A stunner like Mandy Hughes, both sexy and willing to lower herself to please him, was a huge boost to a man’s pride.

Besides, this was still the beginning, and the novelty hadn’t worn off for Eric Kendall yet.

His hand slid down from Mandy Hughes’s waist and he gave her full bottom a squeeze. "You little temptress!"

Then, Eric Kendall handed her a room key card and said with a roguish grin, "Go to the room and wait for me. Wash up, hmm?"

Mandy Hughes’s face bloomed. Happy and coy, she took the card and headed to the room, overjoyed.

What’s more, she had added a little something extra to Eric Kendall’s drink earlier.

’This is going to be so exciting.’

The little model, Mandy Hughes, left the private room, swaying her hips and shooting a flirtatious look at Eric Kendall over her shoulder.

Mason Lawson raised his wrist to look at his watch. "Why isn’t Hamilton Hale here yet?"

Eric Kendall chimed in, "I know, right? It’s almost ten. What’s taking him? I just tried calling, but his phone is off."

Jonah Spencer said, "Once he’s in surgery, he loses all track of time. He’s probably not even done yet."

"That guy, honestly!" Eric Kendall complained. "I’m the one who set up this get-together, and he even said he could make it tonight. You just can’t trust a doctor’s word!"

Mason Lawson looked at the time and figured Hamilton Hale probably wasn’t coming either.

His whole purpose in coming here today was actually to ask Hamilton Hale about the transfer of Eve Vaughn’s mother to another hospital.

Since he wasn’t going to get the information he wanted, Mason Lawson was in no mood to stay here and party.

After all, he had just returned from a trip abroad today and was exhausted.

He stood up. "You guys have fun. I’m leaving."

"Wait," Eric Kendall said. "What’s the final word on Eve Vaughn? Are you taking her back with you?"

Mason Lawson said coldly, "Let her stay locked up for now. For the night."

He would come get her when she was ready to admit she was wrong.

Eric Kendall looked utterly confused. "Lock her up for the night? What do you mean? And then what happens after that? What about that little brat Mia Kendall?"

"She’s your sister. Why are you asking me?"

With that, Mason Lawson strode off without a backward glance.

Eric Kendall looked at Jonah Spencer, baffled. "I don’t get it. Mason wasn’t like this with Eve Vaughn before. Did they break up? Then why did I go out of my way to get her a designer and money to renovate a house? Isn’t that a huge loss for me?"

Jonah Spencer said mercilessly, "Well, it’s not the first or second time your investments have tanked."

Meanwhile, just as Mason Lawson reached the entrance of the club, he happened to run into Hamilton Hale, who was on his way in.

"Mason?" Hamilton Hale looked at him, surprised. "As I recall, whenever Eric Kendall organizes something, it goes until one or two in the morning. Ending this early today?"

Mason Lawson said darkly, "Well, we waited forever for you, and when you didn’t show, we figured it was pointless and all went our separate ways."

"Really?"

Hamilton Hale smiled knowingly. "I think *you* were the one waiting for me, weren’t you?"

Mason Lawson simply walked out of the club and stood by the side of a quieter street.

He lit a cigarette, his stern face hidden in the dark of the night. Only the flickering ember at his fingertips occasionally illuminated his deep eyes.

Gently exhaling a plume of smoke, Mason Lawson looked at Hamilton Hale beside him and spoke with a hint of sarcasm. "One is my brother, the other my woman. You two pull these little stunts behind my back, and I don’t even have the right to know about it. Hamilton Hale, don’t you think you’ve gone too far?"

Hamilton Hale paused, realizing Mason Lawson must be talking about Eve Vaughn’s mother.

He couldn’t help but feel a flash of anger. "Are you saying that I was wrong to help? That I did you some great injustice, is that it?"

"Explain yourself!"

The scrutinizing look in Mason Lawson’s eyes made Hamilton Hale extremely annoyed.

The promise he’d made to Eve Vaughn was now completely forgotten. After all, he had to prove he wasn’t the kind of guy who would try to steal his friend’s woman while he was away.

So, Hamilton Hale pulled out his phone, found the photos he had taken that day, and handed it to him. "See for yourself! If I hadn’t happened to pass by that day, Eve Vaughn and her mother might have ended up sleeping on the streets."

Mason Lawson’s dark gaze was locked on the phone screen. His heart clenched, especially when he saw the picture of Eve Vaughn squatting on the street, crying helplessly. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

The man asked in a grim voice, "Who did this?"

"Your sister-in-law, Autumn Woods!" Hamilton Hale sighed. "The woman was probably afraid the liver donation business would be exposed, so she wanted to make Eve Vaughn and her mother leave Rivaster. Eve refused, which led to this whole scene to force them out."

Now that he knew the truth, the frustration in Mason Lawson’s heart finally began to dissipate.

But he still asked Hamilton Hale suspiciously, "You helped her, so why didn’t you tell me? She hid it from me, and you hid it from me too?"

Hamilton Hale snorted. "You have the nerve to ask? You obviously got back together with Joanna Sullivan, but you lied and told her you were just going abroad? She’s just a fake girlfriend on a contract with you. Would she dare ask for help in front of your real girlfriend? Yes, I did hide it from you. It was Eve Vaughn who begged me over and over not to tell you about it."

Understanding dawned on Mason Lawson. He then looked at Hamilton Hale and said, "Helping Eve Vaughn’s mother transfer hospitals... I owe you for that. I’ll make it up to you, and I’ll settle the medical bills too."

With that, he hurried straight for the small room where he had locked up Eve Vaughn.

When he opened the door and went inside, both Eve Vaughn and Mia Kendall were asleep.

The two girls were tied up, sleeping back-to-back, and quite soundly at that.

Mason Lawson muttered to himself, "They’re really something else."

Eve Vaughn was a light sleeper, and under the circumstances, she woke up instantly at the sound of a voice.

The two girls stared at him in terror, wondering what he was going to do to them next.

Mason Lawson gave the manager a look, signaling for him to untie Mia Kendall first.

But Mia Kendall refused to move. "Untie Evie too! I want to leave with her! Otherwise, I’m not going anywhere!"

Eve Vaughn quickly said, "Just go, don’t worry about me! It’s better if one of us gets out. That’s better than both of us being stuck here."

Mia Kendall, afraid Eve Vaughn would be hurt, was on the verge of tears. She pleaded, "President Lawson, please, have a heart and let Evie go."

Mason Lawson was unmoved. He said coldly, "Eve Vaughn is my woman. I naturally won’t harm her. If you don’t leave now, I’ll hand you over to Eric Kendall. You know what he was planning to do with you in the first place."

Mia Kendall hesitated. Eve Vaughn urged her again, "Hurry up and go, Mia!"

The club manager was a sharp man. Seeing the situation, he quickly pulled Mia Kendall out, leaving Mason Lawson and Eve Vaughn alone.

After everyone had left, Eve Vaughn, still tied up, looked at the man looming over her with a mixture of anger and resentment.