All her protests were silenced by his fervent lips. His tongue slid into her mouth, greedily stealing her breath as he explored every last corner.

Eve Vaughn had been resisting fiercely, but as the man’s kisses trailed down from her neck, her body betrayed her with its honest response.

Gazing at the young woman trembling like a leaf in the wind, a wicked smirk played on Mason Lawson’s lips as his hand slid to her most sensitive spot.

A helpless moan escaped her lips.

Perhaps out of sheer humiliation, she quickly bit her lower lip.

But Mason Lawson, refusing to let her go, kept her suspended on the edge of pleasure. "Tell me!" he demanded. "Do you want me?"

"No! I don’t want you! Go away!"

She was sobbing miserably, feeling utterly helpless.

’She truly didn’t understand. Why did everyone have to pick on her?’

’Even Mason Lawson was bullying her now!’

The man, clearly unsatisfied with her answer, gripped her waist. "You’re trembling this much, and you still say no?"

Eve Vaughn squeezed her eyes shut, refusing to look at him or listen to his humiliating words.

’She just prayed he would finish quickly and let her go.’

Perhaps it was her coldness and lack of cooperation, but Mason Lawson seemed to lose interest.

He took her once, then stopped.

The young woman beneath him resembled a broken doll, a heartbreakingly pitiful sight.

Mason felt a pang of pity. After cleaning her up, he helped her get dressed.

He’d intended to take her back to school.

But Eve Vaughn insisted on going back by herself, telling him they should never see each other again.

’Mason felt as if he was obsessed with her. Why should he be so hung up on some young woman?’

’Was he that desperate for a woman?’

His male pride taking over, Mason Lawson said coldly, "Suit yourself!"

True to her word, Eve Vaughn didn’t hesitate for a second. She fled the place in a hurry.

...

When she got back to her dorm room, Eve Vaughn ached all over—not just physically, but emotionally as well.

She silently climbed into bed and burrowed under the covers, wanting only to be left alone to lick her wounds.

Regina Shaw even had to bring her dinner back from the cafeteria.

"Are you okay?" 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Regina Shaw asked, confused. "Didn’t you say you were having lunch with some of the other exchange students? How can one meal leave you looking so drained?"

Eve Vaughn didn’t want anyone to think she couldn’t survive without Mason Lawson.

’After all, a strong, independent woman like Regina Shaw would surely look down on her if she knew she was this devastated over Mason Lawson.’

So, Eve Vaughn mumbled, "I guess I’m just not used to the food at that hotel. My stomach feels upset."

Regina Shaw didn’t think much of it and teased, "You can’t even handle Chinese food? What are you going to do when you go abroad in a few weeks? You’ll have an even harder time! Your delicate constitution won’t cut it. You need to exercise more!"

Eve Vaughn felt she didn’t even have the energy to speak.

She got out of bed to take a few bites, then, like a kitten, curled back up under the covers.

...

From that day on, Mason Lawson never contacted her again.

Several days passed. As the date of her departure drew nearer, Eve Vaughn’s heart filled with a mixture of panic, sorrow, and reluctance to leave.

’But no matter how much it hurt, she had to be the one to be cruel.’

’She didn’t like The Third Madam, but the woman had a point. Mason Lawson had given up so much for her and treated her so well. She couldn’t be this selfish.’

’For Mason Lawson, there were more important things in life than just love.’

’If his life was only about love, Mason Lawson would never be truly happy in the future.’

Eve Vaughn let out a deep sigh, pulled out her phone, and called Mia Kendall.

Before she left, she had to say goodbye to her best friend.

Eve could just imagine Mia’s reaction to the news that she would be studying abroad for three years.

A woman’s unfamiliar voice answered the phone. "Hello, this is Mia’s assistant. She’s in the middle of a shoot right now."

Eve realized that Mia Kendall had an assistant now.

She couldn’t help but feel happy for her. It seemed her acting career was finally taking off.

Eve said, "I’m a friend of hers. Is she filming in Meridia? I’d like to visit the set."

"Of course. Mia is at the Rivaster Film Studios. I’ll let her know."

