But Eve Vaughn had no idea just how adorable her serious expression looked in Mason Lawson’s eyes.

To put the young woman at ease, he nodded. "Alright. I won’t force you to do anything you don’t want to."

Only then did Eve Vaughn relax a little. She climbed into bed and lay down beside him, keeping a slight distance between them.

She lay with her back to him, but Mason still pulled her into his arms from behind and switched off the night light.

At first, Eve was tense, her body stiff as she remained on guard.

But Mason really did just hold her as they slept, making no improper moves. Gradually, Eve let down her guard and fell asleep, nestled in his broad, warm embrace.

...

The two-day weekend flew by. On Monday, Mason Lawson personally drove Eve Vaughn to school.

As she was about to get out of the car, the man warned in a deep voice, "Remember to take care of all those admirers you have at school."

’Eve felt as if she’d signed her life away to Mason Lawson.’

But the man’s oppressive aura was too strong, so she could only meekly agree.

Besides, she didn’t even like the boy who had written her the love letter.

And so, after giving Mason her promise, Eve Vaughn headed to her classroom.

She had just sat down when a slender, tall, and handsome boy walked up to her and offered her some breakfast.

"E... Eve, this is breakfast I brought for you."

The boy stuttered, too nervous to even look at Eve.

This was the very boy who had written her the love letter—their class president, Todd Hayes.

Eve, on the other hand, wasn’t nearly as nervous or shy as Todd. ’Maybe my skin’s gotten thicker since I got together with Mason,’ she thought.

But she didn’t take the breakfast from him, saying politely, "Thank you, Todd, but I’ve already eaten."

"Oh, I see..."

Todd looked a little disappointed. Then, he asked cautiously, "That letter... did you get it?"

Aria, sitting next to Eve, looked curious and whispered, "Evie, what letter did he write you?"

Feeling there were too many people in the classroom, Eve took out her phone, pointed to her WeChat app, and said to Todd, "Let’s talk on WeChat, okay?"

Just then, Todd’s roommate walked into the classroom and started to heckle.

"Our great class president is finally in bloom!"

Then they turned to Aria, sitting next to Eve. "How about you play matchmaker and give our great class president a seat?"

Aria, slow on the uptake, looked between Eve and Todd. "You... when did you two get together? How did I not know?"

Eve didn’t let Aria leave. She said calmly, "We’re not together. Todd and I are just classmates."

Her simple statement made Todd flush with embarrassment. In front of the entire class, he felt like he couldn’t even lift his head.

After all, this was the first time Todd had ever confessed to a girl. As class president with excellent grades, he’d had plenty of girls pursue him, but he had never accepted any of them.

He had thought his confession to Eve would go smoothly.

He never expected to be so thoroughly humiliated.

He snatched up the breakfast, threw it in the trash can, and without a word, stomped to the back row and sat down.

The bell for class rang soon after, and the room finally fell silent.

Aria glanced at Todd in the back row, feeling a little sorry for him.

But when she saw her nemesis, Sharon Lowe, glaring with jealousy from not far away, she felt an inexplicable sense of satisfaction.

Aria covered her mouth, snickering. "Evie, look at Sharon Lowe. She’s seeing red. Remember last year? She chased Todd and made a huge scene, but he never caved. Now that Todd confessed to you, she’s probably dying of rage!"

Eve frowned. "That was so long ago. Besides, isn’t she happy with her boyfriend now? I heard he’s a top student in the Computer Science department!"

Aria pursed her lips. "That’s called settling for second best. Todd is the one she’ll never get over."

"Alright, alright, whether he’s the one that got away or the love of her life, it has nothing to do with me," Eve interrupted. "The professor’s here. Be quiet and pay attention."

Just then, her phone chimed with a WeChat notification.

Eve looked and saw it was from Todd Hayes.

"Sorry, I was too forward this morning. But Evie, I really like you. I noticed you a long time ago, but I only just now worked up the courage to confess. Could you please give me a chance?"

Eve replied with a smiley-face emoji and typed in a lighthearted tone, "I’m flattered, Todd, but I already have someone I like. I think it’s better if we just stay classmates."

After that, Todd didn’t message her again.

Eve breathed a sigh of relief, took a screenshot, and sent it to Mason Lawson to show her loyalty.

She also attached a sticker of a cat saluting, with the caption: "The boss is the best!"

At that moment, Mason Lawson was in a meeting.

He had been extremely displeased with the quarterly report being presented by a senior executive, as profits were down 10% from the previous quarter.

But when he saw the message from the young woman, a smile crept onto his stern face.

This stunned the executive, who was drenched in a cold sweat. He thought the latter part of his speech had finally earned Mason’s approval and satisfied him.

And so, the executive who had been hunched over just a moment ago, wishing he could disappear, suddenly straightened his spine, his voice filling with passion as he continued his report.

Just then, Mason put down his phone and held up a hand, stopping him.

The executive waited with an expectant look on his face for Mason’s praise. After all, he had just detailed the remedial measures for the profit decline.

But he never expected the CEO’s expression to darken as suddenly as a summer thunderstorm.

Mason looked at him and said grimly, "Director Grant, instead of selling me grand promises every time, you’d be better off focusing on how to actually improve performance. If I were you, I wouldn’t have the gall to stand there pontificating like that! Next quarter is your last chance. If you don’t meet your targets again, you can pack your things and get out."

With that, his icy gaze swept over the others in the conference room. "Meeting adjourned!"

After Mason left, everyone clutched their chests, relieved that the terrifying meeting was finally over.

’Director Grant silently cursed himself. ’I was too hasty! I shouldn’t have used the CEO’s expression as a weather vane. But that warm, friendly smile of his was just so misleading!’’

...

Back in the dorm room, as soon as Eve and Aria walked in, they heard Sharon Lowe’s snide voice.

"Some people are so hypocritical. They go around seducing someone, and once they’ve got them hooked, they start playing all prim and proper."

Eve knew the comment was aimed at her and retorted without mercy, "My, do I smell something sour in here? Did some thousand-year-old lemon demon finally take human form?"

Aria quickly chimed in, "Maybe our class president just doesn’t like sour things. That’s why he always avoided that lemon demon when she kept throwing herself at him in the past."

Sharon instantly flew into a rage, jumping to her feet and shouting, "Who are you talking about!"

Eve smiled sweetly. "I’m talking about whoever the lemon demon is."

With that, she grabbed her meal card. "Aria, let’s go get something to eat. And then... we can buy some lemons to make tea when we get back."