rush of excitement in Terence. All this while, he was worried that Mackenzie was just too cold, making any intimacy with Emmanuel difficult. If the situation continued, Terence’s dreams for a great–grandchild might never come to fruition. The fact that Mackenzie had gone home to assist Emmanuel in resolving the issue was a testament to her feelings for him. It was a sign that elevated the old man’s hopes for a great–grandchild significantly. “All right then. I’ll let both of you take care of it. Let me know if it becomes too  much for you.” Terence subsequently hung up with a gleeful smile, for he clearly wasn’t a  fool. Despite his desire to help Emmanuel resolve the crisis, it wasn’t lost upon him that this was a wonderful opportunity for the married couple to bond. As someone who had gotten wiser with age, he knew better than anyone else that time was needed for any couple to strengthen their relationship. Even those who had no feelings for each other would grow so attached with time that they wouldn’t be able to leave their partner. I just can’t wait… Haha… “Who was it?”  Mackenzie saw Emmanuel put down the phone when she emerged from the room. “Um, your grandpa.” “What? Grandpa?”  Mackenzie sounded surprised. Grandpa doesn’t go on the internet, let alone  keep up with the trending topics. How did he find out about the matter? The fact that Terence had called Emmanuel immediately showed how much he cared about his grandson–in–law. The thought triggered another bout of jealousy in Mackenzie, who wondered if Terence had mixed up their genders. Since when do elders care more about their grandsons–in–law than their own granddaughters? “Mmm–hmm, Grandpa said that we should inform him if we can’t manage this by ourselves.” Sᴇaʀ*ᴄh the Findηovel.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. After Emmanuel relayed Terence’s words to Mackenzie, the latter snorted in response. There’s no problem too difficult for me, let alone something as trivial as this. Terence’s words were not just an insult to her but an indication of his favor over Emmanuel. She was naturally outraged and jealous over it. “Let’s just eat first, Ms. Quillen. Only by having regular meals can you maintain  a healthy stomach.” Emmanuel’s statement washed over Mackenzie, dissolving her sour emotions and replacing them with a comforting warmth. Since Grandpa doesn’t spoil me, I’m glad my husband does.