"Mr. Lawson, we traced the poster’s IP and found a company specializing in secret filming. Charlotte Vaughn hired them to follow Young Master Julian and take the video. And they’ve been following him for a while now. It looks like yesterday was just the first chance they got."

Mason Lawson narrowed his eyes, his tone dark. "So it was her?"

’It seems the lesson I taught the Vaughn Family wasn’t enough to make her behave!’

Neil Kane took out the video Mason Lawson had told him to retrieve. "Take a look, sir. This is the surveillance footage from the hospital’s back garden last night. In the end, Miss Vaughn did slap Mr. Julian, and she was struggling at the beginning, too."

Seeing the full video and holding the recording of the conversation between Eve Vaughn and Julian Lawson, Mason Lawson knew that Eve Vaughn would be lucky enough to get out of this unscathed this time.

Neil Kane asked, "Mr. Lawson, should we go back and tell Old Mr. Lawson about this? That would stop him from going on about Miss Vaughn’s morals. Young Master Julian threw all the blame on Miss Vaughn last night. The Old Master is practically ready to kill her now."

Mason Lawson gave a wry smile. "Tell Old Mr. Lawson? And then what? What do you think he would do?"

Neil Kane was taken aback, not quite understanding Mason Lawson’s meaning.

’With such a golden opportunity, and with irrefutable evidence, wasn’t it enough to take down Julian Lawson and Charlotte Vaughn?’

"Neil Kane, you’ve been with me for so many years, yet you still act so rashly."

Mason Lawson shook his head and explained, "In less than a week, Julian Lawson and Charlotte Vaughn are getting married. Everyone in Rivaster knows this. Even if we put the evidence in front of Old Mr. Lawson, what could he do?"

With that bit of guidance, it dawned on Neil Kane. "You mean, Old Mr. Lawson doesn’t actually care who’s right or wrong in this matter, and he certainly doesn’t care if Miss Vaughn is innocent. What he cares about most is the Lawson Family’s reputation and honor. Even with our evidence, since Young Master Julian and Charlotte Vaughn are about to get married, the old man won’t punish them severely, and he definitely won’t break off the engagement."

Mason Lawson nodded. "Even if Old Mr. Lawson knew Julian Lawson started it, he would never publicly prove Eve Vaughn’s innocence. After all, if Eve Vaughn is innocent, then Julian Lawson becomes the one who was pestering her. Also, the fact that we have this evidence must not be revealed, especially not to Old Mr. Lawson."

After all, if Old Mr. Lawson found out, and they later released the evidence to clear Eve Vaughn’s name, it would be a slap in the face to Julian Lawson.

To some extent, Julian Lawson’s face *is* the Lawson Family’s face.

At that point, Old Mr. Lawson would just pin all the blame on Mason Lawson, thinking he was a traitor who had brought shame upon the Lawson Family!

But releasing the evidence was the only way to clear Eve Vaughn’s name and stop her from being a public target.

Neil Kane finally understood, and he couldn’t help but admire Mason Lawson’s strategy and foresight.

He said, "Mr. Lawson, I’ll find a hacker right now to release the full video from a foreign IP. We’ll clear Miss Vaughn’s name."

Mason Lawson stopped him again. "No rush. Releasing it now would work, but I don’t want to let them off that easily. People who cross me should pay a price."

Neil Kane was a little confused. "Then what you’re saying is..."

Mason Lawson’s lips curved into what looked like a smile, but his tone was the complete opposite—ice-cold. "Isn’t Julian Lawson’s wedding in a few days? He should pay for his own sins."

Neil Kane couldn’t help but laugh, thrilled at the thought.

’What would the guests, Old Mr. Lawson, and the main branch of the family react like then?’

...

One would have thought the matter would die down for a while, at least until the wedding day.

After all, Mason Lawson had already forced the platforms to take down the posts that were damaging to Eve Vaughn.

But unexpectedly, Charlotte Vaughn just had to dig her own grave, inviting a crowd of reporters and putting on a self-directed pity-party in front of the cameras.

Right now, in the public eye, Charlotte Vaughn was playing the perfect victim—her fiancé stolen by her cousin, betrayed and heartbroken.

As more and more reporters went to the Vaughn family home to interview her, Charlotte Vaughn cried, "Please, everyone, stop asking me questions. I’m in a terrible state right now. I honestly feel like ending my life. I never dreamed that the cousin I’ve doted on since we were children would conspire with my fiancé right before my wedding."

