Behind Andrew, Christina's grandfather, Douglas, wheeled himself into the room. Douglas stated calmly, "I asked Andrew to come here to save the Stevens family." "Grandpa, the Weller family is oppressing us, and Andrew can't possibly help," Christina said anxiously. "And you shouldn't be here in your condition. Please go home. I'll handle everything." Douglas suddenly thundered, "Handle it? How exactly? The Stevens family may not be among the elite, but we still have our dignity! Now we're being bullied right to our faces, and you, my ungrateful granddaughter, didn't even tell me! Do you no longer respect me as your grandfather?" Douglas's rebuke finally made Christina cry. "Grandpa, I'm sorry my incompetence has brought shame upon you." Douglas scoffed. "I'm already one foot in the grave, so my dignity doesn't matter. But why didn't you ask for help when Stevens Corporation was being pushed around like this?" Christina wiped her tears and replied desperately, "Who do I ask
"Andy, I leave everything to you then," Douglas said. Andrew nodded and stepped forward, facing Harvey. "Take your men and get out of here now." Harvey thought he had misheard and sneered. "What did you say?" "I said get your people out of here. Wasn't that clear enough?" Andrew stared him down. Harvey exploded with rage and shouted, "Andrew, who do you think you are? If you dare interfere between me and the Stevens family today, I'll destroy you!" As the head of the Weller family and a top figure in Jayrodale, Harvey could not believe this nobody dared to order him around like some common thug. The insult was unbearable. Andrew's eyes glinted dangerously as he strode toward Harvey, ignoring his guards. He taunted, "Seems you didn't learn your lesson from the Weller family elders." Harvey backed away nervously and yelled, "Get him! Take him down! Kill him!" About eight of the Weller family's elite guards charged at Andrew with battle cries. Christina watched anxiously
Christina had always thought Andrew lacked the sharp edge that defined successful men. She had believed he was unmotivated and lacked ambition, but now she realized he was not lacking drive—he was simply so far above everyone else that nothing fazed him. "You broke my leg! You actually broke my f*cking leg! Andrew, I'll make you and the entire Stevens family pay with your lives!" Harvey had completely lost it. He had never imagined that, as the head of the prestigious Weller family, he would be so humiliated by a loser. Another sickening crack echoed through the room. Everyone, including the groaning Weller family guards on the floor, felt their scalps tingle as Andrew broke Harvey's other leg without hesitation. Gasps could be heard throughout the room. Harvey finally broke down and begged, "Please, stop! Don't break anything else! It hurts! Mr. Lloyd, please, I'm sorry!" His previous arrogance vanished completely as he lay at Andrew's feet like a pathetic fool, face cov
"Yes! Both my legs are f*cking broken! I want Andrew dead!" Harvey screamed into the phone. There was a long silence from the Weller family elder, Ian, before he spoke hoarsely, "Mr. Weller, you fool. Andrew is at least at the level of a junior grandmaster! I warned you not to provoke him recklessly. Why didn't you listen?" "I already told you, I never provoked him! He showed up, ruined my plans, and broke my legs!" Harvey snarled through gritted teeth. Ian sighed. "It's too late for this now. Return to the Weller residence and get your legs treated. As for Andrew, with one of our senior grandmasters in seclusion recovering, I'm the only one left, and I'm not confident about facing him." Harvey was stunned by Ian's reluctance to act. His face twisted with rage as he roared, "As family head, I order you to kill him! Do you hear me?" Ian replied coldly, "As senior grandmasters, Ted and I exist to ensure the Weller family's survival. We're not here to help you bully people and p
While Andrew had single-handedly driven away the Weller family and saved both Stevens Corporation and her, Christina felt little joy. Instead, she was a little uncomfortable. "Even now, you can't let go of that ridiculous pride and arrogance?" Douglas scoffed at her. "Without Andy, do you think Stevens Corporation would have survived the Weller family's attack today?" Christina was at a loss for words. Picking up her glass, she turned to Andrew and said, "Andrew, you truly saved us. Let me offer you this toast." "Is a single toast enough to repay the enormous debt of saving our entire family?" Douglas interrupted before Andrew could respond. Christina swallowed her pride and added, "Grandpa, you're right—a toast isn't enough. Andrew, to show our gratitude, I'm offering you 20% of Stevens Corporation's shares to manage." Irene and Leroy immediately showed their jealousy. Irene protested, "Christie, 20% is worth nearly 150 million dollars! Isn't that too much?" "Yeah, 20% is
Andrew responded indifferently, "20% of Stevens Corporation's shares are supposed to be my reward?" "You seem to have quite an inflated opinion of yourself, Ms. Stevens," he added with a hint of sarcasm. Douglas quickly chimed in, "Take it, Andy. You helped us out, and this is what you deserve." "Sir, I don't need the money," Andrew said with a smile. "While 20% of Stevens Corporation is substantial, it makes no difference to me whether I have it or not." Christina took a deep breath and replied coldly, "If you don't want it, there's nothing more to say. I gave you an opportunity, Andrew, but you couldn't seize it." She felt uncomfortable, knowing Andrew's rejection stemmed from underestimating Stevens Corporation. Little did he know that the company had transformed significantly since its early days. To her, Andrew remained as shortsighted as ever, lacking true vision. Among the Stevens family, only Douglas had a different perspective. He realized the family had missed
