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Chapter 536
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Rising from the Ashes Chapter 537
Andrew's calm yet defiant words caused an uproar among the gathered crowd. Michael, seething with anger, was on the verge of losing his temper. Meanwhile, the senior members of Rhodes Corporation exchanged sneering glances. "Andrew, you're just a lowly board member, yet you dare act all high and mighty in front of Mrs. Rhodes? You must have a death wish!" "Exactly. Forget being the fifth board member—do you remember when the third board member, who also chaired the Jayrodale Chamber of Commerce, dared to cross Mrs. Rhodes? He was nearly beaten senseless and left crawling out of here like a worm!" "In the Rhodes family's company, you bow, or you break. And Mrs. Rhodes isn't just the matriarch—her status is leagues above what you could ever understand." Tiana's frosty gaze locked onto Andrew, her presence radiating silent authority. Lauren's face tensed, and she quickly stepped in front of Andrew. "Mom, Mr. Lloyd just recently joined the company. He's not yet familiar with al
Rising from the Ashes Chapter 538
Tiana scanned the room, her icy gaze sweeping over the high-ranking executives, and not one of them dared to meet her eyes. "One final matter—effective immediately, I'll take over the position of CEO at Rhodes Corporation," she announced, her tone devoid of emotion. "And if there are any more incompetents like Troy causing chaos, I won't just send them to prison. I'll make sure they're permanently dealt with." Her cold words sent shivers through the room, leaving the executives visibly uneasy. The ones who had aligned themselves with Michael looked particularly pale, their faces betraying their mounting anxiety. Tiana stepping in as CEO spelled doom for Michael, and if he lost power, they knew they would suffer alongside him. Michael's expression darkened as he forced himself to speak. "Aunt Tiana, if you're taking over as CEO… then what happens to me?" Tiana waved dismissively. "You'll return to your previous role as vice CEO and continue overseeing the departments you've b
Rising from the Ashes Chapter 539
Lauren tugged lightly on Andrew's sleeve, her voice low and cautious. "Dr. Lloyd, let it go. She despises anyone questioning her decisions." Michael let out a mocking laugh, his tone dripping with disdain. "Andrew, you've got some nerve! Aunt Tiana isn't just the Rhodes family's matriarch; she now holds absolute authority over this corporation. And you think you can strut in here, questioning her with your puny board member title like it's some golden ticket?" The other executives quickly joined in, eager to pile on. "Mr. Lloyd, it was one thing for you to act high and mighty before, but you're out of line speaking this way to Mrs. Rhodes." "Clearly, Mr. Lloyd doesn't grasp Mrs. Rhodes' power. Let me enlighten you—one word from her, and your precious board position is history." "Mrs. Rhodes shouldn't waste her time on this clown. If not for Ms. Rhodes shielding him, who knows how much trouble he'd have caused by now?" Tiana remained calm, her icy demeanor unshaken as her sh
Rising from the Ashes Chapter 540
Michael warned through gritted teeth, "Andrew, Aunt Tiana is gracious enough to let this slide, but you'd better watch your mouth. The first time might be luck, but the second time? Even if she spares you, I certainly won't." Andrew glanced at him with a faint smirk and said, "Michael, you're no longer the CEO, so stop pretending to be someone important in front of me. Let's face it, you're just a washed-up vice CEO now, only capable of managing a few departments. As a board member, I answer to the company, not you." Michael's face turned crimson with anger, but he could not find a rebuttal. Stripped of his CEO title, he no longer had the authority to give Andrew orders. Ignoring Michael's silent fury, Andrew turned his attention to Tiana and said firmly, "Troy made mistakes and deserves to be held accountable. But throwing him into prison at the drop of a hat makes the Rhodes family seem cold and ruthless. After years of loyalty, handling him this way feels unnecessarily harsh a
Rising from the Ashes Chapter 541
