Meanwhile, Andrew had already settled into a Rolls-Royce, heading toward Jayrodale General Hospital. His phone rang, and to his surprise, it was Christina calling. Since their relationship was over, Andrew saw no reason to answer. Yet, the phone kept ringing, seemingly urgent. Frowning, Andrew finally decided to pick up. "Andrew, listen to me. Turn yourself in immediately!" Christina's voice blared through the speaker, catching Andrew off guard. "That King of Diamonds is worth 7.5 million dollars, Andrew. Have you lost your mind? I know you did this to make me happy, but have you considered the legal consequences? Turn yourself in now, while there's still time. Don't worry, with Stevens Corporation's influence in Jayrodale, I'll do my best to keep you out of jail!" Christina's voice was filled with righteous indignation, feeling disappointed in Andrew. Andrew finally understood—she thought he had stolen the King of Diamonds. "You've got it wrong. I didn't steal it," he said sim
Amidst the flurry of bodyguards, a young girl was rushed into the hospital on a stretcher. By her side, a tall, stunning woman with long flowing hair and legs clad in black stockings clutched the girl's hand desperately. Her voice trembled with emotion as she spoke, "Cece, please be okay. I'm right here, and I promise I'll save you, no matter what." Despite the urgency of the situation, many onlookers immediately recognized the woman. She was Lauren Rhodes, the heiress of the prestigious Rhodes family and widely regarded as the most beautiful woman in Jayrodale. In the city's fashion industry, Lauren was often described as a femme fatale. "Ms. Rhodes, please don't worry. Our hospital will do everything in our power to save your sister," Bernard Hackett, the hospital's deputy chief, rushed to assure her. Lauren's status and the Rhodes family's influence in Jayrodale were unparalleled. Hence, their presence demanded nothing but the utmost dedication and respect from the hospita
Lauren's face paled instantly. "What did you say? Where's Dr. Hackett? What's going on?" Bernard and Philip approached, looking apologetic. "We're sorry, Ms. Rhodes. Ms. Cecelia's condition is critical. We've done all we can." Philip added, his voice filled with frustration, "The initial treatment seemed promising, but suddenly, Ms. Cecelia's breathing weakened dramatically. It's not our lack of skill, Ms. Rhodes. We're simply facing an impossible situation." Before Philip could finish his explanation, Lauren slapped him. "Ms. Rhodes, what was that…" "You idiot!" Lauren seethed, her body trembling with rage. "Didn't you just boast about your ability to save Cece?" Philip stood there, speechless and humiliated, his cheek stinging from the blow. Then, Lauren turned to Bernard, her voice dripping with venom. "Dr. Hackett, I'll ask you one last time. Is there anyone else in this hospital who can help? If anything happens to her, you and your incompetent son will face severe
Andrew nodded. He was surprised by Bernard's unexpected insight. Philip, behaving like an idiot, asked his father, "Dad, what's this pressure-point technique? It doesn't seem like a big deal to me." Bernard's face darkened instantly, wishing he could slap some sense into his dimwitted son. He hissed, "You fool, just shut up already! Haven't you embarrassed us enough? The pressure-point technique is a legendary skill in medicine. It's said that some reclusive ancient healers could even take or save lives instantly using this method, controlling a person's very life force with a single touch." Lauren was quite knowledgeable and had seen it all. Even so, she was genuinely amazed by Andrew's skill from the moment he began as she realized this man, rumored to be Christina's boy toy, possessed genuine medical expertise. She wondered why someone so talented was mistaken for a freeloader. The treatment did not take long. Ten minutes later, the blood transfusion was complete. Andrew b
Andrew's voice was calm, showing no sign of arrogance. Meanwhile, the scarred man and his thugs were stunned for a moment before bursting into laughter. "Ha! Did this pretty boy just tell me, Scarface, to get lost?" "Idiot, you've been watching too many superhero movies. Trying to play the knight in shining armor, huh?" "Boss, why waste time talking? Let's just take him out!" Another thug swung a steel pipe viciously at Andrew's head. Lauren sighed inwardly, thinking she would have to step in to protect this brave but foolish man. Suddenly, she heard a piercing scream. The thug who had attacked first was on the ground, clutching his stomach. Somehow, Andrew had taken the steel pipe from him. Then, in a blur of motion, Andrew swung the pipe. A series of thuds followed as the attackers fell to the ground, groaning in pain. Yet, no one could see how he moved as he was moving too fast. Scarface roared in anger, leaping at Andrew with a vicious kick. At the same time, Andrew
Just then, Lauren's phone rang. After answering, she turned to Andrew and said, "Dr. Lloyd, feel free to look around. I need to take care of something. See you in a bit!" Andrew nodded. "Of course, Ms. Rhodes. Don't let me keep you." There was still some time before the fundraiser officially began. More influential figures, all eyeing the orphanage's valuable property, continued to arrive. Before long, the parking lot was already filled with luxury cars. A sleek black Rolls-Royce pulled up, drawing everyone's attention. As the door opened, a stunning woman in a pure white cocktail dress stepped out, her legs as fair as snow. Her appearance drew gasps of admiration from the crowd. "What a beauty! Her grace is truly unparalleled!" "I'd risk jail time just for a moment with a woman like that!" "That's the famous CEO of Stevens Corporation. Not only is she gorgeous, but her business insight is extraordinary. She'll probably snag this prime real estate tonight." Another luxury
Christina stared coldly at Andrew, her eyes filled with disappointment, anger, and a hint of jealousy that she did not even realize. "Andrew, I can't believe you found someone new so quickly after we ended things," she said bitterly. "How foolish of me to feel guilty all this time. I guess I was just fooling myself!" Andrew shot back, "When it comes to moving on quickly, I could never match your efficiency, Ms. Stevens!" "You… Fine, you win. I can't argue with you anymore," Christina stammered, at a loss for words. Lauren's beauty, curvaceous figure, and commanding presence all made Christina feel incredibly insecure. If the woman by Andrew's side had been plain or unremarkable, she might have brushed it off. Yet, Lauren was different—she posed a real threat. This woman did not fall short in any aspect compared to Christina. She even surpassed her in some ways, like her more prominent cleavage. Lauren was the complete package, oozing charm and sex appeal. Shawn's lewd stare