Lana Chambers also played the victim alongside her daughter, saying, "Reporters, I’m begging you, please give my daughter a break. She’s already suffering so much. You should go ask the two people actually involved in this!"

And just like that, even though it was Charlotte Vaughn who had called the reporters and fanned the flames in the first place, 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

she later went into hiding, tossing the hot potato entirely to Eve Vaughn and Julian Lawson.

Now, Eve Vaughn was at The Sovereign Pearl, and Mason Lawson wouldn’t let her leave.

The reporters staked out Rivaster University every day, but they never managed to catch her.

With no other choice, they went to the Lawson Group and started ambushing Julian Lawson.

Facing the reporters’ frantic questions, Julian Lawson lost his nerve.

When the scandal first broke, Old Mr. Lawson had been furious. However, because Julian was about to get married, the old man spared him the whip, afraid Julian would be too weak to attend the wedding and fuel even more rumors.

In the end, though, he was still punished by having to kneel in the ancestral hall all night.

Now, Julian Lawson was terrified of angering the old man again and losing the power his branch of the family had fought so hard to snatch back from Mason Lawson.

Therefore, Julian Lawson recited the lines his parents and the PR team had taught him. Facing the camera, he said, "I am truly sorry that this situation has escalated to this point, and I want to say I’m sorry to my fiancée. However, what you see isn’t necessarily the truth, and that video isn’t the complete footage."

He paused here, looking a bit hesitant.

But to save his own skin, he continued, "That day, Miss Vaughn came to me and begged me not to get married, threatening to kill herself on my wedding day if I did. She was extremely emotional. I had no choice but to hold her from behind to try and calm her down!"

When he finished, the reporters gasped, realizing this bombshell was even bigger than the last.

They continued asking questions, and Julian Lawson, without batting an eye, said, "What many of you don’t know is that Miss Vaughn and I used to be a couple. I broke up with her after discovering her despicable character. Afterward, Miss Vaughn’s cousin, my fiancée, stayed by my side, and we fell in love. I will only ever love my fiancée in this life, and I will have nothing more to do with Miss Vaughn. I’d also like to take this opportunity to say to Miss Vaughn: please stop pestering me. Cherish your life, and don’t make your family worry!"

With these words, Julian Lawson successfully cleared his name of being a heartless cheater and perfectly shifted all the blame to Eve Vaughn.

And he pinned it on her completely.

After his "clarification," one can only imagine what the media made Eve Vaughn out to be.

Meanwhile, Julian Lawson’s image was transformed from negative to that of a responsible, decent man.

After all, a man who worried about his shameless, pestering ex-girlfriend killing herself could even be seen as loyal and compassionate.

In an executive car not far away, Mason Lawson watched it all unfold, seemingly unsurprised.

Neil Kane was getting angry just listening. "This Young Master Julian is getting more and more outrageous."

"Yes. He used to be childish and naive, which was almost cute. But now..."

Mason Lawson really couldn’t find the right word to describe the Julian Lawson of today.

A bit...

Disgusting.

Neil Kane said meaningfully, "But it won’t be long now. There’s going to be a good show on the wedding day."

Mason Lawson asked, "Is the stage set? Remember, keep it low-key. Don’t let the fire spread to us."

"Understood, Mr. Lawson."

Neil Kane was eager to get started. ’This is getting more and more fun,’ he thought.

Mason Lawson rubbed the bridge of his nose, too tired to watch the rest of this farce. He instructed the driver, "Let’s go home."

...

「The Sovereign Pearl.」

Eve Vaughn had listened to Mason Lawson and avoided browsing the web and reading the news.

He had said he would clear her name and let everyone know that Eve Vaughn was innocent.

But just a moment ago, Mia Kendall had called her, furious. "Evie, I can’t take this anymore! Let’s go to the media! We’ll tell them you were the one who donated the liver, that Julian Lawson is the heartless bastard, and that Charlotte Vaughn is the shameless green-tea bitch!"

Mia Kendall’s voice was trembling, each word squeezed out through clenched teeth.

Eve Vaughn, the person at the center of it all, was still in the dark. "What’s wrong? Why are you suddenly so angry? You weren’t this mad when it all started a few days ago."

Only then did Mia Kendall realize that Eve Vaughn knew nothing about what had happened today.

She said helplessly, "I give up. How can you be so calm and not check the internet?"

