Eric Kendall’s caption read: The woman who ran off when Julian Lawson was seriously ill!

Then, Eric Kendall began to lament: Julian Lawson was head over heels for this woman, but what happened in the end? A sucker’s game, that’s what! Play the sucker, and you’ll end up with nothing! The second he got sick, that woman bolted faster than anyone!

The other two people in the group chat replied:

Hamilton: Agreed! Never be a sucker!

Jonah: Agreed!

Only Mason Lawson muted the group chat and tossed his phone aside.

Just then, it suddenly began to rain outside, and large drops pounded against the car window.

Mason Lawson rubbed the bridge of his nose, the young woman from the photo inexplicably coming to mind. He instructed his assistant, Neil Kane, "Take Nereid Road."

Neil Kane paused. Nereid Road wasn’t on the way back; it was a detour. But he didn’t dare question his boss, so he followed Mason Lawson’s instructions and took Nereid Road.

At that moment, Eve Vaughn, filled with exhaustion and despair, was walking through the downpour.

Nereid Road, where the Kendall family lived, was in an affluent neighborhood filled almost exclusively with villas. It was surrounded by greenery, offering no shops for shelter from the elements.

After walking for nearly half an hour, she finally spotted a bus stop. The rain showed no signs of stopping, so she quickly ran under the bus stop sign to take cover.

In the early autumn, the rain felt exceptionally cold, chilling her to the bone. But her heart was colder still.

She sat on the damp bench, hugging herself tightly, trying to find a sliver of warmth.

After some time, a pair of blinding headlights shone in her direction.

Eve Vaughn squinted and finally made out the man stepping out of the expensive Bentley. It was Mason Lawson!

In that moment, a glimmer of light finally appeared in Eve Vaughn’s despairing eyes.

The tall, well-built man held an umbrella as he walked through the heavy rain and stopped before her. "Get in the car."

The man’s indifferent voice seemed to hold a strange warmth at this moment.

Eve Vaughn’s heart trembled violently. Choking back a sob, she said, "Thank you, Uncle."

Neil Kane got out and opened the car door for her. Eve Vaughn quickly got in, and Mason Lawson entered from the other side.

However, having been in the rain for so long, Eve Vaughn was soaked to the skin, and she got the car’s expensive leather seats soaking wet.

Mason Lawson looked at the young woman, who was sitting stiffly, pressed against the car door. He handed her a dry towel and said, "Dry yourself off."

Eve Vaughn quickly took the towel and started wiping the seat she had drenched.

Mason Lawson froze. Is this girl an idiot? He thought. He frowned. "I meant for you to dry yourself!"

Only then did Eve Vaughn realize, her face instantly flushing with embarrassment. She quickly dried her dripping hair. Her clothes, soaked from the prolonged rain, clung tightly to her body.

Because of this, the girl’s delicate, well-proportioned curves were exposed to Mason Lawson’s gaze. His throat bobbed unconsciously, feeling a little dry.

Mason Lawson restrainedly averted his gaze and draped a trench coat over the young woman.

Shivering from the cold, Eve Vaughn suddenly felt a warmth envelop her, mixed with the faint scent of tobacco.

Eve Vaughn thanked him again, but she didn’t dare to look directly into Mason Lawson’s dark eyes.

Inside the car, aside from the sound of rain hitting the glass, only the sound of breathing remained.

It was mainly because Mason Lawson’s presence was too powerful; even Eve Vaughn’s breaths were soft and shallow.

After a moment, the young woman timidly glanced at the man beside her and asked cautiously, "Uncle, why did you suddenly show up on Nereid Road?"

With an impassive expression, Mason Lawson bit out two words, "Passing by."

The moment he said it, Neil Kane, who was driving, paused. Passing by? he thought. Well... I suppose you could barely call it that.

Soon, Neil Kane drove the car into a villa district: The Sovereign Pearl.

This was Rivaster’s most famous affluent neighborhood, where every inch of land was worth its weight in gold. A single residence was nearly impossible to acquire; money alone wasn’t enough to buy your way in.

The car stopped in a private underground garage, and Eve Vaughn followed Mason Lawson into the elevator.

Mason Lawson’s home wasn’t decorated in a complex, extravagant style. It was minimalist, primarily black and white, yet the furniture and decor revealed the owner’s discerning taste in every detail.

Eve Vaughn had heard Julian Lawson complain before that this uncle of his was a clean freak. So she hesitated in the entryway, afraid she would dirty his home and earn his disgust.

If she gets kicked out again tonight, she’ll really have to spend the night on the streets.

"What are you standing there like an idiot for?" Mason Lawson sat on the sofa and looked at her. "There are clean slippers in the shoe cabinet. Come here!"

Eve Vaughn didn’t dare to dawdle. She quickly opened the shoe cabinet, took out a pair of disposable slippers, put them on, and then walked into the living room.

Just then, the villa’s housekeeper, Mrs. Linton, walked over. "Mr. Lawson, this young lady is...?"

It was the first time she had ever seen Mason Lawson bring a girl home. But isn’t the girl a bit too young?

Mason Lawson instructed Mrs. Linton, "Take Miss Vaughn to a guest room and let her take a hot bath."

"Yes, sir."

Having received her orders, Mrs. Linton said, "Miss Vaughn, please follow me."

Eve Vaughn was both grateful and touched. She never would have expected that Mason wasn’t as bad or as scary as Julian Lawson had always claimed.

In fact, when she was all alone with no one to turn to, it was Mason Lawson who had helped her.

The guest room in the villa was also exquisitely decorated.

As Mrs. Linton drew a bath for Eve Vaughn, she said, "Miss Vaughn, Mr. Lawson doesn’t like having many people around, so I’m the only servant in this villa. If you need anything, you can come directly to me."

Eve Vaughn smiled at her and said, "Thank you, Mrs. Linton."

"You’re too kind, Miss Vaughn."

After drawing the bath, Mrs. Linton suddenly looked troubled. "Oh dear, I just remembered. We’ve never had a young lady stay here before, so we don’t have any women’s pajamas. How about this? I’ll take your wet clothes to be washed and dried. After your bath, you can just wrap yourself in a towel for now."

And with that, Mrs. Linton left with her clothes.

As Eve Vaughn lay in the warm bathtub, she felt a little strange.

Mrs. Linton just said that a man of Mason Lawson’s status has never brought a woman home. So, does he not have a woman, or is he such a clean freak that he doesn’t let any woman into his house?

At this thought, Eve Vaughn quickly shook her head, trying to stop her mind from wandering.

What does this have to do with her?

The warm water dispelled the chill from her body, but Eve Vaughn still felt dizzy, and her bones ached terribly.

She lathered up with shower gel, planning to rinse off under the shower and then go to sleep. However, just as she finished bathing and was about to grab a towel, the bathroom lights suddenly went out, plunging her into darkness.

She jumped in fright. Having had night blindness since she was a child, she felt completely blind at that moment.

Eve Vaughn fumbled her way to the bathroom door in the dark and cracked it open, only to find that it was dark outside as well.

Was it a power outage? 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Just then, she heard Mrs. Linton’s voice from outside. "Mr. Lawson, should I go check on Miss Vaughn? Girls are always afraid of the dark."

Immediately after, the man’s deep, cold voice replied, "I’ll go."

Hearing that Mason Lawson was coming in, Eve Vaughn slammed the bathroom door shut in a panic, her heart racing. She reached out, groping around her for a long time, but she couldn’t even find a towel.