Two days later, Struyria was rife with shocking gossip about Abel Ryker. The media outlets had published various photos and videos of Abel and Emmett. Some caught them holding hands, others caught Abelâs arm slung around Emmettâs shoulder. More importantly, the media painted them as two men who could not keep their hands off each other.
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 Struyriaâs 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 Rykerâs 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.
âWhat kind of behavior is this?!â Old Mr. Ryker yelled as he slammed his fist on the table furiously. âThe noble reputation of the Ryker family has gone down the drain, no thanks to this punk!â
âItâs not just our reputation, Granddad,â Adam added. âItâs affecting our business too! A few of our partners are questioning Abelâs 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 onâ¦â
âNo, no, this wonât do!â Old Mr. Ryker bellowed, clutching his chest.
âYes, Granddad, itâs happening. Ryker Group is about to go down in Abelâs hands, unless you think of a way to rescue it. We canât let hundreds of years of history be destroyed by a single person!â Adam poured more oil to the fire.
âCall for a family meeting right away!â Old Mr. Ryker ordered. âIf Abel is not fit to be CEO, he will step down and be replaced immediately!â
âWait, Granddad. Donât be impulsiveâ¦â Adam pretended to be empathetic toward Abelâs plight.
company after all. He canât possibly just⦠step down, can he?â
âIâm the head of this family and my word is final!â Old Mr. Ryker looked like he was about to explode.
âWho cares how much work he has done for the company if he embarrasses us like that! He should be thankful Iâm not punishing him worse than this!â
Adam kept silent and lowered his head, but he could not help himself from laughing gleefully on the inside. Oh, Adam⦠Letâs 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.
âMake the call now!â Old Mr. Ryker shouted, snapping Adam out of his thoughts. âCall your parents, your uncle and aunty, Adrien and Abel! Tell them weâre having a meeting right now!â Though elderly, Old Mr. Ryker was still as lucid as ever.
âGranddad, I can call Adrienâs family, but I think itâs best if the butler calls Abelâs family instead. I donât have the authority to call a family meetingâ¦â Abel said.
âFine, go ahead,â 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 sonâs 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.