I clenched my jaw as I glanced at everyone around the table. Since Grandfather personally called me to join them for dinner, I couldn't refuse.

The meeting always took place at our family home, where everyone stayed. I was the only one who moved out because this place made me so anxious that I would often get physically ill.

Grandfather looked at me and set his fork down, "After so many months, you've finally joined us for dinner," he said, his tone and face weren’t showing any emotion, and I bowed slightly.

I couldn't completely read him, no matter how hard I tried.

My stepmother, Lee Seoyeon, smiled warmly, "It would benefit all of us if you would attend dinner with us more often," she said.

I braced myself, knowing her since I was ten, I knew that she loved tearing me down more than anything. To her, these gatherings were a way to highlight all my shortcomings in front of Grandfather. Preparing for the upcoming verbal war, I stared down at the utensils and focused on straightening them up.

She furrowed her brows in concern, "Not only do you not come home often, but I heard that you rarely go to the headquarters these days and spend most of your time in that branch in Apgujeong." She sighed and continued, "A CMO working remotely isn't a problem. However, one who prefers a branch over the headquarters makes the board nervous. It looks like you're avoiding responsibility."

Grandfather's eyebrow twitched as he listened. It was subtle, almost unnoticeable, but I could see it.

My gaze fell on her hand as she swiftly moved it towards Father's, lightly tapping on it. Father cleared his throat and chimed in, "She's right, Sunjae. The Hwaon Group built this company with discipline. Hiding in a local store isn't discipline, it's avoidance."

Grandfather remained silent as he ate, his eyes focused on his plate.

My jaw tightened.

Stepmother placed her fork down, "We only worry because the board has been talking. It seems that you've even influenced Hajoon to be uninterested in family matters. He barely shows up to these dinners now, too. So please mind how you behave. Your younger brothers will follow your lead."

Grandfather lifted his gaze and glanced at someone.

I followed his gaze and realized he was staring at Doyun. Doyun was my younger half-brother by ten years. After Mother left, Father brought Lee Seoyeon home and had two sons before marriage, Doyun and Hajoon. Hajoon was his twin brother, however, he had also moved out the family home. Despite sharing the same father, none of us were close due to how vastly different our upbringings were.

They grew up wrapped in leniency, raised by parents who offered safety nets instead of conditions. I, on the other hand, grew up in this very house, constantly on high alert for survival. For me, every day was a ruthless audition to prove my worth, where a single mistake meant erasure.

When Doyun met our gaze, he looked down at his plate, trying to look invisible.

Father darted his gaze between Doyun and me before loosening his tie, "Sunjae, you haven't touched your food yet. How about we all eat first? We'll continue this conversation after dinner."

That comment made his wife upset because her forehead creased slightly as she glanced at him with a gaze so toxic that he completely avoided her eyes. She clearly wanted to tear me down further, probably until there was nothing left to praise me about.

Grandfather cleared his throat, and the room fell silent as everyone directed their attention to him. He interlocked his fingers and stared directly at me. I was already suspicious that this wasn't a normal dinner. The fact that Grandfather personally commanded Taeho to make me attend only meant that he wanted to address something.

"I need you to get married," he said, and everyone's jaw dropped, including mine. Father interjected, "Wait, what? Father, what are you sa--" Father's voice faltered, entirely silenced as Grandfather raised a single, weathered finger.

"I said I need Sunjae to get married. It's the only condition I ask for if he wants me to publicly declare him as my successor."

My jaw tightened, and it felt like a migraine was underway.

The sudden stillness became a chessboard, and I was already reading everyone's next move. Father immediately withdrew, his eyes darting toward Grandfather with a familiar, anxious look. Stepmother's gaze snapped directly to me, her breathing shallow, her eyes wide with a sharp, predatory focus as she calculated her next plot.

Grandfather just stared, his expression a stony mask of absolute authority, measuring my resilience. I forced my features into dead silence, ensuring that whatever data they were trying to gather from my face, they came up completely empty.

"Grandfather, I--"

He ignored me and continued, "I have been setting up blind dates for you for months, and I heard that you barely attended them. A blind date was set with Choi Chaewon from the Daehan group this weekend. You are to attend it if you truly want to remain as my heir and marry her within a month," he commanded, and everyone glanced at me, speechless.

This was sudden but not completely unexpected. The Hwaon and Daehan Group were both equal titans in the industry. Since we were expanding into homewear, Grandfather wanted to use this marriage as a defensive alliance, ensuring we had an advantage over our competitors.

The Daehan Group was the world's leader in Eco-Tech Textiles and Smart Home Integration. Our groups were currently working on the "Hwaon x Daehan Smart-Home Suite," which was a line of luxury homewear and bedding integrated with Daehan's sleep-tracking technology.

He continued, "If Hwaon and Daehan merge, we would be in control of the entire lifestyle market. No one would be able to buy a piece of furniture or a robe without it being a Hwaon-Daehan product."

Stepmother's eyes widened more as the full weight of the announcement settled in. This wasn't just a wedding; it was the ultimate business transaction and the birth of a Super-Conglomerate, an alliance so massive it would bury her sons' futures forever. Her brows furrowed deeply, and she whipped her head toward my father with a furious demand for him to do something, anything.

"How soon will the wedding be again?" he asked, his voice cracking with a look of total defeat. He spoke like a man who knew his own opinion had been deleted from the family records.

Grandfather didn't even blink; he simply looked down at his plate and picked up his utensils. He ignored my father with an icy silence as if he had just asked the most pathetic question ever heard.

I looked down at my watch before folding my napkin as I processed everything that was said. The atmosphere in the room shifted, and everyone grew eerily quiet. My gaze drifted to Stepmother, who shot me with a glare so toxic I almost recoiled.

This was my queue to leave. Standing up, I bowed to Grandfather, "Thank you for the dinner. I'll take my leave." I said, and he looked down at my plate.

I didn't take a single bite.

My stepmother scoffed and gritted her teeth as if her mind was going haywire. Father diverted everyone's gaze and tightened his fists.

I turned and bowed to him before leaving. The staff quietly opened the door for me while avoiding eye contact. They were clearly shaken by the conversation they obviously overheard. To them, I was going to become one of the most powerful people in the world at such a young age.

Once I got into my car, I exhaled and loosened my tie. I didn't start the engine. I couldn't. My mind was usually a clean set of ledgers, but right now, it was just blank. I immediately reached for my pen and started clicking, the rhythmic sound soothing my racing heart. I'd planned for a partnership; the Chairman had handed me an empire. 'Hwaon and Daehan...' I shook my head, the words tasting like metal. I was prepared for a fight, not a coronation.