It would have less of a blow if Emmett was a woman, since Abel was single and available after all. However, it just so happened that his closest friend and partner was a man, and a charming one too. Anyone who saw these photos and read the news would have concluded that Abel Ryker, the poster boy of Struyria’s wealthiest families and the head of the influential Ryker family, was a homosexual.

The backlash from the news was massive, shaking the upper echelons of Struyria to its core, and no one was happier than Adam Ryker who could barely contain his excitement at the thought of Abel being brought down by the paparazzi. He immediately got someone to print a large batch of these incriminating photos and made his way to the Ryker residence cheerily. Recognizing how rare this opportunity was, he had to take advantage of the situation and fan the flames of discontent in front of Old Mr. Ryker! How lucky was he to have a guardian angel watching over him!

By the time the news reached Abel Ryker, he was fuming up to his ears. He instructed his PR team to get the photos and articles taken down, but the damage control was too late since the news had already made its rounds around social media. The entire city was eagerly lapping up Abel Ryker’s scandalous secret.

Adam presented the photos to Oscar Ryker, knowing perfectly the old man would have a fit. Old Mr. Ryker was so angry that the family doctor had to give him some medicine to bring his blood pressure down.

“What kind of behavior is this?!” Old Mr. Ryker yelled as he slammed his fist on the table furiously. “The noble reputation of the Ryker family has gone down the drain, no thanks to this punk!”

“It’s not just our reputation, Granddad,” Adam added. “It’s affecting our business too! A few of our partners are questioning Abel’s ability to lead the company given his… philandering. There are rumors that some of them are looking to terminate our partnership! The Ryker Group will be in trouble if this goes on…”

“No, no, this won’t do!” Old Mr. Ryker bellowed, clutching his chest.

“Yes, Granddad, it’s happening. Ryker Group is about to go down in Abel’s hands, unless you think of a way to rescue it. We can’t let hundreds of years of history be destroyed by a single person!” Adam poured more oil to the fire.

“Call for a family meeting right away!” Old Mr. Ryker ordered. “If Abel is not fit to be CEO, he will step down and be replaced immediately!”

“Wait, Granddad. Don’t be impulsive…” Adam pretended to be empathetic toward Abel’s plight. “Abel did work hard for the company after all. He can’t possibly just… step down, can he?”

“I’m the head of this family and my word is final!” Old Mr. Ryker looked like he was about to explode. “Who cares how much work he has done for the company if he embarrasses us like that! He should be thankful I’m not punishing him worse than this!”

Adam kept silent and lowered his head, but he could not help himself from laughing gleefully on the inside. Oh, Adam… Let’s see how you get yourself out of this one! Even the Gods are on my side this time! I wonder whose toes you stepped on… he thought to himself.

“Make the call now!” Old Mr. Ryker shouted, snapping Adam out of his thoughts. “Call your parents, your uncle and aunty, Adrien and Abel! Tell them we’re having a meeting right now!” Though elderly, Old Mr. Ryker was still as lucid as ever.

“Granddad, I can call Adrien’s family, but I think it’s best if the butler calls Abel’s family instead. I don’t have the authority to call a family meeting…” Abel said.

“Fine, go ahead,” Old Mr. Ryker said before instructing the butler to make a call to the Levan Mansion.

Lewis Ryker and his wife panicked upon receiving the call from Ryker Mansion. They were already upset enough with their son’s scandal, but now that Old Mr. Ryker was calling for a family meeting, it could only mean that there was more trouble to come. They knew that Old Mr. Ryker would not sit idly and allow the Ryker family to bear such humiliation. Evelyn Murphy, who was seated beside the Rykers and overheard the entire conversation, could not help but smirk a little.