The Morgan family had long been under Lexie''s leadership. With more women than men, she had always intended for the next head of the family to be a woman.


    As such, she emphasized educating them and grooming them to take over the family legacy.


    What she feared most was a woman prioritizing a man over the family, handing over the family business to an outsider, and cutting off the Morgan lineage.


    Anna''s earlier remarks had hit a nerve.


    Lexie immediately turned her sharp gaze to Emma. "What is wrong with you? Crystal brought a boyfriend like this to the family gathering, and you didn''t stop her? Are you trying to drive me to my grave?"


    Emma trembled with fear, unable to find the words to exin herself.


    She hadn''t even known that Crystal nned to bring someone like me to the gathering. She did not have an exnation, so she could only hang her head and brace for the storm.


    Lexie''s fury only grew. "Do you think ying dumb will help you? After this gathering, I''ll need to see you you and Crystal. We need to have a serious talk!"


    With that, she stormed off, not sparing Crystal a single nce.


    Celia smiled slyly as she sized me up. "So, your name is William White, huh? Why do you look so weak? Your face is pale, and those dark circles under your eyes... Have you been partying every night? Or could it be that you and Crystal have been busy with... other things?


    "Well, I wouldn''t be surprised. A poor guy finally snags a rich girl. Of course, he''ll indulge himself wherever he can."


    The crowd''s attention shifted to me as they scrutinized my appearance.


    I''d been overwhelmedtely dealing with Felicia''s disappearance. Sleepless nights and constant stress have taken their toll. It was no wonder that I look pale, exhausted, and shadowed with dark circles under my eyes.


    But they didn''t know that. Instead, they jumped to the worst conclusions, leaving both Crystal and me in an awkward spot.


    Just then, Pablo stepped forward and broke the tension. "Alright. Enough of that. Young love is about mutual affection, isn''t it? What''s the point of arguing? Let''s all take a seat and talk about something else."


    "Exactly. No need to waste the family gathering on trivial matters."


    "Come on. Let''s head over there."


    Under his coordination, the younger generation all gathered around the same table.


    I was about to sit elsewhere, but Crystal grabbed my arm. "Don''t worry, William. I''ve had enough of them today. I won''t hold back if anyone dares insult you before me."


    With that, she pulled me to a seat in the middle of the group.


    As soon as we took our seats, the conversation turned to the family''s businesses.


    Everyone was bragging about theirpanies, discussing about being featured on TV or in newspapers, or boasting about deals with high-profile partners.


    I found it all boring. Most of thesepanies were managed by their parents and had nothing to do with them.


    As for my father''spany, I had no interest in mentioning it since I hadn''t been involved in it at all. If I were to contribute to the conversation, I would rather talk about my gamingpany.


    While I zoned out, I could overhear snippets of conversation between Emma, Cali, and Zuri.


    "Emma, I''m just saying-look at the son-inw you picked. He can''t even join in on a simple conversation with the younger generation. What''s the point of bringing someone like that?"


    "Exactly. At first, I thought Pablo and Aidan weren''t anything special. One''s just the son of a small business owner, and the other''s an overlooked illegitimate child in a bigpany. Butpared to William, those two are practically deities."


    Emma''s face was grim, but she said nothing.


    She didn''t like me, but being criticized like this annoyed her. After all, if they insulted me, it reflected poorly on her.


    While I was eavesdropping, lost in thought, Pablo suddenly called my name. "William!"