Chapter 7
Being the magnanimous man that he was, Emmanuel cast aside all his displeasure as soon as he
found the apartment and dragged his luggage in with him. The unit was huge—more than twice the
size of his three-bedroom home—and the interior was lavishly decorated. The four-bedroom apartment
felt a bit like a maze on one’s first visit. One thing that Emmanuel noticed, however, was that although
the unit was fully furnished, there didn’t seem to be any fast-moving consumer goods. That means she
probably doesn’t live here on a regular basis. Rich people sure love wasting what they have, huh? I
shared an eighty-square-foot home with two family members, while this woman bought a two-hundred-
square-foot apartment and left it unoccupied. If her grandfather hadn’t forced her to get married, and
she needed to use this place to keep me, it probably would’ve stayed empty forever. The man scoffed
at his own thoughts. Wait, “keep me?” I just made myself sound like I’m living off her. That’s not what
I’m here for! I just needed to find a woman to spend my days with, and we’re both getting something
out of each other. Besides, I still have to pay her five grand every month! It’s pretty much the same as
paying rent. Out of the four bedrooms, only the biggest one had multiple closets filled with brand-new
clothes. This must be her lair. There was an array of shirts and coats, but only three pairs of underwear
—all of which were either fully white or black and made of cotton. What a waste of a body like that.
Why doesn’t she wear something spicier? Despite thinking that, Emmanuel had no interest in touching
her clothes and walked away. Then, he picked the bedroom furthest from hers as his own. Considering
how much Mackenzie hated men, he knew he was better off staying as far away from her as possible.
Rumble. Feeling his stomach growl again, Emmanuel headed into the kitchen. Seriously? All this
premium cookware and equipment, but no food! What’s the point? Am I supposed to eat a frying pan?
Thus, the man decided it was time to make a trip down to the nearby supermarket. Since he couldn’t go
back to his family for now, he could only make this place his new home. He was so hungry that he
bought himself a bun before doing his grocery shopping. Back at Terence Group, the meeting had just
ended, and Mackenzie glanced at the time. It was already past nine. Per usual, her mind was filled with
work as she walked over to her Bentley. The driver took her in the direction of the family mansion.
“Stop!” she called out halfway through the journey. “What’s the matter, Ms. Quillen?” the driver
immediately hit the brakes and asked politely. The woman naturally didn’t answer him. In fact, she had
only just remembered that she was now married, and Terence had warned her not to return to the
Quillen family mansion until she had given birth. A woman should be wherever her husband was; this
was the country’s millennium-long tradition. Regardless of her status, she still had to live with her
husband now that she was married. “Turn around. Take me to Yociam Residence.” “Yes, Ms. Quillen.”
That was all the driver responded with, despite his curiosity. As Mackenzie’s only remaining male
driver, he wasn’t going to risk losing his high-paying job by being careless with his words. It was past
ten when Emmanuel returned to the apartment. He had left the lights on when leaving, so he didn’t
realize Mackenzie was already home, especially since the place looked as tidy as before. Drenched in
sweat after grocery shopping, the man took off his shirt and walked toward the bathroom, only to freeze
on the spot the moment he opened the door. He stared wide-eyed at the woman in the tub, having lost
his ability to blink. Mackenzie was enjoying a bubble bath with her legs sticking out of the tub, her pink
toes looking like flower buds in a field of snow. Even though the bathtub was filled with bubbles,
Emmanuel could still vaguely see what was underneath the water from where he was standing. The
woman’s figure was stunning beyond description, and her skin shimmered like moonstone. Thump.
Thump. Emmanuel’s heart began to race again, and this time, it was ten times faster. Having seen so
many women as a gynecologist, he had never felt anything. However, this time, he knew Mackenzie
was different from the rest. “Are you done staring? Do you want me to carve out your eyes?” Instead of
screaming, the woman threatened him icily and glared at him with eyes that could kill. She never
locked the bathroom door as she was used to staying alone, but she now regretted not doing that. “I’m
sorry, Ms. Quillen. I didn’t know you were back.” Feeling goosebumps all over his skin, Emmanuel
hurriedly fled. Despite acting calm initially, he leaned against the wall immediately upon exiting the
bathroom and gasped for air. Any second of delay, and I’d probably be dead. This is exactly the
problem with blitz marriages. You don’t know the other person’s habits. Her eyes were so scary, but my
God, every inch of that body was just unreal. To think that even he, a gynecologist, would feel this way.
Meanwhile, Mackenzie clutched her chest while inside the bathtub. While she had managed to play it
cool when the man walked in, she now felt completely on edge after he left. I can’t believe a man saw
my body! Sure, he’s my husband, and it’s not like he was being creepy or anything, but still! I feel so
grossed out! “I knew getting married was a bad idea…” The woman sighed helplessly. What if it’s all on
purpose? She had always been distrusting of others since she was young, and when Emmanuel
passed her two tests so easily, she began suspecting him of having ulterior motives. I bet he knows I’m
loaded, but he pretended not to care about any of that just because Grandpa was testing him.
Mackenzie refused to believe that there was someone with no desires in this world, especially a man.
However, she could only keep up the act since she had no proof. After her bath, Mackenzie walked into
the living room. Emmanuel was sitting on the couch and pressing the remote button aimlessly when he
glanced up and noticed her. Then, he felt his body tense up. “Ms. Quillen, from now on, could you
please put on some underwear after your bath?” Emmanuel requested sincerely. What kind of man
could resist such a beautiful and alluring woman like Mackenzie walking around in nothing but a thin
nightgown? Even Emmanuel, who had a higher resistance due to his profession, could feel his body
temperature rising. “Hmph! It’s not like I knew you’d be waiting for me out here in the living room.” The
woman stared at him with frosty eyes. What woman wears her underwear after a bath? That’s such a
hassle! She loved living without care, so having a man in her house now made things unbearable for
her. “I’ll go to my room, then.” Emmanuel got up to make his escape. This woman’s way too cold. I
thought of having a chat with her to win her over slowly, but I guess I overestimated myself. I don’t even
know what to say to her now! How am I supposed to continue living with her? As Beatrix had
anticipated, he was beginning to waver. Yet, the man heard a loud thud the moment he turned to leave.
He then glanced back and saw Mackenzie kneeling on the floor, seemingly in pain. The sight of her
collar loosening while she had no undergarments on made Emmanuel feel as though his soul had been
captured. “Ms. Quillen! What’s wrong?”