Mason glanced at her. "What’s wrong? Do you find me terrifying?"

Eve Vaughn shook her head. "It’s just that... aside from awe, I can’t find the words to express my admiration for you. If I ever had your skills, then..."

"Wouldn’t that mean you’d have me wrapped around your little finger?" Mason said. "You still have a long way to go. But you don’t have to learn any of this if you don’t want to. After all, this is men’s work—the backstabbing and intrigue of the business world. If you learn too much, you won’t be as cute."

Eve Vaughn leaned right over, resting her head on his shoulder coquettishly. "If you’d told me all this sooner, I wouldn’t have been so worried, you know?"

Mason scoffed. "I wanted to teach you some patience, to help you learn to stay composed when things get rough."

"Lesson learned! I’ve learned my lesson!" Eve Vaughn looked at him earnestly. "Mr. Lawson, please teach me more in the future, okay? Your way of dealing with them is so much more effective than my reckless approach."

Mason arched an eyebrow. "We’ll see how you do. If one day you truly become my woman, perhaps I’ll teach you more."

Eve Vaughn understood his implication, and a blush crept across her cheeks. She said nothing in reply.

’After all, Mason was keeping her hidden away, their relationship anything but open and honest.’

’She felt she shouldn’t give herself to him so completely, so soon.’

...

Sure enough, after Jason Vaughn acquired the prime piece of real estate, he wasted no time and immediately set his plans in motion.

Two mornings later, Eve Vaughn and Mason were having breakfast.

Neil Kane hurried in to report. "Mr. Lawson, you were right. Jason Vaughn has started taking out collateralized loans. The bank loan wasn’t enough, so he’s started borrowing from loan sharks. It’s only been two days, and the Vaughn Family is already saddled with massive debt."

Eve Vaughn’s heart pounded with fear as she listened. It wasn’t that she felt sorry for her uncle; it was the realization that she had completely underestimated Mason.

’So this was who he was—a man who could move heaven and earth, powerful enough to manipulate destinies.’

Mason calmly sipped his coffee, a smug smirk playing on his lips. "Jason Vaughn really is greedy to the core. To think he’d try to swallow a project this big all by himself."

Neil Kane chimed in, "Exactly. I thought he’d drag someone else down with him. I guess he figured it was a sure thing and didn’t want to share even a spoonful of the soup with anyone else."

Mason let out a breath of satisfaction and set his coffee cup aside. "Then let him savor this bowl of soup all by himself."

Just then, his gaze fell on the young woman sitting across from him.

Eve was listening intently, her brow occasionally furrowing.

As if sensing something, Mason waved a dismissive hand at Neil Kane, who then excused himself.

Then, he asked slowly, "Getting soft-hearted? If you think I’m being too cruel, it’s not too late to call it off."

Eve hastily explained, "No, it’s not that! I’m not getting soft-hearted. It’s just..."

’She was just thinking that with such brilliant, intricate schemes, Mason would be invincible against any opponent.’

’But if he ever turned those schemes on her... wouldn’t she be like a tiny ant he could crush at any moment?’

His dark eyes bored into her. "Just what? Go on."

Eve swallowed nervously before finally asking, "Mr. Lawson... if one day, we’re... not like this anymore? Or if we have a falling-out. Would you do something like this to me?"

Mason froze for a second, his eyes raking over her. "No."

Only then did Eve Vaughn let out a sigh of relief, muttering, "That’s good, that’s good."

But his next words, cold and chilling, reached her ears. "I’d just throw you on the bed and strip you bare."

Her heart skipped a beat. She immediately lowered her head and focused on her food, not daring to even glance at him.

’Countless rough, erotic images of Mason flashed through her mind.’

Then, Mason spoke again. "By the way, it’s almost the end of the year. I’ll have a lot of social events and company parties, so I won’t be coming to see you for a while. You focus on your studies, don’t run around, and don’t get into trouble, understand?"

Listening to his paternalistic instructions, a little idea began to form in Eve Vaughn’s mind.

She asked timidly, "Mr. Lawson, could you take me to the company party with you? I’d like to go and see what it’s like."

’In truth, she didn’t really want to go. She just wanted to test him, to see if she was truly someone who had to be kept hidden, forced to be with him only in secret.’

’Mia Kendall was right. Her own feelings about going public and his willingness to do so were two completely different matters.’

A flicker of hope in her eyes, Eve Vaughn watched him without blinking.

But Mason said, "It wouldn’t be appropriate for you to go. These are all business partners, not a casual get-together with friends. If it were a party Eric Kendall or the guys were throwing, I’d take you."

Eve Vaughn felt a pang of disappointment. ’It all felt like excuses.’

’Why wouldn’t it be appropriate?’

’If he truly wanted to be with her, what could possibly be inappropriate about her attending a banquet by his side?’

’He didn’t have a single valid reason. He just used those two words—’not appropriate’—to brush her off.’

Eve Vaughn forced a smile. "Well, I’m heading to class then."

As if sensing the shift, Mason suddenly took her hand. "Evie."

Eve froze, startled. "What is it?"

The man’s eyes were deep as he spoke in a low voice, "Now really isn’t a good time to make our relationship public. I don’t want any unnecessary complications. And for the time being, I don’t want the Lawson Family to find out about us."

A chill seeped into Eve Vaughn’s heart. "So, to Mr. Lawson, our relationship is an ’unnecessary complication’?"

Disappointed, she pulled her hand back and walked toward the door.