Andrew smiled faintly and said, "Mrs. Rhodes, your wisdom is admirable. Allow me to elaborate further on what it truly means to uphold fairness and justice with clear rewards and punishments." "First," Andrew continued, "the punishment for Michael is far too lenient. Given the gravity of his mistake, there's no need for further deliberation—he should be immediately reassigned to a lower department. Making him a department manager or supervisor would suffice. Letting him keep a supervisory role is already plenty generous." Michael's anger flared, barely restrained. He felt as though Andrew was stabbing him in the heart. A department manager or supervisor? That was a massive demotion, pushing him miles away from ever reaching the CEO position. The audacity of Andrew to suggest such a punishment felt like a public flogging. Tiana, with a cold sneer, interjected, "You've spoken about punishments. Now, isn't it time to talk about the rewards you think are warranted?" Andrew, unfazed
Rising from the Ashes Chapter 542
Andrew snorted coldly. "I said I'd help you get justice, and I always keep my word." Turning to Tiana, Andrew continued, "The former director of the Pharmaceutical Division was Mr. Chapman. But Michael, using a fabricated excuse, removed Mr. Chapman from his position and replaced him with one of his cronies. "With tactics like that, it's no surprise that Rhodes Corporation's Pharmaceutical Division ended up in such a mess. There's only one phrase for this: they deserved it." Michael's face contorted with rage. "Andrew, instead of thinking about how to help the company recover its losses, are you going to just stand here and make sarcastic remarks?" Andrew glanced at him dismissively. "Trash is trash. If you can't handle criticism after making a mistake, you might as well just end it all by smashing your head against the wall." Tiana smirked playfully. "You've said all that, so you're implying you want me to give the position of director of the Pharmaceutical Division back to
Rising from the Ashes Chapter 543
Andrew maintained his composure and said, "I wouldn't call it singing my own praises, but if there's merit, then rewards must follow. Troy's leak of the formula, and the Weller family's previous schemes against Rhodes Pharmaceutical—if I may say so, I contributed significantly to resolving those issues." Pausing briefly, Andrew dropped a bombshell, "I don't dare ask for much, but Madam, why not make me the CEO of Rhodes Corporation?" The moment those words left his mouth, it wasn't just Michael and his loyal supporters who were stunned—Lauren herself was left speechless. Andrew wanted to be the CEO of the corporation? Wasn't that an ambition far too bold? Michael's face twisted in fury. "Andrew, you really have no shame, do you? CEO of Rhodes Corporation? Why not go all the way and just rename the company to Lloyd Corporation while you're at it?" Andrew replied earnestly, "Mr. Rhodes, while that idea is brilliant, it doesn't align with ethical principles. So I'm afraid I must
Rising from the Ashes Chapter 544
"I'm an outsider, so it's fine if Mrs. Rhodes doesn't reward me, Ms. Rhodes hasn't even been promoted in the slightest. It seems the corruption within Rhodes Corporation is quite thorough," Andrew said. Tiana was truly enraged this time. "Andrew, watch your tongue! Do you even realize that not even Marvin, the man behind you, would dare speak to me like this?" Andrew replied indifferently, "If Mrs. Rhodes can do as she pleases, why can't others speak their minds? If you want to shut me up, then just go ahead and distribute the rewards fairly. Give Ms. Rhodes what she deserves without delay." Tiana, clearly exasperated, gritted her teeth. "Lauren is my biological daughter. What she's due, I'll never withhold from her. Fine. I'll satisfy your little scheme. Lauren will be the first priority candidate for the CEO position. Is that enough for you now?" Andrew smiled. "Mrs. Rhodes is fair and just, as expected from the matriarch of Rhodes Corporation. I'm impressed." Tiana snorted
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Rising from the Ashes Chapter 1146
Chantelle said with a smirk. "The moment he found out something happened to you, the look on his face could've scared someone to death." Aspen froze for a second, her heart thumping wildly as she glanced at Andrew walking just ahead. She could not help but wonder if Andrew actually cared whether she lived or died. Chantelle gave a half-smile, half-sigh. "Mr. Lloyd sure seems emotionally invested in you, Ms. Stevens. But, if you don't mind me overstepping—there's something off in your head." Aspen blinked. "Excuse me? Ms. Garcia, what do you mean by that?" Chantelle chuckled softly. "I majored in psychology, both undergrad and grad school. Even with just a little observation, I'd say you're showing classic signs of Stockholm syndrome." Aspen's lips parted slightly, but no words came out. Chantelle studied her with a piercing gaze. "And I can tell you're an intelligent woman. You know you're getting deeper and deeper emotionally involved. But deep down… you don't actually want
