Chapter 42

“What? You want to borrow money from me again?” Mackenzie furrowed her brows. “How much?”

“Three thousand. Can you spare it?”

Mackenzie was annoyed by his request. She had previously offered him an allowance, which he refused out of chauvinistic pride. Yet, he kept borrowing money from her repeatedly. "Men are such prideful creatures! What a joke!" she thought.

“I’ll definitely pay you back once I receive my salary.”

“Pay me back? How much do you earn? How are you going to keep your promise of giving me five thousand a month?” Mackenzie asked sarcastically, silencing Emmanuel.

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Money really makes the world go round. Given how little I make, I can’t even pay back three thousand, let alone give her five!

“I’ll definitely think of something. I can even get a second job!”

Hearing this, Mackenzie sneered and ended the call.

Emmanuel, sitting at home, sighed in resignation as the call ended. He had wanted to take his mother to the hospital for treatment, budgeting three thousand for the visit. Unfortunately, he had lent all his money to Frederick.

Ding!

A moment later, he received a fund transfer notification for thirty thousand on his phone. Mackenzie had added a message: "Mr. Lowe, if you need money next time, just say so instead of clinging to your pride unnecessarily."

Truth be told, she was happy to give him an allowance, not just because he needed money for household expenses, but also because he deserved a reward for helping her with the strategic warehouse project.

Nevertheless, Emmanuel felt his pride was hurt, and he gritted his teeth as he replied: “Thank you, Ms. Quillen. I’ll definitely return the money to you!”

Mackenzie was subsequently annoyed by his message. Why is he behaving like a stranger when we're husband and wife?

Meanwhile, Alessandra had gone to Benny’s house to borrow money.

“Alessandra, I don’t have any money to spare.” Benny avoided her when he realized she wanted a loan. “We just bought a new house, and Jack needs to pay more than ten thousand in monthly installments for his Porsche. How am I to lend you any money when we can barely cover our monthly expenses? Why don’t you check with Chester instead?”

Grimacing and placing her hand on her abdomen, Alessandra said, pale-faced, “Benny, I promise to pay you back within the month, all right?”

If it weren’t for the excruciating kidney pain, she would never have come to Benny for a loan. She knew Benny’s personality and their financial situation.

Benny owned a scrap metal business. Even though business wasn't as bustling as in the past, he had made more than ten million over the last twenty years. Therefore, even after his spending, he likely still had a few million left.

Unfortunately, Alessandra didn’t expect him to be so stingy. He wasn’t even willing to lend her a paltry three thousand.

“Alessandra, read my lips. I don’t have any money to lend you. Nothing you say will change that fact.”

Irritated by her persistence, Benny bellowed, “Why don’t you ask your son for money instead? Isn’t it embarrassing that his mother needs to borrow money, despite him being a grown man?”

Alessandra waved her hands frantically, defending her son: “I came here on my own accord. He didn’t ask me to do it.”

“What’s the difference? Your son is a good-for-nothing!”

Once Benny started, he couldn’t stop. “Look at my son. He’s only twenty-seven and is preparing for his second baby. As for Emmanuel, he’s already twenty-eight but isn’t even married. And now, he can’t even take care of his own mother! He’s nothing but a disgrace to the Lowe family!”

Alessandra turned and said, “Stop! I’m leaving… I’ll leave now!”

At that moment, she was struck by life's cruelties. Even though she failed to get a loan, after a short deliberation, she turned around. “By the way, Benny, Manny is married and will come home early next month. I’d like to invite your family over for a meal then!”

Alessandra had to stand up for her son. Who says he can’t get a wife?

Benny was jolted by the revelation and grinned. “Good. I’ll definitely come over with a huge wedding gift!”

What kind of wife can he get with an annual salary of eighty thousand? She must be poor and ugly. When the time comes, my son can show off his beautiful wife instead!

This revised version improves grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure for better flow and readability. It also removes unnecessary italics. The italicized thoughts are kept as they are more like internal monologues.