Eric Kendall mused, "So, how are we supposed to figure out our seniority with Mason now? Eve Vaughn used to be on the same level as Julian Lawson, which pretty much made us her uncles. Now that Mason’s with her, does that mean he’ll have to call us ’uncle’ when he sees us, just like she does?"

Jonah Spencer rolled his eyes at him. "You should take that up with Mason Lawson directly."

Eric Kendall instantly deflated. "Never mind, let’s drop it. Next week is Mason’s birthday. What are we... going to do for him?"

Jonah Spencer thought for a moment, then sighed. "Same as always, I guess. After all, his birthday is the anniversary of his mother’s death, so we can’t make a big fuss. It’ll just be the few of us celebrating quietly, a small get-together."

Eric Kendall winked at him. "But isn’t this year different? There’s an extra person now!"

Jonah Spencer had never been good at planning these kinds of things. Usually, Eric Kendall was the one who organized their get-togethers.

So he asked, "You mean, have Mason bring Eve Vaughn along and formally introduce her to us?"

"Not that!"

Eric Kendall’s mind was buzzing with ideas. A mischievous glint appeared in his charming eyes. "What I mean is, since we have Eve Vaughn this year, maybe we can change up how we celebrate his birthday. For instance, with the gifts. Instead of the same old boring stuff, why not come up with something new?"

Jonah Spencer’s curiosity was piqued. "Explain. Don’t leave me hanging!"

Eric Kendall stroked his chin with his index finger. "You just said it yourself—Mason treats Eve Vaughn so well. So for his birthday this year, she has to make some kind of gesture, right? Maybe... presenting her to Mason as a gift would be more meaningful than anything we could give him!"

Jonah Spencer warned, "Just make sure your clever plan doesn’t backfire."

"Don’t worry. I’ll make sure this is a birthday Mason will never forget!"

Eric Kendall promised, full of confidence.

...

After Eve Vaughn returned to the university, Jonah Spencer’s words kept replaying in her mind: ’If you want to thank someone, thank Mason Lawson.’

’But how should I thank him?’

’I have nothing. What could I possibly give him to repay his kindness?’

Eve Vaughn couldn’t think of an answer no matter how hard she tried. Suddenly, she thought of someone—the "uncle" who was sponsoring her.

’That uncle always seemed like a wise, experienced older man. Maybe he would have some good advice.’

So, Eve Vaughn took out her phone, found her sponsor’s number, and composed a text message.

"Hello, Uncle. I wanted to ask for your advice on something. I’ve realized that besides you, there’s someone else who has also been quietly helping me. But unlike you, I know him and see him often, though I don’t know him very well. How should I go about repaying him? It seems like he doesn’t lack anything."

After sending the message, Eve Vaughn began to focus on her lecture, waiting for her "uncle’s" reply.

「In the CEO’s office.」

Mason Lawson had almost forgotten about the spare phone in his drawer until he heard the sound of a text message.

The man raised an eyebrow, surprised. He knew that only Eve Vaughn had this number.

’So why did the girl suddenly decide to text him?’

After taking out the phone, he was greeted by that damned word: ’Uncle.’

Mason Lawson frowned as he began to read the text, but by the end, his brow had inexplicably smoothed out.

He muttered to himself, "She’s a grateful one, at least."

Staring at the message for a long moment, he typed out four words: ’Offer yourself in return?’

A moment later, he deleted those words and changed his message to: ’Is this person important to you?’

After a long while, Eve Vaughn’s reply came: ’He’s a senior.’

Such an evasive answer was inevitably disappointing.

Mason then sent a perfunctory reply: ’Then just cook him a meal.’

And just like that, Eve Vaughn skipped her last class and went home early.

Mrs. Linton was in the kitchen, preparing ingredients for dinner.

"Miss Vaughn, you’re out of school early today?"

Mrs. Linton greeted her with a warm smile.

Eve Vaughn walked into the kitchen and said very seriously, "Mrs. Linton, could you teach me how to cook?"

"Cook?"

Mrs. Linton asked in surprise, "You want to cook?"

Eve Vaughn nodded. "Yes, I want to personally cook a meal for Little Uncle. But... my cooking skills aren’t very good. I can only make simple things like instant noodles."

Mrs. Linton smiled. "Miss Vaughn, you’re still young. Leave the cooking to me. Besides, if Mr. Lawson found out you were cooking, he might think I was neglecting my duties to you."

"Please, Mrs. Linton, just teach me."

Eve Vaughn pressed her palms together in a pleading gesture. "The truth is, Little Uncle has helped me a lot, and I really want to thank him properly."

After Eve Vaughn’s persistent pleading, Mrs. Linton had no choice but to agree.

Normally, Mason Lawson’s dinners were quite lavish.

But since Eve Vaughn was a beginner and slow with many of the steps, two or three hours passed, and she had only managed to make three dishes and a soup—all of them simple, home-style fare.

Looking at the dishes before her, Eve Vaughn said, feeling a bit discouraged, "Mrs. Linton, this is nothing compared to your cooking."

"Miss Vaughn, for your first time, this is already very good," Mrs. Linton encouraged her patiently. "You’re a university student, so your studies are more important. You can learn to cook slowly over time. I’ve been cooking for twenty or thirty years, and I even had to get a master chef certification to meet the housekeeping agency’s standards."

’It’s not so easy being Mason Lawson’s housekeeper, is it?’ Eve Vaughn realized.

Just then, the sound of the front door opening came from the entryway. Mason Lawson was home.

Eve Vaughn quickly ran to the foyer, eagerly taking his briefcase and getting his slippers out of the shoe cabinet for him.

"Little Uncle, you’re back!"

With a faint smile on her face, she awkwardly made small talk. "Was work tough today?"

Mason Lawson frowned instinctively as he changed into his slippers. "When is work ever not tough?"

Eve Vaughn froze. ’I was just trying to be polite.’

’Did he have to make such a big deal out of it?’

As he walked inside, he heard Mrs. Linton say, "Mr. Lawson, tonight’s dinner was personally prepared for you by Miss Vaughn."