Mia Kendall saw Mason Lawson at the resort for the weekend. He wasn’t with Eve Vaughn, but with an elegantly dressed woman.

She was instantly furious and started forward to confront him.

But just as Mia Kendall took a step forward, Eve Vaughn grabbed her hand.

"Mia, don’t go!"

Her voice was low, and there was even a hint of insecurity in it.

Mia Kendall was momentarily speechless. "Aren’t you even angry?" she asked. "Your man is with another woman right now! This is when you should march over there, act like his rightful partner, and demand to know what shady things they’ve been up to. And while you’re at it, tell that woman Mason Lawson is taken!"

Eve Vaughn replied weakly, "That girl... is my roommate."

"What?" Mia Kendall was stunned. "Even a rabbit doesn’t eat the grass around its own burrow!"

Eve Vaughn could only explain, "If I’m not mistaken, it must be Old Mr. Lawson trying to set them up. Mason probably couldn’t refuse."

Even though she understood the situation perfectly, she couldn’t help but feel a pang of heartache.

She recalled Regina Shaw on the phone with her mother last night. They must have been talking about this date with Mason Lawson.

For Regina, this was an unwanted obligation, something she could have so easily. But for Eve, it was an impossible dream.

’I guess this is the difference between people, huh?’

Eve Vaughn’s eyes followed them until their figures disappeared in the direction of the riding grounds. Only then did she finally look away.

Seeing the envy and sorrow in Eve Vaughn’s eyes, Mia Kendall couldn’t help but ask, "Didn’t Mason already make things clear with his father? Doesn’t his dad know about you two? So why is he still setting him up on dates? And even if his father arranges it, he could just refuse, couldn’t he?"

Eve Vaughn shook her head helplessly. "His family will never acknowledge our relationship. Besides, I don’t want Mason to defy his father again for my sake. That brutal family punishment... once was more than enough."

Mia’s heart ached for her friend, but she was also furious. "You’re always putting him first," she said angrily, "but has he ever once thought about you? You’ve already given yourself to him, and he’s out on a date with another woman—a woman the Lawson Family actually approves of. So what about you? What does that make you?"

Mia was voicing the very things Eve understood in her heart but didn’t dare to dwell on.

Because if she thought about it too much, she would start to overthink everything, and her heart would ache. She’d feel completely hopeless about their future.

"Mia, can you please stop?"

There was a pleading note in Eve Vaughn’s voice. "Let’s just pretend we didn’t see him. We came here for a vacation, right? Why should we let this ruin it?"

Mia Kendall stared at her in disbelief, her voice rising. "Evie, don’t be naive! Even I can see what’s going on; I refuse to believe Mason can’t. It’s one thing for him to let you be treated unfairly, but how can you do this to yourself?"

Eve Vaughn sniffled, her voice thick. "If he really starts a relationship with her, I’ll leave. I promise. But right now... I can’t bear to. I... I love him..."

By the end, her voice had dwindled to a low, pitiful whisper.

Mia’s eyes reddened. She suddenly pulled Evie into a hug and said through choked sobs, "Evie, this is all my fault. I had no idea you were in this kind of situation. I was the one who pushed you to hold onto a man like him. I’m not like you. I would never swallow my pride for any man, no matter how great he is. I can’t sacrifice my own happiness for someone else!"

Eve Vaughn gave a bitter smile. "Maybe... it’s just because you haven’t met that one person yet, you know?"

And so, with Eve Vaughn stopping her, Mia Kendall gave up on the idea of going to confront Mason Lawson.

When Eric Kendall learned that Mia Kendall and Eve Vaughn were at Crimson Spring Resort, he personally treated them to lunch.

Coincidentally, Hamilton Hale was there as well.

Ever since their cardiology course had ended, Eve Vaughn felt like she hadn’t seen Hamilton Hale in a long time.

Hamilton Hale smiled and asked, "Where’s Mason? How come he didn’t come with you?"

Eve Vaughn froze for a moment before saying awkwardly, "He was busy."

"I see." Hamilton Hale sighed. "It’s always like that with our group. If it’s not one person who’s busy, it’s another. It’s getting harder and harder for all of us to get together."

Eric Kendall said, "That’s a good thing, isn’t it? It means we’re all busy. Now that Mason is back at Lawson Group and has taken back the reins, I can finally relax!"

Mia Kendall rolled her eyes at him. "That’s fine if he’s busy with work. I’m just afraid he’s busy with women."

Eric Kendall stared at her, completely baffled. "What’s that supposed to mean?"

’Is this girl taking a dig at me?’

Mia Kendall and Eve Vaughn realized then that Mason must not have told anyone he was bringing Regina Shaw here today.

Not wanting to make a scene or have others pity her, Eve Vaughn quickly interjected, "She didn’t mean anything by it. You know how Mia is, she just says whatever pops into her head!"

