Rising from the Ashes (Andrew and Lauren)

Lauren's expression immediately fell, and she quickly pulled out her phone to check the news online.

Then, she looked up at Andrew and said, "Dr. Lloyd, it's true-The Wellers' pharmaceutical warehouse was set on fire. Billions worth of supplements have been burned to ashes, and the entire place went up in flames!"

Francesca added, "This is huge! I saw an interview-Harvey is completely losing it. He swore he'd catch the culprit and tear them to pieces!"

With such a juicy scandal, Andrew naturally wanted in on the drama. He grabbed his phone, ready to check out the Wellers' disaster for himself.

However, before he could even open the news, his phone started ringing. It was Donald, the chief commissioner of the Jayrodale Police Department.

Andrew put the call on speaker, and Donald's voice came through immediately. He said, "Mr. Lloyd, I need to give you a heads-up on something. Rhodes Corporation's Pharmaceutical Division is under investigation for unfair competition.

"The vice CEO, Michael Rhodes, was caught setting fire to the Wellers'

warehouse. Our entire department is on this case now. Every Rhodes Corporation executive and all pharmaceutical division employees are being called in for questioning!"

Since Andrew had his phone on speaker, Lauren, Francesca, and Cedric all heard the announcement.

Francesca was stunned, mumbling, "Wait... Michael started the fire?"

Lauren instantly grasped the severity of the situation and demanded, "Mr. Warren, are you saying Michael set fire to the Wellers' warehouse? Do you have proof?"

Donald sighed. "Not just proof-it's ironclad evidence. Their surveillance cameras caught everything, and the security guards at the entrance saw Michael and four other Rhodes Pharmaceutical executives walking in and setting the place ablaze. "Ms. Rhodes, since you're with Mr. Lloyd, I won't be questioning you for now. But as for the rest of Rhodes Corporation, I have a job to do I need them all at the station."

Lauren's face went pale. She gritted her teeth and cursed, "Michael is such an idiot! Is he trying to take all of Rhodes Corporation down with him?"

She knew this fire had pushed Rhodes Corporation's Pharmaceutical Division straight to the edge of a cliff, and the situation was beyond dire.

Donald spoke in a grave tone. "Mr. Lloyd, I hope you understand I have no choice. The Wellers have presented solid evidence, so I have to make arrests."

Andrew, however, did not seem

fazed. He replied, "Mr. Warren, do what you need to do. I'm just an ordinary Citizen-I wouldn't dream of interfering with the police. Besides, what Michael did was absolutely unforgivable. Even I can't defend him."

Donald clearly felt relieved and chuckled. "As long as you're not upset, Mr. Lloyd, that's all that matters. I'll leave you to it. Goodbye!"

After hanging up, Andrew turned to Lauren. "Lauren, don't worry. Mr. Warren won't come after you."

Francesca also reassured her, "Lauren, don't stress. This was Michael's doing-it has nothing to do with you."

Even so, Lauren was burning with

frustration. "I don't care what happens to Michael. But Rhodes Pharmaceutical... this is going to put us right at the center of a media firestorm!" noveldrama

She added, "Arson to destroy a competitor's warehouse-once that label sticks,

who's ever going to trust Rhodes Pharmaceutical again?"

Francesca fell silent, knowing it was a serious problem. After all, Rhodes Pharmaceutical's reputation was about to take a nosedive-possibly even to the point of being shut down entirely.

"Dr. Lloyd, my mind is all over the place right now," Lauren said, her voice tense.

"I need to head back to the company and see what's happening."