Rising from the Ashes (Andrew and Lauren)

Andrew turned back to face Francesca and the others.

Natasha spoke sympathetically, "Darling, Joe might not be on our side, but he's not really a bad person either. Why did you have to be so harsh on him?"

Francesca nodded in agreement. "Exactly, honey. What you said back there was honestly pretty hurtful. I'm afraid he's going to feel terrible about it."

Andrew sneered. "I was just telling the truth. Is that somehow wrong? Besides, since when do I need to worry about his feelings?"

Aspen crossed her arms and twisted them behind her back. Then, she curled her body and threaded her arms through from below her feet. Her body was incredibly flexible and limber.

She took a moment to address Andrew, saying, "I think you went too far. Joe is dealing with heartbreak and crushing defeat right now. It's not a bad thing to show a little empathy!"

Andrew snorted, half amused, half annoyed. "Wow, what is this? You're all turning against me now? Siding with an outsider to scold me? Today's training is doubled, and nobody's going home until it's finished!"

The four students groaned in despair, but none dared to complain. They knew that Andrew was absolutely ruthless and showed no mercy to anyone during training.

Just then, Rachel arrived at Serenity Villa. She was wearing a fur coat and swaying her hips as she walked. "I'm looking for Mr. Lloyd."

Someone replied, "He's there at the back lawn."

Rachel immediately checked her appearance, adjusting her makeup and hair accessories in her compact mirror before heading to find Andrew.

She chirped sweetly, "Mr. Lloyd, hello there!"

The smile was lovely, no doubt. However, for a woman in her 40s, no amount of charm could quite compete with a fresh-faced 20-something. Still, she was curvy, rich, and confident. That much was undeniable.

Thanks to high-end cosmetics and a closet full of designer labels, she did have a certain sophisticated charm. Unfortunately, Andrew was not interested in that type at all.

"Oh, Madam Gardner. What can I do for you?" Andrew greeted her casually.

He was wearing just a tank top on his upper body. Bending down, he effortlessly lifted two massive stone spheres, each one as big as a lorry tire.

They had actually borrowed these from the entrance of The Sovereign Residences. Each one weighed several hundred pounds and normally just sat there like oversized lawn ornaments.

Occasionally, some of the female residents would sit on them when they had cramps, though Andrew had no idea why that helped.

Rachel let out a surprised gasp, her eyes lighting up as she covered her mouth.

Andrew set down the stone spheres and looked at her strangely. "Madam Gardner, what are you gasping about?"

Rachel giggled and blushed. "Oh, it's nothing. It's just that your muscles are so incredibly attractive! I've seen hundreds, maybe thousands of handsome men in my life, but this is the first time I've seen someone with such a perfect physique like yours, Mr. Lloyd."

Andrew rolled his eyes. "Well, stop staring then. I charge ten thousand dollars per look."

Rachel immediately pulled out her checkbook, wrote a large string of numbers on

it, and tossed it to Andrew. "No problem. I'll prepay for 1000 looks!"

Only then did Andrew remember that this woman was ridiculously wealthy. Duncan had once joked that even her underwear was diamond-studded.

"Alright, you win. Now tell me what you want. If it's nothing important, don't interrupt my training session."

Rachel reluctantly pulled her gaze away. "Mr. Lloyd, Cillian has kicked the bucket!"

Andrew raised an eyebrow. "He's dead? What happened?"

Rachel shook her head. "I don't know the details, but it's confirmed that he died at the nursing home. And word on the street is that his death is connected to you!"

Andrew scoffed. "Connected to me? Which idiot is spreading that bullshit?"

Rachel replied, "I don't know where the rumors started, but now that Cillian is dead, you're caught up in a media storm. Everyone's saying that you not only interfered in the Ulrich family's private affairs, but after taking the chairman position, you've been eliminating anyone who opposes you.

"They're calling you petty and

vindictive, saying you wouldn't even spare an old man like Cillian. There's speculation that you orchestrated his death behind the scenes!"

Andrew nodded. "Got it. You can go home now."noveldrama

Rachel was stunned. "Mr. Lloyd, aren't you going to say or do something about this?"

Andrew chuckled. "Sure. My official statement is... screw whoever's talking. I don't give a damn!"