Eric Kendall figured Mia was just taking a passive-aggressive jab at his own womanizing.

But he couldn’t be bothered to argue with her.

’The bait I’ve laid is almost perfect. Sooner or later, Mia will take it.’

He was in no hurry to get into a petty argument with Mia.

Instead, he was surprisingly considerate, pouring them drinks and pointing out some of the new specialty dishes on the menu.

Hamilton Hale chuckled. "Eric, have you turned over a new leaf lately? Not only are you focused on your career, but you’re also starting to act like a real big brother to your sister."

Mia had also noticed recently that Eric seemed to be treating her differently.

After Eric invested two million in the show that had previously cut her, they had even offered her the role of the second female lead.

Eve was genuinely happy for her best friend. After all, with Eric being the eldest son in the Kendall family and Bobby still so young, the family’s future would likely be in Eric’s hands.

If Mia and Eric had a good relationship, she would at least have a powerful family to back her up in the future.

She wouldn’t have to worry about being bullied or looked down upon in her own marriage.

’Unlike me...’

Just then, Eric Kendall suddenly exclaimed, "Holy shit! Is... is that Mason?"

Following his gaze, the others all looked toward the other side of the restaurant.

Sure enough, Mason Lawson and Regina Shaw were walking in. A waiter, assuming they were a couple, even presented them with a bouquet of roses.

This kind of attentive service was, after all, a signature feature of Crimson Spring Resort.

Eve Vaughn glanced over for only a second before quickly looking away.

’Because she was afraid she wouldn’t be able to bear it if she kept watching.’

The man who had been so intimate with her, who had whispered words of love in her ear, was now with another woman, and people were mistaking them for a couple.

’No, maybe it wasn’t a mistake.’

’I’m the one who’s extra.’

Eve Vaughn sat there in a daze. Hamilton Hale called her name twice, but she didn’t hear him.

"Eve Vaughn, are you okay?"

Hamilton Hale called her name again. She finally snapped out of it and forced a smile. "I’m fine."

Eric was puzzled too. "What’s going on?" he asked, confused. "Did you and Mason have a fight?"

"No."

Eve Vaughn explained awkwardly, "She’s a blind date Old Mr. Lawson set him up with."

Eric understood instantly. ’For families like ours, how could we ever be the masters of our own marriages?’

’If you want to have it all, you’re bound to lose something along the way.’

’Like this fleeting, illusory thing called love.’

’In fact,’ Eric thought, ’this is good for Mason. Once he gets his head on straight, he can earn Old Mr. Lawson’s trust and finally get control of the Lawson Group.’

Hamilton Hale, however, looked at Eve Vaughn with sympathy. "This must be a strategic move on Mason’s part, probably just for show for Old Mr. Lawson. You... don’t take it to heart. If he didn’t care about you, he wouldn’t have taken that whipping for you, right?"

"Yeah."

Eve Vaughn did her best to appear nonchalant. She managed a faint smile and said, "That’s what I was thinking, too!"

Only Mia Kendall saw the hidden pain and heartache in Eve’s eyes. For once, she wasn’t her usual chatty self, silently restraining the impulse to march over and flip Mason Lawson’s table.

...

Meanwhile, Mason Lawson and Regina Shaw sat facing each other.

Regina Shaw held the bouquet of roses as if it were a hot potato.

The whole time, Mason Lawson had been perfectly polite to her, yet there was an undercurrent of coldness and distance in everything he did.

Regina Shaw set the roses aside and asked, seriously and earnestly, "Mr. Lawson... could you tell me what you think of me?"

Mason Lawson said mildly, "You seem like a very nice girl, Miss Shaw."

"And?"

Regina Shaw asked, speechless. "That’s it?"

A wry smile touched Mason Lawson’s lips. "I imagine that with your family background and capabilities, Miss Shaw, you’re not short on people who praise you. Why do you need to hear it from me?"

Regina Shaw got the picture. Mason Lawson clearly wasn’t interested in her.

She breathed a small sigh of relief and finally said what she’d been holding in the entire time.

"Mr. Lawson... you weren’t also forced into this blind date by your elders, were you?"

She looked at him expectantly, hoping for a "yes."

Sure enough, Mason Lawson didn’t disappoint. "Just like you, Miss Shaw," he said.

’This man is so sly,’ Regina couldn’t help but think.

’He could have just said ’yes,’ but he’s so guarded that his answer was practically airtight.’

’But whatever, it doesn’t matter.’

Regina had never liked being around complicated people, let alone the thought of spending her life with one.

She could never win in a game of wits against a man like Mason Lawson, and she had no desire to be played by him.

So, she said in all seriousness, "Since you and I were both forced to be here by our elders, Mr. Lawson, how about this... we each go back and tell them we had a lovely chat and that there’s potential for this to go somewhere?"