"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
Yet, of all the fearless, reckless men they had encountered, neither Aspen nor Chantelle had ever seen anyone as stubbornly arrogant as Andrew. Both women were completely stunned, wondering where he even got the guts to say things like that. In this world, commoners fear officials—but officials? They fear the men with guns—the military. However, here was Andrew, treating a colonel like Xavier as if he were worthless weeds. It was utter madness—like a sparrow challenging an eagle, a lamb taunting a wolf. It was sheer recklessness bordering on suicide. With a thunderous swoosh, Xavier's massive broadsword came crashing down with enough force to split boulders and level trees. Just the murderous pressure from that swing made Chantelle's face go pale. She was starting to doubt if she could even stand up to Xavier herself. After all, Andrew looked like he was about to be torn in half by that blade. What infuriated her even more was that, at the height of danger, Andrew just st
"Colonel Haywood, you know full well that with your rank and position, you can't just go around killing people on a whim," Chantelle warned coldly. She added, "Besides, your friend Andarov used banned weaponry on Holtrien soil, which is a serious offense. You can be sure Mr. McCormick won't just let that slide." Left with no other option, Chantelle had to drop Derek's name to try to rein Xavier in. However, Xavier was not intimidated at all. His voice dripped with venom as he said, "Ms. Garcia, I respect Mr. McCormick—he governs this province, and I'll give him that. But do you think the Haywoods' name should be trampled like dirt? Especially by some no-name punk who doesn't know his place? "I'll chop him into pieces, and if I have to, I'll apologize to Mr. McCormick myself. But with the military accolades I've earned, the Haywood family's backing, and my deep ties in the defense department, killing this bug wouldn't even cause a blip on the radar." Chantelle's stomach twiste
Chantelle sneered, "All in all, you're just an ordinary man, a slave to your desires with a pathetically mediocre mind." She had finally caught an opening to hit Andrew where it hurt, and she was not about to waste it. Andrew chuckled. "Ms. Garcia, you really do live up to your title as a master of psychology. You got most of it right. But you still missed one tiny detail—like the fact that, right now, I've got a very clear image of your naked body in my mind." The bluntness of that line stunned Chantelle, and her expression twisted in outrage. She snapped, "Andrew! That was in the past—how dare you bring it up like it's nothing? Aren't you worried I'll kill you?" The usually cold woman was genuinely furious now. Andrew shrugged lazily. "I'm sitting right here, wounded and unarmed. Go ahead, kill me. But even if you did, you still wouldn't erase the fact that you once stripped bare in front of me." Chantelle raised her hand in fury but forced herself to lower it again with
Andrew was sitting on the lawn outside Serenity Villa, watching the crew from The Sovereign Residences repair his home. After the attack last night, it was a miracle the place was still standing—if the villa had not been built to the highest security standards, it would have been reduced to nothing but ash and rubble by the Srovika Federation mercenaries. Felix Daughtry, the security captain from The Sovereign Residences, a semi-martial king-level fighter, walked over with a grim expression and reported, "Mr. Lloyd, Serenity Villa took quite a hit. Full restoration might be difficult." Andrew glanced at him and said coldly, "I want it restored exactly as it was, and not just that—The Sovereign Residences will need to compensate me for all damages, including emotional distress. If that's too much, then I don't want the house anymore. I'll go to the press and let the world know just how useless your brand really is." Felix's face darkened, turning almost pitch black with anger. H
