Half an hour later, the reddish-brown coffin was finally hoisted up.

Neil Kane said to a few of his men, "You guys can go down first. Stand a good distance away."

After they left, Mason Lawson slowly approached, watching with his own eyes as Neil Kane opened the coffin lid.

Just as he suspected, it was completely empty inside.

There was nothing at all!

In that moment, beyond the shock, Mason Lawson felt mostly relief and a pleasant surprise.

This meant his mother was truly still alive, somewhere in this world. She hadn’t died at all!

Afterward, Neil Kane called his men back to return everything to its original state, terrified that someone might discover the slightest clue that they had been there.

On the way back, Mason Lawson was silent, not saying a word. He seemed to be contemplating his mother’s whereabouts.

Neil Kane sighed and said, "It’s a shame that Simon Vaughn has been dead for so many years. Who knows what kind of experiments he was conducting on all those living people?"

Mason Lawson ordered, "As soon as possible, I want you to investigate the whereabouts of everyone mentioned in that experiment logbook. We might be able to find some clues there."

"Understood."

Neil Kane had been with Mason Lawson for nearly ten years and was his trusted confidant. Entrusting this matter to Neil was the only way Mason could feel at ease.

...

Eve Vaughn slept very soundly last night. She didn’t even notice when Mason Lawson went out and came back.

It wasn’t until morning that a tickling sensation on her neck finally woke her.

The young woman rubbed her sleepy eyes, only to realize that Mason Lawson had buried his face in the crook of her neck.

First, he just kissed her, but then his kisses turned to nips and bites, as if he was getting restless.

Eve Vaughn was wide awake now. She pushed at him awkwardly and said in a soft, sweet voice, "I have to go to school soon."

Mason Lawson let her go for the moment. His dark, deep eyes held a glint of desire as he asked, "Is that thing gone yet?"

Eve Vaughn’s face flushed with shyness. She stammered, "A-Almost."

Mason Lawson caressed her smooth cheek, his suggestive gaze drifting down to her collar. He asked in a low voice, "Then isn’t it about time you fulfilled your promise?"

"I... I will, as soon as possible."

After saying that, Eve Vaughn quickly pushed him away and ran to the bathroom.

Standing in front of the sink, she looked in the mirror and saw that her face was ridiculously red.

Eve Vaughn cupped her burning cheeks with her hands. ’It’s not like I don’t like him, and I’m not really against giving myself to him.’

’But why am I so nervous?’

’I don’t know how to do anything!’

During breakfast, she couldn’t shake the feeling that Mason Lawson’s gaze, practically dripping with hormones, was lingering on her.

And so, Eve Vaughn hastily took a few bites of breakfast, grabbed her schoolbag, and said, "I... I’m off to school. Bye."

Mason Lawson watched the young woman’s hasty, almost panicked retreat, and the corner of his mouth lifted into a slight smile.

...

Once outside, Eve Vaughn finally let out a sigh of relief.

She quickly pulled out her phone and sent an SOS to Mia Kendall.

"Mia, are you free this afternoon?" Eve Vaughn said with grave seriousness. "I’ve reached a critical juncture in my life and I desperately need your help!"

Mia Kendall sounded listless. "I have time, but I don’t want to go out. I guess I’m really not cut out for acting. I only got through the first audition to the callbacks because of you, and just as I expected, I was eliminated in the callback round."

"Huh? You... were eliminated again?"

Eve Vaughn had lost count of how many times this had happened.

It seemed that ever since Mia Kendall started studying acting, she had only ever played a minor side character in two web dramas, and neither of them had even been released yet.

Hearing that "again" from Eve Vaughn, Mia Kendall felt it wasn’t very hurtful, but it was extremely insulting.

She said indignantly, "Eve Vaughn, you’ll have to take responsibility for what you just said! If you don’t treat me to meals for a whole week straight, we’re through!"

Eve Vaughn quickly agreed. "Okay, okay, okay! We can start this afternoon. Just hurry up and come out!"

