Seeing her like this, Julian Lawson’s heart ached with an even deeper sorrow.

He never imagined that now, the mere mention of Mason Lawson would leave Eve Vaughn looking so utterly shattered.

But he and Eve Vaughn had known each other since middle school, through high school, and then college.

They were childhood sweethearts. After all those years, there was even a part of Eve Vaughn inside of him.

Why?

How could he lose to Mason Lawson, a man who had only known Eve Vaughn for a few months?

At this thought, Julian Lawson clenched his fists and said to Eve Vaughn, "Since you’re leaving tomorrow, let’s go out for a meal. Even just a cup of tea would be fine. Think of it as a final farewell. If you agree, I’ll give you the evidence. I won’t expose Mason Lawson, and I won’t tattle to Grandpa. How about it?"

Eve Vaughn looked at him in disbelief, her eyes full of suspicion. "It’s that simple?"

Julian Lawson let out a bitter laugh. "Even if I wanted more, you wouldn’t give it. Isn’t that right?"

Eve Vaughn gave him a noncommittal glance.

And so, the two of them went to a teahouse.

After all, given her relationship with Julian Lawson, she felt there was no need to waste time on a full meal.

She just wanted to spend ten minutes over tea and get this over with.

Once she had the evidence, she would contact Mason Lawson immediately and warn him to be wary of Julian Lawson from now on.

Seeing Eve Vaughn lost in thought, a fleeting smile touched the corner of Julian Lawson’s mouth.

Then, he personally poured her tea.

But Eve Vaughn was in no mood for tea.

She said, enunciating every word, "If you don’t give me the evidence right now, I’m done wasting my time on you. Besides, I’ve already broken up with Mason Lawson. At the end of the day, this is all your Lawson family’s business!"

Not wanting to be manipulated by Julian Lawson, Eve Vaughn decided to call his bluff, putting on an air of not wanting to get involved.

But Julian Lawson still had her in the palm of his hand. "If you didn’t care, you wouldn’t have come with me today," he said. "Evie, I don’t want to blow this up, but I’m begging you, please don’t be so cold to me. You’re leaving tomorrow. Can’t we just have a cup of tea as old friends?"

With that, he picked up his teacup and said to her, "Let this be my farewell to you today. Evie, I’ll wait for you to come back."

He spoke with absolute sincerity and downed the tea in his hand.

To get the evidence and help Mason Lawson one last time, Eve Vaughn finally put up with Julian Lawson’s dawdling and drank the tea before her.

Then, she had to listen to Julian Lawson ramble on and on about their past.

As he spoke, he became a sobbing mess, going on about how much he regretted everything, how wrong he had been.

Eve Vaughn’s heart, however, remained unstirred. She simply watched him weep and wail in silence.

’This is the last time,’ she thought. ’Once I leave Rivaster, I’ll never have to see him again.’

’In fact, I won’t have to see anyone related to the Lawson family.’

With reddened eyes, Julian Lawson said, "Right now, I wish I could just give this liver back to you. As long as you can forgive me, I’ll do anything."

Eve Vaughn sighed. "Are you finished? If so, give me the evidence. Julian Lawson, if you just give me the evidence and stop making trouble for Mason Lawson, I’ll forgive you. I won’t hate you anymore, okay?"

Julian Lawson’s expression suddenly darkened. He let out a sinister laugh. "You really can’t go three sentences without mentioning Mason Lawson. But I’m afraid, Evie, the more you love him, the more careless your worry makes you. To be honest, I don’t have any evidence."

Eve Vaughn froze, an angry expression instantly appearing on her face. "Julian Lawson, what the hell do you mean?"

Now, she couldn’t be sure whether Julian Lawson actually had anything on Mason Lawson or not.

She heard Julian Lawson say hatefully, "A man as cunning as Mason Lawson would never let me get ahold of any leverage, even if he did do those things."

