Rising from the Ashes (Andrew and Lauren)

Christina said calmly, "I would never sell my body in exchange for wealth and status. But you and Mom aren't wrong-Finley is someone I can take advantage of. Aspen is useless now, so I'll be the one to take over this alliance with Finley."

Irene beamed with excitement. "Then what are we waiting for? Christie, call him right now and invite him over for dinner. I'll cook a feast myself—we have to treat him well!"

Christina hesitated. "Inviting him to the house might not be the best idea. I think it'd be better to meet at a restaurant instead."

Irene quickly objected, "A restaurant? That won't show enough sincerity! Think about it, Christie. If we invite Finley to our home, it sends a message that we value him. Once he's in a good mood, he'll be much easier to manipulate!"

Leroy chimed in, "Exactly, Christie! Have him come over-I can drink with him too. As long as we keep him happy, you won't even have to sacrifice yourself. We can just use Finley's influence as our family's safety net!"

Christina nodded. "Alright then, we'll have him over."noveldrama

Without wasting time, she took out her phone and dialed Finley's number.

...

Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Andrew dragged Aspen into Natasha's West End headquarters.

"Mr. Lloyd, and Ms. Aspen, please have a seat!" The Westside crew was extremely polite, welcoming Andrew and offering them tea.

Andrew chuckled as he sat down. "She's just a servant now-she can stand. No need to ruin the rules."

Aspen had just been about to sit when her body froze. Humiliation and rage flashed in her eyes, but she did not dare say a word. Instead, she clenched her hands into tight fists and remained standing.

Life was unpredictable. Not long ago, she was the proud daughter of the Stevens family in Bridgefields—an untouchable heiress adored wherever she went.

After coming to Jayrodale, she had looked down on Andrew at every turn, seeing him as nothing more than an eyesore. She was convinced that crushing him would be effortless.

But now? Aspen's pride had been shattered. Andrew had nearly wiped out her entire family, flipping her world upside down in an instant. She felt like fate had been especially cruel to her.

She wondered why she had to cross paths with this devil at the peak of her youth when she had the most ambition.

"Where's Natasha?" Andrew asked, paying no attention to Aspen's furious and humiliated expression.

Conan, who was highly respected among Natasha's crew, smiled and replied, "Mr. Lloyd, she just got back. She's checking on the new recruits to see how their training is going."

Andrew nodded. "You've been using the serum I gave you, right? How's it working out?"

Conan's grin stretched from ear to ear. "It's incredible! At my age, I had already given up on advancing in martial arts. But this serum you made it's absolutely miraculous! It's nothing like the countless tonics and remedies I spent half my life searching for!"

Andrew smirked. "Glad to hear it's working."

Aspen, who had been standing silently, suddenly lifted her head, her face filled

with shock. "Andrew, you can make serums for martial artists?"

Andrew's expression turned cold. "I'll give you one chance to rephrase that."

Aspen gritted her teeth in anger. After taking two deep breaths to suppress her frustration, she forced herself to say, "Mr. Lloyd, may ask if you can formulate serums for martial artists?"

Andrew chuckled. "Why the hell does that concern you?" "Hey!" Aspen nearly bit through her own lip in frustration.

UT

She finally understood that Andrew truly saw her as nothing more than a servant. No, worse than that. He was treating her like a slave. Nonetheless, that was indeed the choice she made in exchange for her family's safety.