Jason Vaughn and Lana Chambers looked utterly mortified. If it weren’t for the villa, worth over twenty million, why would they ever be acting so deferentially in front of Eve Vaughn?

Jason Vaughn cleared his throat and said awkwardly, "Well... that’s part of the reason. Your uncle is worried you’ll get cheated. Keystone Law is the most expensive firm in Rivaster, and their lawyers are completely unscrupulous. For a naive young woman like you, they’ll definitely rip you off! No matter how you look at it, this villa belongs to the Vaughn family. Why on earth would you let outsiders profit from it?"

"Let me correct you. This villa is mine. It belongs to me, Eve Vaughn!" Eve Vaughn refused to back down an inch, her voice firm and resolute. "Besides, who I let profit from this is my own business! At the very least, even outsiders have more decency than you!"

With that, Eve Vaughn strode away, dragging her suitcase behind her under the furious glares of her uncle and aunt.

Jason Vaughn and Lana Chambers shouted after her.

"Eve Vaughn, stop right there!"

But she didn’t respond.

The couple was fuming.

After a long moment, Lana Chambers kicked Jason Vaughn and snapped, "Well, go after her! Are you just going to wait for that little bitch to throw us out?"

Only then did Jason Vaughn hurry off to chase after Eve, with Lana Chambers right on his heels. However, just as they reached the school gates, they could only watch as Eve got into a luxury car.

Lana Chambers gasped in shock. "Oh my god, is that a Ferrari? Where did Eve meet a friend that rich?"

Jason Vaughn thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. "I saw that car at an auto show before. It’s a limited edition—worth way more than our villa! Looks like the owner... is no ordinary person."

Lana Chambers couldn’t believe it, repeating, "Impossible! That’s absolutely impossible! How could that little bitch know someone like that? Even Julian doesn’t have a car that impressive!"

Jason Vaughn said in frustration, "Stop guessing! We got the license plate number. I’ll have someone run it, and then we’ll know who the owner is."

Lana Chambers felt a knot of disgust in her stomach. "Even if that girl did find a rich man, she’s probably just his sugar baby!" she spat. "Our Charlotte is getting a proper, respectable marriage into the Lawson family! Besides, in all of Rivaster, what family would dare compare themselves to the Lawsons?"

...

The man in the driver’s seat was on the phone, his left hand resting casually on the steering wheel. The crisp cuff of his black shirt was slightly rolled up on his right arm, revealing a tan wrist adorned with a luxury watch.

Eve Vaughn sat quietly beside him, listening as he spoke of business terms she didn’t understand, his tone one of effortless command.

Ten minutes later, Mason Lawson ended his call. His gaze finally fell on the young woman beside him.

Eve sat stiffly in the passenger seat. She glanced around the car curiously and asked, "Did you get a new car?"

She remembered that the car Mason Lawson had driven the last few times wasn’t this one. Besides, a Ferrari didn’t really seem to suit Mason Lawson’s style. She thought a Bentley was more his speed.

Then again, she mused, with all the luxury cars in Mason Lawson’s garage, he could probably drive a different one every day and still have more to spare.

Mason Lawson smiled, a hint of resignation in his voice. "It’s a friend’s. He took a liking to my car today and drove off with it, so I had to drive his back instead."

Eve realized that Mason Lawson was actually quite handsome when he smiled. The mirth in his eyes was as clear and radiant as shimmering moonlight.

It was just a shame he didn’t seem to smile often. He usually carried the stern, imposing aura of a man in power, making him unapproachable.

Her mind wandered for a moment. Realizing she was practically ogling a man’s good looks, Eve felt a pang of self-loathing. A faint blush crept up her cheeks.

Just then, Mason Lawson slowly leaned closer, his cool breath ghosting over her delicate earlobe.

Eve tensed up. What should I do if he gets any closer? She wondered.

It was only when his right hand reached past her for the seatbelt that she realized she had forgotten to buckle up when she got in.

She hurriedly said, "I can get it!"

But in her haste, her hand landed directly on top of Mason’s, making it look as if she were deliberately holding onto him.

The tips of Eve’s ears burned with embarrassment. "Mr. Lawson," she whispered, "please, I can do it."

But Mason didn’t pull his hand away. His Adam’s apple bobbed slightly as he said in a low, husky voice, "Just sit still."

Eve slowly released her hand and sat rigidly in her seat.

He was now in a position that essentially enveloped her, his breath just inches away. If he turned his head just a little, the tip of his nose would brush against her cheek.

Eve didn’t dare move a muscle, holding her breath. With a soft click, the seatbelt was fastened, and she finally let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Mason glanced at the girl’s crimson face, a flicker of understanding in his eyes. He narrowed his deep eyes, a faint, almost imperceptible smile touching his lips as he pulled the car onto the road.

Back at the villa, Mrs. Linton had already prepared a sumptuous dinner. "Miss Vaughn, you and Mr. Lawson go ahead and eat. I’ll take your luggage to your room."

Mrs. Linton efficiently took Eve’s suitcase and headed upstairs.

Eve started to follow her, but Mason caught her hand. A jolt of heat shot through her palm, and she instinctively pulled her hand away, looking at him in a daze.

Mason gestured toward the dining room with his chin. "Go wash up and eat. You can admire your room later tonight."

Eve was a little baffled. What’s there to admire? She had stayed here twice already; it wasn’t like she didn’t know what the room looked like, was it?

Mason Lawson’s villa was the definition of understated luxury, but she wasn’t that unsophisticated, was she? Was she supposed to admire it anew every single day?

It wasn’t until after dinner, when Eve returned to her room, that she discovered Mason had put her in the guest room closest to the master bedroom.

Not only that, but the room now featured a round, dreamlike princess bed in a cherry blossom pink.

There were also all sorts of limited-edition dolls, lace curtains, and a pristine white cashmere rug. The whole effect was exquisitely beautiful; it had clearly been decorated with great care.

Mrs. Linton stood by, smiling as she explained, "Miss Vaughn, are you satisfied with it? If not, I can have some workers come tomorrow to make adjustments. Mr. Lawson only gave the order this morning before he left, so I had to arrange everything in a bit of a hurry."

Eve was taken aback. She never expected Mason Lawson to go out of his way to arrange all this.

Her own room had been taken over by Charlotte Vaughn ever since her father passed away and her aunt and uncle moved in. She’d been forced to live in a spare room that didn’t even have its own bathroom.

That feeling of being treated with casual disregard, of being bullied, had followed her from middle school all the way to university.

Eve Vaughn never would have imagined that now, in Mason Lawson’s home, she would finally experience what it felt like to be respected and taken seriously.