Chapter 3: His Attention Was Caught by the Young Lady Editor: Henyee Translations

Eve Vaughn fought back the tears welling in her eyes, viciously shaking off his hand. She sneered, "Brother-in-law, why are you asking so many questions about what I did last night, or who I did it with? Don’t tell me you still have feelings for me, hmm?"

Julian Lawson’s face turned livid, but her words left him speechless.

Eve Vaughn swept a cold gaze across the living room before heading straight upstairs.

Charlotte Vaughn noticed Julian Lawson’s eyes following Eve Vaughn’s retreating figure and quickly interjected, "Julian, don’t be angry. We still have to take our wedding photos this afternoon! Besides, you’ve just recovered from surgery. The doctor said you shouldn’t get too emotional. Why work yourself up over someone irrelevant and ruin your own health?"

The phrase ’someone irrelevant’ struck a chord with Julian Lawson, and his heart filled with a myriad of emotions.

Just six months ago, Eve Vaughn had been the person he cherished most!

In an instant, his heart was thrown into turmoil. He abruptly pulled his hand away from Charlotte Vaughn’s and said coldly, "Sorry, I have something to take care of. I’m leaving now. Let’s do the wedding photos another day!"

Charlotte Vaughn was left standing there, absolutely furious.

Why? It was clearly Eve Vaughn who upset him, so why is Julian Lawson taking it out on her?

But with Mrs. Lawson present, she couldn’t afford to have an outburst, or the ladylike image she maintained in front of her elders would be shattered.

...

Back in her room, the first thing Eve Vaughn did was take out her laptop. She began scrolling through web pages, looking up legal statutes related to inheritance.

Her father, Simon Vaughn, had founded a pharmaceutical R&D company during his lifetime, transforming himself from an unknown researcher into a company owner.

While it couldn’t compare to a powerhouse like the Lawson Family, it was enough to be considered upper-middle class in a first-tier city like Rivaster.

Then, when Eve Vaughn was fourteen, Simon Vaughn died in a scuba diving accident.

That was when her paternal uncle, along with her aunt and cousin, moved into her home under the guise of taking care of her, swaggering in as if they owned the place.

Her uncle’s family went from being destitute to being wealthy with assets in the tens of millions.

Now, her uncle managed the company, and in the mansion her father had left behind, they had made themselves the masters of the house.

When Eve Vaughn was younger, she was powerless to resist. She had to rely on her uncle to keep her father’s company afloat, so she had no choice but to tolerate their behavior at every turn.

But in return, they only grew bolder, even plotting to get rid of her to fully seize the assets her father had left behind.

Now, all Eve Vaughn wanted was to kick this family out and take back everything her father had left for her, down to the last piece!

...

After Julian Lawson left, Mrs. Lawson also departed without staying for the meal at the Vaughn residence.

The house suddenly fell quiet. Charlotte Vaughn, fuming, exclaimed, "It’s all that little bitch Eve Vaughn’s fault! This was supposed to be a perfect engagement banquet, and that bitch ruined everything!"

Lana Chambers said hatefully, "What’s there to be afraid of? That little bitch’s mother is in a vegetative state, and she depends on our money for treatment. Controlling her will be as easy as flipping our hands, won’t it?"

With that, the duo ran upstairs and began pounding furiously on Eve Vaughn’s bedroom door.

"Eve Vaughn, get out of here!"

"You little bitch, do you really not care if your mother lives or dies?!"

Just then, the door was suddenly flung open.

Lana Chambers stumbled and almost fell forward.

Charlotte Vaughn quickly steadied her mother. Seeing Eve Vaughn emerge with a suitcase, she narrowed her eyes and said, "What? You ruin my big day, and now you’re trying to run away? If it weren’t for you, would Julian have left?"

With that, she raised her hand to slap Eve Vaughn. But before her hand could even reach Eve’s face, her wrist was caught in a death grip.

The next second, Charlotte Vaughn was met with two hard slaps across the face.

Eve Vaughn’s eyes were ice-cold as she enunciated each word, "Charlotte Vaughn, what you owe me can’t be repaid with just these two slaps. We are not done!"

