Love at the Wrong Table

Chapter 1

“I know, Mom. I’m in front of the café. Call you later!”

Emmanuel Lowe hung up on his mother impatiently.

The twenty-eight-year-old man had never been in a

relationship.

After spending seven years in the army, he retired from

the military and worked at a hospital in Yeringham for

three years.

He was a gynecologist at the hospital and made

eighty thousand a year.

Worried he would end up old and alone, Emmanuel’s

mother urged him to settle down. Since he had no idea

where to begin when it came to dating, his mother

took matters into her own hands and set him up on

multiple blind dates.

Thanks to her efforts, he had gone on seventeen blind

dates so far.

Alas, wedding bells were clearly not on the horizon for

Emmanuel. It was frustrating. He knew he was just

going through the motions at that point.

“Help! Someone help me!”

Right before Emmanuel entered the café, he heard

someone calling out weakly for help.

you for your kindness!” replied the old man with a

smile.

Emmanuel realized then that the old man’s attire was

at odds with his airs. Despite his tattered clothes, the

old man’s clean hands looked like those of a man

accustomed to wealth.

Still, he had no time to satisfy his curiosity. After

confirming that the old man was unharmed,

Emmanuel rushed into the café for his blind date. He

never once considered being repaid for his kind act

earlier.

The café was massive and practically structured like a

maze.

Emmanuel’s mother mentioned that his blind date was

seated at table number eight. He wandered through

the confusing café, but before he could locate the

correct table, he stumbled into a special area.

The lighting was softer there, and the floor was

scattered with fresh petals.

The sweet scent of flowers wafted through the air. He

wondered if he had set foot in heaven.

Emmanuel raised his eyes and immediately froze.

A beautiful, elegant woman sat before a table in the

room.

It was no exaggeration to say she embodied

perfection itself.

The heavens clearly decided to shower all their favors

on her.

The woman quietly sipped her coffee with her legs

crossed neatly to the side. On the table was a

non-translated copy of The Power Broker.

When she noticed Emmanuel barging into the room,

she looked up at him in confusion and disgust.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

When Emmanuel recovered from the shock of

stumbling upon the beautiful stranger, he realized his

heart was about to beat its way out of his chest.

Never once had he ever felt so attracted to a woman

in his twenty-eight years of life.

The countless female bodies he had seen in his work

as a gynecologist hardly appealed to him. At some

point, he even wondered if he was attracted to women

at all.

Against all odds, it seemed, the young woman before

him made his heart race like a runaway horse.

Am I simply nervous, or am I already attracted to her?

More surprisingly, Emmanuel noticed a large number

eight sign on the woman’s table.

She’s my blind date?

He took a deep breath to calm himself before

approaching her table and taking a seat opposite her.

The young woman’s expression grew increasingly

flabbergasted. There was even a hint of hostility in her

pretty eyes.

The audacity of this man! Barging into my private

room is bad enough, but he’s going to sit opposite me

like it’s nobody’s business?

More surprisingly, Emmanuel noticed a large number

eight sign on the woman’s table.

She’s my blind date?

He took a deep breath to calm himself before

approaching her table and taking a seat opposite her.

The young woman’s expression grew increasingly

flabbergasted. There was even a hint of hostility in her

pretty eyes.

The audacity of this man! Barging into my private

room is bad enough, but he’s going to sit opposite me

like it’s nobody’s business?

Emmanuel ignored her expression. It was not the first

time a woman had scoffed at him.

They were free to go their separate ways after getting

the blind date done and over with.

He introduced himself, declaring, “Hi! My name is

Emmanuel Lowe. I’m twenty-eight years old, and I work

as a gynecologist. I make eighty thousand a year and

don’t own a car or a house.”

Any man would need an incredible amount of courage

to say such things to a woman, but Emmanuel

appeared unusually calm and unfazed.

The young woman stared at him in shock. A moment

later, her lips curved into a smirk, and she replied with

an introduction of her own.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Mackenzie Quillen. I’m

twenty-seven years old with dual doctorates in

finance and business administration from Harvard

University. I made three billion last year, and I have a

car and a house.”