A bad feeling crept into Eve Vaughn’s heart, but she just said calmly, "Mason Lawson told me he would clear my name and that I just needed to stay calm. So, I’m not looking at things that will upset me."

"You’re really entrusting your entire life to Mason Lawson!"

Mia Kendall took a deep breath. "You need to open Weibo right now and see what that bastard Julian Lawson said! Just give the word, and I’ll call the TV stations and expose everything. I refuse to believe there’s no justice in this world!"

Hearing Mia Kendall’s angry urging, Eve Vaughn finally gave in to her curiosity and opened her browser.

This time, the insults from netizens were even uglier than the first time.

It was unbearable to look at.

Ironically, Charlotte Vaughn had become the most pitiful and innocent woman in this whole affair, while Julian Lawson had become the most responsible and devoted heir of a wealthy family.

’Only I was the shameless homewrecker!’

Eve Vaughn opened the clarification video from Julian Lawson. His face, his voice... they overlapped in her mind with the memory of him holding her and repenting that night.

For some reason, her eyes began to sting with anger.

’He had her organ inside him. They were once, for all intents and purposes, childhood sweethearts.’

’That day, he even apologized to me. He said he was so regretful.’

’This was his regret!’

Once again, without the slightest hesitation, he had thrown her to the wolves.

Eve Vaughn told herself not to cry. A scumbag like him wasn’t worth a single one of her tears.

But it was at times like this that all the little moments from the past came flooding back.

A fog seemed to cloud her vision. The hateful comments, along with Julian Lawson’s deceptively respectable face, all blurred together.

Eve Vaughn was sick with anger.

She took one deep breath after another, as if it was the only thing that could make her feel better.

"Evie, are... are you okay? Are you listening?" Mia Kendall’s voice came from the phone, full of fighting spirit. "Since Julian Lawson has no shame, let’s just rip off his fig leaf! So what if we have a falling out? The barefooted aren’t afraid of those with shoes. Let’s go after him!"

Just then, the phone was suddenly snatched from Eve Vaughn’s hand.

She looked up. At some point, Mason Lawson had come in and was now standing by her bed.

The man’s face held an unfathomable coldness as he looked down on her.

He immediately turned off her phone and tossed it aside, then took the tablet from her hands and turned that off too.

Then, his deep voice sounded from above her. "Eve Vaughn, I told you I don’t like it when you cry for other men. These tears aren’t for me, are they?"

He was clearly very unhappy.

But the next second, the young woman suddenly threw herself into his arms. Without a word, she buried her head in his chest and began to sob sorrowfully.

Although Mason Lawson wasn’t exactly pleased, he still reached out and gently stroked her trembling back.

Like a child who had taken a hard fall and was being comforted in a grown-up’s arms, Eve Vaughn cried even harder.

She choked out between sobs, "Why was I so blind back then? Why did I like him? Why did I love him so, so much? How could I have been stupid enough to donate my liver to someone like him!"

With every word she spoke, Mason Lawson’s eyes darkened a shade.

’This girl... she’s so focused on venting, has she even considered how I’m feeling?’

He thought she would calm down after letting it all out, but he hadn’t expected this. Today, Eve Vaughn’s tears were like a flood from a broken dam; there was no stopping them.

Even though Mason Lawson knew that perhaps only now was Eve Vaughn starting to truly regret ever having been in a relationship with Julian Lawson...

...for some reason, his possessiveness as a man was acting up so intensely at this moment.

Mason Lawson’s expression darkened. His hands, with their well-defined knuckles, suddenly cupped her tear-streaked face.

His kiss was scorching as it came, overwhelming everything.

Eve Vaughn froze, her eyes wide as he kissed her.

She probably never imagined that Mason Lawson would suddenly kiss her at a time like this.

The young woman’s gaze was captivated by the depth and wild charm in the man’s eyes, as if she were caught in a web he had woven, unable to escape.

She even forgot why she had been crying and forgot all the ugly insults.

Although the young woman didn’t struggle this time, cooperating and letting him kiss her...

...it was obvious that for Mason Lawson, this wasn’t nearly enough.

His hands gradually moved downward, coming to rest on her slender waist, rubbing gently but firmly through the fabric.

His searing temperature sent a jolt of electricity through every inch of Eve Vaughn’s body.

She was clearly afraid, yet she wanted more.

Feeling his hardness pressing against her softness, the young woman buried her blushing face in the crook of his neck and pleaded tremulously, "Mr. Lawson, please... be gentle..."