On the other side of the hall, Lauren waved Eunice over. "Go and donate 3 million dollars in Dr. Lloyd's name," she instructed. Eunice was stunned. While the Rhodes family was indeed wealthy, she thought Lauren should not be so reckless with her expenses. "Miss, isn't that a bit excessive?" Lauren smiled haughtily. "What's wrong with donating 3 million for the man I've got my eye on? Christina may not appreciate him, but I'm not foolish enough to let such a treasure slip through my fingers." She held a file containing information about Stevens Corporation. In just a few short years, the company had transformed from a failing factory into Jayrodale's publicly traded powerhouse. With that, Christina's net worth had skyrocketed to an astounding 150 million dollars. Interestingly, many aspects of Stevens Corporation's rise seemed suspicious, as if someone had been pulling strings behind the scenes. The company's sudden success coincided perfectly with Andrew and Christina's three
"Little do they know that mediocrity is common in this world. Do they really think everyone can become a natural genius like Dr. Lloyd?" Cedric remarked. "Grandpa, stop acting high and mighty," Francesca retorted. "If it weren't for Andrew, you wouldn't have gotten such great benefits from this auction either." Cedric immediately brightened up with a smile. "Well, Dr. Lloyd certainly helped this old man catch a lucky break today." While everyone else was excited, Andrew remained remarkably calm. "Let's tally up all the gains and have Ms. Santana process them," Andrew said casually. Elsie perked up with surprise, "Mr. Lloyd, you're not taking everything you won today?" "I'll take the Blood Phoenix Cicada and the Royal Violet Crystal," Andrew replied. "For the rest, I'll trouble you to convert them to cash." Though slightly disappointed, Elsie quickly became energized again. While Andrew took the two best pieces, the remaining items were still valuable and would bring sig
"Thank you, then," Aspen said with a smile as she hung up the phone. "Like I said, life isn't just about stone gambling and these trivial antiquities. Power and connections are my ultimate weapons to crush you, Andrew!" Christina asked hesitantly, "Aspen, who did you call for help? From what we saw during the stone gambling, Ms. Santana and Andrew weren't cheating or manipulating anything." Aspen waved her off. "Stay out of this, Christie. That Andrew must have set me up. Why else would I lose so badly? Remember how he insisted on raising the stakes before we even started? That should have been my first red flag, but I foolishly missed it." Christina nodded uncertainly, not wanting to interfere further. Though Aspen treated her like a close friend, there was still a social gap between them since Aspen came from the main branch of the Bridgefields' Stevens family. "Aspen, Elsie works for Silas Vaughn at Radiant Group, and Andrew now knows many Jayrodale socialites," Christina re
"Mr. Lloyd has shown us what true stone gambling mastery means by turning something seemingly worthless into something miraculous," Elsie concluded. The crowd erupted into an unstoppable frenzy, repeatedly chanting, "Mr. Lloyd!" His reputation as a master was cemented in thousands of minds. Countless eyes gazed at him with intense admiration, though many found it hard to comprehend that Andrew was still just a young man. They wondered how someone so young could build such an impressive reputation in antiquities and stone gambling, making them question if some people were truly born under lucky stars. "I lost… I lost again," Aspen laughed bitterly, her face deathly pale. The higher her confidence had soared before, the more crushing her defeat felt now. Typically, as the proud heiress of Bridgefields' Stevens family, Aspen would never admit defeat. However, Andrew's final move with the Blood Phoenix Cicada completely shattered her pride and confidence. She no longer doubted w
The Blood Phoenix Miracle once stunned the entire antiquities and gemstone world. Discovered in the northern desert of Etharia, it earned its name from its brilliant colors and a tiny red fossil inside. This made it the most prestigious of Etharia's four legendary stones before a mysterious billionaire acquired it. Andrew's Blood Phoenix Agate, with its perfectly preserved cicada inside, was essentially another Blood Phoenix Miracle manifesting itself into the world. Though more precisely, this one would be known as the Blood Phoenix Cicada. The chaos at the stone gambling venue was quickly contained when Silas, the CEO of Radiant Group, made a personal appearance. The panel of experts and the bigwigs from the Jayrodale Antiquities Association could not contain their excitement as they rushed to authenticate Andrew's extraordinary find. "There's no doubt that this is a divine treasure just like the Blood Phoenix Miracle," one expert declared. Others chimed in, "The cicad
At this point, there was nothing else Elsie could do. The situation seemed hopeless for Andrew. "What a shame for Mr. Lloyd this round," someone remarked, while others chimed in, "Why choose such an obviously worthless large stone when there were so many better options?" The antique experts shook their heads in disappointment, having hoped to see Andrew triumph over the Bridgefields heiress. Yet, Andrew did not even glance at Aspen's Royal Violet Crystal. Instead, he carefully guided the craftsman's cutting, and as the waste material fell away, a mysterious red glow began to emerge. The craftsman's heart skipped a beat—such a lustrous glow should not appear in worthless material. Elsie noticed something unusual too, and quickly moved to Andrew's side, crouching down for a closer look. The red glow intensified, revealing a transparent red gem standing out prominently among the debris. For a moment, even the experienced Elsie was left speechless. "Well, what do we have here?
