Listening to Lana Chambers and Charlotte Vaughn, Julian Lawson said with contempt, "So that’s why she’s become so vicious—it’s because she’s with Jonah Spencer. I’ve always heard he’s a ruthless man who never gives his opponents a chance in court. He specializes in complete annihilation. So Eve Vaughn learned it all from him. A real chip off the old block!"

...

Early the next morning, Julian Lawson went to the Lawson Group. But even he couldn’t see Mason Lawson directly without an appointment.

Julian had no choice but to wait in the lobby. It felt less like a Lawson family business and more like Mason’s own private company.

The secretary knocked on the door of the CEO’s Office. "President Lawson, Young Master Julian is here. He says he has something important to discuss with you."

"Let him wait."

With that, Mason opened his laptop and proceeded with his scheduled video conference.

The meeting ended two hours later.

When the secretary showed Julian in, his expression was visibly sour. He was sure Mason was deliberately making him wait, just to put him in his place.

But the man before him was the same uncle who had trampled all over his own father, so he didn’t dare to be too impudent.

Though he entered with a foul expression, he still managed a respectful, "Uncle."

"Why aren’t you at school? What do you want?" Mason glanced at him before his eyes returned to the files on his laptop screen.

Julian cautiously made his request. "You know Jonah Spencer pretty well, don’t you? Can you ask him to go easy on Eve Vaughn?"

The moment he said it, he wanted to slap himself. Didn’t he come here to plead for Lana Chambers’s family? How did he end up bringing up Eve Vaughn right from the get-go?

At the mention of her name, Mason looked up from his computer. His stern expression hardened, and his dark, deep eyes settled on Julian. "I don’t understand what you just said."

He truly didn’t understand.

Julian explained, "My ex-girlfriend, Eve Vaughn, is being kept by Jonah Spencer. Just yesterday, my fiancée’s parents saw her getting into his car with their own eyes."

It all clicked for Mason. This fool... he was a special kind of stupid. No wonder he had the heart to betray the very woman who’d saved his life by donating half her liver to him.

Mason didn’t correct Julian’s misunderstanding. Instead, he retorted, "You’re about to be married, yet you’re still meddling in your ex-girlfriend’s business. Aren’t you afraid of hurting your fiancée? Don’t forget, she’s the one who saved your life. Why come pleading to me for the woman who heartlessly abandoned you?"

The topic was still a source of great pain for Julian. He said, word by painful word, "Even though Eve Vaughn wronged me, we’ve known each other since middle school. I can’t just stand by and watch her stoop so low! Jonah Spencer is probably about your age, isn’t he, Uncle? And how old is Eve? How can I let her throw herself away on some old man?"

The moment he finished, a glare as sharp as a dagger shot from Mason.

Old man? Heh. Maybe that’s what Eve Vaughn thinks of him, too.

Realizing his mistake, Julian feared he’d angered Mason and quickly backpedaled. "I... I mean, Jonah Spencer is nothing like you, Uncle. He’s just a shameless old lecher!"

Mason let out a cold smile that didn’t reach his eyes. He just stared, his gaze so intense it made the hairs on the back of Julian’s neck stand on end.

To break the deadlock, Julian pressed on. "Right now, Eve has teamed up with Jonah Spencer to kick my fiancée’s parents out of their home. He’s taught her to be completely malicious. I have to step up and protect my fiancée and her parents. So please, Uncle, as a favor to me, talk to Jonah. Tell him to back off before it’s too late. Tell him to stop targeting my fiancée’s family!" 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

"Are you done?" The disdain in Mason’s eyes was unmistakable. "Did your future in-laws happen to tell you whose name is on the deed to that villa? If it belongs to them, how could Eve possibly steal it? I doubt even a lawyer of Jonah’s caliber has the power to turn black into white."

Mason’s words seemed to jolt Julian to his senses. He was instantly ashamed for coming to take on Mason without doing his homework first.

By then, Mason was already dismissing him. "Go back to your classes. And stop letting people use you as their pawn."

Julian was utterly humiliated by Mason’s rebuke, but he had no argument to offer in return. He couldn’t even bring himself to look up.

...

Charlotte Vaughn was waiting for him at the entrance to the Lawson Group.

Ever since Mason had put her in her place at the bar, Charlotte had been terrified of Julian’s uncle. She didn’t even dare set foot inside the Lawson Group building.

So, she could only pin all her hopes on Julian.

Just then, Julian finally emerged, his expression dark.

"Julian, how did it go?" Charlotte hurried over to him. "Did your uncle agree to put in a good word for us with Mr. Spencer?"

All the anger Julian had been forced to swallow in Mason’s office finally erupted. He yanked his arm away and glared at Charlotte. "Let me ask you something. That villa you’re all living in—who does it really belong to? Whose name is on the deed?"

Charlotte flinched, guiltily avoiding his gaze. "It doesn’t matter whose name is on it! My parents raised Eve for so many years. Doesn’t that count for something?"

Julian exploded. "Stop changing the subject! The house was never yours to begin with, was it? If that’s the case, what right do you have to say anything? Do you have any idea how humiliated I was in front of my uncle today because of your family? It’s just a damn villa! Is it really worth trying to steal something that doesn’t belong to you?"

With that, Julian stormed off, not even giving Charlotte a chance to make an excuse.

"Julian!"

Charlotte hurried after him. But Julian got into his car and drove off, leaving her standing there.