Her mind was in a complete mess. It felt as if the warmth from that lingering kiss was still on her lips, leaving her utterly confused.

’What in the world does Mason mean by that!’

When she got home, Eve Vaughn made a beeline for her room, not daring to say another word to Mason Lawson.

That night, even her dreams were a chaotic mess.

As a result, she hadn’t rested well, and the next morning she was completely listless.

At the breakfast table, Mason Lawson calmly said, "I’m leaving for a business trip abroad today. I’ll be gone for about a week."

Then, he took out a bank card and handed it to her. "Take this. Use it if you need money. The PIN is six zeros."

Eve Vaughn froze. ’Are all billionaires’ PINs this simple?’

However, the strange thought lasted only a moment before Eve Vaughn immediately tried to return the card. "Mason, I can’t accept this."

Eve Vaughn said earnestly, "I’m already living in your house, which is so nice, and you’re providing me with food and everything. I can’t take your money on top of that."

’Besides,’ she thought, ’Mason kissed me last night. If I live in his house and take his money, what kind of person does that make me?’

’I’d really be the sugar baby kept by some old man, just like Lana Chambers and the others said.’

Mason Lawson wasn’t accustomed to having his offers rejected. As he left, he placed the bank card on the coffee table. "Use it or don’t. It’s up to you."

And with that, he left. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Eve Vaughn, of course, didn’t take the card. After breakfast, she went straight to her classes at the university.

During her lunch break, Eve Vaughn was surprised to see Jonah Spencer coming to her university to find her.

"Lawyer Spencer?" Eve Vaughn asked, confused. "What are you doing here?"

Jonah Spencer had a similar style to Mason Lawson—mature and composed. But Jonah always wore gold-rimmed glasses, which made him appear a bit more refined than Mason.

He stood at the classroom door, looking dashing. Girls passing by cast curious and admiring glances, seeming to speculate about his relationship with Eve Vaughn.

Jonah Spencer sensed her discomfort and asked, "Miss Vaughn, is now a good time? We should... find somewhere private to talk."

"Okay."

Eve Vaughn didn’t hesitate. For one, she didn’t want her classmates to see them and start gossiping. For another, she was grateful to Jonah Spencer for helping her get the villa back from Lana Chambers and her family.

So, she followed Jonah Spencer off campus to a coffee shop across the street.

To her surprise, Eric Kendall was also in the coffee shop.

Eve Vaughn asked in surprise, "Lawyer Spencer, why is he here?"

Eric Kendall quickly jumped in. "Don’t blame Jonah. I asked him to bring you here. If I’d come to you myself, you wouldn’t have given me the time of day, right?"

Eve Vaughn shot him a glare and said irritably, "I don’t want to talk to you now, either!"

Jonah Spencer had to play the role of peacemaker. "Why don’t we sit down first? I’ve ordered coffee."

And so, Eve Vaughn sat on one side of the table, with Eric Kendall and Jonah Spencer sitting across from her.

Eric Kendall felt a deep sense of satisfaction. ’Bringing Jonah today was definitely the right move!’

’After all, Jonah had helped Eve before. No matter how stubborn the girl was, she wouldn’t just blow him off.’

Eve Vaughn was still fuming at Eric Kendall. "I have class this afternoon," she said coldly. "If you have something to say, get on with it."

Eric Kendall said awkwardly, "It’s... about what happened on Mason’s birthday. I really screwed up, and I dragged you into it. I’m here to sincerely apologize."

Eve Vaughn said expressionlessly, "The damage is already done. What good is an apology now?"

"Hey, don’t be so hasty. This isn’t just an empty apology!" Eric Kendall said with a grin. "I heard you got your family’s villa back. Now that you’ve kicked out your uncle and his family, aren’t you planning on renovating it?"

That piqued Eve Vaughn’s interest. "What do you mean?" she asked.

Eric Kendall’s voice was full of temptation. "I can pay to have the villa completely renovated for you, restoring it to the way it was before. How about that? Is that a sincere enough apology for you?"

