Mason Lawson gave a helpless smile. "Alright, then why are you unhappy?"

Eve Vaughn said indignantly, "My uncle and aunt are at it again. They sent me a letter from their lawyer, and if that wasn’t enough, they’ve even gone to a TV show. Today, two reporters came looking for me from a program called ’Family Mediation Gold.’ I looked it up when I got back—it has very high ratings on our local station. They’re... trying to ruin my reputation."

The expression on Mason Lawson’s face gradually turned grim, and his brow furrowed deeply.

He felt it was a miracle that after living with people like that for so many years, Eve Vaughn hadn’t become like them. She was like a lotus rising from the mud, unstained.

After a moment of silence, Mason Lawson said, "Since they want half of the house, let’s give them the cash equivalent for that half. I’ll write you a check after dinner."

Eve Vaughn was completely stunned. She stared at him in disbelief. "You mean... we should just give in? On what grounds? Is this what you meant when you said you’d help me and make them pay a price? Besides, I don’t want your money! It’s over ten million, not a few bucks. That’s no small sum. I can’t let you spend that much money on my behalf."

Mason Lawson said, "Then give them half the house. In any case, you need to remember that the house isn’t the most important thing. Your reputation, your peace of mind, your health, and your safety—those are what matter most." 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Eve Vaughn was so angry she was on the verge of tears. She said, "Maybe in Mr. Lawson’s eyes, it’s just some insignificant villa that you couldn’t care less about. But my father left that to me! It was built on his blood and sweat! If you don’t want to help me, you don’t have to. But why did you promise you would, only to play with me like this?"

This time, Mason Lawson didn’t try to coax her. Instead, he looked at her calmly and said, "Remember what I said the other day? That I was going to teach you. Well, I’m teaching you now. When you’re dealing with scoundrels, if you’re as impatient and impulsive as you’re being now, you’ll be the one who loses out. Sometimes, taking a step back to move forward is a valid strategy."

Eve Vaughn asked anxiously, "Then what are we supposed to do now?!"

"It seems you still haven’t listened to a word I’ve said."

Mason Lawson ate his meal elegantly and said to her, "I already told you to be patient. Come on, eat your food first. There’s no problem that can’t be solved."

Eve Vaughn picked at the delicious food before her, but her mind was elsewhere. Everything tasted like cardboard.

After just a few bites, she said she was full and went upstairs, sulking.

Mason Lawson watched the young woman’s retreating back and shook his head helplessly.

’So emotional. She’s still so young.’

Later, when Mason Lawson returned to the bedroom, the young woman was sitting alone by the floor-to-ceiling window, lost in thought.

He sat down beside Eve Vaughn, gazing at the expansive night view outside, and asked softly, "Are you angry?"

"No."

Eve Vaughn forced a smile and said to him, "I’ve been thinking, and I was in the wrong. I shouldn’t have forced my family’s burden onto you. No matter what our relationship is, you have no obligation to help me."

Mason Lawson pulled her into his arms and said in a low voice, "I never said I wouldn’t help you. I just don’t want you to be so impulsive and lose your composure every time you run into a problem. Don’t worry, there’s a solution for this. You just need to do as I say. I’ll teach you, step by step, how to handle situations like this in the future."

"Really?"

Eve Vaughn confirmed again, "This isn’t really giving in to them? To be honest, I don’t want to give them a single penny. And I absolutely can’t do it if it means using your money. However, for my grandmother’s sake, since she’s my dad’s biological mother, I’ll make sure to give her support payments once I start working."

Mason Lawson ruffled her hair, then turned, stood up, and took a check from a drawer. With a flourish of his pen, he wrote down the amount.

He then handed it to Eve Vaughn. "Tomorrow, give this to them. Tell them to drop the lawsuit and pull out of that TV show immediately. Also, I’ll have Jonah Spencer draw up an agreement. With this agreement, they won’t be able to threaten you with the villa ever again."

