"A full-time housewife?"

Eve Vaughn gave her a strange look and shook her head.

Regina Shaw couldn’t help but give her a word of caution. "You’d better ask him about that. He was very firm at the time, insisting that his partner had to stay home. The way he put it, he’s already rich enough that his wife won’t need to earn money, but she will need to stay home and take care of him. That kind of thinking is terrifying, isn’t it?"

Eve Vaughn really hadn’t discussed this with Mason Lawson. After all, she was still just a student. If she decided to pursue a master’s or a Ph.D., it would be years before she even started working.

So, she had never thought that far ahead.

Hearing what Regina Shaw said just now, she actually felt a flicker of fear. ’Could Mason really be that chauvinistic? That’s so archaic, isn’t it?’

"P-Probably not."

Eve Vaughn said, without much conviction, "He’s always respected my opinions."

Hearing her defend Mason Lawson with every word, Regina Shaw was speechless. ’This lovestruck girl is a lost cause.’

"I’m just giving you a heads-up. I have no intention of driving a wedge between you two."

After she finished speaking, she checked the time, hurriedly got dressed, and headed for the lab.

Eve Vaughn noticed that Regina Shaw seemed to be getting more and more personable.

That morning, Eve Vaughn’s classes were concentrated in the last two periods. Seeing it was almost time, she grabbed breakfast at the cafeteria before heading to class.

...

With Mason Lawson away on a business trip, Eve Vaughn threw herself completely into her studies.

After a full day of classes, she went to the library. Final exams were just around the corner, after all.

By the time she returned to the dorm, it was already ten o’clock.

However, just as she reached the hallway on their floor, she heard furious shouts coming from their room.

A crowd had gathered at their door to watch.

Startled, Eve Vaughn quickly squeezed her way through the crowd.

The scene inside the dorm left her utterly dumbfounded.

Mrs. Steele had Regina Shaw by the hair, and Regina was angrily telling her to let go.

But Mrs. Steele only pulled tighter, spewing vulgarities. "You little slut! You’ve been giving me attitude since the moment I arrived yesterday? A wretched girl like you? Back where I’m from, you’d have been married off to some idiot, deaf man, or cripple long ago!"

"You crazy woman! Let me go!"

Tears welled in Regina Shaw’s eyes from the pain; it felt like her scalp was about to be torn off.

She wouldn’t have gotten this furious and started a fight if she hadn’t come back tonight to find the crazy woman not only still in their room, but also washing her feet in her personal washbasin.

But Mrs. Steele showed no sign of apology. She even added fuel to the fire, boasting that she had just used Regina Shaw’s mug to drink water, too.

Regina Shaw, on the verge of losing her mind, told the woman to get the hell out.

That one sentence was all it took. Mrs. Steele lunged, grabbed her by the hair, and unleashed a torrent of filth.

After all, she was no match for a stout, middle-aged woman hardened by years of farm work.

In a situation like this, she was at a complete disadvantage.

Eve Vaughn quickly called Nina Steele, telling her to come back immediately—her mother was hitting Regina Shaw.

Then, she ran forward to break up the fight. "Ma’am, let her go!"

Eve Vaughn pulled desperately at Mrs. Steele. "This is a school! If you don’t stop, I’m calling security!"

Mrs. Steele, as defiant as ever, sneered, "You think I’m a three-year-old? Go on, call them! It’d be perfect if they expelled that damn girl of mine! No wonder she’s so disobedient now. It’s because she’s been hanging out with you two little sluts, learning your wicked ways."

Eve Vaughn couldn’t take it anymore. Her expression hardened. "I’ll say this one last time. Let go of Senior Shaw. Otherwise, you won’t like what happens next."

Mrs. Steele scoffed. "What? You gonna kill me?"

The next second, Eve Vaughn attacked, a high kick connecting with Mrs. Steele’s jaw and snapping her head to the side.

"AH!"

Mrs. Steele’s shriek was followed by a furious tirade. "You shameless little slut! How dare you hit an elder!"

