「Rivaster.」

The night was pitch-black, a boundless expanse of ink smeared across the sky.

Inside the presidential suite, the dazzling light from the crystal chandelier felt like cold, gleaming chains, binding Eve Vaughn layer by layer. She was so tense she could barely breathe.

The man across from her gently took her chin in his slender fingers, forcing her head up to study her exquisitely beautiful face.

After a long moment, the man’s pale, thin lips curled with a hint of coldness. He looked down at her and said, "Have you really thought this through, Miss Vaughn? This isn’t a place you can just come and go as you please."

Eve Vaughn’s heart sank. She took a deep breath and let out a hesitant, "Mm-hmm." 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

She doesn’t look like she’s here to seduce him at all. She looks like she’s marching to her own execution.

But she needed his protection.

Her ex-boyfriend, Julian Lawson, had once told her that she bore a striking resemblance to someone: Mason Lawson’s first love.

She didn’t know if that would be enough to make Mason Lawson let her latch onto him.

Mason Lawson’s dark gaze swept over her delicate, arched brows, the elegant tip of her nose, and her lips, which were like budding crimson cherries.

Tempting, indeed, he thought.

But who was Mason Lawson? He was the uncle of Eve Vaughn’s ex-boyfriend!

Though not yet thirty, he had already carved a bloody path for himself within the labyrinthine Lawson Family. Despite being the son of Old Mr. Lawson’s third wife, he had single-handedly defeated his two older brothers to seize the family’s core power.

If he were so easily swayed by a beautiful woman, then all his years of struggle would have been for nothing.

Looking at the nervous, trembling young woman before him, he scoffed. "Did you ever sleep with Julian?"

The blunt question filled Eve Vaughn with shame, but she still answered, "No."

The answer seemed to satisfy him. He continued, "Then... what do you want after tonight?"

Eve Vaughn’s gaze finally met his, her dark eyes radiating hatred. "I want you... Uncle... to help me crush Julian Lawson and his entire branch of the family. Trample them so they can never get back up!"

Mason Lawson’s smile deepened, but the amusement didn’t reach his eyes. His elegant, slender fingers slowly stroked her cheek, caressing it with deliberate pressure.

"You keep calling me ’Uncle.’ How am I supposed to sleep with you then, hmm?"

His drawn-out, husky tone, combined with the blatant provocation, terrified Eve Vaughn.

Her eyes went wide, and her face flushed crimson. All the mental preparation she’d done before coming here was on the verge of crumbling.

Only now did she realize that trying to throw herself at him tonight had been a massive overestimation of her own abilities.

How could a nineteen-year-old college student like her possibly be a match for Mason Lawson, a man who made kill-or-be-killed decisions in the business world?

How could a man like Mason Lawson ever allow a woman to use him?

Eve Vaughn’s resolve faltered. She wanted to run. But the pads of his fingers were still toying with her soft cheek, and the faint scent of alcohol on Mason Lawson’s breath drew closer and closer.

Just then, his lips crashed down on hers. It was not a gentle kiss. As their lips and tongues tangled, the assault was enough to make the young woman whimper in pain.

He kissed her fiercely, as if determined to conquer every inch of her mouth. Their breaths tangled together as his overwhelming, scorching presence enveloped her, leaving her feeling hot and breathless.

Gradually, a trail of urgent kisses moved from her lips to her neck. His large hands roamed her waist, holding her fast, leaving her with no room to escape.

Eve Vaughn felt her spine turn to jelly, as if she might melt into a puddle on the floor.