Christina stated firmly, "Once I make a decision, I never regret it. And speaking of decisions, why are you single now? What about Ms. Rhodes or Ms. Aickers? These two Jayrodale beauties have been throwing themselves at you." She had not realized the jealousy that tinged her voice as she spoke. "Well, Andrew, your love life certainly blossomed after breaking up with Christie," Irene remarked with an eye roll. "You must be living the high life now, being Ms. Rhodes's kept man." "You're absolutely right," Andrew replied with a smile. "Ms. Rhodes has been very good to me. In fact, I'm planning to confess my feelings to her soon. I look forward to that sweet sugar baby lifestyle and retiring 30 years early." Irene scoffed. "That's all you'll ever amount to. No wonder Christie doesn't want you. You should really take a look at yourself." Christina interjected coldly, "Mom, that's enough. It isn't easy to win over someone like Ms. Rhodes, and we should be happy for him." Leroy ea
Inside the SUV, Dylan personally drove Andrew toward West End. "Dylan, this isn't the way to South City, is it?" Andrew asked, raising an eyebrow. Dylan explained with a wry smile, "Mr. Lloyd, we're heading to West End. Tonight is a crucial three-way meeting between us South City, Northern District's Atlas, and the last major underground power in Jayrodale—West End's Natasha Vostokoff. "I wouldn't have dared ask for your company if it wasn't important." Andrew analyzed and commented, "So the conflict between South City and Northern District has reached a critical point. That's why West End couldn't stay neutral anymore and had to step in for negotiations, right?" "You've hit the nail on the head, Mr. Lloyd," Dylan said admiringly. "Last time, you helped us take down Griffin, giving South City a chance to counter-attack. "Now, neither Norther District nor South City can gain the upper hand. With Madam Vostokoff getting involved, I'm worried about potential tricks, which is
Lauren nodded. "I've realized both of these issues too. The Pharmaceutical Division's reputation has tanked, and there's no way to fix that in the short term. But for the second issue, I think we can bring in a well-known spokesperson to endorse our two formulas." Marcus' eyes lit up as he immediately agreed. "That's a great idea, Ms. Rhodes. Our products will gain instant recognition if we get a solid endorsement!" Andrew chuckled. "Getting a spokesperson is a good move. But for our two formulas, it would be best to have an expert in traditional medicine or holistic wellness—someone with real authority in the field." Marcus suggested, "How about we get Mr. Aicker to endorse us?" Lauren shook her head. "No way. Mr. Aicker is the head of the Aicker family. There's no way he'd personally endorse Rhodes Corporation's products." Andrew smirked. "That works out perfectly. I need to drop by Moonlit Apothecary to see him anyway. When we get there, we can ask him about any well-respe
Jerry said, "Mr. Lloyd, Mrs. Rhodes is sincerely asking for your input this time. She really wants you to come in and help strategize." Jerry's voice was urgent. "Like it or not, we're all in the same boat right now. If the Pharmaceutical Division goes under, you're going to take a loss too, Mr. Lloyd." Andrew let out a light scoff. "What, you mean the five billion I invested? Big deal. Even if Rhodes Corporation's Pharmaceutical Division collapses, the rest of the corporation will still stand. "If worst comes to worst, Mrs. Rhodes can just file for bankruptcy and liquidation. Whatever I get back is whatever I get back. And even if I lose all five billion, I couldn't care less." Jerry could not believe how Andrew was dismissing the five billion dollars like it was nothing. Was Andrew even human? His expression darkened as he lowered his voice. "Mr. Lloyd, I understand you don't approve of Mrs. Rhodes' methods. But don't forget—Ms. Rhodes is her daughter. If you ever want thin
Michael had been in his office, getting a little too comfortable flirting with his secretary, when his subordinates suddenly barged in, looking grim. They reported, "Mr. Rhodes, the Weller family is playing dirty! They're openly marketing against us, calling our products garbage that not even dogs would buy. And that scumbag Harvey even hired a professional team to run tests on our products and posted the results online! "Now, the entire internet is trashing us, saying our products are nothing but a cash grab with zero real value. Our Pharmaceutical Division's reputation has completely tanked, and we're being dragged through the mud online!" Shoving the secretary aside, he did not even have time to zip up before he exploded, "What the hell happened? How did things turn to shit this fast? Get me the latest market reports—now!" Grabbing the report, he skimmed through it with an increasingly dark expression. By the time he reached the last page, veins bulged on his forehead. With
