After Hamilton Hale took Eve Vaughn back to her dorm, her heart was still pounding with anxiety.

’Thank goodness Hamilton Hale was there,’ she thought. ’Otherwise, I really don’t know how I would have faced Mason Lawson’s mother.’

Even though she wasn’t Mason Lawson’s biological mother, Hamilton Hale had explained on the way over that The Third Madam had raised him since childhood. He said that while Mason might seem rebellious, deep down, he was grateful to her.

’If The Third Madam doesn’t like me,’ Eve Vaughn wondered, ’how far can Mason and I really go?’

Her mind was still racing with anxious thoughts, even as she washed up for the night.

Later, a message came from Mason Lawson. "You were scared, weren’t you?" he asked.

Eve Vaughn replied, "I’m fine."

She had expected Mason Lawson to explain what happened that evening, or at least offer some words of comfort. But all he sent was, "Well, get some rest. Good night." 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

’Did The Third Madam say something to Mason?’ Eve Vaughn thought, a little crestfallen. ’Is that why he’s starting to have second thoughts? Is he wavering?’

...

「The Lawson Estate.」

Ever since Old Mr. Lawson had returned to the country, everyone had to abide by his rules. The first was that all members of the Lawson family had to be present for breakfast at home every morning.

The second was that no one was allowed to stay out all night without a valid reason.

On this particular morning, the three members of the family’s first branch and Third Madam Lawson were all seated obediently at the table, waiting for the old man to arrive for breakfast.

In truth, besides Mason Lawson’s mother, Old Mr. Lawson had taken three wives.

Mason Lawson’s mother had never been entered into the family registry, so she wasn’t officially considered a Lawson wife. If the current Third Madam hadn’t later adopted and raised Mason, he would still be considered an illegitimate son.

And according to the Lawson family rules, an illegitimate son had no right to inherit the family fortune.

Therefore, as everyone saw it, the arrangement was a win-win for both Mason Lawson and The Third Madam. She secured her future by having a powerful ’son’ to rely on, while he, through his status as her adopted son, gained a legitimate claim to power within the Lawson family.

Consequently, the family’s first branch saw The Third Madam as a thorn in their side.

Years ago, they had gone to great lengths to drive out the second wife and her children. Old Mr. Lawson had even ordered the second branch to be expunged from the family registry.

Just when it seemed the first branch was set to become the sole dominant power, The Third Madam had unexpectedly adopted Mason Lawson, completely turning the tables.

Otherwise, how could The Third Madam—a young woman more than twenty years the old man’s junior and roughly the same age as his eldest son—have gained access to the core of the Lawson family’s power so easily?

The old man still hadn’t come down to the dining table.

Although she was roughly the same age as Ethan Lawson and Autumn Woods, The Third Madam put on the airs of an elder. "I heard Julian was interning at Lawson Group a little while ago?" she asked, her tone deceptively casual.

Julian Lawson stiffened. He had no desire to engage with her, but seeing as she was technically his elder, he could only give a cold "Mhm" in response.

But The Third Madam continued, a smirk playing on her lips. "You have to make them proud, Julian. You’re the only one your parents can count on now!"

It might have sounded like encouragement, but how could Julian’s parents miss the veiled insult? She was calling them incompetent.

Autumn Woods let out a cold snort, refusing to back down. "I heard," she began, her voice dripping with sarcasm, "that the Third Madam recently tried to shove her own niece into Mason’s room. And what happened? It seems... Mason threw her out. Is that right? After raising him for over twenty years, he won’t even grant you that little bit of respect?"

The Third Madam’s face instantly darkened. She straightened her posture and shot back, "The affairs of my branch are none of your concern. Our Mason has always had a mind of his own. Even if it wasn’t my niece, with his current status, there are droves of high-society debutantes lining up for him to pick and choose from."

Just then, the sound of footsteps approached from the doorway. They all fell silent at once, sitting primly at the table.

Old Mr. Lawson entered slowly, supported by the butler, his expression grim.

Sensing the old man was in a foul mood, everyone ate in complete silence. Not even the clink of chopsticks against porcelain could be heard.

Once the meal was over, the old man finally spoke. "Ethan, I hear you’re getting quite bold! Mason is in the hospital recovering, and you’ve decided to play boss at the office? Making major decisions by going over Mason’s head?"

Ethan Lawson was too ashamed to even look up at his father. After all, he had indeed planned to use Mason Lawson’s hospital stay as an opportunity to re-establish his own authority at the company and score some wins.

