Suddenly, Eve Vaughn grabbed her wrist and, with a swift shoulder throw, slammed her to the ground.

Charlotte Vaughn hit the ground so hard it felt like every bone in her body had come loose. She couldn’t even get up.

Wincing in pain, Eve Vaughn straightened her hair and looked down at her. "Charlotte Vaughn, your family had better stay out of my way from now on. Otherwise, I’ll beat you every single time I see you!"

How could Charlotte Vaughn possibly swallow such an insult?

Especially now, sprawled pathetically on the floor, so far beneath Eve Vaughn.

Humiliated and enraged, she spat, "Eve Vaughn, you know what? Julian Lawson dumping you was your karma! Your father dying, your mother being a vegetable—that was their karma too, for giving birth to a bastard like you!"

Eve Vaughn had been ready to walk away.

But those words had just struck a raw nerve.

When Charlotte insulted her, she could just let it go.

But insulting her parents was unforgivable.

Her eyes burning red, Eve Vaughn had reached her breaking point.

In the next instant, she crouched down, grabbed Charlotte Vaughn by the collar, and slapped her hard across the face, again and again.

Charlotte Vaughn struggled to lift a hand, clawing wildly at Eve Vaughn’s face.

"Eve Vaughn, you little bitch, I’ll kill you!"

A bright red scratch bloomed across Eve Vaughn’s flawless, fair skin.

In the end, however, Charlotte Vaughn got the worst of it, beaten by Eve until she was left sprawled on the floor, unable to move.

But her vicious words about Eve’s parents had dredged up the deepest grief in Eve Vaughn’s heart.

The commotion was loud enough that others in the gym saw it and called the police.

When Mia Kendall came out of the shower and saw the scratch on Eve Vaughn’s face, she nearly fainted.

"Evie, your face..."

Mia was on the verge of tears. "That bitch," she said venomously, "was she trying to disfigure you? Come on, let’s get you to a hospital!"

Eve Vaughn was still thinking about her parents, the grief in her heart showing no signs of abating. She let Mia Kendall pull her numbly toward the exit.

But just as they reached the ground floor, a police car pulled up.

"Who’s Eve Vaughn?"

An officer presented a warrant. "We got a call accusing you of intentional assault. Come with us."

Mia Kendall quickly stepped in their way. "Officers, you’ve got it wrong! She started it!"

"Whatever the situation is, you can explain it at the station," the officer said, all business.

Despite Mia Kendall’s protests, the police took Eve Vaughn away.

She panicked as she watched the police car disappear into the distance.

Just then, Charlotte Vaughn limped over to her side and sneered, "That little bitch. She broke up my parents’ marriage, and now she dares to hit me? I’ll make her pay in blood! And just so you know, my friend’s brother works for the Rivaster PD."

Mia Kendall wanted nothing more than to punch this moron in the face.

But Eve Vaughn was already gone. If Mia got herself arrested too, they’d both be screwed.

The priority right now was to find someone to get Eve Vaughn out.

Before leaving, Mia Kendall pointed at Charlotte Vaughn. "Don’t think I don’t know what really happened with Julian Lawson’s liver transplant. You push me, and I swear, I will expose everything on your wedding day. So much for your pipe dream of becoming Mrs. Lawson!"

"You wouldn’t dare!" Charlotte Vaughn seethed, her rage twisting into a mocking smile. "Even if you did, no one would believe you."

Besides, Mrs. Lawson had already taken care of all the evidence long ago.

Mia Kendall had no time to argue. She quickly hailed a taxi. "Lawson Group, please."

’Who else could I possibly ask besides Mason Lawson?’

’He might have a new flame now, but surely he still has some feelings for Eve, right?’

’He wouldn’t just leave her to rot in a situation like this.’

During the ride, Mia Kendall kept urging the driver to go faster.

’I don’t know if Charlotte was bluffing or not, but if she really has connections inside, Eve’s going to be in real trouble.’

...

「The Police Station.」

Eve Vaughn sat in the interrogation room, facing two officers with grim expressions.

Their captain had personally called, ordering them to handle her harshly. They were to secure a confession for the crime of intentional assault.

"So, talk. What’s the beef between you and the victim? You beat her so badly she’s in the hospital with a fractured leg and multiple other injuries."

The officer took a sip of tea, his eyes scrutinizing her.

This was Eve’s first time in a police station, and she was naturally terrified.

But she wouldn’t admit to a deliberate assault when the officer accused her right off the bat.

She took a deep breath and explained calmly, "She provoked me, insulted me, and threw the first punch. It wasn’t a deliberate assault; it was self-defense."

"Bullshit!"

The officer slammed his hand on the table. "We get plenty of people in here trying to spin stories like you! Who’s going to prove she started it?"

Eve Vaughn was about to mention the security cameras, but then she remembered the fight had been in the lounge area outside the locker room, where there were no cameras.

Seeing her falter, the officer sneered. "Nothing to say now, huh? We don’t know anything about the victim hitting you. What we do know is that we got a call, and witnesses all say they saw you pinning her to the ground and beating her!"

Eve Vaughn could already tell they were trying to coerce a confession out of her.

She clenched her fists and retorted, "Fine. Let’s say I hit her. Then what about this?" She gestured to her face. "If you test this scratch, I’m sure you’ll find Charlotte Vaughn’s DNA on it. If I attacked her unprovoked, that’s assault. But she hit me back, which makes it a mutual affray, doesn’t it? I will not agree to take sole responsibility for this."

Both officers were seasoned veterans. They had their own methods for dealing with uncooperative people like her.

"Heh. Looks like you’re determined to play hardball."

One of the officers stood up, sneered, and switched off the interrogation camera.

Eve Vaughn’s eyes widened. She couldn’t believe they would be so blatant about coercing a confession.

But what came next was even more terrifying.

The officer lit a cigarette. Suddenly, he pressed the glowing tip against Eve Vaughn’s arm.

"AH!"

A heart-wrenching scream echoed through the interrogation room.

Eve Vaughn bit down hard against the pain, cold sweat pouring down her face.

The other officer asked, "Are you going to confess or not?"

Enduring the agony, Eve Vaughn ground out, word by word, "I. Will. Not."

...

「Meanwhile.」

Mia Kendall reached the Lawson Group, only to be told that Mason Lawson had left for Calypsos on a business trip the day before.

"What?"

Mia Kendall immediately asked the receptionist, "Then what’s Mr. Lawson’s number? Can you give me his phone number?"

The receptionist was taken aback. While President Lawson had plenty of admirers, this was the first time she’d seen one march right into the lobby and demand his number.

"I’m sorry, miss, but we don’t have President Lawson’s number," the receptionist said. "Only his personal assistant would have that information."

Mia Kendall’s head was spinning with anxiety. Desperate, her thoughts turned to Eric Kendall.

’With his connections to Mason Lawson, that guy would definitely know everything, especially Mason’s number.’

’But ever since that day Eric nearly assaulted her on the couch, she hadn’t dared to go back to the Kendall family home, specifically to avoid him.’

Steeling herself, Mia Kendall called Eric Kendall anyway. When he told her he was at The Aegis Club, she immediately hailed a cab and headed over.