Eve Vaughn was cold. The weather was already chilly, and Mason Lawson had just doused her with cold water.

Now, the feverish heat in her body seemed to have cooled down considerably.

But she knew Mason wasn’t doing this to help her. He was doing it to punish her.

’But what did I do wrong?’

She had only fallen for Julian Lawson’s trap because she was so worried about him.

But this man hadn’t bothered to find out the truth before treating her like this.

Even though she had just begged him so humbly, he had completely ignored her.

The more Eve Vaughn thought about it, the more miserable she felt. She decided to just let him keep pouring the cold water over her, biting her lip without saying a word.

Sensing the young woman’s anger and stubbornness...

Mason Lawson turned off the shower, tossed the showerhead aside, stripped off his shirt and pants, and slid into the tub.

The bathtub wasn’t small, but it still felt a bit crowded with the addition of the man.

He pulled the shivering young woman into his arms and asked in a low voice, "Are you sober now?"

Eve Vaughn was indeed much clearer-headed. The drug’s effect didn’t seem as strong as before.

She regained some strength and pushed him away fiercely, saying angrily, "Go away! I don’t need you meddling!"

Of course, Mason Lawson wouldn’t let her off so easily.

"Don’t need me meddling?"

The man pinned her by the waist and asked through gritted teeth, "A moment ago, who was begging me to take her? Now you want to go back on your word?"

Eve Vaughn was so angry she started to cry. "Well, you didn’t take me, did you?" she said furiously. "Get out! I hate you!"

She was hurt and angry; she just didn’t want him holding her.

But the man’s hands had already begun to restlessly caress her back, and his lips landed on the nape of her neck.

He knew all her sensitive spots, and besides, she was still under the influence of the drug.

"No, don’t touch me..."

Eve Vaughn didn’t want to seem so helpless in front of him, but he was being too much. He made her lose control, yet refused to give her what she wanted.

Seeing the young woman’s body go completely soft, like a pool of water leaning against him, Mason Lawson’s deep, husky voice finally sounded in her ear, "Good girl. Beg me... beg me, and I’ll give it to you."

"I won’t!"

Eve Vaughn refused to say a word, no matter what.

’This isn’t like the romantic moments we used to share. He’s clearly humiliating me. Why should I submit?’

But Mason Lawson gripped her waist, his hold tightening, and thrust forward hard.

"Do you dare say ’no’ again?"

He sucked threateningly on her reddened earlobe, forcing her to say the words he wanted to hear.

Eve Vaughn accused him through her sobs, "Mason Lawson, I hate you! I won’t do it! I hate you!"

But the next second, the man suddenly turned her around to face him.

Gazing at the young woman’s flushed face and her full, moist lips, his throat tightened, and he sealed her mouth with his.

The more she struggled, the tighter the man held her and the deeper he kissed, as if this were a smokeless battlefield between a man and a woman.

Eventually, Eve Vaughn could no longer resist his various torments. The man’s chest was scorching hot, as if it would burn her to ashes.

Only when they were joined as one did Eve Vaughn feel the strange, feverish heat inside her finally and completely subside.

’I’m starting to hate myself. I don’t want to be toyed with like this, but I can’t help but yield to him.’

This time, Mason Lawson was truly furious. He saw the young woman biting her lower lip, stubbornly refusing to let out a single moan for him.

He took her even more forcefully, whispering shameful words in her ear, "Your mouth says no, but your body is so honest, hmm?"

The young woman in his arms trembled visibly. Suddenly, she bit his shoulder as if to vent all her anger.

The man let out a muffled grunt but didn’t push her away, letting her bite down.

Only when a deep row of teeth marks was imprinted on his shoulder, with faint traces of blood seeping out, did the young woman finally release her jaw.

She leaned against his chest and cried uncontrollably.

It was hard to say if it was out of anger or the relief of having survived an ordeal.

Mason Lawson finally couldn’t bring himself to say anything more to her. He simply held her with one arm and stroked her hair with the other, asking, "Feeling better now?"

She pinched his arm resentfully. "No! I’m never forgiving you!"

Mason Lawson knew she was just being petulant, so he coaxed her good-naturedly, "Then tell me, what can I do to make you forgive me?"

Eve Vaughn was taken aback. She had expected to have a huge, no-holds-barred argument with Mason Lawson.

After all, she had suffered so much recently, and he had still treated her this way.

But now, with his sudden change in attitude, she couldn’t bring herself to fight anymore.

The young woman was still fuming and was about to say something when she suddenly let out two sneezes in a row.

