Finley's expression darkened as he sneered, "The Stevens family really doesn't know what's good for them. What's wrong with me taking Christina? I'm a top disciple of the Hidden Dragons. She should consider it an honor!" Leroy's heart pounded with panic. He grabbed Finley's sleeve, forcing a smile as he pleaded, "Mr. Moore, please, listen to me—just hear me out. This is my home. You making a move on Christie is just too much. "Let's take this outside. Whatever kind of fun you're looking for, I'll pay for it. I guarantee you and your men will have a great time." His stomach churned with regret. Just hours ago, he thought befriending Finley and making him his brother-in-law would be smart. Now, he wished he could go back in time and beat some sense into himself. Leroy wanted nothing more than to find the courage to put a bullet in Finley's head. Nevertheless, wanting and doing were two different things—and he simply was not brave enough. His desperate attempt to pull Finley awa
'No!' Leroy screamed in his head, his entire body trembling. On the other side of the room, Christina clutched her face, tears streaming down her cheeks as her clothes were ripped apart by Finley. He grabbed one of her flailing legs and dragged her toward the couch. Despair flooded her face—this was it. They had invited the wolves into their home and brought this humiliation upon themselves. Their family never learned, and they always had to push until disaster struck. "Stop! Stop right now!" A deep, commanding voice thundered from the doorway—Douglas had arrived. Finley, irritated at the interruption, turned and sneered. "Old man, get the hell out of here before I break every brittle bone in your body." Douglas took one look at the scene in the living room, and his face contorted in fury. His voice boomed with rage. "You filthy animals! Do you think the Stevens family is defenseless? I'm warning you—I already called Andy. The second he gets here, you're all dead!" Finley s
The second Finley and his men bolted, Leroy collapsed to the ground and vomited violently, gagging as he emptied his stomach. It was not enough—he shoved his fingers down his throat, forcing himself to puke even more. He kept going, dry heaving until there was nothing left inside him, until he lay on the cold floor, gasping for breath like a dying animal. "Finley… you Hidden Dragons bastards… you forced me to drink piss… I swear, I'll kill every single one of you!" The sheer humiliation of it made Leroy's blood boil as he clenched his fists and slammed them into the ground. Douglas, trembling with rage, walked up to Christina, his face as dark as a storm cloud. Christina hurriedly pulled her torn clothes together, her lips trembling. "Grandpa…" Douglas struck her across the face hard. "You disgraceful fool! You're the CEO of a company, the face of the Stevens family! And yet, look at what you've done—inviting wolves into your home, practically throwing yourself into their j
Christina wiped her tears and shook her head. "Grandpa, stop hitting Mom. I'm fine!" Douglas finally lowered his hand and let out a long, exhausted sigh as he sank onto the couch. Irene, still shaken, crawled toward Leroy, her face full of panic when she saw him lying motionless on the floor. "Leroy, are you okay? Please, don't scare me like this—what did those bastards do to you?" Tears of humiliation welled in Leroy's eyes as he suddenly threw his arms around Irene, sobbing. "Mom, I don't want to live anymore! I want to jump off a building! I'll never be clean again!" A terrible thought flashed through Irene's mind, making her heart drop. She immediately reached out, checking his body with trembling hands. "Leroy, did those monsters… did they do that to you?" Her voice cracked as she struggled to get the words out. "Did they… violate you?" If Leroy had been assaulted like that, she had no idea how she would even begin to comfort him. Leroy shook his head but continued s
Douglas shot Irene a cold glance and sneered. "You fool. Your brain is filled with nothing but greed and shallow ambition—have you ever thought beyond that? You, Leroy, and Christina are all blind to who Andrew truly is and his potential. "Only I saw it. Your arrogant daughter? She was lucky to be with him—she was the one reaching up, not the other way around. But now, it's too late. You let a wonderful man slip through your fingers. "The Stevens family had a chance to rise, and you all threw it away. You deserve your downfall." His voice was filled with regret and disappointment. Christina clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms. "Grandpa, listen to me—Stevens Corporation will still thrive, even without Andrew. I just need time." Douglas scoffed, disinterested, as he stood up and walked toward the door. "Christie, you're just a woman; I know exactly how capable you are. So do me a favor—stop wasting your time fighting meaningless battles and making reckless choi
Leroy clutched his head, shouting, "I can't live like this anymore!" His body shook as he sobbed harder than any woman ever could. His broad shoulders trembled uncontrollably, his entire frame wracked with helplessness. Christina stood frozen, staring at her mother and brother. The sheer terror and despair in their eyes made her chest tighten, leaving a bitter taste in her mouth. She had never wanted to admit it, never wanted to acknowledge that she was weak or that the Stevens family was weak. She always believed that, with her talent and hard work, she could catch up to Andrew and maybe even surpass him someday. However, the reality was brutal. Just the mention of Andrew's name had been enough to send the Hidden Dragons running in terror. Finley had practically pissed himself and bolted. If it had not been for Andrew's reputation, Christina would be dead by now—Finley would have destroyed her. "You think just begging him, kneeling before him, will make him take you back?"
