"No matter how many failures I face, Andrew, I'll never stoop to being a gold digger like you," Aspen said venomously. She continued, "Natasha and Dylan might be fooled by you now, but tell them this—I won't let Atlas's death go unpunished. If they don't return my billion dollars, they'll face the same fate as the Northern District!"Andrew replied calmly, "Let me warn you one last time, Aspen. This is Jayrodale, not Bridgefields, and certainly not your Stevens family territory. You should learn to be more modest away from home. Not everyone will coddle you like your parents. If you try to cause trouble for Dylan and Natasha, you'll only be destroying yourself." Christina laughed coldly and said, "Andrew, you're acting like you represent these two underground leaders. Why put on such an act?" "You're actually right," Andrew smiled. "I do represent them. In fact, I now control Jayrodale's underground world." Aspen scoffed, "Come on, Christie. Let's go. It's a waste of time t
Lauren's good mood instantly vanished as her face darkened. She snapped, "Why don't you just have me killed then?" "What did you say?" Tiana raged. Lauren took a deep breath and confronted her mother, who had always been extremely strict with her. "Since you want to control my thoughts and freedom, why not just have someone kill me? Then, you won't have to look at me anymore!" Tiana raised her hand to slap Lauren but stopped herself at the last moment. "Lauren, I may not be able to control you, but remember this—you're a Rhodes heiress, not some common street girl." She added icily, "If you continue this entanglement with Andrew, you won't just destroy yourself, you'll end up destroying him too!" Lauren's heart skipped a beat as she laughed coldly. "Mom, I've said this before—you can take away my CEO position and keep me under house arrest, but the one thing you can't touch is the only person I care about and love. If anything happens to Andrew, you won't see me in a wedding
Lauren cried hard, but her resolve remained unshaken. She declared firmly, "No. If I choose to comply now, that's when I'll truly regret it. I've told the family countless times—Andrew isn't ordinary. He's a hidden gem, and he deserves not just me, but any exceptional woman!" The momentary softness in Tiana's eyes vanished instantly. "So you're still blindly obsessed with him?" she asked coldly. Lauren trembled as she felt the invisible barrier between mother and daughter, which had briefly narrowed, suddenly grew wider than ever. She slowly wiped away her tears and said expressionlessly, "Call it a blind obsession or say I'm degrading myself—either way, it has to be Andrew." Tiana sneered. "Fine. You've always made this boy sound extraordinary. Let's see how exceptional he really is. Do you think he's better than Joe?" Lauren scoffed. "Joe has his family's backing, of course, people look up to him. But when it comes to true excellence, he doesn't even deserve to be compared
Though Tiana claimed she wanted to see if Andrew was as exceptional as Lauren described, she inwardly dismissed the possibility. In her mind, Jayrodale was just a backwater pond full of small fish—no hidden talent could emerge from such a place. … Meanwhile, today was Andrew's appointment with Ernest. He had to get his hands on the Aurora Lotus, and since Ernest had been unreasonable and thrown his weight around, Andrew decided he would not be polite either. Andrew, the prince of the Lloyd dynasty who survived until today, was never a pushover. Sometimes, it took a villain to deal with another villain. Driving his G-Wagon to Natasha's place in West End, Andrew was surprised to find Ernest already there. He had brought two bodyguards—a man, and a woman. "Hey kid, didn't you say I'd be fatally ill and dying today?" Ernest taunted with disdain, puffing on his cigar with his feet propped up on the table in a show of dominance. "But look at me now—aren't I alive and kicking?" Er
Ernest exhaled a cloud of smoke and laughed heartily. "Kid, you're still young. There are things in life you just can't appreciate yet." He leaned back, smirking. "I'm feeling generous today, so I'll share a little wisdom with you—listen up. Women are best when fresh and youthful but being too young isn't ideal either. Aside from being fresh, there's another factor—experience. A widow like Natasha? She's got both. Her skin is smoother than an 18-year-old's, and let's not even start on the experience she brings. Trust me, a widow like her is a rare gem, an absolute treasure!" His shameless speech was so over the top that even Natasha, seasoned as she was, felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment. Andrew could not help but marvel at Ernest's brazenness. For someone so openly lecherous, his argument almost made sense. Andrew's gaze involuntarily flicked toward Natasha, studying her with curiosity. Noticing this, Natasha's eyes narrowed in annoyance. She wanted to punch him but set
"So, you were just trying to scare me with empty threats," Ernest snarled. "Do you understand how serious the consequences will be?" Before Andrew could respond, Ernest pointed at Natasha and commanded, "My patience with you has worn out. This kid is your man, and since he's been disrespectful, you'll have to pay the price!" "Ernest, how have we offended you?" Natasha asked angrily. "If you don't want to sell the Aurora Lotus, fine—we'll just forget about it." Ernest sneered. "You think you can just walk away and make me look like a fool? I have my pride. Now, regardless of what you want, you'll face the consequences. Otherwise, I'll deal with this kid first, then settle scores with West End." Natasha's expression changed as she realized Ernest had completely abandoned any pretense of courtesy. Meanwhile, she wondered about Andrew's prediction that Ernest was supposed to be gravely ill today. Seeing Natasha's troubled expression, Ernest thought he had the upper hand. He smirk
