Eve Vaughn desperately wanted to hear him say it—that he didn’t like her just because she resembled someone else.

If he would just say it, she would believe him.

Even if he was just saying it to placate her!

But he didn’t.

Mason Lawson didn’t explain further. Instead, he turned his face to the car window and said flatly, "Let’s both cool down for a few days. Your emotions are too high to talk about this right now."

Eve Vaughn realized that ever since the day Mason Lawson had left her to go save Joanna Sullivan, he had changed toward her.

She could feel his wavering, and for the first time, she felt his indifference and cruelty.

Just then, a phone rang in the car. The LCD screen showed Joanna Sullivan’s name.

Mason Lawson frowned slightly, but Eve Vaughn reached over and pressed the answer button for him.

A strange look flashed across the man’s face. Just as he was about to speak, Joanna Sullivan’s voice came through the car’s Bluetooth, clear enough for them both to hear.

"Mason, Neil Kane just came over and had me re-sign the endorsement contract for Lawson Jewelry. Thank you for protecting me so well through all this. If it weren’t for you, I don’t know what I would have done."

Mason Lawson barely registered Joanna Sullivan’s words. Instead, his attention was fixed on the sarcasm in Eve Vaughn’s eyes.

’But he hadn’t done anything to wrong her. What right did she have to question him like this?’

’Had he really been too good to her, spoiling her to the point where she felt she could give him the cold shoulder and throw a tantrum whenever she wanted?’

Therefore, right in front of Eve Vaughn, Mason Lawson said into the phone, "It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it. Just get some rest."

Joanna Sullivan’s voice grew even sweeter, like a young girl in love. She cooed, "Having you here makes me feel so safe. My mom told me everything—how you even stood up for me at the Lawson’s. Mason, I love you! Just like we used to be... no, I love you even more than before."

After saying that last sentence, Joanna Sullivan seemed to hang up quickly out of shyness.

Mason Lawson looked at Eve Vaughn, his gaze dark and his voice tinged with a hint of anger. "Satisfied?"

’Otherwise, he didn’t know what to make of her answering Joanna Sullivan’s call for him.’

’What exactly was she hoping to hear?’

Eve Vaughn’s heart clenched painfully. She pulled off the bracelet he had given her that night and handed it back to him.

Then, without a backward glance, she got out of the car.

...

When Eve Vaughn returned to her dorm room, Regina Shaw’s spot was empty, which made her heart sink with worry.

After all, she knew Regina Shaw’s father seemed quite stern, and he had been furious back at the Lawson estate.

She had no idea how Regina was going to explain things to her parents when she got home.

After thinking it over for a long while, Eve Vaughn called Regina Shaw.

But it wasn’t Regina Shaw who answered. It was her brother.

"Is this Evie? Regina isn’t available to take a call right now. Did you need her for something?"

Eve Vaughn was taken aback, not used to being called by her nickname by someone she didn’t know well.

But right now, she was more worried about Regina Shaw.

"Mr. Shaw, I wanted to ask, how is Senior Shaw doing now?" Eve Vaughn couldn’t help but feel that she had dragged her friend into this mess.

After all, Regina Shaw had only been trying to help cover for them and had no real involvement with Mason Lawson, yet she had gotten dragged in for no reason.

Wesley Shaw sighed. "Not good. My dad is furious. He even hit Regina just now."

Eve Vaughn’s heart clenched. "When can I go see her?"

Wesley Shaw said, "My dad should be heading back to Calypsos tonight; he has things to do tomorrow. If you want to see Regina, I can come pick you up later. After all, you could probably cheer her up."

"Okay, thank you, Mr. Shaw."

And so, Eve Vaughn waited until evening, when Wesley Shaw called to say he was already at the university gate.

Eve Vaughn quickly walked out of the school gates.

When they spoke on the phone earlier, Wesley Shaw had mentioned Regina Shaw was hit, so just in case, Eve Vaughn brought a small first-aid kit with her.

On the way, Wesley Shaw briefly explained the situation to Eve Vaughn.

After returning from the Lawson estate, Mr. Shaw had flown into a rage. When Regina Shaw talked back a few times, he had pulled off his belt to hit her.

Mr. Shaw had a military background, so he could be terrifying when he was angry.

Even though Mrs. Shaw and Wesley Shaw both tried to stop him, Regina still got hit.

Eve Vaughn’s heart was in her throat as she listened.

Just like that, Wesley Shaw led her all the way to a suite in a five-star hotel.

As they reached the door, they could hear crying and arguing from inside.

Wesley Shaw sighed. "That Regina... she’s probably fighting with my mom again."

When he opened the door, Mrs. Shaw and Regina Shaw were sitting in the living room.

