Without a word, Mason Lawson grabbed her wrist. His face dark, he dragged her to the door.

He opened the door and shoved Joanna Sullivan right out.

"Mason!"

Joanna Sullivan cried and knocked on the door from the outside. "Mason, let’s get back together. I really can’t take this anymore. As long as we get back together, I’ll do anything you ask! I’m begging you, please stop torturing me!"

But the tightly shut door did not open.

A moment later, The Third Madam’s voice carried from the other side of the door. "Mason, open up. It’s me!"

His head aching from their shouting, Mason Lawson went and opened the door anyway.

The Third Madam spoke in a reprimanding tone, "Joanna was just concerned about you. She made a special trip to bring you sobriety soup, so how could you treat her like that? Her sincerity has even moved your father. You should know when to stop. Whatever grudges you two had in the past, Joanna has apologized now. Life has to go on."

Mason Lawson scoffed. "Her sincerity moved my father? Then she should just marry my father, shouldn’t she?"

Utterly humiliated and annoyed, Joanna Sullivan turned and stormed away.

The Third Madam stared at him, bewildered, then scolded, "What kind of outrageous nonsense is that? I think you must really be drunk!"

Mason Lawson rubbed his aching temples. "Since you insisted on coming here late at night just to annoy me, let’s get this straight right now. I have a question for you. Did you go see Eve Vaughn? What did you say to her?"

The Third Madam’s expression faltered, and she asked guiltily, "Did that girl come crying to you?"

Mason Lawson repeated angrily, "I’ll ask you one more time. What exactly did you say to her?"

The Third Madam composed herself and said with self-righteous confidence, "I just didn’t believe that girl truly loved you, so I tested her a little. I offered her a chance to study abroad and a check for two million. I never expected her to fail the test so easily. The moment she heard about such a great opportunity, she immediately agreed and took my money."

"Impossible!"

Mason Lawson said, "Eve Vaughn isn’t that kind of girl."

The Third Madam laughed with disdain. "I wish she weren’t. But unfortunately, she’s only with you for your power and status. The second I put the chance to go abroad in front of her, she took my money without a second thought and agreed to leave you. If you don’t believe me, you can go ask her yourself."

A complex look flickered in Mason Lawson’s eyes. He nodded. "Of course I’ll go ask her!"

’Anyway,’ The Third Madam thought, ’since Eve Vaughn is doing this for Mason Lawson’s future, she probably won’t go back on her word.’

’Even if Mason goes and asks, Eve Vaughn won’t take it back.’

So, she said, "Go ahead and ask. You’ll see if things are just as I said."

Mason Lawson said coldly, "I need to rest. You should go."

The Third Madam gave Mason Lawson another worried look and said earnestly, "Sooner or later, you’ll see that the original is always the best. Joanna is sincere with you, and only Joanna was your first choice."

Mason Lawson’s lips curled into a sarcastic smirk. "And what about you? Are you and my father the original couple? From what I can see, you’re doing quite well for yourself now."

The Third Madam’s face turned deathly pale with anger. Rendered speechless, she could only leave his room.

...

「The next day」

Mason Lawson was completely sober.

But he hadn’t forgotten his conversation with The Third Madam from the night before.

No matter what, he refused to believe that Eve Vaughn would betray him for money and a better future.

’If that’s true, then I must be completely worthless in her eyes!’

At the breakfast table that morning, Ethan Lawson was absent, but the rest of the Lawsons were present, now with the addition of Joanna Sullivan.

Since Old Mr. Lawson was still in the hospital, the first and third branches of the family were taking turns looking after him.

And because the old man wasn’t there, Julian Lawson suddenly broke the silence at the usually quiet table.

He glanced at Joanna Sullivan and said deliberately to Mason Lawson, "Congratulations, Uncle. A joyous event must be near! After all these years going around in circles with Miss Sullivan, you’ve finally reached your happy ending."

Mason Lawson shot him a sharp look and said meaningfully, "Sometimes, what a person thinks is a happy ending is nothing more than a trap."

As he said this, both Charlotte Vaughn and Autumn Woods looked guilty and exchanged a glance.

’Why does it feel like Mason Lawson is alluding to the ’liver donation’ incident?’

But Julian Lawson didn’t catch the hidden meaning. He was just thrilled because if he couldn’t have Eve Vaughn, Mason Lawson shouldn’t even think about getting her either!

So, he continued to dance on Mason Lawson’s minefield, saying with a smirk, "Uncle, we can all see how Miss Sullivan feels about you. How could that be a trap?"

Mason Lawson’s face was utterly grim as he simply stared at Julian Lawson.

