Eve Vaughn cautiously stole a glance at Mason Lawson. She didn’t dare move without his permission.

She heard Mason Lawson instruct Mrs. Linton, "Tell him to leave the bag and go!"

In the end, Eric Kendall was sent away without even setting foot inside Mason Lawson’s home.

Mrs. Linton brought in Eve Vaughn’s bag and phone and handed them to her.

Eve Vaughn hesitantly took them. She looked at her half-eaten breakfast and decided against finishing it.

Even though she wasn’t full.

Mason Lawson’s presence was too powerful. The oppressive feeling he gave off had her on pins and needles.

After a moment’s hesitation, Eve Vaughn looked at the stone-faced man across from her. "Uncle," she said, "I’m so sorry. I ruined your birthday yesterday."

Mason Lawson merely shot her a cold glance before turning and heading upstairs.

Eve Vaughn’s eyes welled up. Swallowing the hurt and sense of grievance, she put her phone in her backpack and left for school.

...

Eric Kendall was waiting anxiously for her at the gates of Rivaster University.

"Jeez, you’re finally here!"

Eric Kendall rushed over and looked her up and down. "Are you okay? After you went back last night, I was so worried I couldn’t sleep a wink."

Eve Vaughn stared at him, her face devoid of expression, but her eyes were filled with deep resentment.

Eric Kendall quickly pressed his palms together in a plea. "I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I went to check on you first thing this morning, but Mason wouldn’t even let me in the door. He just threw me out!"

Eve Vaughn enunciated each word clearly. "Young Mr. Kendall, please don’t come looking for me again. I really have nothing to say to you!"

With that, as if to vent her frustration, Eve Vaughn stomped hard on his foot.

Eric Kendall yelped and hopped in pain, giving her the perfect chance to dash onto campus.

Watching the young woman’s retreating figure, Eric Kendall muttered to himself, "She’s just like Mia Kendall. No good deed goes unpunished!"

He was muttering curses under his breath when, unexpectedly, Mia Kendall’s voice cut in.

"So, you’re still harassing my best friend after all!"

And then, Mia Kendall mercilessly stomped on his other foot.

’These two brats are going to cripple me!’ Eric Kendall thought.

He yelled at her, "Mia Kendall, are you crazy?!"

Mia Kendall pointed a finger at him and railed, "I knew it! A scheming playboy like you wouldn’t give up so easily. And just as I thought, you’re harassing Evie again! I caught you red-handed this time. What do you have to say for yourself, huh?"

"What do you know?" Eric Kendall scoffed. "What’s it got to do with you? You’re so damn annoying, popping up everywhere like a bad penny!"

With that, he stalked over to his sports car and sped off, leaving her in his dust.

Mia Kendall hurried into the school and went to find Eve Vaughn in her classroom.

Eve Vaughn had arrived very early, and class hadn’t started yet.

Mia Kendall pulled her right out of the classroom. "Evie, do you even consider me your best friend anymore?" she said, fuming. "Why didn’t you tell me Eric Kendall was harassing you? I knew he was acting suspiciously lately, so I followed him this morning. I can’t believe he still hasn’t given up on you. I’m so furious!"

"No, no, you’ve got it all wrong. He wasn’t harassing me."

Eve Vaughn and Mia Kendall had always been able to talk about anything. Besides, things had already reached this point, and she didn’t want to escalate the conflict between Mia and Eric.

After all, Eric was the "Crown Prince" of the Kendall Family, while Mia was just the daughter Mrs. Kendall had brought with her into the family—a girl living under their roof.

Mia might have seemed arrogant and domineering on a normal day, but Eve knew it was just a protective shell.

So, Eve Vaughn told her best friend everything that had happened over the past few days.

She wanted to prevent Mia from confronting Eric head-on.

Mia would only be the one to suffer in that scenario.

"You... what? You moved in with Julian Lawson’s uncle?"

Mia’s face paled as she listened to Eve’s story. "Oh my God. I’ve heard that Mason Lawson is an incredibly deep and calculating man. The Lawson Family is a snake pit, and he took out so many people to secure his position as the head of the Lawson Group. He’s much, much harder to deal with than Eric Kendall! Evie, this is really dangerous for you!"

Not wanting her friend to worry, Eve said, "Actually, Mason Lawson isn’t that scary. He’s helped me a lot. If it weren’t for him, my aunt and uncle would never have given the villa back to me so easily."

Mia asked worriedly, "Has he... taken advantage of you?"

Eve was too embarrassed to mention that Mason Lawson had almost... done *that* to her last night.

Feeling guilty, she avoided Mia’s gaze and gave a slight shake of her head. "No."