The female bodyguard cried out in panic, "Mr. Ramsey, what's wrong? Please don't joke around!" She rushed to Ernest's side and quickly retrieved the cigar from his lap while he clutched his chest in agony. "My chest hurts so badly," Ernest groaned, his face contorted with pain. "Oh God, my head too—everything hurts! Get me to the hospital, now!" Within moments, Ernest's pain had spread throughout his entire body. He collapsed to the ground, convulsing violently with white foam spurting from his mouth. The two bodyguards frantically carried Ernest out the door and rushed him to the hospital. They knew every second counted. "This is incredible," Natasha remarked with amazement. "The moment you finished counting down, that pervert just collapsed!" She could not help but feel increasingly awed by Andrew's abilities. Andrew said coldly, "He brought this upon himself. Anyway, there's no rush. Once he discovers the hospital can't help him, he'll come crawling back to us." Na
Francesca's expression hardened as she delivered the news to Ernest. She said coldly, "Our deputy chief has a message for you." Ernest was desperate, willing to do anything to save his life. "What is it? Tell me quickly!" he demanded before another violent bout of blood-coughing seized him. He clamped his mouth shut afterward, trying to minimize his speech to reduce the bleeding. "He can't return to the hospital," Francesca stated professionally, softening the harsh message out of her medical duty to do no harm. "You should prepare yourself—this mysterious condition could be fatal." The news hit Ernest like a ton of bricks, and he nearly passed out from shock. A terrible realization dawned on him as he turned to his bodyguards with a blood-stained snarl. "What are you idiots standing around for? Get me back there to find that guy, hurry!" Ernest could feel his life force draining away with each passing moment. The taste of death was upon him, making his head spin with g
Francesca had enough. She turned to Christina and snapped, "Christina, are you seriously going to stand there and let your mother humiliate herself like this?" Christina's face burned with shame. She was beyond embarrassed, but Andrew's attitude toward her was something she could not accept. So instead, she steeled her voice. "Andrew, there's no denying that my mother was hit. You probably don't want this to escalate, so here's the deal—come back with me to the Stevens mansion, and I won't pursue this any further." Andrew let out a short laugh. "Go ahead. Let her make a scene all she wants. In fact, I have a pretty good relationship with Donald over at Jayrodale's law enforcement division. I'm sure he'd love to look into a case where a crazy old woman is harassing my business." The second Andrew reached for his phone, Irene instantly panicked. She scrambled to her feet so fast it was almost comical—no trace of the poor, battered old lady was left. She shrieked, "Andrew, you b
Leroy sneered. "Andrew, you and Christie had a history. Back when you were struggling, she was the one who helped you! Now that you're successful, it's only right that you repay her. If you refuse, then you're just an ungrateful traitor—and trust me, if you don't cooperate, I'll make sure you're ruined!" Andrew's eyes turned ice-cold as he let out a sharp, mocking laugh. "Christina helped me when I was at my lowest? Leroy, the Stevens family really has no shame, huh? When I was living under your roof, did I ever take a dime from you? Did I ever owe you anything? "If anything, it was you—and your greedy, money-grubbing mother—who kept taking from me, milking me for every cent you could get." Ignoring how Irene and Leroy's faces darkened, Andrew turned to Christina and scoffed. "And you, Christina—what is it? Now that I have everything, you think you can just swoop in and claim a piece of it?" Christina opened her mouth, struggling to explain. "I-I'm not the kind of person you th
Leroy said, "You just need to manage Stevens Corporation, make good money, hand over your G-Wagon to me, and introduce Natasha to me as my future wife. That's all!" Andrew burst out laughing—so hard his stomach hurt. He mocked, "Hah! The Stevens sure are straightforward with their demands. And wow, so polite about it too!" However, Irene did not seem to catch the sarcasm in his tone. She beamed. "Of course! Andrew, just come back and patch things up with Christie. You two were meant to be together! Don't worry, as your future mother-in-law, I'll treat you well from now on. Everything that happened in the past? Consider it forgotten!" Leroy stretched out his hand expectantly and smirked. "Andrew, give me the keys to the G-Wagon now. I'll take it for a spin at the club tonight—gotta impress the ladies! And about Natasha, no rush! Just talk to her and let her know that becoming my wife would be an honor. She should be grateful, honestly!" He was already lost in his own fantasy, gr
