"Mason, I think you’ve really lost your mind!" Autumn Woods sneered. "You know you’re about to be cast aside by Old Mr. Lawson, so you’ve decided to give up and just go completely off the rails, haven’t you?"

Mason Lawson kept hold of Eve Vaughn’s hand, calmly retorting, "Instead of wasting your breath arguing, perhaps you two should be thinking about how to help the Vaughn Family get through this crisis."

Having been calling all the shots at the Lawson Group lately, Ethan Lawson was getting a little full of himself. He suddenly adopted a commanding tone. "Mason Lawson, I’m ordering you to immediately cease your attacks on the Vaughn Family. And you must also stop the acquisition of the Vaughn Company! If you listen to me, there will still be a place for you in the Lawson Family. Otherwise, after Old Mr. Lawson passes, I’ll make sure you can’t even set foot in the Lawson household!"

Mason Lawson chuckled as if he’d just heard a hilarious joke. "Ethan, this is actually very simple. Since you don’t want me to acquire the Vaughn Company, then you figure out a way to fill their 200-million-plus deficit. After all, you’re about to be in-laws. There’s no need to draw lines between us, is there?"

Ethan Lawson’s face turned livid with anger. If he had that kind of money, he would have lent it to Jason Vaughn long ago. Why else would he be here talking to Mason Lawson?

In the past, he had secretly transferred company assets to cover massive debts from high-stakes gambling in Morant. After Old Mr. Lawson found out, he completely lost the old man’s trust, which was the opening Mason Lawson had needed to take advantage.

Now that he had finally regained power in the Lawson Group, how could he possibly do something like that again?

Mason Lawson had never been one to be trifled with. Now that he had made his move, he certainly wasn’t going to let the Vaughn Family off the hook just because of a few words from Ethan Lawson.

In the end, Ethan Lawson and Autumn Woods returned empty-handed. Mason Lawson threw the dejected pair out.

The moment they were out the door, Autumn Woods’s eyes reddened with anger. She ground out through clenched teeth, "When Mason Lawson was in power, it was one thing for us to be pushed around by him! But now it’s finally your turn to call the shots at the Lawson Group, so why do we still have to put up with this humiliation from him!"

Ethan Lawson sighed deeply. "Isn’t it all because of that idiot Jason Vaughn? If he hadn’t been so blinded by greed and trusted Mason Lawson, would we be in such a passive position now?"

Autumn Woods sighed repeatedly in frustration. "If it weren’t for the fact that they’re Charlotte’s parents, do you think I’d be willing to form a marriage alliance with a family like that? Back then..."

"Shut up!" Ethan Lawson cut her off. "Don’t say another word! We have to take this matter to our graves, forget it completely. No one is to ever mention it again! Otherwise, our fate will be even more tragic than that of the second branch!"

Autumn Woods’s expression shifted slightly. She said in agreement, "You’re right. We have to forget it."

With that, the two of them headed to the Vaughn residence to discuss their next move.

「...」

Meanwhile, at the Vaughn residence, the air was filled with shouts and arguments.

To Charlotte Vaughn, especially, today felt like a dream.

Just that morning, Mrs. Lawson had taken her to visit several prominent, wealthy families, and she had been basking in everyone’s flattery and attention.

But by the afternoon, news broke that the Vaughn Family was on the verge of bankruptcy.

The "golden" plot of land that was supposed to be a sure-fire investment was now a money pit. The half-finished villa, which had already cost over 200 million, was facing abandonment.

Loan sharks from all over were showing up to collect their debts, and Jason Vaughn and Lana Chambers were too terrified to even open the door.

"That damn Mason Lawson and Eve Vaughn! They’re absolutely heartless!" Lana Chambers sobbed, gasping for breath. "What are we going to do now? Forget the loan sharks, we can’t even pay back the bank loans."

Jason Vaughn forced himself to appear calm, though he was trembling as he spoke. "It’s fine. Everything will be fine. Our in-laws have gone to find Mason Lawson, haven’t they? They’re the ones calling the shots in the Lawson Family now! Mason has no power anymore. With them involved, I’m sure Mason will have to listen."

Charlotte Vaughn immediately chimed in, "Exactly! Mason Lawson only dared to be so arrogant because he had power! But now, he has nothing!"

Just then, Ethan Lawson and his wife arrived.

Seeing them, Charlotte Vaughn ran forward as if she’d seen her saviors. "Uncle, Auntie, how did it go? Did Mason Lawson give in?"

Ethan Lawson’s face was ashen. He shook his head. "What good would it do even if he did give in? Your debts are real. Even if he doesn’t acquire the Vaughn Company, you still can’t pay back the money or fill this hole. From the moment he gave you that land and lured you into this trap, he never planned on giving you a chance to turn things around."

Hearing this, Jason Vaughn collapsed onto the floor, speechless.

Lana Chambers dropped to her knees before Ethan Lawson and his wife. "Our dear in-laws, you have to save us! You’re the only ones who can help us with this money now. Otherwise... those loan sharks are not people you can mess with. They just said that if we don’t pay them back within a month, they’ll chop off our hands and feet!"

Charlotte Vaughn was running around like a headless chicken. "Right! Why don’t we go tattle to Grandpa? Wasn’t it because I went and complained to Grandpa last time that Mason Lawson was finished? Only Grandpa can control him! Uncle, Auntie, let’s go right now!"

