A Whirlwind Marriage with the Beautiful CEO novel Chapter 1

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!” 

E