He wasn't incapable of playing dirty—he just disdained it. But when it came to his loved ones, he would never let things slide.

He had watched his own family die before his eyes. From that moment on, he swore that no one close to him would ever be harmed again.

Lauren Shaw knew he must be thinking about that incident again. Sensing his gloom, she held his hand—only to find it clammy with sweat.

Her heart ached for him.

"Honey, no matter what you do, I know you must have your reasons. Don't worry, I trust you," Lauren Shaw reassured him, voicing what was in her heart.

Yancy Shaw's tense expression finally eased a little. When he looked at Lauren Shaw, his gaze lost much of its wariness.

"If you don't like it, I'll change." As long as it was something Lauren Shaw disliked, he would change—anything, as long as it was for her.

Lauren Shaw looked at him seriously. "Everyone has to answer for their own actions. Those people brought this on themselves. Think about it—the ones getting hurt this time would have been me, if you hadn’t stepped in."

She wasn't a saint; she had her selfish moments. Of course she wanted to take Yancy Shaw's side.

Let’s be real—for all the lies they spread about her back then, did they ever consider the consequences for her? She was just lucky—they didn’t get away with it.

Otherwise, she’d be the one getting doxxed and harassed online right now.

All Yancy Shaw had done was make sure they got what they deserved. Why should she blame him?

A smile finally appeared in his eyes.

It felt so good, this feeling of mutual understanding.

---

With the plagiarism scandal finally behind them, Lauren Shaw showed up early at the studio.

Mia May and the others had arrived even earlier. By the time Lauren Shaw walked in, the three of them had already tidied up the place.

When they saw her, the three lined up in front of her. Maya Wells grinned, "Sienna Shaw, we had customers calling to place orders before we even got here!"

As soon as she finished, the phone rang again.

Cici Fox joked, "Looks like we’ll be swamped for a while."

With the storm blown over, orders were flooding in—more than ever.

Lauren Shaw teased, "Who was it that said they liked being exploited by me, again?"

Mia May wailed, "Boss, revoke that, please!"

Everyone burst out laughing, the air filled with cheerful camaraderie.

Just as they were about to get to work, someone barged in, marched right up to Lauren Shaw, and slammed both hands on her desk, glaring at her with eyes full of rage.

She’d moved so fast that even Mia May and the others didn't have time to react.

"Lauren Shaw, must you really force me to this point? I'm telling you, if I go down, I'm taking you with me!"

Her face was twisted with hate.

Lauren Shaw was bewildered. What had she supposedly done to drive this woman to the edge? Why was it her problem if this person wanted to ruin herself?

Crashing into her studio at the crack of dawn, threatening drama—what a bad omen.

Lauren Shaw, thoroughly unimpressed, shot back, "If you want to die, do it somewhere else!"

Fire blazed in Yana Quinn's eyes.

Mia May dashed over to shield Lauren Shaw, watching Yana Quinn warily.

"What do you think you’re doing?" she snapped. This crazy woman was always coming after their boss for no reason. Who knew what kind of fit she was throwing today?

Cici Fox and Maya Wells hovered nearby, ready to jump in if Yana Quinn made any sudden moves. No way were they letting their boss get hurt.

Lauren Shaw looked at her calmly. "Exactly how did I push you, hmm? Go ahead, spell it out."

Yana Quinn's glare was venomous. "Is ruining my career not enough for you? Now you want to destroy my relationship with Yvonne Sung, too? Dream on!"

Lauren Shaw actually laughed. "Yana Quinn, if I really wanted to ruin you, do you honestly think you’d still be standing here in front of me?"

If she’d truly set her mind to destroying her, Yana Quinn wouldn’t have lasted another day in Ancheng—she wouldn’t have had the chance to throw a tantrum like this.

Lauren Shaw motioned for Mia May and the others to get back to work. She could handle Yana Quinn herself—no backup needed.

Yana Quinn let out a bitter, broken laugh. "I’m already at rock bottom—why dig up my parents’ past at this point? Wasn’t it enough for me to admit my mistakes?"

Someone had dug up her family background and plastered it all over the internet. Yana Quinn hated talking about her family most of all—if she had a choice, she’d rather not have them as parents at all.

People say the pitiful often have something detestable about them. Lauren Shaw didn’t feel the slightest sympathy for Yana Quinn.

"Do you really think I did it? You stormed in here with zero evidence to make your accusations—don’t you think that’s pathetic?" Lauren Shaw's voice dripped with scorn.

It all boiled down to one thing: Yana Quinn thought she could walk all over her because she was "nice."

But kindness doesn’t mean you let people use you. Lauren Shaw’s kindness came with sharp edges.

Yana Quinn stared at her in a daze, at a loss for who else could have targeted her this way.

"Drop the act—if it wasn’t you, who else could it have been?" Yana Quinn hated how Lauren Shaw always seemed so cool and unbothered. She wanted to rip the mask off her face.

"Did you forget there were reporters staking out the hospital?" Lauren Shaw said flatly.

Yana Quinn finally put it together. After the online fallout, it was inevitable the reporters would sniff out her family at the hospital—she just hadn’t realized it.

After Yana Quinn left the hospital by taxi, the reporters went after her parents.

Yana Quinn stumbled backward, looking utterly shattered.

"You did this to yourself. You have no one to blame." If she hadn’t posted that message, the reporters never would have gone to the hospital. It was all her own fault.

Yvonne Sung knew, though he didn't say much—but she could tell he'd lost any lingering affection for her.

Her company called, telling her to drop all current assignments until the buzz died down.

She’d landed a few endorsement deals after the design competition, but now she was being dropped—on top of that, she faced hefty penalties for breach of contract.

She went to Yvonne Sung for help. But Yvonne Sung just looked at her coldly: "You made this mess. Deal with it yourself. I can barely keep myself afloat as it is."

So much for love—when faced with self-interest, it meant nothing.

Yvonne Sung only ever loved himself. Back then, helping her was just a way to make up for his regrets as a teenager. Now, with time, she meant nothing.

Yana Quinn staggered out of the studio, broken.

Lauren Shaw watched her go, full of complicated emotions. She used to think Yvonne Sung adored Yana Quinn—but it turned out to be nothing.

Some people’s love is selfish and overwhelming. They think they love the other person deeply—but really, they only love themselves. Like Yvonne Sung.

Other people’s love is like a pot of well-aged wine: the deeper it gets, the more intoxicating it becomes, leaving you hopelessly ensnared. Like Yancy Shaw.