The assistant then sent the address to Eve.

...

An hour later, Eve arrived at the film studio with flowers and pastries.

A staff member guided her to the soundstage where Mia was filming.

As it happened, Mia’s scene had just finished.

It was a costume drama. Mia was the second female lead, while the main role was played by a popular young starlet.

Mia was thrilled when her assistant told her Eve had arrived. As soon as she finished filming her part, she rushed out to find her.

"Evie."

Mia said, pleasantly surprised, "What are you doing here?"

Eve gazed at her best friend, who was dressed in a purple costume with her hair piled high and adorned with dangling ornaments. "You look so beautiful!" she exclaimed. "Hard work really does pay off. You finally landed such a great role! The second female lead, I heard."

Mia pulled her aside conspiratorially and whispered, "Don’t even mention it. Eric Kendall invested in this show. That’s the only reason I managed to snag the second lead."

"Eric Kendall?"

Eve was still happy for her. "That’s wonderful! So you’re not at odds with Eric Kendall anymore, and he’s treating you like a sister. With him looking out for you, your path to stardom is sure to be a smooth one."

Mia nibbled on the pastries Eve had brought, smiling. "Well, I still need to have the talent to back it up. But I really am working hard. I’ve been studying the script late every night. I keep wanting to hang out with you, but I just never have the time."

Eve’s lips curved into a small smile. "I’m so happy to see you doing so well."

Mia suddenly sensed something was off. "Evie," she asked tentatively, "is something on your mind?"

"No, I just came to tell you... I’m going to be an exchange student abroad. We... might not be able to see each other as often."

As soon as she said it, Mia’s face fell, her disappointment plain to see.

Mia felt even worse when she heard Eve say it would be for three years.

’But studying abroad was supposed to be a good thing,’ she thought. ’As her friend, she couldn’t hold Eve back.’

Then Mia asked, "Does Mason Lawson know you’re studying abroad? What did he say?"

Eve just smiled. "I broke up with him."

"You broke up?"

Mia wore an expression of disbelief. "Did you break up with him, or did he break up with you?"

Eve shook her head. "It doesn’t matter anymore. In any case, we won’t be in each other’s lives from now on."

Just then, a shrill voice cut in, dripping with sarcasm.

"Eve Vaughn?"

Charlotte Vaughn was surprised to see Eve here.

’Then again,’ she thought, ’Mia Kendall and Eve Vaughn are two of a kind. It’s no surprise she’d come looking for her.’

Mia shot her a disgusted look and said to Eve, "I almost forgot to tell you, she’s on this show, too. Playing some bit part!"

Mia deliberately emphasized those last three words, and Charlotte gritted her teeth in anger.

’Eve knew that with the Vaughn family’s fall from grace, Charlotte no longer had their support. And since her husband’s branch of the Lawson family held little power, Charlotte wasn’t doing well for herself.’

’As such, she had no intention of kicking Charlotte while she was down.’

But as it turned out, some people will go out of their way to pick a fight, even when you leave them alone.

Charlotte took off her sunglasses and looked down her nose at Eve. "You’re nothing but Mason Lawson’s mistress. How dare you put on airs in front of me? What do you have to be proud of? Let me tell you something. Joanna Sullivan has been visiting the Lawson estate every other day. *She* is Mason Lawson’s future wife. And what are you? You’re nothing."

Mia was absolutely furious. "Evie already broke up with Mason, so he can be with whoever he wants! But you—who the hell do you think you are? A shameless woman who takes credit for someone else’s liver donation, insisting you were the one who did it. If not for that lie, do you really think a piece of work like you could have ever married Julian Lawson?"

Charlotte shrieked as if Mia had struck a nerve, "Shut your mouth, you bitch! Or I’ll shut it for you!"

But none of them noticed that Julian Lawson, standing not far away, had overheard their entire conversation.

He had a crystal-clear view of Charlotte’s guilty, nervous expression.

In that instant, Julian felt as if a giant hand had seized him by the throat. His eyes widened in utter shock, and the blood in his veins seemed to turn to ice.