Michael grew anxious and blurted out, "Aunt Tiana, why are you asking him? What can he possibly do?" He quickly followed up, "You have nothing to worry about. Even if the Stevens and the Wellers both jump in, I guarantee I'll keep them completely suppressed!" Tiana shot him a cold glare. "I hate when people interrupt me while I'm talking. Right now, I'm asking Andrew, not you. So shut up—that would be the best thing you could do!" Michael's face turned red, then pale. He could not understand why Tiana was turning to Andrew instead of relying on him. He was the backbone of Rhodes Corporation now, was he not? Andrew remained completely unfazed. "Sorry, Mrs. Rhodes, but I don't have any great solutions at the moment. But it's easy to predict that with Stevens Corporation suddenly jumping into Jayrodale's pharmaceutical market, the situation will only become even tougher." Tiana's expression darkened even further. She replied, "Mr. Lloyd, I know you still hold a grudge against
Michael sneered. "When the time comes, I'm going to crush you so hard, you won't even know what hit you!" He truly could not understand why Andrew and Lauren were still bothering to put up a fight. Even with Glorious Pharmaceuticals backing them, he believed there was no way they could produce anything worthwhile in such a short period. Michael had never been more confident. At this point, losing was not even an option. Just then, Tiana called them over. Michael walked up with a smug smile. "Aunt Tiana, what can I do for you?" With his numbers climbing, he spoke with newfound confidence. Tiana's expression was slightly grim as she slammed a document onto the table. "Take a look at this!" Michael frowned and flipped through the pages. The moment he grasped what was inside, his face twisted in anger. "Stevens Corporation is entering the pharmaceutical industry? "And according to this analysis, their products are almost identical to Rhodes Corporation's Pharmaceutical Divisi
Andrew chuckled and said, "No pressure. Even if, down the line, you decide not to work with us or you don't want to handle orders this big, I'd understand. Right now, our products are all investment and no return. No one knows if they'll actually sell. If they flop, that's a massive loss!" He added, "But let me remind you—golden opportunities don't come around every day. When the market is hot, the smart ones soar. Those who hesitate and miss their chance? Well, they'll just be watching from the sidelines." Stephen's eyes flickered, and after a brief internal struggle, he clenched his teeth. "Mr. Lloyd, I'm in!" Andrew shot him a look of distaste. "We're both grown men. Watch how you phrase that—it sounds way too suggestive." Lauren nearly burst out laughing. Andrew was definitely a little sensitive about certain words lately. Stephen let out an awkward chuckle. "Right, poor choice of words. What I meant is that my company is taking this on, Mr. Lloyd. You don't need to go lo
Lauren blinked her big, expressive eyes and asked in confusion, "Why?" Andrew spread his hands and said, "Because I don't think I even went all out." Lauren's expression froze instantly, thinking that Andrew was truly terrifying. Watching as the flirty Lauren quickly turned and fled, her graceful silhouette disappearing in the distance, Andrew felt completely misunderstood. However, he had only spoken the truth. Last night, he had actually held back with Francesca. If he had not, things would have taken a much wilder, more intense turn. … Today was the scheduled delivery day for Stephen's shipment. Andrew and Lauren personally went to oversee the product being sent out. Stephen wiped the sweat from his forehead and grinned. "Mission accomplished, Mr. Lloyd. Please check if everything meets your expectations." Andrew clapped his hands and said, "No need. I already looked it over—good work, Mr. Brunner!" Stephen quickly laughed along. "As long as you're satisfied, Mr. L
Andrew packed up and drove to Rhodes Corporation. Right at the entrance, he ran into Marcus, who had just stepped out of his car. The moment Marcus saw Andrew, he gave him a once-over, grinning from ear to ear. He chirped, "Mr. Lloyd, you're looking great—full of energy and in high spirits!" Andrew raised a brow in surprise. "Mr. Chapman, how exactly can you tell I'm feeling good?" Marcus smirked knowingly. "Mr. Lloyd, let's not play dumb. We're both men. That kind of glow? It's obvious you had a very… satisfying night." Andrew was even more surprised. Could Marcus really tell something like that just by looking at him? Then, it clicked. This department head at Rhodes Corporation might appear serious on the surface, but he was a regular at certain high-end clubs. That explained a lot. Lowering his voice, Marcus chuckled. "Every time I spend the night at a club, I see plenty of like-minded gentlemen walking out in the morning with the exact same look as you. "It's the kin
Lauren's teasing voice came through the video call. "Fran, are you at Dr. Lloyd's place right now?" Francesca's cheeks instantly flushed red. She hesitated for a second before mumbling a quiet "Mm-hmm." Lauren gasped dramatically before covering her mouth with a giggle. "Oh, so that means… Fran, you got the full Dr. Lloyd treatment last night?" Francesca gritted her teeth. "Lauren, you better not laugh at me! Do you even know how close I was to being ruined last night? I can barely walk!" Lauren blinked, looking both impressed and mildly horrified. "Wait… you mean Dr. Lloyd is that intense?" Francesca huffed. "You'll find out soon enough. When it's your turn, let's see if you can handle it!" Lauren snickered. "Oh no, no, no—I hate pain. I'll let Dr. Lloyd go wild with you first, and then I'll swoop in once he's all tired out. That way, I can dodge the first wave of his attacks!" Francesca narrowed her eyes and smirked. "Nice try. Next time, you go first—I'll sit back and