Mia was rather oblivious and didn’t notice anything unusual about her friend’s reaction. She let out a long sigh of relief. "Oh, good. So, in other words, you’re only living at his place because he’s using you to make his ex-girlfriend angry?"

A pang of tightness hit Eve’s chest. "I guess so," she said dejectedly. "And because I look so much like his ex, Eric had me imitate her and play the piano at his birthday party. He got really angry after that... I think he’s cut Eric off completely."

"Serves him right!"

Mia looked thrilled. "I heard that Mason is the reason Eric meets his KPIs every quarter. Now that he’s lost his biggest backer, I bet Mr. Kendall won’t go easy on him anymore!"

...

That evening, at a bar, Eric Kendall had Hamilton Hale come over to call Mason Lawson for him.

Mason wasn’t even taking his calls anymore, so Eric had to get someone else to contact him.

’He had to at least give me a chance to apologize!’

Hamilton Hale was, of course, reluctant. "Your boneheaded idea already ruined Mason’s birthday, and now you want me to go clean up your mess? He might just end up cutting me off too!"

But in the end, Eric pestered him until he gave in and called Mason Lawson.

"Hello?"

Mason Lawson’s voice was frigid on the other end.

Hamilton’s heart skipped a beat. He asked tentatively, "Mason? Are you off work? Want to come out for a drink?"

"Busy."

Mason’s one-word reply was brutally decisive.

Hamilton cleared his throat awkwardly and put the call on speaker. "Uh... that’s fine. Eric and I can wait. Just come over whenever you’re done!"

Mason replied coldly, "I don’t want to see that guy."

"Well..."

Hamilton shrugged at Eric, a helpless expression on his face.

Eric couldn’t resist grabbing the phone. "Mason, come on, that’s not cool. I was just trying to make you happy for your birthday! I spent days thinking up that idea. Even if you didn’t like it, you don’t have to cut me off over it!"

Mason enunciated every word. "Your brilliant idea was to have Eve Vaughn dress up as Joanna Sullivan to disgust me? Eric Kendall, I’m not an idiot, and I’m not blind! I can tell the difference between Eve Vaughn and Joanna Sullivan!"

With that, he hung up, leaving only the drone of a dial tone.

Eric looked completely baffled. He turned to Hamilton. "What the hell is going on? I really don’t get it. If he wasn’t still hung up on Joanna Sullivan, why would he get involved with Eve Vaughn in the first place? I refuse to believe he’d keep a woman who looks so much like her around if he didn’t still have feelings for Joanna!"

Hamilton shook his head. "Maybe... maybe what happened with Joanna hit him harder than we thought. Making Eve dress up as her was like rubbing salt in the wound. A man as proud as Mason would never let us see that he’s still not over her, would he?"

Realization dawned on Eric’s face. He sighed, "Damn, I’m such an idiot! Why didn’t I think of that? I really screwed up this time!"

Hamilton couldn’t help but roast him. "You’ve been a playboy for years, changing girlfriends more often than you change your clothes. How have you not learned anything? Your emotional intelligence is terrifyingly low!"

"My emotional intelligence is low?"

Eric was so mad he was practically hopping. "Among the four of us, if my EQ is second-best, no one would dare claim to be first! I just messed up this one time, that’s all! Just you watch. I’ll get Mason to forgive me in less than a month!"

...

As it turned out, when Mason Lawson said he was busy, he really was busy.

He had an unusual number of documents to personally review and sign, and he worked straight through until after ten o’clock at night before heading home.

Seeing him return alone, Mrs. Linton asked with some surprise, "Mr. Lawson, wasn’t Miss Vaughn with you?"

"Her?"

Mason Lawson frowned. "She’s not back yet?"

Mrs. Linton nodded. "That’s right. I assumed you’d be coming home together this evening."

Mason Lawson glanced at the inky blackness outside the window and sighed softly. "I’m heading out."

He was already walking out the door as he said it.

...

「Rivaster University, Study Hall.」

It was only when the building manager came to lock up that Eve Vaughn realized how late it was.

She was the last one to leave the room.

Beneath the campus streetlights, she walked alone along a cobblestone path, wandering aimlessly like a homeless vagrant.

Mason Lawson had been furious yesterday, and just as cold that morning. She didn’t dare go back, terrified she might do something wrong and provoke his anger again.

’If I really can’t go back, I guess I’ll just go to my dorm for now,’ Eve Vaughn sighed.

Clutching her books, she walked forlornly in the direction of the dorms.

Just then, a familiar, steady voice called out from behind her.

"Eve Vaughn!"

Those two words made her stop in her tracks. She turned around in disbelief.

She never imagined that Mason Lawson would come to get her himself, especially this late.

For a moment, Eve Vaughn’s nose tingled with the urge to cry. She just stood there, staring blankly at the man walking toward her.