Rising from the Ashes (Andrew and Lauren)

Even Tiana was surprised by herself. She never expected that her view of Andrew had changed so drastically. She hated to admit it, but she had misjudged him-her perspective had been too narrow.

Andrew was not just some reckless upstart. He was exceptional.

Andrew remained calm. "Mrs. Rhodes, I appreciate your compliments but don't need them. What I do need is an explanation. Otherwise, know that I wasn't joking earlier."

Tiana scoffed, her expression darkening. She looked at him coldly and said, "Just because I appreciate you doesn't mean I approve of you. You spoke out of turn earlier, disrespecting me. You even had the audacity to threaten Rhodes Corporation itself."

She asked, "Do you have any idea how close I was to putting you in your place right then and there?"

Andrew smirked. "Well, Mrs. Rhodes, I'd say you were very lucky you didn't. Because if you had, you wouldn't be sitting here having this conversation with me."

Tiana narrowed her eyes. "What are you trying to say?"

Andrew shrugged. "I'm saying you'd be on your kriees instead."

Tiana's aura instantly darkened. Suddenly, a wave of cold, murderous intent surged through the room-she was

deadly serious.

Andrew, however, did not flinch. He simply met her gaze, unbothered.

So, the infamous Tiana Lambert, the Iron Lady, had been hiding her true strength

all this time. She was not just powerful-she had crossed the senior grandmaster threshold, putting her on the verge of an elite powerhouse.

That kind of strength made her untouchable in a place like Jayrodale.

Andrew could not think of anyone here who could go toe-to-toe with her. But even so-so what?

Even if he gave her the benefit of the doubt, even if he assumed she was at peak form, he could still wipe the floor with her in under a hundred moves.

And if it was a fight to the death? He would not need nearly that many.

He was certain he could take her down before Jerry and the others even had time to react.

Tiana let out a sharp breath, reigning in her killing intent. She gritted out, "Andrew, I have to say-you have a death wish. You make people itch to cripple you."

Then, she sighed. "Unfortunately, I still need you to clean up this mess. So, I'll let that slide. But this is a one-time thing. I know you've hidden your martial skills well-most people wouldn't even notice."

"But don't fool yourself," she added with a cold chuckle. "No matter how well you hide, in the face of absolute power, you'll still be crushed without mercy."

Andrew let out a light laugh. "Mrs. Rhodes, you really do have sharp eyes. You even noticed that I've been holding back. But I'm afraid you might have miscalculated."

Tiana sneered. "Miscalculated? Do you think that's possible? You young so-called 'geniuses' love this whole playing dumb until the grand reveal nonsense. Joe from the Driscol family does it. And now you do it too But in my eyes, you're both nothing more than naive children."

Andrew smirked. "Mrs. Rhodes, to think you'd compare me to Joe-I'm honored."

$2590*3

Tiana snorted. "You should be honored. He's the Driscolls' golden boy, a prodigy among elites, Word is, he's already reached peak senior grandmaster level. And you? You're barely in the senior grandmaster tier yourself.

"Sure, that makes you impressive-for a small town like Jayrodale. But here's the thing about people, Andrew, they're like products on a shelf. You might think you're valuable-but the moment you're placed next to something better, you instantly look inferior. And in a side-by-side comparison?

"You might be a prodigy-but Joe? He's a legend. A true,noveldrama

once-in-a-century genius. Not only does he have the talent, but he also has the Driscoll family backing him-an empire at his disposal. So, no matter how skilled you think you are, standing next to him...you're just a flickering candle in the face of the sun." z