Mason was taken aback for a moment, apparently not expecting Eve Vaughn to suddenly ask such a question.

Then, he smiled and said, "How could that be possible? I take precautions every time. That kind of accident won’t happen."

They were meant to be comforting and reassuring words, yet they left Eve Vaughn feeling a little disheartened.

’After all, what I really want to know is... has he ever thought about marrying me and having children?’

Actually, she should have known from his conversation with Old Mr. Lawson the other day that he had no such plans.

’But girls are always like this. Even when you already know the answer, you can’t help but ask, clinging to that sliver of hope.’

Eve Vaughn chided herself internally. ’Didn’t I already figure this out? Since Mason Lawson is a man I can’t have forever, I should just live every day to the fullest while I can have him.’

She leaned back into his embrace, just hoping that these moments with him could last a little longer.

"Little one, is something on your mind?" Mason seemed to have caught the shift in her mood. He stroked her hair and said, "Why have you been so clingy lately?"

Eve Vaughn complained indignantly, "You’re so dense!"

Mason gave a helpless laugh, simply holding her in his arms.

After a moment’s hesitation, he finally said, "Evie, I have to go back to the Lawson Family estate tomorrow. Old Mr. Lawson will be staying at the old residence for the time being, so it probably won’t be convenient for me to come see you every day."

Eve Vaughn immediately understood what he meant.

’Since he’s already decided to compromise with Old Mr. Lawson, he naturally has to abide by the old man’s rules, just like before.’

Although she was very sad, she still nodded obediently and said, "Okay."

Mason gently lifted her chin. "Are you unhappy?"

"No."

She forced a smile, afraid that her willfulness would cause him trouble again, or perhaps displease him.

’After all, he’s already given me so much.’

Eve Vaughn spoke cautiously, "In that case, maybe I should live in the dorm from now on?"

"Why?"

Mason asked, confused, "Isn’t there someone you don’t like in your dorm room?"

Eve Vaughn didn’t like her new roommate, Regina Shaw, but if Mason wasn’t going to be here, staying all day in such a huge villa waiting for him to return... It felt too much like being the heroine of some tragic drama, and that would just make her feel pathetic.

So, she put on a relaxed tone and said, "School is great! There are so many classmates to chat with. Besides, Regina Shaw isn’t the only one in the dorm. I can talk to Aria. I’ve been staying with you for so long, Aria misses me to death."

At her insistence, Mason didn’t try to stop her, merely saying, "Alright, if you want to go back to the dorm, you can. If you feel uncomfortable there, just come back on your own, understand?"

...

「The next day.」

Eve Vaughn dragged her suitcase back to her dorm room.

Aria was especially happy to see her return.

Just as Eve Vaughn was about to make her bed, she discovered it was completely covered with luggage bags.

"What’s going on here?"

Eve Vaughn said, frustrated, "I’ve been gone less than a month, how have I lost my bed?"

Aria complained indignantly, "Who else but that Regina Shaw? She has too many clothes, her closet is full, so she said since you weren’t staying here, she’d just put her stuff on your bed."

As the two were talking, Regina Shaw returned.

Eve Vaughn said, displeased, "Senior Shaw, could you please move your things? I’ll be living in the dorm from now on. You’ve taken over my bed, I have nowhere to sleep."

Regina Shaw didn’t say much. While moving her things, she asked, "Fight with your boyfriend? Did he kick you out?"

Hearing her passive-aggressive taunt, Eve Vaughn shot back without hesitation, "My boyfriend and I are doing great, thanks. You don’t need to worry about it."

Regina Shaw snorted. "To have my good intentions thrown back in my face! That incident with you and The Lawson’s Eldest Grandson caused a huge stir. It’s not like nobody knows about it."

Aria quickly spoke up for Eve Vaughn. "Hasn’t the truth of that matter already come out? It was that guy who wouldn’t stop pestering Evie, not the other way around!"

"Flies don’t buzz around an egg with no cracks. If she hadn’t been involved with him before, would he be pestering her relentlessly now?"

As Regina Shaw spoke, she had already moved all of her things.

In truth, she wasn’t trying to deliberately slander Eve Vaughn. She just hated hassle. It had been a lot of work to finally organize her clothes and put them up there.

Now that Eve Vaughn was back, she had to move everything down again and find another place for all these clothes.

’It’s so annoying!’

After bickering with Eve Vaughn, Regina Shaw was completely fed up with the small, inconvenient dorm room.

She took her phone out to the hallway to call home.