When Eve Vaughn saw Regina’s miserable state, and the clump of her hair clutched in Mrs. Steele’s hand, she saw red.

She landed a few more kicks. "I’m telling you, I’ve been tolerating you for a long time. If it weren’t for Nina’s sake, I would’ve thrown you out ages ago!"

With that, she marched over, tossed Mrs. Steele’s luggage out the door, and roared, "Get out! If you don’t leave right now, I really will call the police!"

Regina Shaw was stunned, but also thoroughly impressed.

’Normally, she considered herself pretty tough.’

’But against someone like Mrs. Steele, she had been utterly helpless and bullied so badly.’

’Who could have imagined it? That the gentle, quiet Eve Vaughn had so much fight in her?’ 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

In just a few moves, she’d beaten the screaming madwoman so badly she couldn’t even get up.

Regina had originally assumed Eve was just a girl who relied on Mason Lawson, and she wasn’t keen on being friends with someone with that "pampered little wife" persona.

But this? This side of her was much more to Regina’s liking.

Regina Shaw’s scalp was still throbbing. She had felt a huge chunk of her hair get ripped out.

Seeing Mrs. Steele down and unable to get up, Regina Shaw suddenly grabbed a pair of scissors, marched over, and started hacking away at the woman’s hair, leaving it a jagged mess.

But apparently, one of the onlookers outside had called the police.

When the police arrived, Mrs. Steele was lying on the floor, moaning and groaning that she was at death’s door.

And so, late that night, Eve Vaughn and Regina Shaw were taken to the police station.

Of course, Mrs. Steele and Nina Steele were there too.

Nina knew her mother’s ways. Her mother had definitely started it.

So she told the officer, "I’m so sorry to trouble you. This isn’t my roommates’ fault. Can’t we just settle this privately?"

To her shock, Mrs. Steele slapped Nina across the face. "You wretched girl! Are you that desperate to be their lapdog? These two little bitches hit your mother, and you’re taking their side?"

An officer quickly intervened. "Ma’am, please calm down. This is a police station. You can’t use violence here; it’s all on camera."

Mrs. Steele burst into a flood of tears. "Officer, you have to get justice for me!" she wailed, snot and tears everywhere. "Look at my face! That girl hit me! I can’t even lift my arm! And my back... it hurts whenever I move..."

Eve Vaughn couldn’t help but retort, "She started it! Plenty of students from the neighboring dorms saw everything. They can be witnesses! And look at my roommate’s hair! She ripped out a whole handful!"

The officer said, "Right now, it’s your word against hers. But the lady does appear to be injured. We’ll need a formal injury assessment before we can discuss compensation."

Just then, Regina Shaw, who had been silent all this time, spoke up. "This doesn’t have to be so complicated. I can compensate her."

"Senior Shaw?"

Eve Vaughn stared at her, confused. ’It was a mutual fight. Technically, there shouldn’t be any compensation.’

’Besides, we haven’t even gotten an injury report. I was careful not to hit any vital spots. There’s no way I could have seriously injured Mrs. Steele.’

But Regina said, "Evie, be quiet."

Eve Vaughn froze. That was the first time Regina had ever called her that.

’It sounds so... friendly!’

Regina Shaw looked at Mrs. Steele. "How much do you want? Name your price. Do it now, before I change my mind about pressing charges against *you*."

At the mention of money, Mrs. Steele’s eyes lit up. She thought they were scared.

So, she decided to push her luck. "I’m going to get that assessment! Once the report is out, you’ll pay me what you owe me!"

Regina Shaw sneered. "Let me give you a piece of advice. If you get that assessment, we might not have to pay you a single cent. You know damn well how injured you really are."

Mrs. Steele’s confidence wavered. She knew that, while she’d been hit, she wasn’t seriously hurt.

’Besides, who knows how long it would take to get the money after some stupid assessment?’

’My son is still locked up in a detention center for fighting!’

Desperate to get the money quickly, Mrs. Steele made an outrageous demand. "Give me one million, and I’ll drop this whole thing!"