Two days passed in a flash.

The day before the wedding, all of Rivaster’s television stations were scrambling to report on Julian Lawson’s grand nuptials.

After all, this wedding represented the Lawson Family, and it was a lavish affair funded by a massive investment.

The previous scandal between Julian Lawson and Charlotte Vaughn only added to the wedding’s drama.

Many people were still vilifying Eve Vaughn, while Julian Lawson was being portrayed as the quintessential "good man."

The day before the wedding, he and Charlotte Vaughn were still putting on a show of being deeply in love for the media.

Eve Vaughn sat in front of the TV, watching the two hypocrites on the screen, and nearly felt sick.

But strangely, all she felt was disgust. She wasn’t that angry anymore, nor was she as heartbroken and miserable as before.

Even when the reporters repeatedly brought her up, casting her as the third party, Eve Vaughn didn’t feel much of anything. In fact, she found it laughable.

She didn’t turn off the TV. She continued to watch with great interest, wanting to see just how disgusting this despicable pair could be.

Just then, a hand took the remote and turned off the TV.

Eve Vaughn froze, looking at Mason Lawson in surprise. "Huh? Why are you back so early? This morning, didn’t you say tomorrow is Julian Lawson’s wedding and that Old Mr. Lawson might have you stay at the venue tonight to help out?"

Mason Lawson snorted coldly and said irritably, "If I hadn’t come back, I wouldn’t have known you were so interested in tomorrow’s wedding. How about I take you there to see it in person?"

Hearing the displeasure and sarcasm in his voice, Eve Vaughn didn’t dare provoke him.

She walked over with a grin and linked her arm with his. "I swear, I’m absolutely not hung up on him, really!" Mason Lawson narrowed his eyes and asked, "Not hung up? If you’re not hung up, then why were your eyes glued to the TV just now? I thought you were about to start crying."

"I would never!"

Eve Vaughn was a little angry, retorting indignantly, "I’ll never cry over him again! If you ever see me crying because of Julian Lawson again, you can... you can..."

Mason Lawson’s interest was piqued. He prompted her, "You can what?"

Eve Vaughn instantly regretted her boast.

But Mason Lawson’s dark, intense gaze was fixed on her, carrying an intimidating edge.

Left with no choice, the young woman buried her head and mumbled, "...then you can do whatever you want with me. Is that okay?"

A flicker of desire colored Mason Lawson’s eyes. "You’re the one who said it. Don’t be all shy and unwilling when the time comes."

Eve Vaughn understood his implication and grew even more bashful, letting out a soft "mm."

Mason Lawson put his arm around her. "Get to bed early tonight. I might have to get up around four or five tomorrow morning to head to the banquet hall."

Eve Vaughn felt a little dazed. She couldn’t quite describe the feeling.

’When will my name finally be cleared?’ she wanted to ask.

But she was afraid Mason would find her troublesome.

Just then, Mason Lawson reminded her, "Tomorrow’s wedding will be broadcast live, and a lot of media outlets will be there. You just stay home, keep an eye on the TV, understand?"

"Uh..." Eve Vaughn said, confused. "A minute ago, you wouldn’t let me watch news about Julian Lawson, and now you want me to watch?"

Her adorably blank look made Mason Lawson unsure whether to laugh or cry. "Mhm. This is the last time I’ll allow you to watch him."

Eve Vaughn had no idea what he was planning.

However, she had a vague feeling that as long as Mason Lawson was involved, Julian Lawson and Charlotte Vaughn’s wedding tomorrow wouldn’t go so smoothly.

Perhaps because he had to get up early the next day, Mason Lawson didn’t torment her that night and went to bed early.

The next day, when he got up and left for the wedding venue, Eve Vaughn was still asleep.

...

Around noon, the wedding officially began. It was a grand spectacle.

Although the eldest branch of the family was not favored by Old Mr. Lawson, a wedding of this scale represented not just Julian Lawson himself, but the face of the entire Lawson Family.

Thus, Old Mr. Lawson had funded much of it.

On the day of the wedding, the guests were all prominent figures from various places, and the venue was Rivaster’s largest and most luxurious banquet hall.

As the newlyweds, Julian Lawson and Charlotte Vaughn’s demeanors were starkly different.

Julian maintained a formulaic smile the entire time, but Charlotte’s happiness was visible to the naked eye.

After all, she had been waiting for this day for far too long.

Before, she never would have dreamed that she would become the young madam of the Lawson Family.

But now, her dream had come true.

’So what if Dad went bankrupt? We’re in-laws with the Lawson Family now. Our status is secure, even without the boost from that little company. We can still make our way into high society.’

