Rising from the Ashes (Andrew and Lauren)

Andrew's expression turned icy as he stared at the now-silent phone in his hand.

Natasha clenched her teeth and hissed, "Just as I thought. Kenny is cunning, and the Golding family is ruthless. They've already made their move."

Dylan looked at Andrew, urgency in his eyes. "Mr. Lloyd, we need to figure out what Kenny meant by 'leverage'. If we don't, we'll be walking into a trap at the Jayrodale Grand Hotel."

Andrew's face remained stoic as he replied, "No need to confirm. It's Fran. They've taken her."

Natasha blinked in surprise. "Ms. Aicker? Darling, how can you be so sure without any evidence?"

Dylan was equally baffled. How could Andrew know what Kenny and the Golding family had done so quickly? It seemed almost supernatural.

While the two were visibly anxious, Andrew stayed calm and methodical. "If the Golding family and Kenny want to threaten me, they'd go after someone close to me. I don't have any major assets in Jayrodale besides Moonlit Apothecary, and they haven't touched that. Mr. Aicker hasn't reported any issues, so the business is safe."

He paused, then continued, "That leaves the people around me. Lauren is at the Rhodes residence with Tiana, so she's protected. The only person they could've taken is Fran."

As he spoke, Andrew had already tried calling Francesca three times. Each attempt went straight to voicemail.

Natasha's eyes widened in realization. "You're right. Those bastards are dragging innocent people into this!"

Dylan's voice was cold and determined. "Mr. Lloyd, you and Natasha should take Michael to the Jayrodale Grand Hotel. I'll handle rescuing Ms. Aicker."

Andrew shook his head. "It won't work. Kenny's familiar with Jayrodale. If he wants to hide someone, it'll be easy."

Natasha growled, "So we're just supposed to let them control us like this?"

Dylan sighed. "The Golding family and these big-name families from Blumedale are no joke. They're tough to deal with."

Andrew smirked, his confidence unshaken. Tough? The Golding

family isn't even worth my time. I have a good idea where Fran is

being held. You two, find Shiloh. Tell her

pay her 10,000 dollars for half a day of her time to help with the rescue."

Natasha and Dylan exchanged stunned looks. Then, Natasha asked in disbelief, "Darling, you can guess where Ms. Aicker is being held?"

"Mr. Lloyd not only did you figure out they took Ms. Aicker, but you also know where they're keeping her? Do you have a mole in the Golding family?" Dylan added,

equally shocked.

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Andrew remained calm. "If I had a mole in the Golding family, this wouldn't have happened. My conclusions are based on logical reasoning. I can teach you both later, but right now, we need to focus on rescuing Fran."

He quickly explained where he believed Francesca was being held. Dylan and Natasha, still puzzled, gathered their team and set off to recruit Shiloh for the mission.

Meanwhile, Andrew had Antonio bring someone up from the underground cell.

Phantom Eye, still locked up, glared at Andrew through the bars. "Kid, if you're not going to kill me, why keep me here? Once I recover, I'll snap your neck."

Andrew glanced at him, unimpressed. "If that day ever comes, it'll be your neck that gets snapped, not mine."noveldrama