Eve Vaughn’s eyes widened. Flustered, she stared at the man inches away from her and said awkwardly, "I... I just guessed."

With that, she quickly struggled out of his arms.

Luckily, Mason Lawson only had one arm free. Otherwise, ’I wouldn’t have been able to escape,’ she thought.

She wished the ground would open up and swallow her.

’Why did I have to run my mouth off to Lana Chambers and the others just now?’

’And Mason Lawson had to overhear the whole thing.’

’I’ll never be able to show my face again!’

Watching the young woman squirm with embarrassment, Mason Lawson felt a strange sense of amusement.

Just then, the elevator arrived at the underground parking garage.

During the drive, Eve Vaughn received a text from Eric Kendall.

"You didn’t get your practice in today, so you can’t slack off tomorrow. Mason’s birthday is in two days. We’re counting on you for the surprise!"

Eve Vaughn stole a glance at the man driving intently beside her, a strange sense of warmth and security blooming in her heart.

For some reason, she found herself desperately wanting her surprise to make him happy.

So, she sent Eric Kendall an "ok" sticker and texted, "I’m taking tomorrow and the day after off to practice intensively for two days."

Eric Kendall sent a thumbs-up emoji. "Nice! That’s the spirit!"

Just then, they stopped at a red light. Mason Lawson glanced over and saw a lively smile playing on the bright, captivating face of the girl beside him.

A flicker of heat stirred in his dark eyes. "Who are you chatting with? You look so happy."

Eve Vaughn quickly hid her phone, afraid he would discover the "surprise" prematurely.

"Just my roommates!"

She grinned evasively. "They’re telling jokes in the group chat."

To her surprise, he called her bluff. "What’s the joke? If it’s that funny, tell me too."

"Uh... well..."

As Eve Vaughn stammered, unable to answer, she heard Mason Lawson say in a paternal tone, "College is full of temptations, but dating at your age rarely ends well. Guys in their early twenties are immature. All they know are slick words to make girls happy."

Eve Vaughn froze. ’Where is this even coming from?’

She spoke up meekly. "Uncle Mason, I’m already nineteen. That... doesn’t really count as dating too young, does it?"

Mason Lawson’s expression darkened. "What does being nineteen have to do with it? You’re still immature and easily deceived!"

Eve Vaughn fell silent. When she thought about what happened with Julian Lawson, she had nothing to say in her defense. ...

The next day, Eve Vaughn got permission from her academic advisor to take two days off. She went to the music room to continue her piano lessons with the teacher Eric Kendall had hired.

At noon, Eric Kendall stopped by, bringing lunch from a five-star hotel.

Perhaps because they were both working toward the same goal—preparing for Mason Lawson’s birthday—they didn’t despise each other quite as much.

As Eric Kendall set the dishes on a table, he said, "Eat first, practice later! If you starve yourself skinny, Mason will feel bad!"

"I’m not rising to that."

Eve Vaughn muttered a retort and went back to the piece she had been in the middle of playing.

Just then, Eric Kendall went over to the piano teacher. "Mr. Lawson, how is she doing? Is she getting any closer to the original piece?"

Mr. Lawson was an internationally renowned pianist, and he was naturally less than satisfied with the technique Eve Vaughn had developed after only a few days of cramming.

He shook his head. "Miss Vaughn has certainly improved over the past few days, but she’s still a far cry from Joanna. If the goal is to imitate her, her current technique is nowhere near good enough."

The moment Mr. Lawson finished speaking, the piano music stopped cold.

Eve Vaughn’s head snapped up. With a hint of accusation in her eyes, she asked Eric Kendall, "Was Mr. Lawson talking about Joanna Sullivan?"

"Huh? You know her?"

Eric Kendall stared at her in disbelief. ’He didn’t think Mason would be so cruel. Did he really tell her to her face that she was just Joanna Sullivan’s substitute, and that’s the only reason he kept her around?’

Eve Vaughn stood up from the piano bench, walked to the window, and stared out, her eyes filled with disappointment.

’She couldn’t believe it. After all this time Eric Kendall had her practicing, after all the effort she’d put in, it was all just so she could imitate Joanna Sullivan!’

The realization made her chest tighten.

Noticing something was amiss, Eric Kendall followed her over. His usual smug tone was gone, replaced by a neutral one as he asked, "Did Mason mention Joanna Sullivan to you?"

"Mhm," Eve Vaughn answered coldly. "I know I look a lot like her."

Eric Kendall breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. Then you must know why Mason keeps you by his side. If you didn’t look like Joanna Sullivan, a man like him would never have given you a second glance, let alone helped you over and over."

Eve Vaughn instinctively tried to defend him. "But... he and Joanna Sullivan broke up! Uncle Mason helps me because..."

"Because of what?" Eric Kendall watched her, waiting for her to finish.

Eve Vaughn’s fingers tightened slightly, but she couldn’t find a single reason to offer.

’He was right. For a man like Mason Lawson, who handled deals worth hundreds of millions, even billions, time was money.’

’Why would he ever waste his time on her without a reason?’

She lowered her head, utterly deflated.

Eric Kendall smiled knowingly. "See? Deep down, you already knew, didn’t you? Joanna Sullivan was Mason’s first love—the only woman he ever introduced to the public. Do you think he can just forget her? Since he keeps you around because you look like her, and since he’s helped you so much, you have an obligation to make him happy and give him what he wants. Right?"

Eric Kendall’s words made Eve Vaughn’s eyes burn and sting.

She turned her face away, forcefully blinking back the tears that threatened to overflow.

’What’s there to be sad about?’ she told herself over and over. ’My relationship with Mason is just an act. We’re not a real couple.’

’Besides, she already knew he was only keeping her around to spite Joanna Sullivan!’

’Eric Kendall was right. She was preparing this surprise to repay Mason, so she should naturally do it in whatever way would make him happiest.’

Eve Vaughn cleared her throat, doing her best to keep the tremor out of her voice. "Young Mr. Kendall, Miss Sullivan isn’t just a great dancer... she’s also a great pianist?"

Eric Kendall nodded. "Yes. Her family is very wealthy, and they cultivated her talents in every area from a young age. You could say she’s a perfect woman. The piece you’re playing now? She composed it herself. At the time, she received invitations from world-renowned music conservatories. But she loved dancing too much, so she ultimately chose dance."

For some reason, his words stirred a mixture of envy and insecurity in Eve, who had lost her father when she was young.

’If her father hadn’t died, maybe she could have kept practicing piano and lived a carefree life, too.’

Eve Vaughn sniffled, and then said with newfound resolve, "Young Mr. Kendall, I understand. I’ll practice hard and do my best to emulate Miss Sullivan... to make Uncle Mason happy."

But Eric Kendall had no idea how much it pained her to say those words.

Even for his birthday gift, she had to be an imitation of someone else, not herself.