Mason’s provocative words made Eve Vaughn blush. She quickly pushed him away and swam to the other side of the pool, putting some distance between them.

’The way Mason Lawson is now, he already has so many tricks up his sleeve,’ she thought. ’I really can’t imagine if I could handle it if there were even more.’

Mason Lawson had had his fill that afternoon, so he wasn’t planning on overindulging now.

Besides, they had all the time in the world.

He smiled and asked, "After an afternoon of ’exercise,’ are you hungry?"

Eve Vaughn said, exasperated, "If you’re going to ask if I’m hungry, just ask. Can you drop the prefix?"

"Alright, alright. My bad."

Mason Lawson placated her good-naturedly. "From now on, we won’t talk about it. We’ll just do it, not say it, hmm?"

Just then, something occurred to Eve Vaughn. She asked belatedly, "What about Mia? Mia doesn’t know you’re here with me, does she?"

’If Mia Kendall found out that Mason Lawson and I spent the afternoon in a hot spring together, who knows what kind of wild ideas she’d get?’

Mason Lawson climbed out of the hot spring, tied on his robe, and said matter-of-factly, "Of course she knows! It’s all thanks to Eric Kendall stopping her. Otherwise, how do you think I got in here to find you?"

Eve Vaughn wished she could find a hole to crawl into and hide!

She scrambled out of the hot spring as well, saying in a panic, "It’s over, it’s over! She’s going to laugh me to death!"

"What’s the big deal?" Mason Lawson said dismissively. "Maybe one day, if she finds a man who’s got both the looks and the skills, she’ll be even wilder than you!"

Eve Vaughn couldn’t help but grab a towel and throw it at him, her face beet red. "If you keep this up, I’m really not going to talk to you anymore!"

By the time they left the hot spring area, Mia Kendall and Eric Kendall were already in the restaurant.

Walking behind Mason Lawson, Eve Vaughn was too embarrassed to even look up.

’A playboy like Eric Kendall must know exactly what we were doing in the hot spring all afternoon, right?’

’And Mia Kendall, who reads romance novels all day, can probably imagine it too.’

Eve Vaughn suddenly felt as though her most private moments were completely exposed for others to see.

Thankfully, Eric Kendall and Mia Kendall both had perfectly normal expressions, showing not the slightest hint of amusement.

This alleviated Eve Vaughn’s embarrassment somewhat.

Mason Lawson took her hand and led her to a seat, asking, "Where’s Hamilton Hale?"

As he had the waiter pour some red wine, Eric Kendall complained, "He went back to the hospital. Said he had an emergency surgery! That guy is always like this, his whereabouts are totally unpredictable. He just up and leaves whenever!"

Eve Vaughn couldn’t help but defend Hamilton Hale. "Doctor Hale is serving the people. How come it sounds so different when it comes out of your mouth, Young Mr. Kendall?"

Eric Kendall didn’t let her get away with it. He narrowed his eyes and said with a sly grin, "Well, well, well. The way you’re talking, anyone who didn’t know better would think you have a crush on Hamilton Hale!"

The moment the words left his mouth, Mason Lawson’s slightly dangerous gaze swept over, scrutinizing Eve Vaughn’s face.

Eve Vaughn was thin-skinned to begin with, and now, being teased like this by Eric Kendall, she almost got genuinely angry.

Just then, Mia Kendall nudged Eric Kendall with her elbow. "Stop talking nonsense! If Evie had feelings for Doctor Hale, would she have spent the whole afternoon in the hot spring with Mr. Lawson?"

After saying that, she couldn’t stop her gaze from landing on Eve Vaughn’s neck. Blushing herself, she didn’t forget to add, "Evie, um... you should probably wear a turtleneck!" Eve Vaughn was startled, immediately understanding what she meant.

That afternoon, Mason Lawson had been urgent and fierce. In the heat of the moment, he had indeed sucked on her neck until it was sore.

She subconsciously touched her neck, feeling like she had completely lost face.

Eve Vaughn’s thoughts drifted inexplicably. ’If Mason Lawson finds a wife in the future, and I have to make a quiet exit...’

’How could I ever face these people who know about my past with him?’