It was hard to say whether it was his razor-sharp gaze or his overpowering aura.

But in any case, Julian Lawson, who had been running his mouth nonstop just a moment ago, now sullenly shut his mouth, his skin crawling.

...

However, having offended Mason Lawson at breakfast, he received a painful lesson during the company’s regular meeting that same morning.

It turned out there was a massive error in a proposal for an acquisition case from the previous day.

"This quote sheet, who prepared it?"

Mason Lawson tossed the proposal onto the table, his tone menacing.

Julian Lawson jumped, not daring to make a sound.

An accountant from the department stood up and said timidly, "President Lawson, I was responsible for this quote sheet. But yesterday, after I had calculated the price, Young Master Julian told me to revise it according to his requirements. I felt there was a problem with what he was suggesting, so I didn’t agree. Young Master Julian then changed it himself."

After speaking, the accountant took out the original proposal. "This is the one I originally calculated."

After comparing the two, Mason Lawson turned to Julian Lawson. "It’s off by a full two hundred million! Julian Lawson, we made you Vice President of the Mergers and Acquisitions department, and this is how you ’call the shots’?"

A mid-level manager from the M&A department seized the opportunity to add, "Ever since Young Master Julian arrived, he’s certainly caused a lot of trouble for our work. On many matters, he makes unilateral decisions without even asking for our opinions. This isn’t the first time something like this has happened, either. The company’s losses were ultimately covered by docking our department’s performance bonuses."

Julian Lawson could only say, "I admit I wasn’t very familiar with the company’s operations before, so I was a bit rusty in handling things. I’m slowly getting the hang of it now."

Mason Lawson snorted coldly, pointing at the mistake-riddled quote sheet. "This is you ’getting the hang of it’? The Lawson family has your back, but the Lawson family doesn’t need dead weight! Since you clearly can’t command respect as a manager in the M&A department, starting today, you’re transferred to the Marketing department. You’ll start as a grassroots employee. From now on, you’ll rotate through each department for six months. When you’re competent enough for a management position, we’ll re-evaluate you!"

Julian Lawson was dumbfounded on the spot.

’Mason Lawson is actually making me, the Lawson’s Eldest Grandson, into the most junior, ordinary employee at Lawson Group? This is clearly a personal vendetta!’

But Mason Lawson gave him no room to refuse.

"As for your appointment, we’ll put it to a vote by the Lawson Group’s senior management right now. The Lawson Group has never been a dictatorship."

Mason Lawson’s meaning was clear: if Julian Lawson could actually command the respect of others, then his own lone objection would be useless. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

But to Julian Lawson’s shame, when it came to a show of hands, every single person agreed that he should start from the bottom.

They even dressed it up with the noble-sounding excuse of "for the sake of Lawson Group’s hundred-year legacy."

Only then did Julian Lawson realize that not only was Mason Lawson vengeful over the smallest slight, but he would also humiliate him utterly and completely every time.

And so, on the very day the meeting ended, Julian Lawson packed up his things under the mocking and pitying gazes of the crowd, demoted from management to a common intern in the Marketing department.

Mason Lawson listened to Neil Kane’s report and nodded.

He said, "Pass down the order. No special treatment for him. Treat him like any other intern."

"Yes, I understand."

Neil Kane couldn’t help but break out in a cold sweat for Julian Lawson. But who could he blame? The man was blind, insisting on offending Mason Lawson.

Just as he was about to leave, Mason Lawson suddenly called him back.

"Contact the president of Rivaster University and have Eve Vaughn removed from the list of exchange students. As for the reason... just say she was involved in multiple fights during her time at school and is of poor character. But remember, this reason is just an excuse to fob off Eve Vaughn. It’s not to be announced publicly, and you certainly can’t let any other students find out."

After receiving his orders, Neil Kane went to take care of it.

Later, Neil Kane returned and said carefully, "Mr. Lawson, the president of Rivaster University says that Old Mr. Lawson has already reviewed the list and signed off on it. I’m afraid... it can’t be changed."

Mason Lawson wasn’t actually surprised. After all, the exchange student spot was created specifically for Eve Vaughn in the first place.

This was precisely Old Mr. Lawson’s objective.

Given the old man’s temperament, he would never allow anyone to sabotage his plans.

Mason Lawson thought for a moment, then said, "In that case, contact the president and tell him that as the President of Lawson Group, I’d like to find some time to have a meal with the exchange students. Consider it a send-off for these outstanding students."

Hearing Mason Lawson’s endless stream of schemes, Neil Kane couldn’t help but think to himself, ’Once the boss sets his sights on someone, there’s truly no escape.’