Since the night before, Xavier had been fully suited in military attire, standing vigilant and sleepless. He gripped a massive broadsword, and when the butler spoke, his voice was ice-cold. "Don't worry. Andarov won't fail me. That bastard Andrew is as good as dead." Though those were his words, doubt lingered in Xavier's mind. After all, Andarov never took this long to finish a kill. Nonetheless, the sun was rising—he should be back any minute now. Andarov, commander of the Blood Wolf Mercenaries, was ruthless and battle-hardened. Xavier met him while stationed overseas, and after several missions together, they became close allies. "With the entire Blood Wolf squad under him, it doesn't matter if Andrew has bodyguards. He won't last five minutes," Xavier sneered, confident. He was already planning the next steps—hold Seth's memorial as soon as Andarov returned, then introduce him to Luna to score even more clout. Having a famous international mercenary as a personal friend? E
At the Golding family estate, Elon exclaimed in disbelief, "What did you just say? Black Wolf is dead?" The butler, face tight with unease, replied, "Yes, sir. Early this morning, his body was found dumped in the sewer. The cause of death matched the last group of assassins perfectly. There's no doubt that it was Andrew who killed him." Elon's expression darkened instantly. "Even Black Wolf failed and ended up dead? Andrew... you've clearly been hiding more strength than we thought." The butler nodded gravely. "Sir, that man is definitely not some pawn on the board. Not only is Black Wolf gone, but the Srovika Federation mercenary commander the Haywoods brought in also died at Serenity Villa." Elon gasped. "Even Xavier's overseas hitman got wiped out? Are you absolutely sure?" The old butler's brow twitched. "Completely sure. This morning, both bodies—Black Wolf and the mercenary captain—were found side by side in the sewer on Blumedale's main street." Elon clenched his ja
On the ground, Black Wolf writhed in pain, howling in disbelief. He finally understood why that last squad of heavily armed mercenaries had vanished without a trace after storming Serenity Villa. This place was not just a house—it was a damn death trap. "Who sent you to kill me?" Andrew asked calmly as he twirled the dagger Black Wolf had dropped. Pinned down by Natasha and Dylan, Black Wolf was drenched in sweat, his shattered legs leaving him gasping in agony. He growled, "Why the hell should I tell you? You should know exactly who you've pissed off. Even if I'm in your hands, kid, if you lay a finger on me, the consequences—" Andrew did not let him finish. Instead, he drove the blade straight into Black Wolf's chest. Whatever threat Black Wolf was about to spit out died on his tongue. His eyes bulged in shock before his head slumped to the side—dead. "If you didn't have the sense to act like a prisoner, then I did you a favor and sent you straight to hell. Next time, try
Aspen could not help leaning closer to see what Andrew was doing. To her surprise, his breathing was steady—he was already asleep. She stared at him, both amused and annoyed as she thought, 'I'm lying right next to him, and he still manages to fall asleep? Am I not attractive enough? Or does this guy just not find me worth the effort?' That split second of realization triggered an unexpected wave of disappointment and frustration in her. … Meanwhile, outside Serenity Villa, a black figure moved silently across the ruined outer wall, climbing with inhuman ease. It was Black Wolf—Elon's secret weapon, a top-tier assassin with a reputation to match. A matte-finished blade dangled from his lips as he surveyed the building, swiftly memorizing the layout of the damaged villa. He was not alone. At least a dozen other men hid in the dark, surrounding the perimeter and lying in wait. Nonetheless, they were not predators, at least not to him. He scoffed, thinking, 'They're the bait,
Through the second half of the night, Serenity Villa remained eerily quiet. Chantelle stepped out from her lookout post and announced, "Looks like no one else is coming tonight. Everyone should get some rest." Andrew stopped her. "Hold up. You all stay on watch—I'll go rest." Chantelle narrowed her eyes. "Are you giving me orders like I'm your subordinate?" Andrew responded calmly, "Not at all. I just want to isolate myself and draw the next assassin in alone." Chantelle frowned. "So, you're planning to be alone in a room and give the assassin a shot at you? You're using yourself as bait?" Andrew replied, "Exactly. One mercenary commander from the Srovika Federation is dead, but with the Haywoods and Goldings both after my head, there's no way they'd just send one decent hitter and be done." Chantelle nodded. "That… makes sense. But you're injured. What happens if something unexpected comes up? Can you really handle it?" Before Andrew could answer, Aspen blurted, "It's