Chapter 24
“Roselynn, what are you doing? It hurts!”
Roselynn, having just changed, was shocked to see her brother with a Band-Aid on his body and a bandage on his back. Impulsively, she slapped him on the shoulder.
Emmanuel, being human, cried out in pain. Alessandra, engrossed in matters concerning her daughter-in-law, hadn't noticed. Realizing he’d been concealing his injuries, she anxiously asked, “Manny, how did you get hurt?”
Not wanting to worry his family, Emmanuel lied, “Don’t worry, Mom. I accidentally fell down, that’s all.”
“Fell down? That’s a lie. You’re obviously hurt. Did someone hit you or throw something at you?”
Roselynn’s voice grew agitated. “Manny, be honest with—”
Emmanuel nearly coughed up blood in exasperation. “Roselynn, how could you think that way about my wife? This has nothing to do with her!” He couldn’t bring himself to say Mackenzie hadn’t hit him, as she had, in fact, kicked him twice, leaving his waist aching.
“Manny, be honest with me. How did you get hurt?” Alessandra, determined to get to the bottom of things, feared his stubborn pride would prevent him from confiding in her.
“Some scoundrels tried to take advantage of Mackenzie, so I fought with them and ended up getting hurt,” Emmanuel explained. While he embellished, the ruffians were causing trouble on Mackenzie’s project, and she was the reason he’d fought them.
“Oh, I see. Good job, Manny! I love that you’re so protective of your wife!” Roselynn relaxed, giving him a thumbs-up. After all, the male leads in her favorite TV dramas were all so manly.
“It’s almost time, Roselynn. Let’s go!” Emmanuel, wanting to avoid his mother’s nagging, changed the subject, urging Roselynn to leave.
Alessandra grabbed his arm. “Manny, remember to find Roselynn a good man at the party. He doesn’t have to be rich, as long as he’s a person of integrity!” She knew why her daughter, despite being in her thirties, remained single. She’d introduced many men to Roselynn, but Roselynn harshly criticized them all—too short, too ugly, or too meek—scaring them away. Alessandra knew Roselynn’s inflexibility would prevent marriage.
“Got it, Mom,” Emmanuel hastily replied, thinking finding Roselynn a husband would be harder than finding himself a wife.
The siblings hailed a taxi and left. Roselynn spent the journey swooning over potential bachelors at the party.
Chapter 24: How Did You Get Hurt?
“Manny, have you heard of the four prominent families in Yeringham?”
“Yeah.”
Emmanuel’s curt reply concealed his knowledge that those four families didn’t exist. This wasn’t a television show; determining the number of prominent Yeringham families involved in commerce was impossible.