Andrew was not in a hurry. Before heading to Rhodes Corporation, he made a quick stop at Natasha's place. Just in time, he caught sight of Aspen changing into a training outfit. Her toned figure and long, straight legs were stretched taut as she trained. The moment Aspen saw Andrew, her attacks on the training dummy became even fiercer. First came the elbow strike and sweeping kick, then a relentless barrage of punches straight to the dummy's face! "Take this! And this!" Aspen shouted, her fists slamming into the dummy over and over again. It was obvious that she was imagining the dummy as Andrew. Natasha strolled over with a smirk and said, "She's certainly training hard, darling, but let me remind you—women can be the definition of ruthless." She continued, "Take Aspen, for example, or the heiress of the Bridgefields' Stevens family. The more you crush her, the more she'll hate you. Hatred fuels ambition. If she ever grows strong enough, she might just turn against you." A
Andrew chuckled, finding her words utterly lame. "You always say that, but you don't even know when 'someday' will be, do you?" Aspen froze, her face flushing red. Of course, she refused to admit defeat out loud, but deep down, she was suffocating with the realization that there might never be a 'someday'. Even if there was, she could not see a single shred of hope that she would ever turn the tables on Andrew. Right now, his power was so overwhelming that it seemed impossible for her to reach the same level. Moreover, it was not just his insane combat skills—it was the way he toyed with people, the way he always had control, that truly made her shudder. Andrew's smile faded, and his tone turned serious. "You're familiar with Blumedale, right?" Aspen was caught off guard but reluctantly answered, "Bridgefields is right next to Blumedale. I basically grew up there, so yeah, I know it well." Andrew nodded. "Good. Pack up—you're heading there soon." Aspen's eyes widened. "You'
"He's my sworn brother, then standing up for him—no matter the cost—is only right," Logan said firmly. Elon's face instantly darkened, and deep inside, a gnawing jealousy bubbled up. Despite being the most low-key of the Five Apex Families' younger generation, Logan was arguably the most terrifying. He was about to take over the Keller family, a rising powerhouse. The Haywoods had Xavier—young, sharp, and fierce in combat. The Wrights had Quinton—manipulative, cunning, and notorious for his ruthlessness. But Elon? He was… just Elon. He was overweight, lacked presence, and had just been publicly humiliated when word spread that his wife had cheated on him. His reputation was already slipping, and now he had become the joke of Blumedale's elite circle. Still, no matter how pathetic things seemed, Elon believed he was far better than the man Andrew was. In his eyes, they were not even in the same league. So, it burned him even more to see Logan—someone he had always tried to i
"Logan, don't you know Andrew killed my younger brother?" Xavier shouted furiously. It was understandable for Luna to speak up. After all, the Phelans owed Andrew a small favor—but now even the Keller family was interfering. If this continued, Andrew would not just remain unharmed; he would likely rise to prominence in Blumedale. Andrew's rise would be a direct slap in the face to the Haywoods, humiliating them beyond redemption. Roy spoke grimly, "Logan, you're set to lead the Keller family. You should know better than to blur right and wrong. Andrew repeatedly humiliated the Haywoods and even murdered Seth. Do you expect us to swallow such a huge insult?" Logan replied calmly, "Mr. Haywood Senior, you know exactly why things turned out this way. I hate to say it, but Seth brought his death upon himself. Andrew may be impulsive, but he's done nothing wrong in my eyes." "I'll say this only once: if the Haywoods continue their vendetta against him, the Keller family won't stan