Just the thought of it was agonizing.

But she was powerless to change anything and could only take things one day at a time.

After dinner, Mason Lawson continued to monopolize Eve Vaughn, and the two of them got a room.

Mia Kendall’s dream of having a sleepover with her bestie and gossiping all night was thoroughly crushed. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

"Hey, Evie, you’re choosing a man over your friend!" Mia Kendall said, watching her best friend being held in Mason Lawson’s arms. "It’s great for you, you won’t be lonely tonight, but what about me? I shouldn’t have even come here. I went to all the trouble of bringing you, only to hand you over to someone else!"

Seeing this, Eric Kendall said to her, "Alright, it’s not easy for Mason right now. He’s living at the Lawson family’s old estate all the time and barely gets to see Eve Vaughn. Do him a favor and let them be. I’ll take you to do something fun, I guarantee you won’t be lonely."

Mia Kendall loved to have fun, so her interest was piqued. "What kind of fun?" she asked.

Eric Kendall said, "Didn’t you say you were interested in the stables before? I’ll take you to have a look, and I can even help you pick out a horse."

Mia Kendall thought it was a good idea, but she looked troubled and said awkwardly, "But... I don’t know how to ride."

She was just the ’deadweight’ who had followed her mother into a wealthy family; she hadn’t learned any of the skills that the daughters of high society had.

But Eric Kendall said, "It’s fine, I’ll teach you. As long as I’m here, I definitely won’t let you fall."

His words inexplicably put Mia Kendall at ease.

She stopped pestering Eve Vaughn and instead waved a cheerful goodbye to them before following Eric Kendall toward the stables.

Even after they were far away, Mason Lawson’s gaze remained on their retreating backs.

Eve Vaughn asked, puzzled, "What are you looking at?"

Mason Lawson said thoughtfully, "Have you noticed that something’s different between Eric Kendall and Mia Kendall?"

Eve Vaughn chuckled. "You’re only just now noticing? I noticed a long time ago! Young Mr. Kendall is acting more and more like a good big brother."

"I don’t think so..."

Mason Lawson took her hand and started walking back, saying with a sly smile, "Don’t forget, the two of them aren’t even blood-related."

Eve Vaughn’s eyes widened in shock at his words, as if she had just heard something outrageous. "What are you saying?" she said quickly. "Even though they aren’t blood-related, Mia and he have always treated each other like brother and sister. Your thinking is so dirty, to even go there."

Mason Lawson didn’t argue with her. Sometimes, when this girl got stubborn, she was dead serious about it.

He didn’t want to make her unhappy over someone else’s business.

Still, he felt that Eve Vaughn didn’t see the complexity of human nature.

’At the very least,’ he thought, ’considering how much Eric Kendall used to dislike Mia Kendall, for his attitude to suddenly change, there must be a hidden reason. Or, it’s romantic feelings.’

’There’s no other explanation. All this talk about a brother-sister relationship is just a load of bull!’

...

「At the stables.」

Eric Kendall first had an assistant bring a riding outfit and handed it to her. "Go change into this."

Mia Kendall went to the changing room. It was her first time riding a horse, and her first time wearing a riding outfit.

When she came out of the changing room, Eric Kendall had already selected the most docile horse and was waiting for her in the middle of the riding ring.

It was already dark, and the two of them were the only ones in the entire riding arena.

From a distance, he saw Mia Kendall walking toward him against the arena lights, wearing the red riding outfit he had chosen for her, her hair tied up in a high bun.

Her looks weren’t the gentle, demure type. Instead, she was lively, with a hint of heroic spirit in her eyes.

The bright red riding outfit made her look cool and sharp, while the white jodhpurs and black leather boots made her legs look long and slender.

It was probably because of the form-fitting clothes that Eric Kendall first noticed how incredibly thin Mia Kendall’s waist was, making one want to reach out and give it a pinch.

Eric Kendall, who had always been very particular about women’s figures, now found Mia Kendall’s body and appearance to be flawless.

Eric Kendall’s gaze gradually grew clouded. It was as if he was seeing a completely new Mia Kendall, not the scrawny, sallow-faced little girl that woman had brought into the Kendall family all those years ago.