Seeing Eve Vaughn, Regina Shaw quickly wiped her tears away. "Brother, why did you bring Evie here?"

In truth, Regina Shaw was proud by nature and didn’t want anyone to see her in such a sorry state.

Eve Vaughn explained, "I was worried about you. When Mr. Shaw told me you’d been hit, I brought a first-aid kit to see if there was anything I could do to help."

Mrs. Shaw looked at Eve Vaughn with a complicated expression.

Eve Vaughn apologized guiltily, "Auntie, I’m sorry. I’ve disappointed you."

Mrs. Shaw was silent for a long time. She walked over, took Eve’s hand, and said, "Don’t say that. Although I was very angry at the Lawson’s this afternoon, now that I think about it, my own daughter was also at fault. At the time, you even tried to take the fall for Regina at the estate. I saw all of that. I know you’re a true friend to Regina, not just a fair-weather friend."

Wesley Shaw smiled from the side. "Mom, it’s good that you see it that way! After all, with a temper like our Regina’s, it’s not easy for her to make a true friend."

The moment he finished speaking, Regina Shaw threw a decorative pillow at him. "Wesley Shaw, shut up!"

Regina Shaw glared at her brother, calling him by his full name.

Mrs. Shaw gave Wesley Shaw a gentle push. "Regina’s already like this, stop teasing her. Let Evie talk with her for a while."

The hotel suite was large, with two bedrooms.

Regina Shaw and Eve Vaughn went into one of them and closed the door.

Eve Vaughn saw the red marks on Regina Shaw’s neck and arms and asked with a pang of sympathy, "Does it hurt a lot?"

"It’s fine."

Regina Shaw said nonchalantly, "Anyway, it’s not the first time. That’s just my dad. If you say a few wrong words, you get the belt. My brother got it even more than I did! We’re used to it."

Without another word, Eve Vaughn started disinfecting the marks and applying ointment, murmuring to herself, "I hope it doesn’t leave a scar."

"It won’t."

Regina Shaw said with certainty, "I’ve been hit worse than this before, and it didn’t leave a scar."

Twenty minutes later, Eve Vaughn had finished treating her wounds and sat down beside her.

She said quietly, "Senior Shaw, you really shouldn’t have stood up today. That way, you wouldn’t have gotten involved."

"If I hadn’t, what would have happened to you?" Regina Shaw said. "I’m not the type to sell out my friends. We live or die together. The people I despise most are the ones who just try to save their own skin."

Eve Vaughn couldn’t help but think that Regina Shaw had the air of a general’s fierce daughter.

Just then, Regina Shaw thought of something and asked, "By the way, what about you? After we left, did the Lawsons give you a hard time?"

Eve Vaughn shook her head and told her what happened at the Lawson estate after she left.

Regina Shaw listened with great excitement. "Serves them right! Let them tear each other apart! None of them are good people anyway. I’m lucky I wasn’t really with Mason Lawson. Otherwise, if I married into a family like that, either they’d drive me to my grave, or I’d drive them to theirs! I can tell that every single one of them, including that Old Mr. Lawson, is a tough nut to crack."

Eve Vaughn let out a chuckle. "You see things pretty clearly."

"Exactly, Evie! If you really plan on being with Mason Lawson, you have to think it through carefully. You’re so innocent—can you really handle people like them?"

Regina Shaw looked at her, her face full of worry.

But Eve Vaughn said, "Mason Lawson and I won’t be together anymore. I never thought... No, I guess I never dared to think about marrying him."

"Then what were you together for?" Regina Shaw asked, unable to understand. "Dating without the intention of getting married is just playing games. Is he the one playing, or are you? I get it—is it because Mason Lawson can’t bear to give up the Lawson family’s wealth and glory, so he doesn’t dare defy his old man’s orders?"

Eve Vaughn said bitterly, "We have too many problems between us, and it’s not just about our family backgrounds. But... it should be over soon anyway."

...

Eve Vaughn stayed with Regina Shaw until late into the evening. The two girls chatted about this and that, sharing their stories, and time passed quickly.

Regina Shaw’s mood was no longer as gloomy as it had been at the start.

"Auntie, I’ll be heading back to the university now."

Eve Vaughn politely said her goodbyes to Mrs. Shaw.

Mrs. Shaw had Wesley Shaw walk her back; after all, it was late, and she was worried.

Eve Vaughn couldn’t very well refuse Mrs. Shaw’s kind offer, and Regina Shaw didn’t forget to remind Wesley Shaw that he had to see Eve safely inside the university gates before he could leave.

...

On the way back, Wesley Shaw and Eve Vaughn walked side by side.

Since the hotel the Shaws were staying at wasn’t far from Rivaster University, they didn’t take any transportation.

