Rising from the Ashes (Andrew and Lauren)

The three drove straight to the agreed location without wasting a second.

...

Meanwhile, inside the Nova Fight Club, Liliana, Gary, Leon, and the much- anticipated star of the hour, Joe, were already waiting.

Liliana said, "Joe, just like you asked, we've shut the club down for today. No one else is getting in."

Joe had already changed into his gear. He gave a quiet nod, looking calm and aloof.

Gary chuckled coldly, one hand in his pocket. "This is it. Today's the day Andrew meets his end. That bastard's finally about to taste his first humiliating defeat since stepping into Blumedale."

Liliana glanced at Joe with a mix of admiration and concern. She lowered her voice and said softly, "Joe, I won't let anything happen to you. Not a single scratch."

Joe smiled faintly. "Don't worry, Liliana. Nothing's going to happen to me. The one who ends up destroyed is always my opponent."

Liliana smiled sweetly. "Joe, once you've dealt with Andrew, I want you to come with me to Blue Island in Eastonia to relax. The ski season just opened there. It'll be so much fun!"

Joe shook his head. "Let Gary or Leon take you instead. After I beat Andrew, I'm putting everything into winning over Lauren."

Liliana's smile froze right on her face. She forced a bitter grin and tried to stay composed. "Joe, is she really that important to you?"

Joe grew serious. "Her family isn't the most impressive, but I know, without a doubt, she's the best woman in the world. No one else even comes close. I still remember how it felt... that instant spark the first time I saw her."

Liliana suddenly broke down. She grabbed her hair and screamed, "Then what about me, Joe?! You've ignored my love for you this whole time! What am I to you?"

Her sudden outburst startled Gary, Leon, and the others, leaving them visibly shaken.

"Ms. Peck, what's wrong?"

"Mr. Driscoll was just joking around. Please don't cry!"

Liliana wiped at her tears, her voice full of anguish. "Joe, do you even realize how hard this is? I can't take it anymore! I can't bear watching you play the perfect prince, chasing after Lauren, that little slut! What does she have that I don't? Why would you fall for her and completely ignore me?"

Joe's expression turned slightly colder. He looked at Liliana for a

moment, silent, then stood up. "Enough, Liliana. I don't want to hear that again. Lauren is irreplaceable, at least not by you, and you've known that for a long time. So, I hope this is the last time you bring it up."

With that, he turned and walked off without even glancing at her tear-streaked face.

"Joe, don't go! Please! I won't let you walk away!" Liliana sobbed like a madwoman and spun around to chase after him.

Yet, it was no use. Joe leaped effortlessly and landed squarely at the center of the ring.

At that moment, Andrew, Lauren, and Shiloh stepped into the club.noveldrama

Joe's eyes instantly locked onto Lauren, growing hotter by the second.

On the other hand, Andrew gave Liliana a strange look as she wept uncontrollably. The heiress of the Peck family was clearly having another one of her wild emotional spirals.

Up in the ring, Joe called out in a deep voice, "Andrew, let's end this. All of it— right here, right now."

Andrew gave a light chuckle and stepped forward, ready to climb into the ring. However, Shiloh quickly stopped him. "Wait! There's someone up there."

Andrew looked up and spotted a lone figure seated in the dark shadows of the upper bleachers Even though the dim lighting and the distance made it hard to see he instantly recognized the man.

It was Walter, the man who led the Driscoll family's Shadow Division.