Mason Lawson nodded. "Regardless, I went to save you myself today, so they should know about our relationship by now. Since that’s the case, I’ll go warn them again tomorrow. Can’t have them bullying my Evie again, hmm?"

Eve Vaughn blinked twice, not quite sure what Mason Lawson meant.

But right now, she was filled with hatred for Jason Vaughn’s family, and for that cruel grandmother of hers.

She hated them!

Eve Vaughn sighed and said softly, "Forget it. I don’t want to see them. I just hope I never have to see them again, that I can cut all ties with them completely."

Mason Lawson pinched her little nose. "Don’t be silly. Do you really think you can cut ties with a pack of scoundrels like that just because you want to?"

"Then what can I do?"

Eve Vaughn’s face was a mask of confusion and despair. "I know. They’re like leeches you can’t shake off. I was the one who donated my liver to Julian Lawson, but they insisted it was Charlotte Vaughn. This villa was built with my father’s blood, sweat, and tears, yet they’re determined to take half of it. They even tried to have someone rape me this afternoon. If I keep dealing with people like them, I’m afraid I’ll end up dead."

Seeing her troubled expression, Mason Lawson couldn’t help but chuckle. "Remember when I said I’d teach you? Well, now’s your chance to learn. When dealing with scum, if you can’t get rid of them, you put them in their place so thoroughly, so completely, that they’ll never dare to mess with you again."

Eve Vaughn’s eyes widened. "But you already had your men cripple both of Arthur Sinclair’s hands today. Doesn’t that count as putting them in their place?"

"Not even close!"

Mason Lawson stroked her hair. "Come on. Let’s go downstairs and get something to eat, then you can take a nice, long bath. Tomorrow, I’ll take you to your uncle and aunt’s place. When we get there, all you have to do is watch and learn."

Her dazed expression looked endearingly innocent in Mason Lawson’s eyes.

She was the first protégé he had ever personally taken on, and likely the only one he ever would.

’I just wonder if she’ll ever get the hang of it.’

...

「Meanwhile.」

The Vaughn matriarch had been scared so badly she was on the verge of a mental breakdown, rambling incoherently in the hospital.

The doctor said she had suffered a severe shock and needed to be hospitalized to recover.

As for Lana Chambers’s cousin, Arthur Sinclair, both of his hands had been shattered. A full recovery was virtually impossible.

But they didn’t dare to call the police. Doing so would not only offend Mason Lawson, but it would also bring Arthur Sinclair’s attempted rape of Eve Vaughn to light.

Having suffered such a huge loss, Lana Chambers was beyond miserable.

Jason Vaughn paced back and forth in his mother’s hospital room. "I just can’t wrap my head around it! How the hell did Eve Vaughn get involved with Mason Lawson? Wasn’t she with Jonah Spencer before? How did she suddenly switch to Mason Lawson?"

Lana Chambers immediately pulled out her phone. "This is huge. We have to let the Lawson family know. An uncle stealing his own nephew’s woman... it’s unthinkable. I wonder if Mrs. Lawson knows about this?"

Just as she was about to inform Mrs. Lawson, Jason Vaughn stopped her.

"Are you insane? Spreading this everywhere!"

Jason Vaughn snatched the phone from her and snapped, "You saw what Mason Lawson is capable of today. He’s ruthless and vicious. How dare you try to provoke him? Don’t forget, Mason Lawson calls the shots in the Lawson family now. Even our future in-laws couldn’t win against him. If you cause trouble for him now, the next people with broken limbs might be us!"

Her husband’s words finally made Lana Chambers calm down.

She sat there, clenching her fists, and ground out through her teeth, "So we’re just supposed to accept our bad luck? We’re just going to let that little bitch, Eve Vaughn, walk all over us?"

Jason Vaughn reasoned with his wife. "Right now, she’s relying on her youth and beauty, jumping from Jonah Spencer to Mason Lawson. But at the end of the day, she’s nothing more than a plaything for these rich men. Still, even as a plaything, she’s with Mason Lawson now, so we can’t touch her. But have you ever seen a man from a powerful family actually marry his toy?"

Lana Chambers’s eyes lit up. "You mean... that little bitch is bound to be dumped by Mason Lawson sooner or later?"

"Definitely!"

Jason Vaughn said with confidence, "Beauty fades. How long can she possibly last on looks alone? A man like Mason Lawson is surrounded by women more beautiful than Eve Vaughn. Once he gets tired of her, he’ll toss her aside. For now, we should just lay low and not go after Eve Vaughn while he’s still interested. Making sure our daughter marries Julian Lawson without a hitch—that’s the top priority!"

Lana Chambers was actually starting to admire her husband. "Vaughn," she said, "you’re the one who sees things clearly when it counts."

And so, after discussing for a long time, the couple decided against telling the Lawson family about Eve Vaughn and Mason Lawson.

Mason Lawson was someone they absolutely could not afford to offend; otherwise, their own daughter’s marriage could be jeopardized.

...

「The next day.」

Mason Lawson had Neil Kane prepare some gifts, as well as the acquisition contract for the plot of land.

When he and Eve Vaughn showed up at Jason Vaughn’s front door again, the couple was so terrified they nearly dropped to their knees.

"Mr.... Mr. Lawson..."

Jason Vaughn bowed obsequiously. "Is... is there something you need? We truly didn’t know Evie was with you. If we’d known, we never would have done something so despicable."

Lana Chambers also assumed Mason Lawson had brought Eve Vaughn to settle scores. Bowing even lower than her husband, she swore, "Mr. Lawson, please rest assured, we absolutely haven’t told a soul about you and Evie. We were blind before. Please be the bigger person and forgive us just this once!"

It was the first time Eve Vaughn had ever seen her aunt and uncle look so utterly subservient.

Weren’t they always the most arrogant and entitled of freeloaders?

But Mason Lawson, standing at the door, simply offered a faint smile. "Mr. Vaughn, there’s no need to be afraid. Aren’t you going to invite me in? Speaking at the doorway is hardly hospitable, is it?"

Jason Vaughn froze for a second, then quickly gestured for him to enter. "Yes, yes, of course! Please, Mr. Lawson, come in. My apologies, I... I was so nervous I forgot to invite you in."

By now, beads of sweat were already forming on Jason Vaughn and Lana Chambers’s foreheads.

The two bodyguards Mason Lawson had brought with him were the same men who had smashed Arthur Sinclair’s hands with hammers yesterday.

Today, however, they were laden with gift bags, big and small.

Mason Lawson gave them a look, and they set the items down.

Then he said, "Go wait for me outside, so you don’t frighten Mr. and Mrs. Vaughn."

Jason Vaughn and Lana Chambers felt they were already scared to the point of cardiac arrest.

They couldn’t for the life of them figure out what Mason Lawson meant by charging back over here with Eve Vaughn.

’And these gifts... surely he doesn’t intend to poison us with them, right?’