Rising from the Ashes Chapter 1145
"Y-You actually dared to kill someone?" Chantelle stormed up to Andrew, her chest heaving with rage as she shouted, "You do know that murder is a crime, right?" Andrew replied flatly, "Then go ahead and arrest me. But you saw it too—this dead mutt barged into my company with a gang of thugs and trashed the place. He kidnapped my secretary, tortured her, and tried to get away with it." Chantelle fumed. "You had every right to fight back, but you had no right to kill him, do you understand?" Andrew's voice sharpened with impatience. "Ms. Garcia, that's enough! So what if I killed him? The guy came stomping into my space, and I'm supposed to just roll over and play dead?" Chantelle let out a bitter laugh and hissed, "Andrew, Mr. McCormick favored you. You've got incredible medical skills, and in Blumedale, you were this close to making your mark. "You had a bright future ahead of you—respect, success, everything within reach. But why would you throw it all away like this? Don't y
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Andrew hissed, "This third slap? No reason at all. I just don't like the look of your face and feel like beating you to death. And this fourth one's for your parents—since they clearly failed to raise you, I'll handle it for them." After the string of brutal slaps, Seth's head was spinning. His ears rang like sirens, and his vision started going black around the edges. "Andrew… I swear…" he gasped, his voice shaky. "I'll kill you. I'll kill you, you arrogant bastard!" However, just as he spat out his threat, a blood-curdling scream ripped from his throat—Andrew had suddenly snapped five of his fingers. "Keep going," Andrew said coldly, his voice like a death sentence. Seth's mouth bled as he glared up with bloodshot eyes. "You're dead. You're so fucking dead… "How dare you treat me like this? My family—everyone in the Haywoods—they'll never let this slide!" His scream pitched into hysteria as Andrew crushed the remaining five fingers on his other hand, rendering both of Se
Rising from the Ashes Chapter 1143
"You're asking for death!" One of the older Haywood enforcers snarled and launched a palm strike toward Andrew's head. "Get out of my way," Andrew growled without even sparing the man a glance, throwing a punch sideways in one smooth motion. The man, a peak senior grandmaster, flew backward, his face contorted in shock and disbelief. His arm, which had met Andrew's punch, shattered instantly. He hit the ground hard, screaming in agony while clutching the mangled remains of his limb. That brief moment of destruction was enough to jolt Seth out of his daze. He started stumbling backward and screamed, "All of you, attack him now! Kill that bastard!" Yet, no one moved. The Haywood men froze, their faces pale with fear, looking at Andrew like they were staring at a monster. They backed away instinctively, their courage completely drained. It was not just fear—it was terror that ran bone-deep. Andrew's strikes were lethal and merciless, each blow either killing or disabling instan
Rising from the Ashes Chapter 1142
Aspen said through gritted teeth, "I'll never submit to any men. If you try to force yourself on me, I swear I'll die before I let that happen!" Seth's temper flared. "Even now, you're still rejecting me? Still looking down on me?" Aspen shot him a cold glare. "Damn right I am. Seth, if you weren't part of the Haywoods, what the hell would you even be worth?" Seth roared, "You think I'm worthless?! Then what about Andrew? That bastard—what the hell is he supposed to be?" Aspen let out a scornful laugh. "You clearly have no idea how terrifying Andrew really is. You wanna know what he is? Let me tell you—when it comes to combat, to medicine, to tactics, he's way out of your league. You're not even in the same universe." Seth's lips twisted into a manic grin. "Yeah, yeah, he's amazing. Sure, he's got skills. But no matter how good he is, he's still just a bug to me! This is Blumedale—we play by my rules here. And I don't care if that bastard has nine lives, he's dying tonight!"