Mason Lawson felt a pang of regret. He had truly been blinded by rage to douse her with cold water in this weather.

Losing the mood for anything else, Mason Lawson quickly gave her a hot bath, then wrapped her in layer after layer of towels before carrying her out.

After placing her on the bed, he ordered one of his men to go buy ginger and brown sugar.

Eve Vaughn was exhausted from anger and exertion. Now that she was finally in a warm, heated room, she fell asleep not long after.

When she woke up, it was already late at night.

Hearing a noise outside, she got out of bed barefoot.

To her surprise, Mason Lawson was in the living room, using an electric mug to make her brown sugar ginger tea.

Seeing her come out barefoot, the man’s brows furrowed. He walked over and scooped her up into his arms. "Coming out without shoes? Do you really want to catch a cold?"

"Would you even care?" Eve Vaughn muttered resentfully. "Compared to you dousing me with cold water, what’s this?"

Mason Lawson couldn’t bring himself to apologize. He was still furious about the whole incident.

Even if he was at fault, Eve Vaughn was at fault too.

He placed her on the sofa and poured some of the freshly made ginger tea into a bowl, handing it to her.

"Drink this first. We can talk things over slowly."

Mason Lawson had calmed down by now, his mood much more stable than it had been earlier in the evening.

Eve Vaughn held the small bowl, took a sip of ginger tea, and began to explain, "It was Julian Lawson. He said he had evidence that you embezzled company funds, so I went out with him. At the time, I thought he really had it. If I didn’t go, I was afraid he’d give it to the Old Master."

Mason Lawson looked at her in disbelief. "He tricked you into coming out with a reason that simple? So you were planning to sleep with him to get the evidence back?"

"Of course not!"

Eve Vaughn defended herself, feeling wronged, "He said it was a farewell get-together, just for a cup of tea. I didn’t think he was so depraved as to drug my tea."

Mason Lawson’s lips curled into a slight smile. "So, you fell into his trap for my sake?"

Eve Vaughn awkwardly avoided his gaze and said stubbornly, "Of course not!"

Mason Lawson sat down beside her, not knowing whether to be touched or angry.

He turned her face toward him, forcing her to look at him.

"If you care about me so much, why are you so insistent on breaking up?"

Mason Lawson stared at her motionlessly with his deep eyes. "I’ve called you so many times, and you haven’t answered a single one. Eve Vaughn, what am I supposed to do with you? What do you want me to do?"

Eve Vaughn thought of The Third Madam’s words and lowered her head, saying forlornly, "Just let me go, and live your own life. That’s all."

That was, of course, not the answer Mason Lawson wanted.

He snorted coldly. "And what if I don’t let you go?"

Eve Vaughn finally couldn’t hold it in any longer. "If you don’t, you’ll be abandoned by your father! You’ll have no future! Mr. Lawson, I can’t be that selfish! I know you’re good to me, that you have feelings for me. Because of that, love should be mutual. You’re good to me, so I should do what’s best for you."

She looked into his eyes, her gaze utterly sincere.

Mason Lawson wasn’t surprised. These must have been threats from The Third Madam or the Old Master.

The young woman wasn’t psychologically strong to begin with; a few threats from others and she was terrified.

But beyond that, Mason Lawson felt nothing but moved.

Yes, no woman had ever moved him the way Eve Vaughn did.

Even The Third Madam, who had raised him, had a relationship with him that was, to a certain extent, mutually beneficial. They both knew it.

Only Eve Vaughn was truly willing to make any sacrifice for him.

It felt as if the softest part of Mason Lawson’s heart had been filled to the brim.

He suddenly pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly, and said softly, "You fool. You’ve been holding this in for so many days, all because of this?"

Eve Vaughn choked out, "Can you please not be like this? It took me so much to finally make up my mind..."

Mason Lawson let her go and wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes. He said with a sigh of resignation, "Did you really think my future depends on sacrificing you? As for Julian Lawson, if he really had dirt on me, he would have eagerly handed it over to the Old Master long ago. Why would he waste time babbling with you?"

Eve Vaughn now realized how foolish she had been to believe Julian Lawson.

But at the time, for some reason, it was as if she’d been possessed.

’It must be what they say—when you care too much, your judgment gets clouded.’

She knew it was because she cared too much about Mason Lawson. She couldn’t allow him to face even the slightest danger.

Even if there was the slightest possibility, she wanted to help him fight it.

Even though she knew her own strength was insignificant.

Besides, someone as powerful as Mason Lawson didn’t need her at all.

