Charlotte Vaughn was stunned. The other party kept demanding she take responsibility, but all she ever did was throw the Lawson Family’s weight around.

After all, she had no resources or power of her own.

Panicked, Charlotte Vaughn quickly hung up. She couldn’t handle their questioning, much less come up with a solution.

After the call, she screamed in a complete meltdown, "That bitch Eve Vaughn! Jonah Spencer must have gotten her out again. Did I take that beating for nothing?"

Seeing her state, Jason Vaughn quickly said to his mother, "Mom, I think Lana Chambers was right. This isn’t the time for infighting. We need to stick together. Otherwise, that brat Eve Vaughn is going to be shitting all over our heads!"

Theresa Thompson said timidly, "But we can’t even see her now, and she won’t answer our calls. The renovations on that villa are still going on. That little hussy has no respect for us at all!"

Lana Chambers snorted and said sinisterly, "If she won’t come out, then we’ll find a way to force her. Even the law states that Mom owns half of that villa. What right does she have to occupy it and refuse to hand it over?"

Jason Vaughn said thoughtfully, "It looks like we’ll have to come up with a foolproof plan to force her to return the villa willingly!"

...

「Lawson Group.」

Neil Kane presented the information from his investigation to Mason Lawson.

"President Lawson, the Vaughn Company has gone from its original business in gene chip sequencing to exporting simple medical equipment. The technicians have almost all left, and everything is outsourced to factories. Even with that, their cash flow is tight. I heard the company’s boss, Jason Vaughn, has been trying to drum up business everywhere but keeps hitting dead ends. At this rate, there’s a real risk they could go bankrupt."

Mason Lawson looked at the Vaughn Company’s financial statements. Profits were declining year after year.

He snorted derisively. "Eve Vaughn’s uncle really isn’t cut out for business. No technical know-how, no business acumen."

Neil Kane nodded in agreement. "I heard the company originally relied on Eve Vaughn’s father’s technology to develop gene-related products. They were on the verge of going public. But then, her father had an accident and passed away."

Mason Lawson gathered the files. He already had a plan. "All right, I understand. You’re dismissed."

Thinking of the young woman at home, and with nothing pressing left to do, Mason Lawson decided to head home early.

"Mr. Lawson, you’re back."

Mrs. Linton hurried to get him his slippers.

Seeing the living room was empty, Mason Lawson asked, "Where’s Eve Vaughn?"

Mrs. Linton smiled brightly. "Miss Vaughn went to the study to read right after lunch. She’s been so diligent."

Mason Lawson glanced upstairs and headed that way.

In the study, the young woman was engrossed in a large textbook for one of her specialized courses. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

She didn’t even notice him come in.

It wasn’t until Mason Lawson came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her that Eve Vaughn finally snapped out of it.

"Mr. Lawson, when did you get back?"

She had just surfaced from her ocean of books, and her dazed, innocent expression was incredibly cute.

Still leaning over and holding her from behind, Mason Lawson said, "Reading so intently? Does this mean you haven’t thought of me at all today?"

Eve Vaughn’s cheeks flushed as she said shyly, "It’s precisely because I was alone with nothing to do that I kept thinking about you, Mr. Lawson. That’s why I started reading, to keep myself busy."

He knew she might just be saying it to please him, but Mason Lawson found himself in an inexplicably good mood anyway.

He kissed her cheek. "Now that you’re calling me ’Mr. Lawson,’ why does it sound even more awkward?"

Eve Vaughn looked at him, speechless. "First, you said it was awkward when I called you ’Little Uncle.’ Now that I’ve stopped, you’re *still* saying it’s awkward!" Mason Lawson chuckled, then sighed. "Never mind. We’ll take it slow. Some things are best left to happen naturally."

Eve Vaughn looked at him, completely baffled. ’Men,’ she thought, ’are impossible to understand!’

Just then, she remembered something. Handing her phone to Mason Lawson, she said thoughtfully, "My grandmother and uncle have been calling me nonstop these past few days, but I haven’t been answering. They were still calling this morning, but now... for some reason, they’ve stopped."

Mason Lawson casually set her phone aside. "You’re doing the right thing. Just ignore them."

"But that’s not a long-term solution," Eve Vaughn said glumly. "I’ve already checked online. It’s just like they said—my grandmother legally owns half of the house. If I keep avoiding this, they’re never going to give up."

Mason Lawson sat down in the chair and pulled her onto his lap.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and whispered in her ear, "I remember exactly how your cousin, your uncle, and your aunt have treated you. Rest assured, you didn’t suffer for nothing—not from your new injuries yesterday, nor from any of the old ones. I’ll make them pay for it all, and soon."

Eve Vaughn stared at Mason Lawson in disbelief. "I thought you found my family’s affairs too troublesome and were going to wash your hands of me, Mr. Lawson. So... what’s your plan? The law is the law, after all. You can’t just change it."

The corner of Mason Lawson’s lips curved into a smile, as if amused by the young woman’s innocence.

Like an older brother, or perhaps a teacher, he told her, "Then let me teach you something. I’ll show you that where there’s a will, there’s a way. An impulsive act like the one you pulled yesterday solves nothing. It only gets you dragged down, too."

Eve Vaughn felt a thrill of excitement mixed with deep admiration.

She was deeply grateful. Mason Lawson wasn’t just protecting her; he was giving her wings so that one day, she could learn to fly on her own.

A thin mist welled up in her eyes, the rims turning red. She said with genuine sincerity, "Thank you, Mr. Lawson."

"Don’t be so quick to thank me." Mason Lawson’s stubble grazed her neck as he asked in a low, devilishly charming voice, "So when does Evie plan on giving herself to me?"