Love at Novel 2219
Love at the Wrong Table
Chapter 2219 A Complex Power Struggle!
âIt has been a long time, but seeing you again doesnât make me happy.â
In the end, as a leader, Mackenzie responded to Gautier
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âHaha, I know why youâre unhappy, but I have to say, Iâm quite pleased to see you.â Gautier laughed heartily. âLooks like weâre really in syncâwe even picked the same place to host our dinner parties.â
Mackenzie merely sneered.
Emmanuel, however, wasnât nearly as polite. âLooks like youâre still as shameless, hypocritical, and disgusting as ever.â
âHahaâ¦â Gautier let out a hearty laugh. âThanks! Coming from you, thatâs actually a compliment. After all, every single person standing behind me sees you as an enemy.â
Emmanuelâs gaze swept past Gautier, taking in the faces behind him.
Sure enough, many of them were glaring at him with barely restrained hostility. Some looked like they would have lunged at him if not for their companions holding them back.
But Emmanuel ignored their animosity entirely. Instead, he said, âSince our paths are different, thereâs no point in wasting time here. Mackenzie, letâs go inside.â
âAlright.â Mackenzie nodded, leading the Nuthana and West End representatives into the hotel, heading to the left wing.
Gautier, unfazed, smirked and led his group toward the right wing.
Though Veronica hadnât refused to accommodate Gautierâs people, she still made sure Nathan went to the left wing.
âMaster, you wonât hold this against my sister, will you? Nathan hurriedly walked up to Emmanuel, a hint of nervousness in his voice. The last thing he wanted was to strain his relationship with his mentor.
But there was nothing he could doâVeronica had learned from their father, and in business, neutrality was often the safest route. Especially now, when the stakes were this highâa wrong move could jeopardize the Chapman familyâs future.
Supporting Emmanuelâs side already came with great risks. If Mackenzie lost and Teddy and Catherine secured control over both commerce and politics, the Chapman family could very well be crushed.
âItâs fine. I understand why she did it.â
Emmanuel wasnât bothered by Veronicaâs decision. With three of the Four Great Aristocratic Families backing Teddy, the fact that she had managed to stay neutral was already impressive. Not to mention, she still leaned toward supporting his side.
After all, at the end of the day, she was just running a business.
What he was more concerned about was why Magnus was standing behind Gautier
It made no sense. In the past, it had been Gautier who food behind Magnus.
Sat, Feb 22
Chapter 2219 A Complex Power Struggle!
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This shift was insane.
Just then, Mackenzie gently tugged on Emmanuelâs hard, pulling him aside. âHattie just texted me. She wants to know if we have time to talk.â
Emmanuel hesitated for a moment before asking, âWhat do you think?â
He wasnât in a rush to meet themâhe wanted to be on the same page with his wife first.
âI know you might doubt Magnus, but I will never doubt Hattie. Sheâs my good friend. The moment we turned enemies into allies, I chose to trust her,â Mackenzie said firmly.
Emmanuel nodded slightly. He could trust Hattie, but Magnus was another matter entirely.
Back when Magnus went to the West End to help Mackenzie, it had been nothing more than a deal between them. There had never been true loyalty involved.
âIf youâre uneasy, go talk to Magnus. Iâll stay here and host our people.â Mackenzie remained composed.
She didnât need to have a long discussion with Hattieâshe just needed to trust her.
âAlright.â
After speaking with Mackenzie, Emmanuel made up his mind. He would meet with Magnus.
Soon, he arrived at a small pavilion by the lake outside the hotel.
It wasnât long before Magnus appeared, carrying the same air of pride he always didâa slight smirk on his lips as if he held the upper hand.
âSo? Now that Maxwell is dead, did the Zelinsky family finally accept you?â Emmanuel asked without preamble. âLet me guessâif Teddy Tanner becomes Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce, then Catherine Zelinsky has a shot at becoming President, and youâll be groomed as their successor?â
âHahaâ¦â Magnus laughed. âYou really are deceptively sharp. You donât look all that smart, but somehow, you always see the full picture.â
Emmanuel wasnât in the mood for games. He got straight to the point. âWhen you returned to your family that night, thatâs exactly what your father told you, didnât he? And thatâs why youâve chosen to become my enemy again?â
At the end of the day, the two of them were never truly friends.
âThatâs exactly what he said.â Magnus finally dropped his playful tone, his expression turning serious. âHe told me I would be the next Zelinsky heir. And he also made it clearâif Mackenzie defeats Tanner, I have to find a way to eliminate both of you.â
Emmanuel wasnât surprised. When it came to Chanaea power struggles, backstabbing and bloodshed were par for the course. What did surprise him, however, was Magnusâ honesty in admitting it.
âSo why are you telling me this now?â Emmanuel chuckled. âDonât tell me youâre having second thoughts about killing me I wouldnât believe that for a second.
âHaha, well⦠maybe just a little.â Magnus laughed again before adding, âAfter all, we ve worked together before. But if I truly had the chance to take everything wouldnât hesitate to kill you.
12:31 Sat, Feb 22.
Chapter 2219 A Complex Power Struggle!
âYou never sugarcoat, do you?â Emmanuel smiled.
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At least Magnus was directâunlike Gautier, who always pretended to be something he wasnât. That kind of false civility was disgusting.
âJudging by what you just said, you think your father is lying to you,â Emmanuel probed further.
Magnus nodded, his gaze darkening. âThere are only two possibilitiesâeither he really has no choice but to name me his successor, or Maxwell Zelinsky isnât actually dead, and my father is using me to take you down.â
Emmanuel felt a chill run down his spine.
âAnd thatâs exactly why I wanted to talk to you,â Magnus continued, his eyes turning sharp. âAre you absolutely sure the man you killed that night was Maxwell?â
âThat was indeed his face.â Emmanuel shrugged. âBut I left immediately after dealing with himâI never stayed to confirm if it was a body double. Given how skilled your family is at using decoys, I wouldnât be surprised if it was a fake.â
Magnus fell silentâthat was precisely what he suspected.
Hattie was an expert in crafting hyperârealistic disguisesâa skill that had been passed down in their family for generations. The Zelinskys were politicians, and using body doubles was one of their most wellâhoned tricks.
âThatâs why I want to bet on you and Mackenzie,â Magnus finally admitted, his true motive laid bare. âI want to use you to take down the entire Zelinsky family and help me gain real control over it.â
His gaze sharpened into something terrifying, but Emmanuel was too familiar with Magnus to be intimidated. He simply responded, âYou think too highly of us. The Zelinsky family is enormousâeven the President wouldnât dare claim he could take them down, let alone us.â
âThe President wouldnât. But you can.â Magnus said it with absolute certainty. âThis is the perfect opportunity. Ezra Zelinsky has already announced my return to the family. Heâs even declared me as his successor. But if something were to⦠happen to him now, can you imagine what would follow?â
Emmanuel merely chuckled. He wasnât going to entertain hypotheticals, and Magnus figured as much. So, he pressed on, his voice low and dangerous. âTheyâre already planning how to kill you. But right now, taking you out is just a necessary step in their real plan to kill Ethan Hale. So, we can turn the tables on themâuse their own plans against them.â