After today, she would be the top woman in Rivaster’s high society. She would no longer have to put on a fake smile and flatter those socialites like she used to.

Instead, countless people would be flattering and fawning over her from now on.

’As for Eve Vaughn...’

Thinking of her sister, a sinister smile crept across Charlotte Vaughn’s lips.

’Thankfully, I’m a good planner. I ruined Eve Vaughn’s reputation before the wedding, so Julian wouldn’t dare go near her, if only to avoid suspicion.’

’That stumbling block has finally been completely removed!’

Standing on the stage, Charlotte Vaughn trembled with excitement as she listened to the emcee’s opening remarks.

Just then, the emcee pointed to the large screen and said, "And now, let us all watch the story of how the bride and groom met and fell in love."

The large screen, which should have been displaying heartwarming wedding photos, suddenly went dark.

Then, the video from the last time Eve Vaughn and Julian Lawson were exposed hugging appeared.

Only this time, it was the full, unedited version.

At the beginning, it was clear that Eve Vaughn was struggling while Julian Lawson insisted on holding her.

And later, you could see Eve Vaughn angrily slapping Julian Lawson across the face.

As the audio played, Julian Lawson could be heard saying he didn’t love Charlotte Vaughn and even asking Eve Vaughn to be his mistress, only to be firmly rejected by her.

Every single word was broadcast, not one missed, and it played on a loop throughout the wedding hall.

The guests in attendance gasped in shock, while the media below the stage furiously snapped photos.

Flashes went off everywhere, dazzling and dizzying Charlotte Vaughn.

Normally, a wealthy family’s wedding would be a very private affair, and they would rarely invite so many reporters.

But Charlotte Vaughn had insisted. She thought that since she was finally having her moment in the spotlight, the whole world should be watching as she, Charlotte Vaughn, became the young madam of the Lawson Family.

Therefore, Mrs. Lawson had granted her wish, inviting numerous media outlets so she could have a glamorous appearance on television.

But precisely because it was a live broadcast, the entire scene at the wedding was being aired for all to see.

The wedding venue was now in a state of complete chaos.

Autumn Woods was the first to lose her composure, screaming, "What is going on? What’s happening backstage? Where’s the sound engineer? Shut it off now!"

With that one scream, her image as the dignified wife of a wealthy family was shattered.

Ethan Lawson ran directly backstage to confront the sound engineer and staff, demanding to know how such a massive error could have occurred.

Julian Lawson was in such a panic he didn’t know what to say.

When his eyes met Old Mr. Lawson’s stern and murderous gaze, he was so terrified that he collapsed onto the floor, unable to think of a single word of defense.

Charlotte Vaughn, abandoning all decorum, screamed from the stage, "It’s fake! It’s all fake! That bitch Eve Vaughn planned this! It must be her! That bitch seduced my husband, she must have set this up!"

Her outburst immediately set the guests below chattering:

"What kind of daughter-in-law did the Lawson Family marry? A supposed debutante from a distinguished family, and she can spew such vulgarities?"

"Exactly, and The Lawson’s Eldest Grandson is no saint either. He was clearly the one hitting on the young woman, and when she rejected him, he dragged her name through the mud. What a disgrace to his family’s reputation!"

"..."

Similar discussions rose and fell throughout the crowd.

The grand high-society wedding had devolved into a massive farce.

The Third Madam, standing beside Old Mr. Lawson, could barely contain the ecstatic joy she felt inside.

As if to play her part, she feigned concern and asked, "Old Mr. Lawson, what... what on earth is happening? What has Julian gotten himself into?"

Old Mr. Lawson shot her a glare, pushed himself up with his dragon-head cane, and left the venue without saying a single word.

Under Old Mr. Lawson’s orders, Mason Lawson was left in charge of handling the aftermath.

Although the video and audio had been shut off, the damage was done. The content had already been broadcast and had made a deep impression. For the foreseeable future, at least until a new trending topic emerged, Julian Lawson’s wedding would be the laughingstock of the town.

Mason Lawson stood on stage, microphone in hand. "Everyone, on behalf of the bride and groom, I would like to express the Lawson Family’s sincere apologies and gratitude. The wedding is temporarily suspended. Thank you all for coming from so far. We apologize again for this unpleasant experience."

...

「Meanwhile」

Eve Vaughn sat in front of her television, completely dumbfounded.

Others might not know, but she knew this whole fiasco had to be Mason Lawson’s doing.

She was both impressed and amused.

Mason Lawson had fanned the flames, letting Julian and the others dig their own graves. Then, at their most important moment, he delivered the fatal blow, ensuring they could never recover.

This was very much in line with Mason Lawson’s usual style.

