In the blink of an eye, all of the Goldings' people scattered and disappeared. Sherilyn and Kenny were taken away, and anyone could imagine what kind of miserable fate awaited them. The Rhodes family stared at Andrew like he was some sort of freak, completely speechless. The guy had just watched the Goldings retreat, and instead of being satisfied, he actually shouted at Elon, asking if the man looked down on him. They could not help but think his arrogance was off the chart. Tiana rolled her eyes and snapped, "You little punk, will you only be happy if Elon drops dead from rage?" Andrew sighed dramatically and said, "Exactly. If I could piss him off to death right then, that would've been perfect." Jameson gave a bitter smile. "Andy, sure, you're safe for now… but picking a fight with the Goldings like that is not smart." Andrew shrugged and replied, "I didn't have any beef with the Goldings to begin with. Elon's the idiot who decided to back Kenny's family and got dragged i

Jameson's voice turned serious as he said, "How is this fair? This whole thing should've been the Rhodes family's responsibility. We can't just dump it on Andy. Tomorrow, I'll bring a generous gift and head over to the Driscolls to make things clear." Tiana scoffed coldly. "You really think you can just explain it away? Joe's proud and stubborn—he won't listen to a word. Back when he came over with a proposal, we gave a subtle refusal, remember? But did it work? He left the engagement gifts anyway, completely airtight in his approach." Lauren sneered, "You can call it airtight, or you can call it what it really is—coercion. The Driscolls are one of the Three Titans. They think that just because they've got power, they can do whatever they want in the Gabo Creek region." She continued, "And Joe? He only met me a few times before deciding he wanted to marry me. The whole thing reeks of dominance, of bullying families like ours just because they can." Tiana let out a long sigh. "Y

Fortunately, the garden remained empty the entire time—no one passed by, and no one noticed a thing. If someone had seen what just happened, Andrew felt like even jumping into a river of bleach would not be enough to clear his name. He quickly gave Tiana a healing pill, wiped the blood from her lips, and helped her sit upright on a nearby bench. Only then did he finally exhale, tension easing just a little. "Thanks," Tiana murmured, her eyes reluctantly dragging away from his bare chest. She seemed to realize how reckless and inappropriate her behavior had been, and her cheeks flushed a deep pink. Even though she was well into her 40s and the mother of two daughters, Tiana had kept herself in peak condition. Thanks to her years of martial arts and rigorous discipline, her figure and presence still radiated strength and allure. If one looked past the iciness in her demeanor and the maturity in her gaze, there was no denying—Tiana was the epitome of a seductive, dangerous beauty.

Andrew took a deep breath, doing his best to stay calm as he asked, "So, you're telling me Mr. Rhodes knows about you and my dad?" Tiana huffed. "I've never been the type to tiptoe around my past, especially not when it comes to love. I told Jameson everything before he married me—everything. In fact, he even knows I slept with Reginald. And get this—back in the day, your dad and Jameson were actually close friends!" Andrew thought this was pure chaos. He rubbed his temples, feeling a pounding ache behind his eyes. His head throbbed—like, really throbbed. "Please don't tell me…" Andrew said slowly, dread creeping into his voice, "…that Lauren isn't actually Mr. Rhodes' daughter, but my dad's?" The second the words left his mouth, Tiana spat to the side and snapped, "You little punk, what the hell is wrong with you? I may be crazy, but do you really think I'd let Jameson raise another man's kid and not tell him? "Relax. I know what you're thinking. You're worried Lauren might

Scattered chairs, overturned tables, and shattered glass from the back window completed the chaotic scene. Andrew's eyes sharpened as he stepped toward the staircase and barked coldly, "Come out." After three seconds, a masked man stepped into view at the bend of the stairs. He was holding a gun in one hand, a combat knife sheathed at his waist, and eyes sharp as a hawk's. "You noticed something was wrong, but instead of running, you walked right in like you owned the place. You must be real confident in your skills." The man sneered as he raised the gun, aiming directly at Andrew's head. Then, he pulled the trigger without a hint of hesitation. He wasted no time on speeches, eager to end the situation. After all, unnecessary chatters were the reason many villains died. Even so, deep down, the assassin was surprised. He was told that the target on the Goldings' hit list was supposed to be some minor nobody. Yet somehow, this guy had spotted him instantly—despite a perfect hid