"Stupid woman, I just asked you to wait, not admitting defeat," Andrew said with a smirk. "Why are you already counting your money? Running low on funds?" Aspen's face turned red with anger. "Fine, let's see what trick you're trying to pull here," she spat, knowing she was running out of money. Even if she won, claiming Andrew's worthless stone would be like taking home garbage. "Mr. Lloyd, what else would you like me to do?" the cutter asked. The crowd watched curiously, wondering what Andrew could possibly do at this point. "This stone can be cut further, don't you think?" Andrew smiled, pointing at the multicolored piece. The cutter was taken aback and replied, "Mr. Lloyd, we've already reached the core layer. Further cutting would be pointless." Elsie and the others frowned deeply at Andrew's suggestion. The massive stone had already yielded worthless material and cutting it further would only destroy its integrity and decrease its value even more. "Mr. Lloyd, in
The cutter was beginning to regret his earlier actions because Andrew had proven to be far more formidable than expected, even outshining Aspen. If only he had not been so absolute in his statements before. "What are you waiting for? Don't you trust me?" Aspen snapped when she noticed her cutter's hesitation. The cutter flinched and quickly replied, "I'll cut open Ms. Stevens' stone right away. This time, Miss, you'll definitely win." Andrew chuckled. "Aspen, your judgment is clouded. The Stevens family of Bridgefields isn't exactly rolling in money. Being this wasteful isn't doing you any favors." He gestured toward the largest raw stone in the center. Aspen responded with a cold laugh. "Andrew, don't you understand that a raw stone's size has nothing to do with what's inside? You can't seriously think that just because this stone is huge, it must contain something valuable?" Several gambling experts nodded in agreement with Aspen's statement. The central stone, with its ha
Aspen felt a sharp, burning pain on her face. Christina was stunned too, unable to believe the sudden turn of events. Aspen had opened such a good gem, so how could she still lose? "Fine, I'll admit defeat for the first round," Aspen said, her voice cold as she could not bear the eyes of the crowd anymore. "Andrew, do you dare to go for another round?" Andrew waved her off. "There's no need to hurry. I'll deal with things first." Right in front of Aspen and everyone else, Andrew casually gathered Aspen's green tourmaline and his own rare red spinel and handed them to Francesca. Francesca blushed. "Andrew, I can't carry these." "It's fine. They're ours anyway. Just keep an eye on them. Don't let anyone steal them." Francesca beamed, nearly bursting with excitement. These were two high-quality gems—though she was not an expert, she knew they were worth a fortune. Nonetheless, it was not about the money. What mattered was that Aspen, that nasty woman, had lost to Andrew—sh
Andrew did not waste any time. He pointed at a medium-sized stone and said, "Could you cut this one for me, please?" Aspen scoffed and said, "Andrew, you should really take a closer look. Jumping in without thinking might just make you a laughingstock." Ignoring her, Andrew turned to Francesca with a smile. "Get ready to celebrate." Francesca froze for a moment before catching on. "Wait… are you seriously this confident?" Andrew chuckled and replied, "We'll know soon enough, won't we?" Aspen gritted her teeth. This man had an unbearable arrogance that made her want to wipe the smirk off his face. The crowd stayed silent, not daring to say a word. With stakes this high, nobody wanted to risk disrupting the players' focus and becoming the target of blame. Aspen's stone was cut first. A gasp echoed from one of the experienced gem traders in the crowd. "Wow! It's a massive green tourmaline with impressive quality. It's just shy of the imperial grade." Christina let out a