And so, Mia Kendall showed up as promised that afternoon.

Eve Vaughn took her to a food street near the school. Faced with two bowls of malatang, Mia Kendall’s mouth twitched.

She shot Eve Vaughn a look and said, speechless, "You said you’d treat me to a meal, and... and this is what you treat me to?"

"Just try it first! I guarantee it’s delicious!"

Eve Vaughn grinned and handed her a pair of chopsticks. "I heard the family that runs it has been here for over twenty years. My roommate and her boyfriend discovered this hidden gem."

Listening to her story, Mia Kendall skeptically took a bite.

Unexpectedly, it was actually pretty good.

Eve Vaughn then went to a neighboring stall and ordered a bunch of fried skewers. "It’s even better with these!"

After having some good food, Mia Kendall’s mood improved considerably. She asked, "You said today that you’ve reached a critical juncture in your life and needed my help. What did you mean by that?"

At the mention of this, a faint blush crept onto Eve Vaughn’s face. She whispered, "Do... um... do you know how... the first time works?"

"PFFT!"

Mia Kendall spat out a mouthful of coke and said, utterly mortified, "How would I have any experience with that?"

Eve Vaughn pouted. "But I seem to recall you love reading romance novels. And didn’t you say you were a fujoshi?"

"I..." Mia Kendall was at a loss for words. It was true she had read a lot of steamy novels, but that didn’t mean she had any hands-on experience!

After thinking for a long time, she asked seriously, "Are you really planning to give yourself to Mason Lawson?"

"Yeah."

Eve Vaughn nodded with certainty. "Didn’t I tell you what happened at the Lawson Family estate that day? To protect me, Mason Lawson not only confessed our relationship to the patriarch of the Lawson family, but he also took so many lashes from a whip. From that moment on, I decided I want to be with him for the rest of my life. With him forever!"

Mia Kendall said, "Honestly, I also think what he did was the act of a real man! He’s a million times better than that Julian Lawson! Do you think maybe Julian isn’t really a Lawson? Otherwise, how could two people who share the same blood be so different?"

"Oh, stop getting sidetracked. If Julian Lawson isn’t a Lawson, are you saying you are?"

Eve Vaughn pulled Mia Kendall back to the main topic. "Do you have any experience in that area or not? Or at least recommend some of the romance novels that were your... sexual awakening. Didn’t you say before that the first time hurts a lot?"

Mia Kendall nodded quickly. "Yeah, that’s true. In almost every novel I’ve read, the female lead’s first time is agonizingly painful."

Eve Vaughn shivered slightly. ’That’s scary, it sounds like a form of torture.’

Mia Kendall comforted her, "But it’s fine. Anyway, it’s something like 99% of all girls have to go through! And hey, if it’s my turn someday, you can pass on your experience to me."

By the end of the meal, Eve Vaughn hadn’t gained any practical experience from her friend.

But Mia Kendall patted her on the shoulder encouragingly. "Don’t worry, Evie. I hear it only hurts the first time. It gets better after that!"

At this, she seemed to think of something. She gave Eve Vaughn a mischievous wink and said, "Oh, right! I’ll send you something when I get home. It’s on my computer, so just you wait!"

With that, Mia Kendall scampered off, leaving Eve Vaughn staring blankly in her direction, completely bewildered.

After school that afternoon, Mason Lawson came to pick her up personally.

Eve Vaughn got in the car and was stunned to see two boxes of Durex condoms in the center console’s storage compartment.

Her face instantly turned bright red, and she averted her gaze.

’He’s... really in that much of a hurry?’

’He even bought... those already.’

Eve Vaughn felt there was probably no escaping it now.

Suddenly, she felt like she was being rushed into something she wasn’t ready for. Her heart was pounding, and she didn’t dare lift her head.

Mason Lawson, on the other hand, remained calm and composed, showing no hint of anything unusual, as if this were a completely normal matter.

