Rising from the Ashes (Andrew and Lauren)

Andrew could not figure Aspen out, wondering what the hell was wrong with her now. He had just told her she could go, and she still looked upset.

Andrew shook his head and stopped thinking about it. Instead, He pulled out his phone and made a call back to Jayrodale.

"Gather your men and head to Blumedale immediately. And bring Reuben with you. Tell him—if he wants his freedom, I can offer him a way out."

Reuben Davis was that semi-martial king Elon had once brought to Jayrodale. Under Andrew's control, the man had been training Dylan and Natasha in martial arts.

Andrew did not know how the Haywoods would react to Seth's death, but he did not care. No matter what move they made, he would not back down.

It was time to bring his core team into Blumedale. If these powerful families wanted to raise the stakes, he would play right along.

Suddenly, his phone rang again. Andrew glanced at the caller ID and looked mildly surprised-it was Tiana.

"Mrs. Rhodes, what can I do for you?" he answered smoothly.

Tiana's tone was calm. "I heard you killed Seth Haywood."

Andrew did not deny it. "Yeah, didn't expect word to travel so fast. I'm surprised you already heard."

Tiana huffed. "The Haywoods are in chaos. It's not just me by now, probably half of Blumedale already knows. Anyway, that's not important. What I want to know is -what's your plan?"

Andrew said casually, "I'll go with the flow."

Tiana actually laughed. "That does sound like you—always direct, never afraid of a fight. But still, be careful. Lauren, I, and even Jameson are all worried about you."

Andrew chuckled. "Mr. Rhodes and Lauren worrying about me? That makes sense. But Mrs. Rhodes... you? That's kind of new."

Tiana snorted. "Don't get cocky. You're the prodigious heir of the Lloyds. Even if I don't like how you operate sometimes... Let's just say, you're not someone I can criticize too openly."

Andrew said, "Then do me a favor-tell Lauren I'm fine. She doesn't need to worry."noveldrama

"Got it. I'll pass it on," Tiana replied. "Oh, and listen-if things get out of control over there, call me or Jameson. The Rhodes family may be low on the power rankings in Blumedale, but we're not completely useless."

Andrew teased, "You sound... unusually kind today. Even your tone with me is softer than usual. Feels weird, honestly."

Tiana laughed. "Don't let it get to your head, you brat. By the way, when you have time, drop by our place. I want to touch you."

Andrew's face darkened immediately. "Touch me? Mrs. Rhodes, please don't joke like that. I could get canceled for less."

Tiana spat. "Get your mind out of the gutter! I'm not some pervert. I just want to look at that totem on your chest again."

The call ended, and Andrew's expression turned slightly complicated.

Was Tiana still hung up on his father?

Did she miss him so much that she was using the totem on his body to remember him?

Just then, Aspen walked out of her room in a fresh change of clothes.

"I'm heading to the company," she said flatly "We have to replace everything that got smashed. And the

few employees we managed to hire someone needs to calm them down."

She sounded like someone who had just been scammed out of millions.

Andrew shook his head. "Forget the company for now. Stay home and rest. Wait until the swelling on your face goes down. Then you can jump back into things."

Aspen hesitated, then asked quietly, "Andrew... did we stir up something huge?" Andrew replied, "It's not huge per se, but right now, half of Blumedale's power circles are buzzing about how Seth got himself killed."

Aspen's eyes widened in panic. Her voice trembled. "The Haywoods will definitely retaliate. I'll be fine, but you might really be in danger. Maybe you should head back to Jayrodale for a while."

Andrew smiled. "If I leave, what about you?"

Aspen clenched her fists. "Don't worry about me. The Haywoods wouldn't dare do anything to me."