Old Mr. Lawson waved his hand and said to The Third Madam, "You can leave us now."

The Third Madam had no choice but to reluctantly leave the bedroom.

After she left, Old Mr. Lawson looked at Mason Lawson and said, "What did you want to talk to me about?"

Mason Lawson stared fixedly at his father and asked, "My mother isn’t dead, is she? I’m talking about my birth mother."

Old Mr. Lawson’s expression changed. "How did you find out?"

Mason Lawson said, "I went to the Lawson family mausoleum and opened my mother’s coffin. It was empty. So, where is my mother right now?"

Old Mr. Lawson immediately flew into a rage. "You insolent whelp! How could you do something like opening a coffin?"

"You still haven’t answered me. Where is my mother? Why did you announce to everyone that she died in childbirth, when there’s nothing in her coffin?"

Mason Lawson asked this for two reasons. First, to probe his father’s reaction. Second, if his father was truly behind this, it could dispel his suspicions and make him believe that Mason didn’t have Tanya Thorne.

Old Mr. Lawson was silent for a long time, as if lost in memory. Then, with a bitter smile, he said, "So this is why we’ve grown so distant lately! Now that you’ve come into your own, you think you’ve got your hands on half the Lawson Group’s empire, so you don’t have to pay any mind to your old father anymore, is that it?"

Mason Lawson watched him in silence, not saying a word. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

And yet, that very gaze sent an inexplicable chill down Old Mr. Lawson’s spine.

"Fine. Since you want to know about the past, I’ll tell you. When I was young, it’s true I was a philanderer. With your mother, it was just a one-night stand. I didn’t even know her name."

Old Mr. Lawson sighed heavily. "But I never expected that ten months later, a baby would be left on the doorstep of the old Lawson residence—and that baby was you. I sent people to look for her, but there were no leads at all. For the sake of the Lawson family’s reputation, I couldn’t say that my son’s mother was missing, and I certainly couldn’t admit we’d only met once. My only choice was to announce that she died from complications while giving birth to you."

After Old Mr. Lawson finished his explanation, Mason Lawson wasn’t entirely convinced.

’First of all, the year in Simon Vaughn’s experiment logbook was already three years after I was born. I don’t believe that unless someone sent Tanya Thorne to Simon Vaughn, she would have been foolish enough to offer herself up for his experiments voluntarily.’

’Furthermore, Old Mr. Lawson was born into a wealthy and powerful family. Dalliances are common in those circles, but they rarely result in illegitimate children. After all, everyone knows to take precautions. A man as meticulous as Old Mr. Lawson would never have overlooked that.’

Mason Lawson asked pointedly, "So, do you think my mother is still alive now?"

Old Mr. Lawson shook his head and sighed. "I don’t even remember what she looked like, much less how old she might be now. Let’s just hope she’s still alive."

A cold smile touched the corners of Mason Lawson’s lips. "I’ll keep looking. I need to find her, dead or alive. I hope you won’t stand in my way."

Old Mr. Lawson said calmly, "Of course, I won’t stop you from searching for your birth mother. However, the Lawson family will never acknowledge her. If you care about your future and don’t want to be drowned by outside gossip, I advise you to drop this matter."

Mason Lawson retorted, "If a man is willing to abandon his own mother for his future, what’s the point of him having everything? Dad, I hope everything you just told me was the truth."

As Mason Lawson left the old Lawson residence, a frigid wind whipped against his face.

His somber expression was hidden by the pitch-black night. The path ahead was complete darkness, as if nothing could be seen clearly.

And yet, the image of Eve Vaughn in his mind grew ever clearer.

’He wondered if the girl would hate him if he didn’t trade his mother to get Eve Vaughn back.’

’She probably would,’ he thought.

Just then, his phone rang, the shrill sound like a death knell.

Mason Lawson answered the call. A distorted voice came from the other end.

He assumed it was those people again, impatiently trying to force him to hand over Tanya Thorne.

But to his surprise, the person on the other end said, "Go to the pier at Sea Sector 2. I will have Eve Vaughn delivered to you before dawn."

Mason Lawson was utterly shocked. He nearly lost his composure as he demanded, "Who is this?"

’Was this person friend or foe?’

’Had he heard that right?’

’This person could rescue Eve Vaughn?’

"You don’t need to know who I am. Do as I say, and you will see her."

After saying that, the caller hung up.

Mason Lawson could hardly believe that it could be this easy.

But right now, he had no choice but to believe it.

Even if it was a trap, he had to go.

Eve Vaughn had been kidnapped because of him.

At a time like this, even if real danger lay ahead, he had no choice but to face it.

After returning, he immediately ordered Neil Kane to prepare a car, a boat, as well as bodyguards and weapons.

But Neil Kane felt it was a trap and tried to stop him. "Mr. Lawson, please reconsider! What if these people are ruthless and want you dead? Otherwise, how could a mysterious ally suddenly appear to help us? It’s too strange!"

Indeed, they didn’t know if the person who had just claimed they could rescue Eve Vaughn was a friend or an enemy. They hadn’t revealed any information about themselves.

No matter how you looked at it, it seemed like a trap.

Mason Lawson closed his eyes, hesitating for a moment. When he opened them again, his gaze was resolute.

"Go and get everything ready."

He wasn’t going to give up on that girl so easily.

Neil Kane still didn’t move, trying to persuade him, "Mr. Lawson, at a time like this, we should sacrifice the chariot to save the king!"

After all, it was incredibly unwise to gamble with his own safety for a woman.

But Mason Lawson said, "Eve Vaughn is not the ’chariot.’ She is my woman!"

...

「Meanwhile, in a damp and gloomy cabin.」

Eve Vaughn’s hands and feet were bound, and her mouth was sealed with black tape.

She leaned despairingly against a wooden pillar.

The vessel was pitching violently. She was getting seasick and felt the urge to vomit.

Just then, she heard the low murmur of voices from outside the door.

"I heard the person our boss wants isn’t with Mason Lawson. So, are we supposed to let this girl go?"

Another voice replied, "How could we? We caught her to trade for that other woman. Now that the boss hasn’t gotten what he wants, we obviously can’t let her go."

The first voice asked, "So, does the boss have further instructions?"

"The higher-ups just gave the order. If Mason Lawson refuses to hand over the person, this girl isn’t allowed to go back alive. But for now, we need to test him one more time. What if he really does have her?"

The two men talked for a while longer before abruptly opening the cabin door.

Eve Vaughn watched as the two men in leather jackets approached her, the terror in her eyes exposed for all to see.

"Tsk, such a pretty little thing. Too bad Mason Lawson doesn’t care about you. Otherwise, he would have agreed to our terms long ago!"

As one of the men spoke, he stroked her cheek.

’She didn’t know what terms they had given Mason Lawson, but she believed he wouldn’t abandon her.’

The other man was setting up a camera. "The boss said I should record a video of us... having some fun with this little girl to send to Mason Lawson. Let’s see if he can still hold out after that."

The first man asked, "What if Mason Lawson really doesn’t have her?"

"If Mason Lawson really doesn’t care about this girl anymore, then we’ll just get rid of her! She’s worthless at that point, anyway."

Their words reached Eve Vaughn’s ears, sending a chill through her entire body and making her tremble uncontrollably.

Soon, the camera was set up.

The two lecherous men rubbed their hands together, walking toward her step by step. Their intentions were all too clear.

One of them said, "The boss’s orders are, if Mason Lawson can’t hand over the person, this girl doesn’t go back alive. But for now, we still need to bluff Mason Lawson one last time, see if we can get anything new out of him."