Rising from the Ashes Chapter 1141
Aspen's hands were bound tightly behind her back, with the ropes crossing in front of her chest, pushing her curves into full display. "Seth, you're absolutely insane," she shouted, her voice full of fury. "Do you even realize we're working for Mr. McCormick right now?" She struggled hard, but the ropes did not budge at all. Meanwhile, a dozen enforcers from the Haywoods' private club stormed Supreme Capital Group's office space and smashed everything to pieces. Seth was grinning as he gripped Aspen's chin, his fingers digging in so hard that pain twisted across her face. He sneered, "Save your strength, Aspen. So what if you're working for Mr. McCormick? Let's be real—Andrew is just that man's lapdog." "Remember when you first got to Blumedale, the day we met?" His voice dropped low as he leaned closer. "From the second I saw you, I made up my mind—I was going to make you mine." Then, without warning, he slapped her across the face, hard. "But you little bitch, you just d
Rising from the Ashes Chapter 1140
"No, that's not my kink." Chantelle's voice was sharp as she glared at him with clenched teeth. "I just figured that if you were stupid enough to try something on me, I'd finally have a reason to end you myself." Andrew raised a brow, still amused. "Can I ask… have you ever actually dated anyone before?" Her tone went cold. "Once. It didn't last." "Only once?" Andrew said, surprised. "Sounds like the guy couldn't keep up." Chantelle gave a humorless laugh. "He couldn't. Before we got together, I made the rules clear—no touching without permission. But that jerk was even worse than you. "The moment we were official, he tried to grab my chest and whispered disgusting things. So I broke both his arms, shattered his legs, and dumped him into the water." Andrew winced. "So… you killed the guy?" She scoffed. "I wanted to. Unfortunately, he got lucky. Some fishing boat pulled him out of the water before he drowned." Andrew shook his head. "Still can't figure out how Mr. McCormi
Rising from the Ashes Chapter 1139
"Not many people have legs that can rival yours," Andrew admitted, gaze trailing down. "But as it happens, I know one. Lauren Rhodes—the Rhodes family's eldest daughter. Her legs are… something else." Chantelle narrowed her eyes. "I've heard of her. But you're talking like you've seen them for yourself." Andrew smirked. "Oh, I haven't just seen them. I've felt them." Their back-and-forth continued as Chantelle's layers disappeared one by one until she stood in only her undergarments. She took a deep breath, wanting desperately to disappear. After all, it was the final layer, and her private parts would be exposed. Andrew's voice cut in, calm as ever. "If I may suggest… start with the top." Chantelle glared. "Why?" He replied evenly, "Because if I'm not impressed, I might not ask for anything more." Surprisingly, that made some kind of warped sense. If this shameless man found her average, maybe—just maybe—she would not have to bare it all. Chantelle took a breath, bit
Rising from the Ashes Chapter 1138
Just the word 'strip' was enough to make Chantelle's face instantly flush a deep red. She never imagined that one day, she would be forced to strip in front of a man, especially one she had always looked down on and dismissed without a second thought. She noticed Andrew adjusting a phone on a stand nearby, and a sudden wave of dread washed over her. "What are you doing? Don't tell me you're planning to record this," she said, her voice sharp with suspicion. Andrew nodded with satisfaction, checking the perfect angle on his phone. "Of course. A beautiful moment like this deserves to be captured. This way, I can replay it whenever I feel nostalgic." Chantelle's eyes flared with anger and embarrassment. "You're lucky I'm even letting you look. Recording it? Forget it." Andrew shrugged casually. "I knew you'd say that. That's why the setup's just for show. Now… your performance, if you would." He leaned against the doorway, arms crossed, expression smug. Chantelle's fingers tr