Eve Vaughn hesitated, staring at the check for an astronomical sum, but she didn’t take it.

Mason Lawson pressed the check into her hand. "Listen to me. Your reputation is far more important than ten-plus million. Besides, this doesn’t mean the matter is over. You’re giving this to them, but how long they can hold onto it... well, that will depend on their own abilities."

Eve Vaughn leaned gently into his embrace, so moved she was choking up. "Oh, Mr. Lawson... you think of everything for me, planning it all out. I don’t know what I’ve ever done to deserve you being so good to me."

Mason Lawson bowed his head and kissed the top of her hair. "Not angry anymore?"

The young woman lowered her head, embarrassed, and explained, "I was never really angry. I just... hated being blackmailed by them and feeling so helpless. But since Mr. Lawson has a plan, I trust that there’s a way. I’m willing to learn from you. I’ll be patient and learn well."

A gratified smile touched Mason Lawson’s lips. He said to her, "Well, the things you have to learn aren’t limited to this. And the things I’m good at... there are many."

Eve Vaughn paused, but when she met Mason Lawson’s burning, lust-filled gaze, she understood his meaning.

She stood on her tiptoes, gave him a quick peck on the corner of his lips, and said hurriedly, "I... I’m going to take a shower now."

"That’s it?"

The man pulled her back into his arms, deepening her fleeting kiss into a lingering, passionate one.

...

「The next day」

Eve Vaughn took the initiative and asked her uncle and aunt to meet.

The pair initially suspected some kind of trick and were hesitant to go.

But Eve Vaughn had told them over the phone, "Don’t you want half the house? If you want the money, come to the coffee shop across from my school now, and we’ll settle this. Otherwise, this offer is off the table. Think it over!"

For the money, Jason Vaughn and Lana Chambers agreed. They even arrived half an hour earlier than the scheduled time.

So, by the time Eve Vaughn got there, they had already been waiting for a long time.

Lana Chambers said resentfully, "Eve Vaughn, you were the one who called us here! And yet you’re the one who’s so late."

Eve Vaughn glanced at the two cups of coffee in front of them and her lips curled into a sneer.

’This couple is selfish to the core.’

Then again, even if they had ordered her coffee, she wouldn’t have been able to drink it when faced with people like them.

At that moment, Eve Vaughn just wanted to get this over with.

She took out the check and said to them, "Look closely. This is for fifteen million."

Jason Vaughn and Lana Chambers were shocked and exchanged a glance.

Just as they were about to take it, Eve Vaughn pulled it back.

Then, she slid an agreement across the table toward them.

"Uncle, Aunt, you only get the money after you sign this." Eve Vaughn said, word by word, "Once you take this check, we have nothing to do with each other anymore. From now on, don’t try to use the house to stir up trouble again. If you agree, then sign."

Jason Vaughn said angrily, "You think you can just dismiss us with a single check? What about our Charlotte’s hospital bills and compensation for emotional distress! You beat our Charlotte up like that, and you think this is over?"

Eve Vaughn said with a deadpan expression, "Think it through. That villa is worth maybe a little over twenty million at most, but this check is for fifteen million. Even if you took this to court and the judge awarded you half, it would be nowhere near fifteen million. So, consider the extra money as compensation for Charlotte Vaughn’s emotional distress. That’s fair, isn’t it?"

In truth, all Jason Vaughn and Lana Chambers wanted was the money. After all, even if they got half the villa, they would still have to sell it for cash in the end.

Now that they could get the cash directly, it saved them the time, energy, and trouble of a lawsuit.

It was a no-brainer.

And so, eager to get their hands on the check, they signed the agreement without hesitation.

Eve Vaughn took the agreement, not wanting to waste another second on them. She stood up and left.

Jason Vaughn was a bit dazed, likely not expecting things to go so smoothly or to get the money so quickly.

He asked his wife uncertainly, "Is this... really it? From now on, we have nothing to do with her anymore?"