"Alright, it's getting late. Let's lock up and head home," Andrew said with a smile after taking a few sips of the tea Nyla had prepared. Cedric chuckled. "I'll head back to the Aicker residence Fran, you and Dr. Lloyd can go back to Moonlit Sanctuary." Francesca rolled her eyes playfully. "I got it, Grandpa! You don't have to spell it out!" The two of them locked up Moonlit Apothecary and were just about to leave when a luxury car pulled up, stopping right in front of the store. "Sorry, we're closed for the night. If you need a doctor, come back tomorrow," Francesca said politely. However, as soon as she saw who was stepping out of the car, her expression turned strange. "Well, Andrew, what's this? You're not going to welcome me?" The one speaking was none other than Irene, accompanied by her entire family—including Christina in a sleek white dress—and Aspen, their driver. Andrew ignored her completely, his gaze settling on Christina instead. He asked indifferently, "
Andrew nodded. "This isn't a modern formula—it comes from Holtrien's ancient medical tradition passed down for generations." Cedric was amazed. "That explains everything! The rarity of ancient formulas is beyond measure, and these two are among the best of the best. Their value is simply incalculable." Francesca hesitated. "Andrew, these formulas are priceless… are you really okay with just showing them to us?" Andrew chuckled. "Why wouldn't I be? Do you really think I'd ever be on guard against you, Fran? Besides, I'm showing you because I want you to feel reassured and join me in producing these groundbreaking medicines!" A warm, sweet feeling spread through Francesca's chest, and a rosy blush colored her fair cheeks. So, Andrew trusted her completely—he already considered her one of his own. She wondered if their relationship progressed, she could truly become his woman. Her mind started to wander, imagining all the possibilities. Meanwhile, Cedric smacked the table in
Andrew looked completely innocent as he said, "It's not like I wanted this to happen! I just wanted to make things easier for Mr. Aicker so he wouldn't have to work so hard!" Francesca let out a huff, flashing her sharp little canine teeth as she smirked. "At this rate, the people of Jayrodale are going to think you're the only doctor around! They'll forget that my grandfather is Cedric Aicker!" Cedric scoffed, giving her a sharp look. "What nonsense are you spouting? Do you really think I care about fame and status? Dr. Lloyd's medical skills are far beyond mine. If patients trust him more, that's because he earned it fair and square." Francesca secretly stuck out her tongue and rolled her eyes at Andrew. She was just talking big—deep down, she was actually proud of him. Andrew chuckled. "Mr. Aicker, Fran, come sit down. There's something I want to discuss with the Aicker family." Then, he turned to Nyla and said, "Nyla, could you bring us some tea?" Nyla grinned. "Got it!
The elderly patients continued showering Cedric and Francesca with gratitude. In Jayrodale, the Aicker family had long earned a stellar reputation in the medical field. When Nyla spotted Andrew walking in, her eyes lit up with excitement. "Dr. Lloyd—no, Andrew, you're here!" Under Andrew's firm insistence, she had finally stopped addressing him so formally. Andrew smiled. "Yeah, I'm here. How's your health? Are you feeling better?" Nyla grinned. "Way better! I don't feel any pain at all anymore. The supplements you prescribed worked like a miracle!" Andrew nodded. "Go grab me a chair. I'll take over for Mr. Aicker so he can rest for a bit." Nyla waved her hands frantically. "No way! Andrew, you've already been working all day. You should be the one resting. I'll tell Mr. Aicker to take a break instead!" Andrew shook his head. "I'm fine. Just make sure Mr. Aicker gets some rest—I'll handle the remaining patients so we can close up soon." Seeing that Andrew would not take
Tiana let out a cold scoff. "What do you know? Andrew's strength is far beyond what you and the rest of your generation can even comprehend! If I hadn't stepped in today, he wouldn't have beaten you half to death." Howard clenched his teeth. "Fine, maybe I can't beat him—but our Lambert family isn't afraid of him." Tiana sneered. "Still clinging to your family name for protection? Pathetic. Let me ask you this—when Andrew made his move, who was backing him? Did he have anyone supporting him? He walked in alone, and yet he crushed you—and that useless fool Michael—without breaking a sweat." She shook her head with disappointment. "Watching you weaklings struggle is honestly embarrassing for the Lambert family. But Marvin managed to cultivate someone this powerful. That's something I can't afford to ignore." For once, there was a rare trace of exhaustion in Tiana's voice, as if the weight of the situation was finally getting to her. Howard was too stunned to even be upset at her
Lauren chuckled. "So tell me, how did you figure out that Mom felt guilty?" Andrew smirked. "It's simple—she was furious that Howard let himself get used by Michael. Think about it. Someone as high up as Mrs. Rhodes—would she ever tolerate someone messing with her people? That's a slap to her face." He added, "But she held herself back because someone of her status—someone who practically runs Rhodes Corporation—wouldn't lower herself to go after Michael directly. On top of that, Michael has her trust, at least on the surface. "So, with no other option, she had to swallow her pride. She knew she was in the wrong, so she let me go without another word and just took Howard with her." Marcus nodded thoughtfully. "That actually makes a lot of sense, Mr. Lloyd. If that's the case, then Mrs. Rhodes must be seriously displeased with Michael." Andrew leaned back in his chair, speaking at a leisurely pace. "It's more than just 'displeased'. Think about it—Michael's incompetence is obv