Rising from the Ashes (Andrew and Lauren)

"Underground king of Jayrodale? Ha! Never heard of him. What kind of trash title is that?"

The two guards did not just ignore them-they started throwing out sleazy insults.

Showing up at the Fields family estate and demanding to see the head without even setting foot inside? That was suicide.

Francesca's face instantly turned cold as she looked at Andrew with an exaggerated pout. "Andrew, these dogs are seriously disrespecting me. You better make this right, or you're not getting anywhere near my bed tonight."

Andrew sighed with a slight headache. When Francesca put on a show, she really committed to the role.

He stepped forward and said to the two guards, "I'll give you one shot. Tell your boss that Andrew Lloyd from Moonlit Apothecary is here and wants a word."

The guards sized him up, and one of them asked, "You're her man?"

Andrew replied coolly, "That's right. Got a problem with that?"

The other guard grinned nastily. "Come on, man, quit pretending. We've seen plenty of big shots in Jayrodale, but never heard of any underground king."

"And yeah, we've heard of Moonlit Apothecary. Their boss's last name is Lloyd. Seems like a solid guy. But don't tell me... you're claiming to be him.

Andrew nodded without flinching. "That's me. No fake."

The two guards stared at him, then burst into loud, mocking laughter.

"You two bumpkins must be fresh off the bus from some backwoods town! "First, you're claiming to be some underground king, then you're suddenly the head of Moonlit Apothecary?"

"Buddy, if you're the head of Moonlit Apothecary, then I'm the richest man in Jayrodale!"

Neither believed for a second that Andrew was who he said he was. In their minds, the real head of Moonlit Apothecary was a legendary figure in Jayrodale-noveldrama

far too important for low-level guards like them to ever meet.

They imagined someone with a full-blown motorcade, flashing lights, black suits, and bodyguards galore.

And Andrew? He did not fit the part one bit.

Francesca giggled behind her hand. "Andrew, looks like no one believes you. Your reputation's just not scary enough!"

Andrew smirked. "Is that so? Yeah... I guess I'm not intimidating enough."

Two punches flew out in a blur, and both guards' noses crunched with a loud snap, with blood gushing out.

"It seems like you truly have a dead wish," Andrew growled. "Fine. Stick around. If your boss doesn't deal with you, I'll make sure he takes your place instead."

The two guards screamed in pain and panic, stumbling and crawling as they raced back inside the Fields family estate. They went straight to the family head, wailing dramatically.

"Sir! There's a guy and a girl outside-claiming he's the underground king of Jayrodale and the head of Moonlit Apothecary! They came here to cause trouble!"

The head of the Fields family, Tony Fields, looked a lot like his son, Shawn-the same sharp features and smug aura.

"Underground king? Moonlit Apothecary's head? Could it be that Andrew guy?" he muttered, first confused, then alarmed.

One of the guards nodded through his bloody nose. "Yeah, the guy said his name

is Andrew. But we didn't believe him, so we asked a few questions... and then he attacked us!"

Tony's face turned red with fury. "The nerve! Showing up at my front door and attacking my people? Has he lost his damn mind? But wait just the two of them? No No

motorcade? No backup? Vool not

bodyguards?" texample.com

The guards clutched their bleeding noses and answered in unison, "No, sir, definitely not. We checked thoroughly. It's just the two of them!"

Tony's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Call the family's private security You're all coming with me. To hell with this! Someone dares to cause trouble at my house? Let's see who dies first!" texample.com

Without hesitation, he stormed toward the front gates with over a dozen armed guards at his back.

The Fields family was not considered a major player in Jayrodale at least, not until recently However, ever since got cozy with Quinton from Blumedale-the wealthy heir with deep pockets-the Fields family had been acting a lot bolder. texample.com

was just asking for it.

avenawn

So, now that someone was showing up to stir up trouble, they figured this guy