Semua Bab Rising from the Ashes: Bab 171 - Bab 180

Harvey was completely helpless in Andrew's hands, defeated without any real effort. The scene left Christina completely stunned, as Harvey had always been her ideal prince charming—someone who could handle both intellectual and physical challenges with grace. She had grown accustomed to Harvey's name carrying weight wherever she went. Yet, she watched in disgust as Andrew put him in his place, beating him miserably. With his messy hair and gritted teeth, Harvey's appearance made Christina's stomach turn, and for the first time, she saw just how ugly he could be. "Andrew, how dare you slap me?!" Harvey clutched his cheek, pointing at Andrew with bloodshot eyes. "I'll kill you for this. The Weller family's elite fighters will rip you to shreds." Christina frowned and said, "Harvey, that's enough. I saw everything clearly—you threw the first punch. You couldn't beat him, and Andrew taught you a lesson. That's no one's fault but your own." "Christina, whose side are you on—mine o

"Just buy me a Bugatti, or give me your Porsche Panamera, and I'll help you get back together with Christina. What do you say?" Leroy pressed on eagerly. Before Andrew could respond, Harvey exploded in rage. "Leroy, have you no shame? How dare you try to sell out Christie for your own gain? Did you even consider my feelings?" Leroy retorted, "Harvey, you're drowning in debt, and you're nothing but a broke loser. Why should I care about your feelings when you're worth nothing? Since you're too pathetic to come up with the money, Christina obviously can't be with you." Harvey had never in his life had he faced such humiliation, and he was fuming. "Leroy, one more word out of you, and you can get the hell out of here," Christina snapped coldly. "I don't need any of you men deciding my life for me. Do you think I can't survive without you?" Leroy's words had struck deep at Christina's pride. They made it sound like she could not survive without either Harvey or Andrew, but

"Make sure our security stays close to the convoy at all times," Lauren instructed Eunice. "We can't afford any problems." Eunice protested, "But Miss, are we really going to leave behind a third of our herbs? If we go back with this amount, we'll have to shut down several pharmaceutical plants. The losses will be substantial." "I'll cover the losses personally," Lauren replied with a cold smile. "If Michael wants to play games, I'll play along until the end." Eunice was worried but stayed silent, turning to relay the orders to the convoy. After that, Lauren stepped out of the car and approached Tracia Martin, a scar-faced woman standing nearby. "Tracia, the convoy is heading out. Please have your team keep watch over them during the journey." Despite her unremarkable appearance and small frame, Tracia's eyes held a sharp gleam that revealed her expertise as a martial arts master. "I apologize, Miss, but my team and I have only one mission—to protect you. Anything else is b

"What are you thinking about?" Tracia suddenly asked. "About someone… a man," Lauren replied softly. "Ms. Rhodes, you're such a stunning beauty. I'm curious who could be on your mind," Tracia said with interest. "His name is Andrew Lloyd," Lauren answered honestly. "He's an incredibly skilled doctor and quite handsome too. Before I met him, I never knew loving someone could be so painful—sometimes the loneliness makes me want to cry." "Shut up! I don't want to hear this nonsense," Tracia snapped. Lauren studied Tracia's scarred face with sudden understanding. "You've never been in love, have you, Tracia? Or rather, no man has ever loved you?" Tracia's expression turned ugly, as if Lauren had struck a nerve. "Men are all worthless idiots. Their so-called love makes me sick. Since you're about to die anyway, I don't mind sharing this with you. When I was young, I met several men. But they all betrayed me, sweet-talking liars who got what they deserved when I cut their throats

Andrew shook his head. "There's no need for such formalities between us, Ms. Rhodes." Lauren felt warmth in her heart at his words but still huffed, "Well, at least you have some conscience. I thought you'd forgotten all about me now that you're rekindling things with Ms. Stevens!" Andrew gave a wry smile, wisely choosing not to explain. After all, some things would only get worse with explanation. Later, they made their way out of the forest and found the Rhodes family security team. "Miss, thank goodness you're safe!" they exclaimed upon seeing Lauren. "What happened to those thugs who ambushed us?" Lauren asked. "Mr. Keoghan arrived and drove them all away," Eunice replied angrily. "He even killed a few of them." "Jerry came? Where is he?" Lauren asked excitedly. Just then, a muscular middle-aged man strode toward them with purposeful steps. "Miss, where's Tracia? I don't see her," he asked. "Tracia is dead," Lauren replied coldly. Jerry Keoghan, the Rhodes family'