’Eve Vaughn had to agree. If Mason Lawson could be brought down by Julian Lawson, all his years of experience would have been for nothing.’

So, Julian had just used this excuse to lure her out here and spout a bunch of useless nonsense!

"You’re sick!"

With those two words, Eve Vaughn got up to leave, not wanting to waste another second.

But the moment she stood up, a wave of dizziness washed over her, and she couldn’t keep her balance.

Seeing her stumble, Julian Lawson rushed to support her. He wasn’t the least bit flustered as he said, "Evie, come on, I’ll take you somewhere to rest. You must be exhausted, just a little dizzy."

It dawned on Eve Vaughn that Julian Lawson was even more despicable than she could have ever imagined.

She gritted her teeth. "You put something in my tea?"

She tried to struggle, to kick him, but she couldn’t summon any strength at all.

Her head was heavy and spinning. Her feet felt like they were floating, and a heat was spreading through her entire body.

Just then, Julian Lawson tightened his grip, pinning her waist as he supported her.

Eve Vaughn had no idea where he’d gotten the drug. She wanted to scream for help, but no sound would come out.

She had no strength in her entire body, and even her vocal cords felt paralyzed.

A triumphant smirk played on Julian Lawson’s lips as he pulled her into his arms and strode quickly toward the exit.

"Evie, please don’t blame me. I had no other choice."

They got into a car. Eve Vaughn’s body was burning up, and a strange, unsettling sensation began to build within her.

But with a driver present, Julian Lawson still had some sense of decorum and didn’t dare get too handsy.

Lost in his own delusion, he whispered, "If you had just forgiven me back then, I would never have had to do this to you. Evie, I love you. I can’t stand to see you suffer with that old man, Mason Lawson. You were always meant to be mine! Tonight, I’m going to make this a done deal. I’m going to declare to the whole world that you belong to me!"

Eve Vaughn summoned all her strength to say hatefully, "You psycho! If you dare touch me, I will kill you! I’ll take you down with me."

But unfortunately, though her words were vicious, the drug made them come out soft and breathy, robbing them of any power.

Julian Lawson seemed unable to wait, urging the driver, "Go faster!"

Eve Vaughn was filled with despair. Where was Julian Lawson taking her?

At a time like this, who could she possibly ask for help?

She tried to scream for help to the cab driver, telling him to call the police, but he had obviously been paid off by Julian and pretended to be deaf and dumb.

「...」

Soon, the car pulled up in front of a five-star hotel.

Julian Lawson handed the driver a thick wad of cash and warned him to keep his mouth shut.

Then, he scooped up Eve Vaughn and hurried impatiently into the hotel.

Eve Vaughn was truly scared now. In the past, she had hated Julian Lawson, and she had resented him.

But in her mind, he was just an irresponsible mama’s boy.

She never imagined he was capable of something so vile and shameless. The drug clearly wasn’t just something that sapped her strength; it must have contained an aphrodisiac as well.

In any case, Eve Vaughn felt absolutely miserable, but all she could do was bite down hard on her lower lip, forcing herself to suppress the physical reaction.

Julian Lawson carried her into the elevator, his own breathing a little ragged. He said to her, "It’s awful, isn’t it? Don’t worry. It’ll be all better in a little while."

"Bastard! Asshole!"

But no matter how furious she was, her curses were faint and powerless.

The moment they stepped out of the elevator, Julian Lawson headed straight for the suite he had booked.

A man was walking toward them in the hallway, but Julian, in his haste, paid him no mind.

Eric Kendall turned his head in disbelief and muttered to himself, "Holy shit, isn’t that Eve Vaughn?"

He couldn’t believe his eyes.

’So, Mason Lawson and Eve Vaughn broke up, and she got back together with Julian Lawson this fast?’

’Does she ever learn her lesson?’

’Does she want to get screwed over by Julian Lawson again?’

Countless questions flashed through Eric Kendall’s mind. Ultimately, he decided to pass the news on to Mason Lawson.