Rising from the Ashes (Andrew and Lauren) novel Chapter 1147

Andrew could not figure Aspen out, wondering what the hell was wrong with her now. He had just told her she could go, and she still looked upset.

Andrew shook his head and stopped thinking about it. Instead, He pulled out his phone and made a call back to Jayrodale.

"Gather your men and head to Blumedale immediately. And bring Reuben with you. Tell him—if he wants his freedom, I can offer him a way out."

Reuben Davis was that semi–martial king Elon had once brought to Jayrodale. Under Andrew's control, the man had been training Dylan and Natasha in martial arts.

Andrew did not know how the Haywoods would react to Seth's death, but he did not care. No matter what move they made, he would not back down.

It was time to bring his core team into Blumedale. If these powerful families wanted to raise the stakes, he would play right along.

Suddenly, his phone rang again. Andrew glanced at the caller ID and looked mildly surprised—it was Tiana.

"Mrs. Rhodes, what can I do for you?" he answered smoothly.

Tiana's tone was calm. "I heard you killed Seth Haywood."

Andrew did not deny it. "Yeah, didn't expect word to travel so fast. I'm surprised you already heard."

Tiana huffed. "The Haywoods are in chaos. It's not just me—by now, probably half of Blumedale already knows. Anyway, that's not important. What I want to know is—what's your plan?"

Andrew said casually, "I'll go with the flow."

Tiana actually laughed. "That does sound like you—always direct, never afraid of a fight. But still, be careful. Lauren, I, and even Jameson are all worried about you."

Andrew chuckled. "Mr. Rhodes and Lauren worrying about me? That makes sense. But Mrs. Rhodes… you? That's kind of new."

Tiana snorted. "Don't get cocky. You're the prodigious heir of the Lloyds. Even if I don't like how you operate sometimes… Let's just say, you're not someone I can criticize too openly."

Andrew said, "Then do me a favor—tell Lauren I'm fine. She doesn't need to worry."