Just then, Mason Lawson urged her, "Hurry up and drink the ginger tea, then get some proper sleep. No more overthinking. From now on, you’re only allowed to believe me, not anyone else."

Eve Vaughn was still worried, afraid that Mason Lawson would lose the career he had painstakingly built for years because of her.

"Then... what about the Lawson Family? Will your father let your older brother walk all over you? They’re not good people."

Eve Vaughn looked at him with worry.

Mason Lawson patted her head, his voice low and gentle as he explained, "The Lawson Group is a massive corporation. The shares, the shareholders, the various subsidiaries—it’s all incredibly complex. Taking over the Lawson Group isn’t something that can be done overnight, and kicking me out isn’t something the Old Master can decide on his own."

Eve Vaughn looked at him, only half-understanding, and nodded.

Mason Lawson smiled. "If I explain any further, you’ll only get more confused. Just remember this: my situation at the Lawson Group isn’t as dire as my mom told you."

Eve Vaughn didn’t know if he was just trying to comfort her.

But even though she had already decided to break up, right now, she was still in his arms.

In this moment, she felt nothing but immense relief and contentment.

Just then, Eve Vaughn suddenly asked, "Oh, right, what about Julian Lawson?"

Mason Lawson’s eyes instantly turned cold. He retorted, "What? Are you worried about him?"

"Of course not!" Eve Vaughn said immediately. "I’m not worried about him, I just don’t want to let him get away with this! I’m so furious, he nearly killed me!"

Mason Lawson said, word by word, "You just take care of yourself. Leave the rest to me. He touched my woman, so I’ll make sure he faces the consequences."

Eve Vaughn drank the ginger tea, and Mason Lawson stayed with her as she went to sleep.

After hearing the young woman’s breathing even out as she slept soundly, he carefully and quietly got out of bed.

He got dressed, left the room, and went to another suite.

There, Julian Lawson lay covered in injuries from a beating, left in a room with no air conditioning and the windows wide open.

He was cold, hungry, and his whole body ached as if it had been broken apart.

Seeing Mason Lawson enter, Julian Lawson, lying stark naked on the floor, sneered, "If you’ve got the guts, then kill me!"

Mason Lawson calmly sat on the sofa, lit a cigarette, and said nonchalantly, "You’re not worth getting my hands dirty."

"Mason Lawson, what the hell do you want?"

Julian Lawson roared, "I won’t let you get away with this! If you don’t kill me, I’ll report you to the police as soon as I get out! The police won’t let you off, and Grandpa certainly won’t!"

Mason Lawson chuckled, unconcerned. "Report me? For what? For your attempted date rape?"

With that, he tossed down a pile of photos, all taken of Julian Lawson after he had been stripped naked.

His tone was unhurried, yet carried the sharp authority of a superior. "What happens when these get posted online? Will you be able to show your face? What about your parents? By the way, I also found the taxi driver who brought you and Eve Vaughn here today. I imagine he’d be the best witness to your intent to drug and rape Eve Vaughn."

Only then did Julian Lawson realize he couldn’t beat Mason Lawson. At least, not for now.

Blowing the situation up might cause trouble for Mason Lawson, but he himself stood to gain nothing from it.

He might even end up in prison.

’The best course of action for now is to lie low and bide my time. One day, I will crush Mason Lawson!’

Therefore, Julian Lawson took the initiative to say, "When I get back, I’ll tell my parents I got into trouble and had a fight. I... I won’t involve you, Uncle."

Mason Lawson extinguished his cigarette and smiled with satisfaction. "That’s more like it. We Lawsons should know when to adapt to the circumstances. However..."

As he spoke, his eyes suddenly darkened, a hint of killing intent in them. "However, if I ever find you trying anything with Eve Vaughn again, I’ll make sure you end up in a much worse state than you are today. Understand?"

Julian Lawson lay naked on the floor. After being beaten and gawked at by so many of Mason Lawson’s men, he had already lost all face.

But he still gathered his breath to ask, "Uncle, since you care about Eve Vaughn so much, are you going to marry her? What about Joanna Sullivan? I really don’t get it. Who do you actually like? If you’re just using Eve Vaughn as a shadow of Joanna Sullivan, then please, let her go. She was hurt by me once; she can’t take a second blow."

The moment he finished speaking, Mason Lawson viciously kicked him.

It was a heavy kick, and Julian Lawson couldn’t help but cry out in pain.

Gritting his teeth against the sharp pain, he grinned. "Did I hit a nerve, Uncle?"