That way, by the time Mason was discharged, the tides of power at the company might have already turned in his favor.

He just hadn’t expected this. Though Old Mr. Lawson was eighty, he was far from deaf or blind. His mind was as sharp as ever.

Under his father’s scrutinizing gaze, Ethan Lawson stammered guiltily, "I... I just wanted Mason to be able to recover properly, without having to worry about company affairs. That’s why I took the liberty of signing a few documents."

Old Mr. Lawson was already deeply dissatisfied with his eldest son, especially after Ethan had made himself scarce during the old man’s recent attack.

He let out a cold snort and roared, "Even if Mason isn’t at the company, I am! How dare you make decisions on your own? Do you take me for a fool?"

Ethan was so thoroughly chastised he barely dared to breathe. He could only bow his head. "I understand, Father. In the future, I will be sure to seek your approval before making any decisions."

After dressing down Ethan, the old man’s gaze fell upon Julian. "And you! Your uncle has been in the hospital for days. Have you gone to visit him even once?"

Julian’s fear of his grandfather was every bit as profound as his father’s.

A cold sweat broke out on his brow. He hardly dared to meet the old man’s sharp gaze as he lowered his head and stammered, "I... I haven’t had the chance yet."

At this, The Third Madam, who had been enjoying the show from the sidelines, chimed in coolly, "Haven’t had the chance? A few more days and your uncle will be discharged!"

Autumn Woods shot her a venomous glare before quickly jumping in to smooth things over for her son. "Dad, please don’t be angry. Julian has been very concerned about his uncle. It’s my fault—I’m the one who wouldn’t let him go! After that major illness he had, he’s still weak at times. I was worried he might pick something up with all the germs in a hospital. But since Mason is staying at our hospital, I’ve been personally checking his lab results every day and keeping a close watch on his recovery!"

Old Mr. Lawson seemed entirely unconvinced by her excuse. "You need to do a better job educating your son," he said coldly. "Spare the rod, spoil the child."

Seeing this, Julian, afraid his mistake would bring more trouble upon his parents, said respectfully, "Grandfather, I’ll go visit my uncle this morning. You’re right. It was my fault."

He knew that, in his grandfather’s eyes, any excuse was just a flimsy argument; the only real option was to admit he was wrong.

Sure enough, hearing this, Old Mr. Lawson’s expression softened slightly.

The Third Madam, sitting nearby, seemed to have an idea. A glint appeared in her eye as she suddenly turned to Julian with a warm smile. "Julian, as it happens, I was also planning to go to the hospital this morning. Why don’t you come with me?"

Julian sensed she was up to no good, but before he could refuse, Old Mr. Lawson spoke up. "Yes, that’s an excellent idea. Go with The Third Madam. That way you won’t get lost looking for your uncle’s hospital room."

With no way out, after breakfast, Julian had no choice but to get into The Third Madam’s car and head for the hospital where Mason was staying.

In the car, Julian and The Third Madam sat side-by-side in the back seat, neither saying a word.

’In any case, the relationship between his first branch and her third branch was simple: peaceful and harmonious in front of the old man, but like fire and water in private.’

’With his parents not around, Julian didn’t dare make a reckless move. He could only remain silent.’

The Third Madam shot a disdainful glance at the "unweaned child" beside her, but her tone was that of a loving elder. "Julian, dear, your wedding is in about ten days. Are all the preparations in order?"

Julian replied coolly, "You needn’t worry. My parents have taken care of everything."

"Heh, that’s good." She paused. "But I wonder... do you happen to remember Eve Vaughn?"

The Third Madam had mentioned the name deliberately, and as expected, Julian lost his composure.

He whipped his head around to face her. "How do you know about Eve Vaughn?"

Seeing that he’d walked right into her trap, The Third Madam smirked. "Lately, that little wench has been posing as an intern, trying to sneak into our Mason’s hospital room day after day. Luckily, I caught her in the act. After a little digging, I learned from one of her friends that she’s bitter about you marrying someone else and is trying to seduce our Mason. If she succeeds in her little power play, she’ll go straight from being your ex-girlfriend to being your new aunt."

Julian stared at The Third Madam in disbelief. "What... what are you saying? That’s impossible."

The Third Madam drawled, "Believe what you want. It has nothing to do with me, anyway. The worst that can happen is Mason fails to resist her charms and marries her. Then, oh, then the Lawson family will really have a show on its hands!"