Tears streamed down Gwh''s face as she listened to her mother, choking back sobs so she wouldn''t be discovered. Only after she hadposed herself did she manage a steady reply.


    "Don''t worry, Mom. I will be happy.”


    She would strive to be happy in front of her family, as if to atone for her past sins.


    That afternoon, Gwh and Hawthorne were seated in the Langford family''s ancestral hall, where all the n elders had gathered. It was their first formal, private meeting since the wedding, though the elders had already met Hawthorne at the ceremony and were thoroughly impressed with him. They had heard about Hawthorne''s story-how he had led his family back from the brink in his teens, rebuilding their empire from scratch. His drive and presence were truly rare.


    After Thorpe formally introduced Hawthorne to the n elders, they each presented him with a gift. Just by looking at thevishly wrapped boxes, Hawthorne knew the contents were exceptionally valuable. Nearly every family had offered a precious heirloom from their collection as a weing present. For years, the Langford patriarch had guided the n to prosperity, so they naturally ced great importance on his great-granddaughter''s husband.


    “Patriarch, let''s discuss something," one of the elders began. "Gwh''s first child will take our son-inw''s surname, Everhart. But for the second child, can we in the


    Langford family make a reservation to carry on our line?"


    Though the Langfords had a great-grandson in Chris Langford, one could never have too many sons. And a child from Gwh''s womb simply had to be kept to bolster the Langford numbers. This was not a joke. The pressure was now on Gwh, and also on Chris. The implication was clear: if he didn''t step up, there was always someone ready to take his ce. Of course, the elders weren''t trying to stir up conflict between the Chris and Gwh; they simply couldn''t bear to let a business genius like Hawthorne slip through their fingers. A child born from the union of his lineage and the Langford line would surely be a prodigy, a truly exceptional talent.


    The Langford n had not thrived for so long without reason. Years ago, Thorpe''s choice of Victoria for his son McNeil was just as calcted. Victoria''s family had a long military history, with generals in their ancestry. Her older brother, Stein, was a high-ranking


    government official in Echo City On her mother''s side, the Turner family while not producing an heir, had a lineage brimming with talent. Victoria''s mother may not have excelled in business, but she was a highly aplished artist,


    renowned both at home and abroad. To this day, her paintings were part of the national museum''s collection. Unexpectedly, the Turner family''s business acumen had skipped a generation and manifested powerfully in Victoria, so much so that even the Langfords'' own McNeil could barely keep up.


    The Langford patriarch was a master strategist, choosing his inws with the precision of a hawk. He never let a single strand of superior DNA go to waste.


    Faced with the elders'' request, the patriarch did not use his status to apply pressure. Instead, he looked at his great-grandson-inw. "This is a matter for the young couple to decide. Hawthorne, you don''t need to answer immediately. You can go home and discuss it with Gwh first."


    When Gwh heard the patriarch suggesting she have children with Hawthorne-and that one should be given to the Langford family to. on their name-her face went


    deathly pale. Fortunately, she had worn a full face of makeup that day, and the white of her lips was hidden beneath ayer of lipstick.