Eric Kendall didn’t react until she was standing right in front of him. Puzzled, Mia Kendall waved a hand in front of his eyes and asked, "Are you okay?"

Eric Kendall snapped back to reality. He swallowed involuntarily and said, "I’m fine. Get on the horse."

Staring at the horse that towered over her, Mia Kendall asked timidly, "What if it suddenly starts running? Will it throw me off?"

"You get on first. I’ll protect you."

He said it so naturally, but as Mia Kendall heard the words, she felt something was off. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it, though.

And just like that, Eric Kendall helped her up onto the horse.

The moment she settled onto the horse’s back, Mia Kendall felt herself wobble. She was so nervous she almost threw herself forward to hug the horse’s neck.

She had assumed Eric Kendall planned to lead the horse on a slow walk around the ring.

But to her surprise, the next moment, he swung himself onto the horse’s back, settling in behind her and reaching around to take the reins.

That left Mia Kendall completely encircled by his arms.

The woody scent of his cologne wafted to her nose.

In that instant, Mia Kendall felt her heart begin to beat erratically, and her cheeks seemed to burn.

Even though it was already November, she didn’t feel cold at all.

Thankfully, Eric Kendall made no move to cross any lines; he was simply teaching her how to ride.

Under Eric Kendall’s guidance and instruction, Mia Kendall’s initial nervousness finally began to subside.

He taught her how to keep her balance, how to control the reins, and how to urge the horse forward.

Mia Kendall listened and learned, slowly mastering some basic techniques.

It was just that the warmth of his breath on her neck and ear as he spoke tickled, constantly breaking her concentration.

Tonight, Eric Kendall seemed gentler than ever before.

Mia Kendall finally understood why he was so popular with women, even back when she’d despised him, finding him sharp-tongued and cruel.

She had always thought it was just because he was rich and handsome.

But now, she suddenly realized his gentle side was almost impossible to resist.

A sudden gust of cold wind snapped Mia Kendall back to her senses.

She couldn’t help but curse herself. ’Am I going crazy?’

’Eric Kendall is my brother in name! What am I thinking?’

Later, as night fell, the air grew colder and frost began to form.

So Eric Kendall took her back. The room he got for her was right next to his.

The rooms here were, of course, divided into different classes.

And tonight, the one Eric Kendall got for her was a top-floor VIP room, much better than the one she stayed in last time.

At least, Mia Kendall thought, she wouldn’t have to worry about mice anymore.

She remembered the last time she was here, she and Eric Kendall had been at each other’s throats, practically wishing they could strangle one another.

In just one short month, they were able to get along peacefully, speak calmly, and even...

She could feel Eric Kendall’s gentleness.

This sent Mia Kendall’s thoughts into a tailspin.

Just then, a message from Eve Vaughn came through. "How was horseback riding tonight? You’d better learn well so you can teach me next time!"

Seeing the message, Mia Kendall’s mind inexplicably flashed back to the scene at the stables that evening.

Her face flushed. Dodging the question, she replied, "Have your Mr. Lawson teach you!"

Eve Vaughn, on the other end, assumed Mia Kendall was just teasing her. She turned off her phone and set it aside, worried another message would just lead to more teasing.

Just then, Mason Lawson emerged from the bathroom, and Eve Vaughn asked, "Mr. Lawson, do you know how to ride a horse?"

"You don’t?"

Mason Lawson asked back while drying his hair.

Eve Vaughn was speechless. "What, is horseback riding part of the standard school curriculum now?"

Her response left Mason Lawson not knowing whether to laugh or cry. "If you want to learn," he said, "I can teach you sometime."

"Really?"

Eve Vaughn was a little eager to try.

What she didn’t know, however, was that Mason Lawson was thinking about all the other things one could do on horseback. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Teaching her to ride would definitely involve physical contact.

Weren’t feelings between a man and a woman sparked through physical contact?

Too bad the girl wasn’t a fan of thrilling activities.

The two-day weekend passed by quickly.

Though it wasn’t long, the weekend had been a pleasant one for Eve Vaughn overall.

Despite the emotional roller coaster, the weekend she’d expected to spend without Mason Lawson was one she’d spent entirely with him.

What’s more, he had promised her that next week he would tell his grandfather he was coming to Crimson Spring Resort with Regina Shaw. And then, he would teach her how to ride.

On Sunday night, Mason Lawson took Eve Vaughn back to her dorm room.

On the way, he told Eve Vaughn he would find some time to meet with Regina Shaw and clarify their relationship.

He advised Eve Vaughn not to approach Regina Shaw on her own, lest a poorly chosen word lead to another argument.

Eve Vaughn obediently agreed. She said, "I don’t hate Regina Shaw that much anymore. I’m even... a little grateful to her."

If it were another woman, for example, Joanna Sullivan, wouldn’t she just throw herself at Mason Lawson?

When Eve Vaughn returned to the dorm, Regina Shaw was out. Aria said she had gone to the lab.

Yesterday, right after "striking a deal" with Mason Lawson, Regina Shaw had left Crimson Spring Resort.

She was one of those rare women from a wealthy family who prioritized her career. She’d rather spend her precious weekend doing research in a lab than waste time on a vacation with a man who offered no future.

As the two were talking, Regina Shaw happened to come back.

Aria immediately spoke up. "Senior Shaw, it’s your turn to clean today. You skipped your last turn, and Nina Steele had to cover for you."

The truth was, Aria was a bit of a clean freak.

She wished she could clean the room every morning and evening.

But no one else was willing to go along with that.

Therefore, they had changed it to cleaning once a day, with the four of them taking turns.

Eve Vaughn and Nina Steele were both fairly easygoing, but unfortunately, Regina Shaw wasn’t having any of it.

She glanced at Aria dismissively and said, "Does this dorm floor really need to be swept and mopped every day? Is there that much dust?"

Aria glanced at the floor. It was indeed quite clean.

But she couldn’t overcome her compulsive need for cleanliness. "But it’s our dorm rule, and everyone has to follow it! Since we’re living together, we should at least be considerate of one another."

Regina Shaw rolled her eyes. "Right, then you should be considerate of me. I’ve been doing experiments all day and I’m exhausted. I don’t want to move at all. Besides, where did this dorm rule come from? Who made it?"

Eve Vaughn had always sided with Aria in the past, but now, she knew in her heart that she owed Regina Shaw a huge favor.

So she stepped forward and said, "I’ll do it. I’ll clean today."

With that, she moved to get the broom.

To her surprise, Aria grabbed her arm. "Senior Shaw, you’re going too far! So what if you’re a doctoral student and more educated than us? Since we live together, the minority should yield to the majority. You can’t just expect someone else to do your chores for you every time it’s your turn, can you?"

Regina Shaw scoffed and looked at Eve Vaughn. "Be honest," she demanded, "does this floor really need to be cleaned every single day? It gets swept and mopped so often you can practically see your reflection in it!"

’Eve Vaughn has always been on my side,’ Aria thought.

Confident, she turned to Eve Vaughn. "Evie, you tell her! Don’t be afraid of her!"

Eve Vaughn felt like she was being roasted over a fire, with two pairs of intense eyes fixed on her.

No matter what she said, it felt like it would be the wrong thing...