Mason Shaw’s expression turned a bit unnatural, but he quickly masked it, smiling gently at Wren Wynter as he followed her to a private room with its door ajar.

"Brother."

"Mr. Wynter."

"Mr. Shaw, please have a seat!"

Finn Wynter had been playing on his phone at the head of the table. Seeing Wren and her guest arrive, he stood up to greet them.

"Dr. Shaw, I hope inviting you to dinner so suddenly hasn’t disturbed you?" Finn asked politely.

Mason Shaw smiled gently. "Not at all."

’He should have known. Wren Wynter would never ask him to dinner alone.’

’He had gotten his hopes up too soon.’

"That’s good. Actually, we should have treated you to this meal much sooner, but Wren has been busy, and I haven’t been able to find the time either. Since we’re all free today, I figured there’s no time like the present," Finn Wynter said.

"I’m always free for Dr. Wynter." Mason Shaw smiled, turning to look at Wren, unabashedly showing his interest in her.

The suggestive words made Wren frown.

Finn also frowned slightly, betraying little emotion.

After all the dishes were served, Finn Wynter kept putting food on Wren’s plate, saying she was too thin and needed to eat more.

Wren looked at her bowl, which was quickly piling up into a small mountain. She felt both exasperated and blissful.

’After all, only someone who loves you would care about whether you’re too skinny.’

In truth, she wasn’t that thin. She had curves in all the right places; they just weren’t obvious.

"Dr. Shaw, you’re so talented. Have you never considered going abroad?" Finn Wynter asked politely.

Mason Shaw replied smoothly, "To be honest, I just returned to the country this year. I was pursuing advanced studies abroad before this."

Finn Wynter paused. A shadow passed over his face as if he’d thought of something.

He put down his chopsticks, the smile gone from his face. "The Shaw Family... There seems to be a Shaw Family in the Capital as well. I wonder, Dr. Shaw, if you have any connection to them?"

Mason Shaw’s expression didn’t change as he said slowly, "Mr. Wynter, you seem to know quite a bit about the Capital. That’s right, I am a son of the Shaw Family, the second oldest. But that doesn’t change anything. I just want to be a doctor."

"Is that so?" Finn Wynter’s expression remained unchanged. He raised his hand and gestured.

A man in a suit behind him walked over to Mason Shaw, about to refill his glass.

Mason Shaw covered the glass with his hand, indicating he wouldn’t drink. "Mr. Wynter, if you have something to say, please be direct."

Finn Wynter turned to the side, picked up a napkin, and wiped his mouth. "Then I’ll get straight to the point. I’m very grateful to you, Dr. Shaw, for saving my aunt. But Wren is my sister, and I don’t want to see her get hurt in any way. Do you understand?"

On the surface, Mason Shaw’s face was calm, but inside, his heart was in turmoil.

’Just what kind of person was Finn Wynter? How could he have investigated him?’

’Although his identity as a member of the Shaw Family wasn’t exactly a secret, it wasn’t easy to find out. Even Kaden Xavier had to go to some trouble to investigate it.’

’He had clearly ordered his subordinates to tighten security last time, but Finn Wynter still managed to find out.’

"Mr. Wynter, how do you know I would hurt Dr. Wynter? My feelings for her have always been genuine," Mason Shaw said earnestly.

"COUGH! COUGH! COUGH!" Wren instantly sprayed out the food she had just eaten, turning to stare at Mason Shaw in utter astonishment.

’What feelings?’

’They barely knew each other. Weren’t they just colleagues?’

Seeing his sister’s reaction, Finn Wynter couldn’t help but press his lips together.

Mason Shaw thoughtfully handed Wren a napkin.

Wren took it awkwardly. "Thanks."

"Mr. Wynter, I do like Dr. Wynter, and I want to pursue her. I’ve never tried to hide this fact," Mason Shaw said unhurriedly, his words sincere.

CLANG—

Another sound came from Wren’s side. This time, it was her chopsticks.