"Mom, when is Dad finally going to lift his ban on me? Please, unblock my bank card! I want to rent a place off-campus. I don’t want to keep squeezing into a four-person room with these little kids."

When facing her mother, Regina Shaw acted spoiled and wheedling.

Mrs. Shaw chided her gently, "Who told you to be so disobedient? The marriage your father chose for you was an absolute match made in heaven, yet you didn’t cherish it at all. Old Mr. Lawson said that you were the one who wasn’t interested in Mason Lawson? Don’t you think your standards are a little too high? If you can’t even appreciate a man like him, do you think you’ll ever get married?"

Her mother’s reprimand made Regina Shaw extremely frustrated.

She argued, "It’s not like that! That Mason Lawson is a total chauvinist. He met with me only to find someone to be a full-time housewife for him. But I’ve studied for so many years, I haven’t even achieved my dreams yet. Why should I have to give it all up to cook and clean for him?"

Mrs. Shaw sighed. "Anyway, your father has been complaining at home all day about how immature you are. He still very much wants an alliance with the Lawson Family. If you don’t want to keep suffering and want your dad to let you rent an apartment, then be obedient. Regina, you’re our only daughter. We wouldn’t do anything to harm you!"

"I know, I know!"

The more Regina Shaw listened, the more annoyed she became. She gave a perfunctory agreement and hung up the phone.

...

「Lawson Family Estate.」

At the enormous dining table, only Old Mr. Lawson, The Third Madam, and Mason Lawson were present, looking almost like a cozy family of three.

As for the first branch of the family, Julian Lawson and Charlotte Vaughn were currently bedridden from their whipping injuries, so Autumn Woods and Ethan Lawson were in their rooms, taking care of their son and daughter-in-law.

The Third Madam couldn’t have been more delighted. ’What a beautiful battle I’ve won!’ The ridicule she had previously suffered from the first branch had been repaid with such swift retribution!

Right now, the only thing weighing on her mind was Mason Lawson’s marriage.

Everything else was fine.

Thus, taking advantage of the favorable situation, The Third Madam spoke up. "Old Master, our Lawson Family has been plagued by incidents, big and small. Shouldn’t we arrange a happy occasion to ward off this bad luck? Since that Miss Shaw was too ungrateful to appreciate the offer and refused to marry into our family, why not consider Joanna?"

Before Old Mr. Lawson could speak, Mason said emotionlessly, "Joanna Sullivan and I are ancient history. Back then, her breaking off the engagement brought no small amount of shame to the Lawson Family."

At Mason’s mention of the past, Old Mr. Lawson’s expression darkened.

’Have I offended the God of Marriage?’ he wondered. ’How have the weddings of both my son and grandson turned out so disastrously, ending up in such a mess?’

Every happy occasion turned into a farce.

It had been like this with Mason Lawson and Joanna Sullivan’s wedding a few years ago.

And now, it was happening again with Julian Lawson’s wedding!

The angrier Old Mr. Lawson got, the more he thought about it. He shot a cold glance at The Third Madam and said, "I have my own considerations for Mason’s marriage. The Shaw Family has spoken with me several times recently. That girl of theirs is indeed a bit willful, but that’s to be expected given her age. She’s several years younger than Mason and has been spoiled by her family. However, the Shaws said they would have a good talk with their daughter. This weekend, have Mason meet with the girl again to get to know her better. If it really doesn’t work out, we’ll make other plans."

Mason couldn’t help but frown.

’Didn’t I already scare that Miss Shaw away last time?’

’She still dares to show up?’

’If this continues, there’s no guarantee that one day this Miss Shaw won’t change her mind and decide she wants to marry into the Lawson Family after all.’

To make Old Mr. Lawson drop the idea, Mason said coolly, "Dad, this Regina Shaw is Eve Vaughn’s roommate. If the Shaw Family were to find out about my relationship with Eve Vaughn, I’m afraid it wouldn’t look good for either family."

His original intention was to make Old Mr. Lawson consider the bigger picture and stop pursuing the Shaw Family.

It would prevent a situation where the marriage fails and both families lose face.

Unexpectedly, Old Mr. Lawson flew into a rage. "You have the nerve to say that? If that’s the case, then why haven’t you broken it off with that girl yet? Make it a clean break! Then the Shaw Family will have nothing to say, will they?"

Mason said grimly, "Have you forgotten what you promised me? You said I could keep Eve Vaughn by my side. That was the only reason I agreed to come back to the Lawson Group."

The Third Madam was terrified and quickly cut in, "Mason, how can you speak to your father like that? That Eve Vaughn is nothing but a femme fatale. What did your father say that was wrong?"