Eve couldn’t help but think about how, years ago, after her uncle’s family moved in, they had started a massive renovation of the villa, wiping away every last trace of her father.

Now, Eric Kendall’s proposal truly tempted her.

But she wasn’t about to take the bait so easily. She asked suspiciously, "You’re willing to spend a fortune renovating my villa just so I’ll forgive you? There are no other strings attached?"

Eric Kendall gave her a thumbs-up and started laying on the flattery. "No wonder you’re the one Mason’s interested in! Sharp as a tack! If you could, maybe you could put in a good word with Mason for us? You know, for the sake of our lifelong friendship. Tell him not to actually cut us off!"

Eve Vaughn knew it. ’A guy like Eric Kendall would never do something for nothing.’

’So that was his angle!’

She retorted, "What makes you think I have any sway with Mason?"

Eric Kendall said confidently, "Anyone else who crossed Mason like that would have ended up in a world of hurt! But not you. He was so furious that day he was ready to cut me off completely, but he didn’t kick you out! That proves you’re special to him."

At this, Eric narrowed his eyes. "I’ve just got to know, how did you beat out Joanna Sullivan and snag Mason? I get it now. He’s into your type. All that ’Uncle Mason’ this and ’Uncle Mason’ that... he must find it exciting!"

Eve Vaughn’s face instantly fell. "He’s not as sordid as you think! We... we..."

Thinking of the previous night’s kiss, she found she couldn’t confidently claim that her relationship with Mason Lawson was completely innocent.

Under the curious gazes of both Eric Kendall and Jonah Spencer, Eve Vaughn said, lacking any real conviction, "Anyway, we don’t have that kind of relationship."

Jonah Spencer and Eric Kendall exchanged a secret, meaningful glance.

’Could it be that Mason hasn’t made his move on the girl yet? Is he planning to fatten her up before the feast?’

Finally, Eric Kendall relented. "Alright, fine. You’re the boss now. Whatever you say, goes! Just make sure you go back and have a nice talk with Mason. Turn on the charm a little, get him to forgive us, you hear me?"

Eve Vaughn shot him a sidelong glance. "I can only try. But about the renovation of my father’s villa..."

"I’ll send you the designer’s contact info right away. The funds, too. It’s all on my tab, you just worry about the renovations! No matter the cost, I’ll foot the bill!"

Eric Kendall vowed.

With that, Eve Vaughn and Eric Kendall reached a temporary truce.

As she was about to leave, she suddenly remembered something and warned him, "Oh, and one more thing! Go easy on Mia from now on."

"I’ll be lucky if she doesn’t bully me!"

Eric Kendall huffed in frustration. "You think that Mia Kendall is some kind of pushover?"

Although Eve Vaughn didn’t particularly like Eric Kendall, this incident made her feel that while he might be flaky, he was at least loyal to his friends. Maybe he wasn’t such a bad guy after all.

’So why had Mia Kendall described him as if he were some kind of monster?’

Seeing it was almost time for her next class, Eve Vaughn quickly left the coffee shop and headed back to campus.

But she failed to notice a black van parked by the university entrance.

Inside the van, Mrs. Lawson and Charlotte Vaughn sat side by side.

They had seen everything, from the moment Eve Vaughn and Jonah Spencer had walked out of the university together.

Now, they were more convinced than ever that Eve Vaughn and Jonah Spencer were together!

"Auntie, do you see now? The only reason Eve Vaughn is so bold is because she’s leaning on Jonah Spencer for support!"

Charlotte Vaughn whined pitifully, "It was bad enough that she heartlessly kicked my parents and me out of our home. But now, she’s actually gotten all the high-end luxury boutiques to blacklist me. The custom wedding gown I ordered—they won’t even sell it to me now! The wedding is just around the corner. If I have to buy some off-the-rack dress from an ordinary brand, it’ll be an embarrassment to the Lawson family!"