The silence between them was a bit awkward, but Wesley Shaw was the first to speak.

"I never would have guessed that you and Mason Lawson were a couple." Wesley Shaw smiled. "You’re quite young. He must be around thirty, right? While a man of thirty is in his prime, I just don’t feel like you two are a good match."

A faint bitterness welled up in Eve Vaughn’s heart. She exhaled a puff of white air and said softly, "Mr. Shaw isn’t the first person to tell me that. In the past, I was just too confident, too trusting, and too stubborn."

Realizing her thoughts, Wesley Shaw quickly explained, "Don’t misunderstand, I don’t mean you’re not good enough for him. I just feel like you and he are not from the same world, not from the same circle. You don’t have to force yourselves to merge. That kind of life is exhausting. You’re suited for a cleaner circle, whereas Mason Lawson’s world is probably very complicated."

Eve Vaughn suddenly stopped and looked up at Wesley Shaw.

’She felt that Wesley Shaw’s words had hit the nail on the head; he saw things with such clarity.’

’It seems both the Shaw siblings are very perceptive people.’

If this had been before, Eve Vaughn might not have understood what Wesley Shaw was saying.

But now, it was as if she had lived through it all herself.

All this time, she had known about the gap between herself and Mason Lawson; she had known about the many chasms that lay between them. Yet she had persisted, simply because she believed that Mason Lawson loved her.

So, whether it was the verbal abuse from the Lawsons or her own knowledge that this relationship had no future, she had gritted her teeth and tried to become a part of Mason Lawson’s life.

But today, Eve Vaughn realized that to him, she wasn’t even the icing on the cake.

She was just a disposable substitute.

The tip of Eve Vaughn’s nose tingled. She quickly looked away and walked a few steps ahead, not wanting Wesley Shaw to see her sadness.

Wesley Shaw felt a little regretful about what he had just said. Some truths are just hard to hear and very hurtful.

Clearly, he had hurt this girl.

"Evie, don’t take what I said just now to heart." Wesley Shaw’s handsome face wore an awkward smile. "I was just talking nonsense. After all, when it comes to things like this, only the person involved can know how it truly feels."

Eve Vaughn was almost amused, because she felt that Regina Shaw’s brother’s ability to think on his feet was simply too quick.

Seeing a smile appear on her lips, Wesley Shaw finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Just then, they happened to pass a boba tea shop.

"Wait for me a second."

As Wesley Shaw spoke, he was already walking toward the shop.

A moment later, he returned with a hot milk tea and handed it to her, saying, "It’s too cold today. If you’re afraid of gaining weight by drinking it at night, you can just use it to warm your hands."

Eve Vaughn took the milk tea and thanked him.

The weather was truly frigid; even their breaths formed plumes of white mist.

Soon, they arrived at the entrance of Rivaster University.

"Mr. Shaw, thank you for walking me back. I’m sorry to have troubled you tonight."

Eve Vaughn politely said her goodbyes.

Wesley Shaw stuck his hands in his coat pockets and nodded at her. "Go on in. I’ll watch you go in; Regina’s orders."

Eve Vaughn waved to him and walked onto campus.

Their interaction was seen with perfect clarity by Mason Lawson, who was sitting in a car not far away.

’So, that fight they had this afternoon meant nothing to her at all.’

’Look how happy she was just now, smiling like that?’

’And that man...’

’Is that Wesley Shaw?’

Mason Lawson had met Wesley Shaw a few times, mostly through work.

After all, Wesley Shaw was preparing to follow in his father’s footsteps and pursue a career in politics, and he was already working in a government department.

So, during some business dealings for Lawson Group, they would occasionally run into Wesley Shaw.

At this moment, Mason Lawson’s gaze was terrifyingly dark.

He took out his phone and sent Eve Vaughn a text.

After all, if he called, that girl probably wouldn’t answer.

So he just sent her a direct text that she would see: "My car is at your university’s entrance. Get in within five minutes. Otherwise, I’ll come to your dorm and get you myself."

Eve Vaughn jumped when she saw the message. She believed there was nothing Mason Lawson wouldn’t do.

So, even though she was almost at her dorm, she turned back and walked out of the school gates.

The chauffeur was standing by the car door and respectfully opened it for her.

The moment Eve Vaughn got into the car, the reek of alcohol hit her.

Clearly, Mason Lawson had been drinking.

She looked at the man’s gloomy face and asked, "Didn’t we just agree this afternoon that we needed to cool down? Why are you here looking for me now?"

Mason Lawson’s somber gaze fell on her face, his well-defined fingers brushing against her cheek, barely there.

The gesture seemed gentle, but the words he spoke were its cold opposite: "If I hadn’t come, how would I have had the chance to see my woman smiling so brilliantly at another man?"