Xavier said, "Uncle Jude, you're in charge of internal discipline. My request is simple—either throw those losers out of the Haywoods and make them manage some backwater branch, or I'll kill them myself. And I doubt anyone in the family would object." Jude's eyelids twitched violently as he cursed the brats under his breath. Out loud, though, he nodded quickly and replied, "Don't worry, Xavier. I'll make sure they're kicked out of the family for good. They won't even get close to the front gate again." Xavier snorted and walked off, leaving Jude staring at his back, shaking his head. Jude muttered to himself, "Xavier… you really are the pride of the Haywoods. But you're spoiled by your status. With your father as the family head and all the elders favoring you, you've always kept the other branches under your heel. "That's understandable since you're the future heir and our strongest fighter among the younger generations. But the fact remains—you made a public promise and faile
Tiana had already been urging Andrew to make a trip to the Rhodes residence. With his current matters finally settled, Andrew made his way there. … Meanwhile, back at the Haywood residence, the funeral was underway. The place was shrouded in white—the last rites for Seth. It should have been a major event, but the atmosphere among the Haywoods was lifeless. No one looked remotely interested, and many of the younger members were outright slacking off, hiding in corners, smoking, drinking, and chatting. Someone whispered, "Xavier's the eldest son of the Haywoods and a damn colonel in the military, yet he couldn't even bring back Andrew's head? What a letdown." Another chimed in, "No kidding. Seth got taken out like that, which is a direct slap to the Haywoods' face." "Honestly, I've never seen our family this humiliated. Xavier even said he'd kill Andrew within three days or take his own life. Big talk for someone who came back empty-handed…" After just a few gulps of alco
Aspen and Chantelle both gasped in disbelief. They could not believe that Andrew had just toyed with Luna like she was some puppy. He offered her a treat, dangled it right in front of her face, and then yanked it back when she reached for it. Anyone with an ounce of pride would have snapped—and Luna Phelan was not just anyone. "Playing games on a razor's edge… Andrew, I'll be watching," Luna said coldly. "I'll watch how you destroy yourself." Her expression turned colder than it had been even when confronting Xavier.With one sharp step, she kicked up a gust of wind and vanished into the air. It was a clear sign that she was not just leaving, she was unleashing her fury. "That footwork was terrifying," Chantelle muttered. Even Aspen looked shaken. "Keep acting like this, Andrew, and someone's gonna hack you into pieces one day!" Chantelle snapped. After one last angry glare, she stormed off too. Aspen did not have quite the same fire in her. This demon of a man was hear
Luna turned around, clearly reluctant to even look at Andrew, and said flatly, "I can save you once, maybe even twice—but not a third time. To be precise, the only reason I stepped in at all was because you've done favors for the Phelans… and for Marvin. "But next time? Your life or death will have nothing to do with me. So, here's my advice—tone it down. This is Blumedale, not Jayrodale. You could show off back there, and no one cared, but here? Power and politics clash every second. Dying young might be the only fate you're headed for." Andrew frowned. "Luna, are you sick or something? Did I ask you to save me?" That one line did not just offend Luna—it also lit a fire in Chantelle. "Andrew, what the hell is wrong with you? General Phelan just saved your damn life. You didn't even say thank you, and now you're blaming her? Are you even a man?" She was speechless, thinking the guy was seriously unbelievable. Andrew shot her a cold glare. "Shut your mouth. No one asked for
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