Mason Lawson simply tucked the young woman’s slender body under his arm and, with his other hand, gave her bottom a few hard smacks.

SLAP! SLAP! The sounds were exceptionally clear in the dead of night. Flushed red with shame and anger, Eve Vaughn kicked her legs and struggled.

Her bottom was red by the time Eve Vaughn finally burst into tears, unsure if it was from the pain or the humiliation.

Only then did Mason Lawson let her go.

Eve Vaughn quickly pulled up her pants, tears of anger streaming down her face like a broken faucet as she loudly accused him, "Mason, you’ve gone too far! Way too far! How could you do that?"

Mason Lawson asked with a deadpan expression, "Will you dare to do it again? If you dare to argue back, it won’t be as simple as just a spanking."

Eve Vaughn cried out, aggrieved, "Did you think I *wanted* to fight? Charlotte Vaughn’s parents—my own aunt and uncle—stole my family’s house. We finally got it back, and now they’re stirring up trouble again, dragging my grandmother into it! Charlotte even cursed at me, saying my father deserved to die! That my mother deserved it too! Was I not supposed to do anything?"

At that moment, Eve Vaughn was just like a child, her mouth open in a complete, sobbing breakdown.

Mason Lawson sighed helplessly. In the end, his heart still ached for her.

He pulled the young woman into his arms, using his calloused fingertips to wipe away her tears. "Alright, stop crying," he said softly. "I know you’ve been wronged. But I’m not angry that you fought. I’m angry about *how* you solve problems. You’re too impulsive. If you keep this up, you’ll only continue to suffer for it."

Under his comforting touch, Eve Vaughn’s cries gradually subsided, though she was still sniffling.

"Then... then what should I do?" Eve Vaughn sniffled.

Mason Lawson gave a soft, helpless laugh. "How about ensuring she has no way to recover, without you having to lift a finger or getting hurt yourself?"

Eve Vaughn only half-understood what he meant. In any case, she was out of ideas for dealing with that shameless family.

"Alright, it’s too late. Go to sleep for now." Mason Lawson stroked her hair. "You just got out of the detention center. Go take a nice, long bath to wash away the bad luck. Leave the rest to me."

Eve Vaughn remembered that Mia Kendall was probably still worried about her, so she hurried to the bathroom. While soaking in the tub, she called Mia to let her know she was safe.

"Wow, that Mason Lawson really has a few tricks up his sleeve! I can’t believe he actually got you out!"

Mia Kendall’s voice was full of relief. She then asked, "By the way, Charlotte Vaughn said she knows people at the police station. You didn’t get roughed up, did you?"

Eve Vaughn knew it. The coerced interrogation at the station had to be Charlotte Vaughn’s doing.

Not wanting to worry Mia Kendall, she said, "No, it was just a normal interrogation. They asked a few questions, and then Mason Lawson came to get me."

"So you’re... at Mason Lawson’s place now?" Mia Kendall asked worriedly. "That thing about him being out with another woman late at night, did you two clear that up?"

Eve Vaughn sighed. "Not yet. He’s furious that I got into a fight."

"He’s angry?" Mia Kendall said indignantly. "Evie, *you* should be the one who’s angry. He was the one who wronged you first. What right does he have to be mad? You have to get to the bottom of this thing with the other woman. You can’t just let it go and stay with him blindly."

"Okay, I know," Eve Vaughn said. "You should get some rest, Mia. You must have run around a lot for me today, right?"

Mia Kendall said casually, "Hey, it’s nothing! You’re my only best friend. If something happened to you, who would I go shopping with, grab food with, and complain about men with in the future?"

The two chatted a little while longer before Eve Vaughn finished her bath and stepped out of the bathroom.

Mason Lawson had already showered in the other bathroom and was lying in bed.

The thought of the tabloid scandal made Eve Vaughn feel awkward.

She got into bed but stayed on the very edge, her back turned to him.

Mason Lawson turned off the night light and reached out to gently rub the spot where she’d been spanked. "Does it still hurt?" he asked softly.

Eve Vaughn shifted her bottom slightly and said petulantly, "Even if it hurts, it’s none of your business."

Mason Lawson didn’t get angry. Instead, he found her quite adorable.

He wrapped an arm around her waist, forcefully pulling her into his embrace. The man sniffed the faint scent of shower gel on her neck and shoulder, his voice husky. "Don’t you have anything to ask me?"

Eve Vaughn’s body clearly stiffened. She whispered, "You know what I want to ask, so just say it. If you don’t want to tell me, you won’t, even if I ask."

Mason Lawson was tempted to spank her again but held back. "Fine," he said in a low voice. "Then, I’m setting a second rule for you. From now on, you are not allowed to hang up on me. That’s even worse than you getting into a fight!"

’What a domineering man!’ Eve Vaughn complained inwardly. ’He must want every woman to worship him like some kind of god-king.’

But there were some things Eve Vaughn only dared to curse in her head, not say out loud.

Seeing her indignant expression, Mason Lawson kept a straight face and asked, "What? Still not convinced? If you have something to say, say it! Don’t mumble."

Eve Vaughn complained resentfully, "I may have hung up on you, but you ignored me for days, too! Wasn’t it because you found someone new? If I had reached out to you, wouldn’t I just have been humiliating myself?"

In the end, Mason Lawson couldn’t resist and gave her little bottom another smack.

Just as Eve Vaughn was about to struggle, the man beside her suddenly turned her over, his large frame covering hers.

The young woman was terrified, feeling like a little lamb caught in the jaws of a big, bad wolf. She didn’t even dare to breathe too loudly.

The man on top of her caressed her smooth cheek. "Looks like I need to state the third rule. From now on, you’re not allowed to let your imagination run wild!"

Eve Vaughn finally couldn’t help but ask, "Mason, you still haven’t explained what was going on with that woman."

"It was Joanna Sullivan."

When Mason Lawson said the name, Eve Vaughn’s heart skipped a beat.

Then, she muttered sullenly, "Her again."

Mason Lawson said calmly, "Didn’t I tell you I had a dinner with drinks that night? I happened to run into her there. She drank too much, so I had my driver take her home. I walked back myself. The paparazzi just look for any shadow of a story, and they happened to snap a picture of me opening the car door for her."

The young woman listened quietly to his explanation, blinking her eyes as if pondering his words.

Eve Vaughn eventually realized something about her relationship with Mason Lawson: all it took was one explanation for the other to believe.

Just like now, she chose to believe him.

And because she believed him, the knot of anxiety that had been tightening in her heart for days finally dissolved.

She broke into a smile, looking innocently sweet.

Stirred with affection, Mason Lawson kissed her lips. "Any other questions?" 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

The young woman froze for a second, then shook her head.

Immediately after, the man’s cool lips brushed against her earlobe, his voice seductive and bewitching. "Since there are no more questions, shall we do something else?"

Before Eve Vaughn could react, his lips were on hers.

"Mmph..."

Her lips were sealed by his lingering kiss, which stirred the longing and dependence she felt for him deep in her heart.

For once, the young woman took the initiative, wrapping her arms around Mason Lawson’s neck. She wanted to be closer, to draw some warmth from his embrace.

Having not seen her for a few days, Mason Lawson’s kisses were somewhat urgent. He desperately wanted to take things further.

But he had promised Eve Vaughn he would wait until she was older, until the day she would give herself to him willingly.

No matter how his inner desires screamed, Mason Lawson ultimately held back, having her help him find release in another way.

Even though it wasn’t the first time, Eve Vaughn was still beet red, her palm feeling as if it were holding a hot potato.