Old Mr. Lawson, having been publicly contradicted by his son, lost all face. He roared, "What is that supposed to mean? Did I beg you to come back? Do you really think the Lawson Family can’t function without you? Mason Lawson, if this is your attitude, then we might as well summon all the elders of the Lawson clan to the ancestral hall, remove you from the family registry, and sever our ties completely!"

The Third Madam turned pale with fright. She rushed over to support Old Mr. Lawson, helping to soothe him. "Old Master, please don’t be angry. Mason is at that hot-blooded age. Finding some comfort with that Eve Vaughn girl is better than him catching some disease from a brothel, isn’t it? But I promise you, Miss Shaw will absolutely never find out about this!"

Old Mr. Lawson’s expression didn’t soften. "You promise? What can you promise with? He was willing to endure the family punishment for that little girl. What if one day he gets a rush of blood to the head and parades her out in public? What will become of our Lawson Family’s reputation then?"

Although The Third Madam hated Eve Vaughn to death for being a distraction to her son...

...right now, she had to speak up for Mason. Their interests were aligned!

So, The Third Madam said to the old man, "Didn’t Mason keep that little girl well-hidden before? If it weren’t for Julian’s wife insisting on digging things up, no one would have known about Eve Vaughn’s relationship with our Mason. Don’t you worry. Mason is just having a bit of fun with her while the novelty lasts. He knows what’s important. How could he not know what kind of woman he should marry to be Mrs. Lawson?"

With The Third Madam’s earnest persuasion, Old Mr. Lawson’s anger finally subsided a little.

Because he was reminded of himself.

Hadn’t he also had his fair share of romantic dalliances in his youth?

’Men are all the same. They love women, but they love power more. When forced to choose between the two, what does a woman even count for?’

Therefore, Old Mr. Lawson could only warn Mason, "Listen here. Hide that little girl of yours better. Don’t let Miss Shaw discover anything. If she causes any more trouble, then I’ll personally step in and... take care of her for you!"

As Old Mr. Lawson said this, a palpable killing intent emanated from his eyes, making Mason’s heart skip a beat.

After all, just a moment ago, he had been on the verge of storming out.

But Old Mr. Lawson’s words made him understand that if he really went head-to-head with him, Eve Vaughn’s situation would become very dangerous.

Besides, he still needed to stay in the Lawson Family to search for clues about his mother. He couldn’t afford to completely fall out with the old man.

And so, under Old Mr. Lawson’s intense gaze, Mason said coldly, "Understood."

Only then did The Third Madam relax. As long as Mason didn’t defy the old man, he was willing to turn a blind eye to matters concerning women.

This would have no impact on Mason’s power and position within the Lawson Group.

...

「In the blink of an eye, the week had passed from Monday to Friday.」

Mason had to stay at the old residence every night, and that included weekends.

Therefore, he could only find an hour or two at noon or in the evening to come see Eve Vaughn.

When he was busy or had many social engagements, he might only get to see her two or three times a week.

Eve Vaughn didn’t know what was wrong with her.

She could focus just fine during her classes and studies, but the moment she had free time, her mind was completely filled with the name Mason Lawson.

She suddenly realized that to love someone meant letting them seep into every nook and cranny of your life.

Even when she was dating Julian Lawson, she didn’t think she had ever been this utterly lost, missing him so much she couldn’t sleep.

But now, she even dreamt of Mason Lawson when she slept.

Sometimes she even dreamt of him... teasing her.

When she woke up, her face would be flushed and hot.

Eve Vaughn quickly shook her head. ’Am I being too shameless? Who throws themselves at someone like this?’

On Friday afternoon, there was only one class.

When Eve Vaughn got out of class, Mason was already there to pick her up. It was just after four o’clock.

After all, it seemed Old Mr. Lawson had no plans to return abroad anytime soon and was staying at the old residence.

So their opportunities to meet were few and far between. Both Eve Vaughn and Mason cherished their time together.

Today, he had come to pick her up in a business van. He had probably just finished some work and came straight over without returning to the office.

The driver opened the door for Eve Vaughn. After she got in, the driver didn’t get back into the car, instead waiting quietly outside.

The moment the young woman got into the car, she was pulled into the man’s arms. After just two days apart, his longing for her was palpable.

Mason crushed his lips against hers, his hand on her face slowly sliding down.

"Mmph..."

The young woman struggled slightly. This was a car, after all.

’No wonder the driver didn’t get back in. Was it because he knew what we were going to do in here?’

At that thought, a wave of shame suddenly washed over her.