Emmanuel was stunned.

What the heck is happening?

He always thought women on blind dates came with

red flags.

Mackenzie, however, was arguably flawless.

Where’s the catch? Perhaps she’s mental? Or crippled?

Or infertile?

All sorts of fantastical theories filled Emmanuel’s mind.

Mackenzie smirked at his perplexed expression. The

pride in her cool gaze was evident.

She deliberately introduced herself to put the stranger

in a difficult spot and intimidate him into retreating.

As expected, awkward silence lingered in the air after

her words.

Urgh, forget it!

Whether Mackenzie was telling the truth was beside

the point. Emmanuel decided to go through all the

motions so he could at least mollify his mother, even if

the date did not result in a trip to the altar.

He declared, “I don’t make much, but if you decide to

date me, I promise I’ll always protect and cherish you.

I’ll take over all the household chores so you can be a

queen at home. Of course, I hope you’ll allow me to

preserve my masculine pride in front of my family. If we

do get married, I can give you about five to six

thousand every month.”

It was a well-worn script that Emmanuel recited in a

single breath.

Mackenzie was dumbfounded at his earnest

expression and apparent lack of shame at his much

lower salary.

A long while later, she burst into a chuckle.

She had never met a man who could humor her so.

“What are you laughing about?” Unimpressed by her

reaction, Emmanuel continued, “I know I don’t check all

the boxes, but I promise I’ll be a good and responsible

husband if we’re married!”

Mackenzie failed to keep in her snigger.

An annoyed Emmanuel demanded, “Why are you

laughing, Ms. Quillen? Don’t you think you’re being

rather rude?”

“Sir, you’re a very good man!” Mackenzie stopped

smiling and retorted coldly, “But I think you’re the

confused one here. I’m not here for a blind date!”

Huh? What is going on?

Emmanuel’s eyes widened in horror as he sputtered,

“Isn’t this table number eight?”

“Yes, but this is the VIP area. You must be looking for

table number eight in the common dining area. Please

go out and turn right!” She pointed a slender finger at

the exit.

“I… Sorry! I’m so sorry! I mixed things up!”

Emmanuel wished he could sink into the floor in

embarrassment. He jumped to his feet, ready to make

a hasty escape.

That was so embarrassing! How could I sit at the

wrong table for a blind date? No wonder she was

laughing so much. She must have thought I was

shooting above my weight!

Shortly after Emmanuel’s departure, an old man

entered Mackenzie’s private room, escorted by four

black-clad bodyguards.

Emmanuel would have been astonished if he was still

around. The old man was none other than the stranger

he had helped earlier in front of the café!

He implored, “Perhaps this is fate, Mackenzie. You’re

twenty-seven, but you’ve never been in a relationship

because of your misandry. No man would dare come

near you! But that young man succeeded! He’s also a

kind and just person. A while ago, he helped me

outside the café and didn’t expect a reward for his

actions!”

The old man’s true identity was Terence Quillen,

chairman of Yeringham’s premier financial

corporation.

While his wealth could trump that of entire nations, he

had a major regret in life.

Terence had had three sons who tragically passed

away before him. They either had no children of their

own or only left daughters behind.

Mackenzie was Terence’s favorite granddaughter and

next-in-line to helm Terence Group.

Her intelligence and charisma did not change the fact.

that she was a woman.

Before Terence met his maker, he wished his favorite

granddaughter could give him a great-grandchild.

That spurred him to fake his fall in front of the café and

scout a decent man for his granddaughter. To his

surprise, the young man who helped him earlier made

a blunder of his own blind date and ended up meeting

Mackenzie instead.

Mackenzie remained stoically unmoved by her

grandfather’s words. “Grandpa, he may have passed

your test, but he hasn’t passed mine. I’ll marry him if he

aces my test.”

She wanted to fulfill her grandfather’s wish, but she

naturally wished to promise herself to a good man.

Marrying a man after one blind date was simply too

hasty and careless.

Terence’s gaze lit up expectantly, and he replied, “All

right! I’m sure he will pass your test!”