Forgetting her composure, she blurted out, "Dr. Shaw, you must be mistaken! We hardly know each other."

As far as she was concerned, they had only worked together on a few surgeries. They were just colleagues, not even friends.

But for Mason Shaw to just come out and say he wanted to pursue her had scared her quite a bit.

"We can get to know each other slowly. You’ll be at the hospital for a long time, so if we see each other more, we’re bound to become familiar."

’Wren didn’t want that at all.’

Her first impression of Mason Shaw hadn’t been good; she always felt he had ulterior motives for approaching her.

If he hadn’t been such a great help with her aunt’s illness this time, she felt they would have never crossed paths.

"Dr. Shaw, did I do something to give you the wrong impression? I’m very sorry, but I’m not thinking about that kind of thing right now..." Wren stammered, rejecting him awkwardly.

She had just gotten out of a failed marriage and wasn’t ready to start a new relationship yet.

But Mason Shaw was unperturbed. He smiled gently at her, his harmless-looking face full of sincerity.

"It’s alright. I can wait."

Wren pressed a hand to her forehead, feeling powerless.

’She couldn’t help but think of how she had relentlessly pestered Kaden Xavier. Was she this annoying too?’

The three of them were unaware that outside the private room, a tall figure stood at the door, hands clenched into fists, his expression terrible.

Kaden Xavier had come to discuss a project. He never expected to see Wren Wynter as he passed by.

He also never expected that the "married woman" Mason Shaw’s friend had mentioned before was actually Wren.

’Are they together?’

Kaden Xavier’s dark gaze swept over the two of them. In the end, it was only his remaining shred of sanity that stopped him from pushing the door open and walking in.

Wren felt uncomfortable throughout the rest of the meal. She just wanted to thank Mason Shaw for saving her aunt; she never thought about offering herself in return.

"Dr. Wynter, let me take you home."

"That won’t be necessary, Dr. Shaw. I’ll take Wren home."

Finn Wynter was now on high alert against Mason Shaw.

He didn’t have a good impression of Mason Shaw.

’What kind of good person would hide his own identity?’

"Alright, then I’ll head back first." Mason Shaw didn’t insist.

He knew that with Finn Wynter around, nothing would happen to Wren, and he wouldn’t get a chance with her.

After he left, Finn Wynter asked for Wren’s thoughts. "Wren, what do you think?"

Wren let out a breath and slumped onto the chair. "What do I think? Brother, you don’t actually think I like him, do you?"

"Not at all. Your taste isn’t that bad."

Compared to Kaden Xavier, Mason Shaw was a far cry.

Whether in terms of family background or methods, he couldn’t compare.

"Then why did you ask?"

Finn Wynter ruffled her hair. "Your big brother is just worried you’ll get swept away by someone again."

"Brother, I’ve already been through a failed marriage. I’m not interested in any of this right now. I just want to focus on building my career."

"You have your whole life ahead of you. If you meet someone you like, you can always try again." Finn Wynter didn’t want Wren to give up on love because of one failure.

Wren smiled. "We’ll see!"

’The person she loved in her youth was too dazzling.’

’She was afraid she’d never meet someone like that again.’

’And even if she did, she wouldn’t dare to love with all her heart again.’

—

「The Shaw Residence.」

Mason Shaw had just gotten back to the Shaw residence by car when he saw a figure in the darkness from a distance.

He frowned and started walking toward the villa.

"Stop."

The familiar voice immediately told Mason Shaw who it was.

He stopped, a mischievous smile playing on his lips as he watched the figure walk toward him.

"Mr. Xavier, coming to my family home in the middle of the night... Are you here to discuss a partnership with my second uncle, or are you here to talk about that piece of land?"

But Kaden Xavier didn’t answer, which made him a little curious.

"Kaden Xavier, what is it you want to talk to us about?"

The moment he finished speaking, a fist came flying at him, knocking him straight to the ground.

"Talk, my ass!"