"M-Mr. Lawson..." Eve Vaughn stammered, "That... thing we talked about... do we have to do it?"

Mason Lawson’s deep gaze fell upon her as he countered, "What do you think?"

Eve Vaughn looked at him pitifully. "Does it have to be today?"

"Yes. As soon as we get home."

Mason Lawson gave her no room to back out.

The young woman pitifully bit her lip, looking like a lamb to the slaughter. "Alright," she said. "I’ll do whatever you say."

Just then, her phone buzzed. Eve Vaughn quickly took it out to look.

It was a few videos in a cloud drive folder from Mia Kendall, with the accompanying text: "These files are pretty big. Watch them on your computer. And watch them in secret."

Eve Vaughn curiously replied with a question mark.

Mia Kendall sent back a devilish smiley emoji and wrote, "Trust me, you won’t regret watching! It’s all good stuff!"

Eve Vaughn didn’t think too much about it, but she was a little curious. ’What could it be?’

Twenty minutes later, they finally arrived home.

When Mrs. Linton opened the door, she looked at them with a grave expression and said, "Mr. Lawson, your mother is here."

Mason Lawson’s expression changed slightly, and Eve Vaughn felt as if she were facing a formidable enemy.

Needless to say, The Third Madam had surely come to break them up.

She looked at Mason Lawson nervously. "What do we do?"

"You go upstairs and wait for me first."

Mason Lawson led her by the hand into the living room, didn’t have her greet The Third Madam, and sent her directly upstairs.

Eve Vaughn scurried up quickly. After all, she was still quite afraid of the Lawsons.

The Third Madam sat primly on the sofa, watching her retreating back. "Just as I thought. A girl from a lowly family, with no manners!"

Mason Lawson said dismissively, "I was the one who told her to go up. She listens to me. How is that a lack of manners?"

"Mason, so many days have passed, and you still have this attitude!" The Third Madam said, exasperated. "Do you have any idea how much I’ve had to argue on your behalf lately? This morning, I finally managed to calm your father down a little. How can you be so oblivious to all my hard work?"

Mason Lawson asked coolly, "So, what would you have me do?"

The Third Madam said firmly, "Break up with that girl, of course! And never contact her again! If you don’t show that you’re willing to do this, given the patriarch’s temper, he’ll never forgive you. When that happens, not even the gods themselves will be able to save you!"

Mason Lawson nonchalantly picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said, "From the moment I admitted my relationship with Eve Vaughn in front of my father, I never planned to break up with her. Otherwise, why would I have gone to all the trouble of admitting it and causing such a huge scene in the first place?"

...

Meanwhile, in the master bedroom, Eve Vaughn had her laptop and had already opened the cloud drive.

She clicked on the video Mia Kendall had sent and was utterly flustered.

’This... Isn’t this the legendary... porn?’

Watching the intertwined bodies on the screen and hearing the rising and falling gasps, Eve Vaughn was so embarrassed she wished she could find a hole to crawl into.

’So *this* was the ’good stuff’ Mia Kendall was talking about.’

She felt like she’d been tricked and was about to close the laptop.

But for some reason, that damn curiosity hooked her and made her keep watching. She even put on her headphones.

After a while, she was probably so engrossed that she didn’t even realize Mason Lawson had entered the room and was standing right behind her.

The look in Mason Lawson’s dark eyes grew cloudy. He never expected that the thing the young woman was watching so intently with her headphones on would be *this*.

He reached out and took off Eve Vaughn’s headphones, startling her into a scream.

When she turned her head and their eyes met, the air instantly froze!

For the first time in her life, Eve Vaughn felt completely and utterly mortified!

Mason Lawson’s lips curved into a smile. He brought his handsome face close to hers and said in a low, husky voice, "Why watch this when you have nothing else to do? If you want to learn, Evie, I can teach you."

With that, he swept the blushing young woman up into his arms and carried her toward the large bed.