The amusing part was that Mason Lawson had looked so sincere when apologizing on stage; no one would ever guess that the man apologizing was the very person who had orchestrated the entire spectacle.

Just then, her phone rang. It was Mia Kendall.

The moment she answered, Mia Kendall’s excited voice burst through the phone. "Oh my god, oh my god, Evie, I am completely in awe of Mason Lawson! Does he have a long-lost brother? I want a man like that, like a guardian angel, how amazing is that! I never thought he would expose Julian Lawson at a time like this, in a way like this."

Eve Vaughn smiled. "I didn’t expect it either, but I’m not surprised. It seems like this is just how he does things."

Mia Kendall clicked her tongue a few times. "It’s a good thing you’re his lover and not his enemy. I mean, if a man like that were to plot against someone, wouldn’t he scheme us out of our underwear?"

Eve Vaughn laughed at her friend’s words. "Are you watching TV too?"

"Yeah, I am! My mom, Mr. Kendall, and Eric all went to the wedding. I didn’t want to go, it felt disgusting, but I couldn’t resist seeing what kind of wedding that scummy couple would have, so I watched on TV. I totally didn’t expect this, what a surprise!"

Mia Kendall chatted with her aimlessly.

This incident made her admire Mason Lawson to no end; his style of doing things was completely to her liking.

So, she urged Eve Vaughn, "Evie, you have to hold on tight to a man like Mason Lawson! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, you know? You might never find another one like him."

Eve Vaughn’s thoughts drifted for a moment, and her wonderful mood from just now grew a little heavy.

’If she hadn’t overheard Mason Lawson’s conversation with Old Mr. Lawson that day, she could still deceive herself and try to fight for it.’

’But she had heard it, so she couldn’t lie to herself like this.’

’She didn’t want to get her hopes up so high, only to be met with heart-wrenching despair in the end.’

When Mia Kendall didn’t get a response, she prodded again, "Evie, did you hear me? A man like that is really not easy to find!"

"Oh, I know."

Eve Vaughn’s tone was a bit downcast as she gave a perfunctory reply.

Mia Kendall didn’t pick up on it and continued enthusiastically, "The Lawson Family must be in an absolute uproar right now. Ah, I really want to know what’s going to happen to Julian Lawson and Charlotte Vaughn. I bet Old Mr. Lawson has never been this humiliated in his entire life!"

...

「The Lawson Residence」

By the time Mason Lawson had dismissed all the guests and rushed back to the old residence, Julian Lawson was kneeling in the center of the living room.

Old Mr. Lawson’s furious roar followed. "You shameless disgrace! I’ll beat you to death today, just to save you the trouble of embarrassing me any further!"

"Grandpa, I... I was wrong!"

Julian Lawson’s teeth chattered in fear as he said with reddened eyes, "I don’t know how the wedding ended up like this! I checked every detail over and over these past few days, there’s no way something could have gone wrong."

Autumn Woods, terrified that Old Mr. Lawson would actually strike Julian, hurried forward. "Dad, Julian is right. I also checked all the equipment, and we even had several rehearsals! Someone must be trying to frame our Julian, it must be!"

"Shut up!"

The more they spoke, the angrier the old man became. He raged, "If this disgrace had been innocent, if he hadn’t provoked that girl, if he hadn’t caused trouble, then even if someone wanted to harm him, they wouldn’t have had a reason!"

Mason Lawson stood in the entryway for a moment, listening, before slowly walking inside.

Seeing him approach, Old Mr. Lawson asked, "Is everything at the venue taken care of?"

Mason Lawson nodded. "Mostly. Although we didn’t let the reporters leave with their photos and recordings, the wedding was broadcast live. I’m afraid there’s not much we can do to change the public’s impression of the Lawson Group now."

Old Mr. Lawson was seething with uncontrollable rage, all of it directed at Julian Lawson.

He said to the butler, "Go, bring me the whip. I’m going to beat this shameless thing to death today!"

Seeing this, Autumn Woods immediately dropped to her knees before the old man. "No, Dad! Julian’s constitution is already weak. He nearly died from liver failure before, he can’t withstand a whipping! Please, show him some mercy!"

Charlotte Vaughn was also afraid Old Mr. Lawson would actually go through with it. After all, if Julian Lawson were beaten to death, what good would that do her?

She quickly interjected, "Grandpa, there’s definitely something suspicious about this. The wedding couldn’t have been sabotaged for no reason. Someone must have done it intentionally! I think Eve Vaughn must be involved. Why don’t we call her here and investigate thoroughly? If she had something to do with it, she should pay the price!"

’Since things have already come to this, she might as well drag Eve Vaughn down with her. If she was going down, she would take someone with her!’