At 6 pm, the family dinner officially began.

Marcus sat between Emma and Vivian, toasting the elders.

Emma also rose, raising her glass to pay respects to each family member.

Vivian reached for her glass too, but Marcus stopped her.

“You just left the hospital. Skip the toasts.”

Looking at the formally seated relatives, Vivian’s eyes filled with anxiety. She lowered her voice.

“But Emma’s not feeling well, and she’s still toasting. If I don’t drink, wouldn’t that be disrespectful?”

Marcus frowned, taking away her glass and respectfully explaining to the elders.

“Vivian’s health hasn’t fully recovered. The doctor forbade alcohol. But family rules must be observed, so as her brother, I’ll drink on her behalf.”

With that, he drained the glass in one go.

Looking at her half-full glass, then at Marcus already helping Vivian sit down, Emma’s mouth tasted bitter.

She took a deep breath, enduring the burning pain in her stomach, and drank her wine in one gulp.

Under the alcohol’s stimulation, her stomach churned violently, contracting in pain.

Her lips turned white from biting them, cold sweat soaking her clothes, yet she couldn’t make a sound.

Because Shaw family etiquette was strict—younger family members couldn’t leave the table before the elders.

So she could only grip the table, struggling through the waves of pain.

Everyone was drinking and chatting, no one noticed her distress.

Marcus attended to the elders while heaping food in Vivian’s bowl.

Grandmother Shaw noticed and glanced at Emma’s empty bowl, slightly narrowing her eyes.

“Marcus, don’t just focus on your sister. Give Emma some food too. She hasn’t eaten anything—does the menu not suit her taste?”

Marcus turned, and seeing her pale face, placed a piece of fish in her bowl.

Faced with concerned gazes from all directions, Emma paused briefly before picking up the fish and eating it.

Vivian saw this and widened her eyes, wanting to say something. But meeting the elders’ looks, she dared not speak.

Grandmother Shaw nodded in satisfaction, her gaze shifting to Vivian, her tone earnest.

“Vivian, next month is your birthday. I’ll host a reception and invite eligible young men from our circle. You should choose someone you like and settle your marriage soon. If you wait too long, it’ll be harder to find a match as you get older.”

The color drained from Vivian’s face. She looked panickedly toward Marcus, whose expression changed too, but he maintained basic composure, carefully declining.

“Vivian is still young. Waiting a couple more years is fine. I’ll personally select her marriage partner.”

Hearing this, the family elders were stunned, then began persuading him.

“Marcus, we know you’ve always doted on your sister. But men need wives, women need husbands. And with your impossible standards, who knows how many years she’ll be waiting for your approval on someone!”

“Since your marriage, we’ve been looking for matches for Vivian. We’ve screened dozens, but you didn’t approve of any. Aren’t you just delaying her happiness?”

“Yes, Vivian is the same age as Emma! You’re married, so surely she also hopes to settle down soon with a home of her own.”

Vivian grew increasingly anxious listening to them. For the first time, she mustered the courage to express her own thoughts.

“I… I’m not in a hurry to marry. Waiting a few more years is fine…”

“Vivian, though you’re adopted, Mom and Dad have always treated you like our own daughter, naturally hoping for your happiness. Now that your brother’s marriage is settled, it’s only right we plan for you. The matchmaking reception is happening—end of discussion. When you get home, start getting yourself ready for it.”

Amidst the discussion, Mr. Shaw personally intervened, finalizing the matter.

At his words, Vivian trembled, her eyes immediately reddening.

Marcus’s face darkened, veins standing out on the back of his hand.

Unable to contain himself any longer, he abruptly stood up, his voice laced with undisguised anger.

“I said, Vivian’s marriage is MY decision, not yours!”

The usually composed Shaw heir losing control, confronting his elders this way, instantly stirred up a storm. Everyone’s expressions turned grim.

“What do you mean ‘not ours’? She’s of marriageable age now! If we delay further, she’ll be thirty. How can we not be concerned?”

“Yes, though you’ve always doted on Vivian, you have your own family now. You and Emma will have children, and naturally, your wife and children will become your priority. No matter how much you love your sister, you can’t…”

Engulfed in anger, Marcus retorted without thinking.

“I will NEVER have children! As long as Vivian doesn’t want to marry, I will NEVER force her. With me here, she can marry whenever she wants, or if she don’t marry—I can support her for life!”