"You bitch, how dare you hit my daughter!"

Lana Chambers charged forward, claws out, wanting to avenge her daughter.

But they had forgotten that Eve Vaughn had practiced Taekwondo since she was a child and had earned her black belt in high school.

For the next few minutes, the sounds of Lana Chambers and Charlotte Vaughn’s miserable screams echoed through the mansion.

The servants heard the commotion but didn’t dare come up to help. They didn’t want to get dragged into it for no reason.

In the end, with Lana Chambers and Charlotte Vaughn lying on the floor, unable to get up, Eve Vaughn finally pulled her suitcase and left the house.

Lana Chambers mustered all her strength to shout after her, "If you have the guts to leave today, then don’t you ever come back!"

Eve Vaughn stopped in her tracks and said, word by word, "Don’t forget, Auntie, this mansion belongs to my father. I’ll come back whenever I please! And soon, I will take back everything that belongs to me."

Lana Chambers’s eyes widened. She was only now realizing that Eve Vaughn seemed like a different person. She was no longer the puppet they could easily manipulate!

...

After leaving her home, Eve Vaughn let out a deep sigh. The defiant confidence she had put on in front of her aunt and cousin vanished completely.

In truth, she had nowhere to go.

Because of Julian Lawson, she had undergone a liver donation surgery and taken a six-month leave from university. She wouldn’t be able to move back into her dorm until she re-enrolled.

With no other choice, she called her best friend and told her everything that had happened that day.

After hearing the story, Mia Kendall immediately drove out to pick her up and brought her to her home.

The Kendall household was in an uproar at that moment.

Mia Kendall’s mother was chasing after the little prince of the Kendall family, trying to feed him. He was Mia’s younger half-brother, the most doted-on child in the entire family.

"Mom, Evie ran into some trouble. She needs to stay with us for a few days."

Mia Kendall’s words were met with nothing more than her mother’s lukewarm reply, "Got it."

Seemingly used to her mother’s neglect and indifference, Mia Kendall said no more and led Eve Vaughn upstairs to her room.

Eve Vaughn said, "Your mom... she doesn’t seem very happy about this."

"Her?" Mia Kendall pursed her lips. "When has she ever been happy with me? To her, I’m just a burden. Don’t mind her. You can stay with me. We won’t be any trouble for them. It’s just a matter of an extra plate."

If Eve Vaughn had even a little money on her, she would have found a hotel instead of troubling Mia Kendall.

She knew that Mia Kendall’s situation in the Kendall family was also difficult.

But Lana Chambers and her family had long kept a tight grip on her finances, leaving her without a single penny to her name.

So, Eve Vaughn had to swallow her pride and prepare to stay at the Kendall house for one night.

But while Mia Kendall was in the shower, Mrs. Kendall said to her, "I know you and our Mia are close. However, the matter between you and Julian Lawson has been spreading through our social circles lately. Our Kendall family has always been on good terms with the Lawson family. I don’t want to offend the Lawsons by letting you stay here. Do you understand what I mean?"

A wave of desolation washed over Eve Vaughn, but she still nodded. "I understand. I’ll leave right now. I won’t cause you any trouble."

And just like that, in the dead of night, Eve Vaughn dragged her suitcase and left the Kendall residence.

At that moment, Mia Kendall’s older step-brother, Eric Kendall, happened to be coming home.

Gazing at Eve Vaughn’s retreating figure, he pulled out his phone, opened a four-person group chat named "Bros Before Hos," and posted about it as a piece of gossip.

He even made sure to tag Mason Lawson specifically.

After all, this Eve Vaughn had almost become Mason Lawson’s niece-in-law.

Eric Kendall loved to stir the pot.

Meanwhile, Mason Lawson was on his way home. He had had a few too many drinks at a social engagement that evening and was now resting his eyes in the car as his driver drove steadily.

The sound of notifications from the group chat was so incessant that he couldn’t help but furrow his brow.

After opening the group messages, the photo Eric Kendall had taken caught his eye.

The young woman’s slender, frail figure, pulling a large suitcase, looked particularly desolate and lonely in the dark of the night.