Eve Vaughn gently closed her eyes. "If you insist on touching me, Mr. Lawson, or if you want to do more, I can’t stop you. In any case, I’m in no position to fight you."

Mason Lawson’s expression grew even darker.

A few seconds later, he released her without a word, grabbed his coat, and stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

The SLAM of the door and the gust of wind it created felt like a slap across Eve Vaughn’s face.

Her slender body trembled slightly, her face pale.

Later, she heard the sound of an engine starting in the courtyard below and knew he must have left in a rage because of her.

Eve Vaughn hadn’t wanted to stay any longer anyway. ’Now that the master of the house has left, how can I possibly have the face to remain here?’

’Will he... go find Joanna Sullivan?’

The thought made Eve Vaughn’s heart ache even more.

But it was far too late now. Mason Lawson’s place was in the middle of nowhere, and she didn’t dare go back to the university by herself.

And so, Eve Vaughn lay alone in bed, her mind racing until some unknown hour before she finally fell asleep.

The next morning, she was jolted awake by a call from Mia Kendall.

"Mia..." Eve Vaughn was too sleepy to open her eyes. "Why are you calling me so early?" she asked drowsily.

Mia Kendall said, "Because it’s important, of course! Get up, quick. You’re coming with me to get a refund."

"A refund for what?"

Eve Vaughn rubbed her sleepy eyes, completely confused.

Mia Kendall said indignantly, "Don’t even get me started, I’m fuming! Didn’t I tell you I wasn’t taking classes with Joanna Sullivan anymore? I paid fifty thousand yuan in tuition, and I only attended one class. Shouldn’t they refund me forty-five thousand?"

Eve Vaughn nodded. "Yeah, that makes sense."

Mia Kendall grew even angrier. "Who knew Mason Lawson’s ex-girlfriend runs a total scam! She insists I signed some consent form and flat-out refuses to give me a refund. I’m going back one more time today, and if they still refuse, I’m getting a lawyer. I’ll sue them for all they’re worth!"

Hearing how furious Mia Kendall was, Eve Vaughn worried she might act rashly and end up at a disadvantage.

So, she quickly got out of bed, rushed through her morning routine, and left the house.

「...」

An hour later, Eve Vaughn arrived at the building of Joanna Sullivan’s dance studio and went upstairs with Mia Kendall.

Mia Kendall took out her membership card and said to the staff member in charge of refunds, "Last time I came for a refund, you told me Joanna Sullivan wasn’t here. What about now? I see she has a class today, so she must be in, right? I’d like to ask her why she won’t give me a refund when I only took one of her classes. Isn’t she supposed to be some famous instructor from a dance festival? What, is she so desperate for students that she has to scam me out of my fifty thousand yuan?"

Eve Vaughn discreetly started recording on her phone, just in case they tried to deny anything later. It could serve as evidence for a lawsuit.

The staff member was outwardly polite but spoke to Mia Kendall with a cold firmness. "Miss Kendall, Professor Sullivan is indeed here today, but her schedule is completely full. She has no time to see you. The rule at our studio is that once a class package is purchased, it is non-refundable. Besides, you signed a consent form. It was your choice; no one forced you, correct?"

Mia Kendall nodded. "So, you’re confirming you won’t give me a refund? I’ve done my research these past two days. Consent forms like yours are invalid agreements and have no legal standing."

The staff member repeated two words with a smirk: "No refunds."

Mia Kendall’s second attempt was fruitless, and she was absolutely livid.

In the elevator, Eve Vaughn took out her phone. "I recorded your whole conversation just now. I just don’t know if the recording will be useful."

Mia Kendall looked full of fighting spirit. "I don’t care if it’s useful or not. If I don’t get my money back, I’ll change my last name to Sullivan!"

"So, what are you going to do?"

Eve Vaughn was at a complete loss. Although she was angry, she had never encountered a situation like this and had no idea how to help Mia.

Just then, Mia Kendall suddenly looked at her. "I have an idea, but you have to help me!"

Eve Vaughn pointed to herself and asked uncertainly, "How can I help you?"

Mia Kendall grinned and linked her arm with Eve’s. "I remember you told me before that it was Jonah Spencer who helped you get your family’s villa back from your aunt and uncle, right?"

Eve Vaughn froze for a moment. She wanted to say that it had actually been Mason Lawson pulling the strings behind the scenes.

But right now, just thinking about Mason Lawson made her heart ache, so she just nodded. "Yeah, I guess so."

Mia Kendall said with great confidence, "I’ve already looked it up. Their aggressive sales tactics and refusal to refund classes are illegal. You definitely know Jonah Spencer better than I do. Why don’t you take me to him and introduce me?"

Eve Vaughn asked doubtfully, "Will that work? Fifty thousand yuan... isn’t hiring Lawyer Spencer for that a bit of overkill? Besides, his fees aren’t cheap."

Mia Kendall said thoughtfully, "He’s good friends with Eric Kendall and Mason Lawson. Out of respect for them, he wouldn’t have the nerve to charge me too much, would he?"