Autumn Woods quickly stopped her. "Silly girl, what are you thinking? We absolutely cannot bother Old Mr. Lawson with this. Back when we first proposed your marriage to Julian, he was already unhappy with your family’s status. We were lucky he relented after we used you donating your liver to Julian as an excuse. If you go to him with your family’s bankruptcy now and cause him this trouble, do you think he’ll still be pleased with you?"

Charlotte Vaughn finally calmed down and broke into tears. "Then what are we supposed to do? I can’t just watch my parents die, can I?"

Autumn Woods soothed her, "It’s not that serious. For now, why don’t you just declare bankruptcy? Liquidate what you can to pay off the debts. In a few days, it will be your and Julian’s wedding. That wedding is crucial, and nothing can be allowed to interfere with it. After you’re married, we’ll slowly figure out a way to get through this!"

Jason Vaughn’s face was pale, his expression utterly hopeless. "I’m going bankrupt? Does that mean... I won’t even have my company anymore?"

Ethan Lawson said irritably, "Why don’t you get it yet? Once Charlotte marries our Julian, you’ll be an in-law of our Lawson Family. When I’ve solidified my position at the Lawson Group and have independent decision-making power, acquiring a few small companies for you will be a piece of cake."

Although Ethan Lawson and Autumn Woods’s words sounded nice, Jason Vaughn’s family was ultimately unwilling to accept this.

The company they had painstakingly run for so many years had been turned to dust by Mason Lawson just like that.

Lana Chambers also felt that Autumn Woods and the others were just making empty promises because they didn’t want to deal with the Vaughn family’s mess.

’After all, the only thing you can truly rely on is what you hold in your own hands.’

’What’s the use of relying on their words alone?’

But for now, they had no other choice but to do as Autumn Woods and Ethan Lawson said.

「...」

Three days later, Neil Kane, acting on Mason Lawson’s instructions, completed the acquisition of the Vaughn Company.

Mason Lawson had been recovering at home lately and hadn’t gone out at all.

Now that he was mostly recovered, he drove to Rivaster University himself to pick up Eve Vaughn.

Although Mason Lawson had often picked her up before, this time, Eve Vaughn felt inexplicably happy.

Happier than ever before.

She got into the car without any hesitation, leaned over proactively, and kissed him on the cheek.

Mason Lawson was quite pleased by her show of affection. "Why are you so happy today?" he asked. "Did you get first place on an exam again?"

"No, final exams are still a little while away."

Eve Vaughn’s eyes curved into crescents as she smiled. "I’m happy because being with you right now makes me very happy." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

Mason Lawson gazed at her deeply. "I’m sorry... for all the grievances you suffered before. Things being as they are now, I feel a weight has been lifted."

With that, he drove Eve Vaughn to the Vaughn Company’s building.

The company sign had already been taken down, and the staff had been dismissed.

Mason Lawson led Eve Vaughn inside by the hand. "As of today, this company is yours. From now on, you can do whatever you want with it."

Eve Vaughn stared dazedly at the empty space. It wasn’t a large-scale operation, but this was the place her father had once poured his heart and soul into building.

She had thought that once the company fell into her uncle’s family’s hands, it would never be hers again.

She never imagined Mason Lawson would actually make it happen for her.

Eve Vaughn’s eyes welled up with gratitude. She leaned into his embrace and said, "Mason, thank you."

"How are you going to thank me?"

Mason Lawson ruffled her dark hair. "Is ’thank you’ something you just say with words?"

Eve Vaughn immediately understood what he meant. She blushed and said, "Well, we’ll have to wait until... you know... my thing is over!"

Just then, Neil Kane walked over, holding a pile of things. He seemed to have something to discuss with Mason Lawson.

Eve Vaughn quickly pulled away from Mason Lawson’s embrace, extremely embarrassed.

"I... I’ll wait for you back in the car."

And with that, the young woman quickly ran off.

Only after seeing Eve Vaughn get into the car did Neil Kane dare to speak.

His expression was grave as he said to Mason Lawson, "Mr. Lawson, I spent the entire day today taking inventory of the Vaughn Company’s assets. I discovered a basement in the building—an abandoned laboratory. It looks like it hasn’t been used in a very long time and was just filled with junk. I asked around, and apparently, this lab was used for genetic experiments back when Simon Vaughn was alive. After Jason Vaughn took over the company, the lab was never used again. Over time, it just fell into disuse. But while I was taking inventory in the lab, I found this."

Neil Kane handed a thick notebook to Mason Lawson, then flipped open to a specific page. "Take a look at this, sir."

When Mason Lawson saw what was in the notebook, a flash of shock crossed his eyes.

The notebook contained information on many people, including their photos, various details about their lives and personalities, and, further in, a lot of data that he couldn’t comprehend.

The page Neil Kane had him look at showed a photograph of a young woman named Tanya Thorne.

Tanya Thorne’s basic information was listed as:

Husband: Victor Lawson; one son: Mason Lawson.

Mason Lawson stared intently at those words, and at the date recorded: the third year after his birth.

In other words, he was already three years old at the time, and his mother was still alive.

But for as long as he could remember, Old Mr. Lawson had told him that his mother died from complications during childbirth.

Mason Lawson’s mind was buzzing.

This was a mix of panic and agitation he had never felt before in his life!