Finally, at Mia Kendall’s repeated insistence, Eve Vaughn had no choice but to take her to Keystone Law.

As it happened, Jonah Spencer was in his office.

Normally, meeting a lawyer of Jonah Spencer’s caliber required an appointment made well in advance.

But Mia Kendall gave Eve Vaughn’s name and asked the receptionist to mention it to Jonah Spencer, just to try their luck.

’What if Eve Vaughn’s name actually carries some weight?’

To their surprise, when the receptionist came out of Jonah Spencer’s office, she actually said to them, "Ladies, Lawyer Spencer will see you now."

Eve Vaughn was both flattered and surprised. ’I can’t believe using my name actually worked.’

Mia Kendall was even more delighted. She deliberately let Eve Vaughn, the "heavy hitter" with all the clout, walk in front while she trotted happily behind.

Suddenly, she felt a little envious of Eve Vaughn.

’Ever since she got with Mason Lawson, this girl has gained so many connections: Hamilton Hale, Jonah Spencer, Eric Kendall...’

’Except for that useless brother of mine, Eric Kendall, who can’t really help with much, the other two are seriously powerful and useful people.’

Upon entering Jonah Spencer’s office, Eve Vaughn awkwardly explained, "Lawyer Spencer, it’s not me who’s here to see you, it’s Mia."

Mia Kendall peeked her head out from behind Eve Vaughn and said with a grin, "Lawyer Spencer, you remember me, right? Eric Kendall’s sister."

A flicker of confusion passed through Jonah Spencer’s eyes behind his gold-rimmed glasses.

"You two are here to see me about something?" he asked. "Do Eric and Mason know?"

Mia Kendall quickly replied, "No, neither of them knows. I came to see you on my own. I have a small matter I was hoping you could help me with."

Jonah Spencer put down the file in his hand, a slight arch in his brow suggesting his interest was piqued. "Oh? The matters people ask for my help with are usually major ones. So, tell me, just how ’small’ is this matter of yours?"

Mia Kendall pulled up a chair and sat across from him. "I spent fifty thousand yuan on ten dance classes. After one lesson, I decided I don’t want to learn anymore, so I want to get the rest of my money back. But they’re refusing, saying that because I signed some consent form, I can’t get a refund. So, what I’m saying is, do you have any way to help me get back the remaining forty-five thousand?"

Jonah Spencer narrowed his eyes, a hint of amusement in his voice. "Forty-five thousand? You want me to help you get this money back? Are you sure you’re not pulling my leg?"

Eve Vaughn chimed in to explain on Mia’s behalf, "Lawyer Spencer, we know the cases you take on are all major lawsuits. If you’re unwilling to help us recover this money, we understand. But maybe you could suggest a good way for us to get it back ourselves."

Jonah Spencer was silent for a moment. Out of respect for Mason Lawson, he decided to offer them some advice.

Thus, he asked, "Why did you stop attending after just one class? Was the instruction poor, or was there some other reason?"

Mia Kendall slammed her hand on the table and cursed, "It’s all because of that green tea bitch, Joanna Sullivan! She and Mason Lawson already broke up, what right does she have to say things to provoke Evie?"

The moment the words left her mouth, Eve Vaughn shot her a look, signaling her to drop the subject.

She didn’t want to expose her relationship problems with Mason Lawson to others.

Mia Kendall realized her slip-up and immediately corrected herself. "No, no, I misspoke. There’s no Joanna Sullivan. Let’s just say I don’t like the teacher and don’t want to take her class anymore."

But Mia Kendall had spoken so clearly just now that Jonah Spencer had obviously heard every word.

He looked at Mia Kendall intently. "Lawyers dislike clients who lie more than anything. If you can’t be honest with me, then there’s no need for me to give you any advice."

Mia Kendall started to feel conflicted.

’I really want to vent about that woman, Joanna Sullivan, and about how Mason Lawson is keeping Evie hidden away. Is it because he just sees Evie as a substitute for that woman? Is that why he won’t make their relationship public?’

But Eve Vaughn clearly didn’t want anyone else to know about this.

In the end, Mia Kendall decided to keep her best friend’s secret.

The price, however, was Jonah Spencer refusing to help her, as he had explicitly stated he wouldn’t accept a client who lied to him.

And so, Eve Vaughn and Mia Kendall left Keystone Law Firm with their tails between their legs.

But they were ultimately too naive.

Jonah Spencer, just like Mason Lawson, was sharp as a tack.

Even though Mia Kendall had only said one sentence about Joanna Sullivan, Jonah Spencer could connect the dots and figure out the gist of the situation.

Just then, Eric Kendall sent a message to their group chat, saying he was organizing a get-together that night and they should all come hang out.

Usually, Mason Lawson was the last one to reply.

But for some reason, today he was the first to reply with an "OK" emoji.

Jonah Spencer instinctively sensed that something was definitely up with him.

’I wonder,’ he thought, ’if I tell Mason about the conflict between Joanna Sullivan and Eve Vaughn, how will he react? Whose side will he take?’