Rising from the Ashes (Andrew and Lauren)

Andrew's room was Room 9527. He unlocked the door and laid Aspen gently on the bed. As usual, he checked the space thoroughly to make sure everything was secure before preparing to lie down and get some rest.

However, just as he was about to close his eyes, he noticed Aspen's body burning up with fever.

Andrew cursed under his breath, 'Great... Now she has a high fever.'

Nonetheless, he knew that for someone with a weaker constitution, this kind of fever after sustaining injuries was normal since the immune system would be completely worn down. He fetched some ice and started cold compresses to bring her temperature down.

Yet, even after trying for a while, Andrew realized it was not helping much at all. Left with no better option, he had to resort to the last resort of stripping Aspen down completely.

Since they had left in a rush earlier, she'd only had on a thin top, which made it easy for Andrew to pull it off. Her chest was now completely exposed, and her perky little breasts bounced teasingly in front of him.

For a second, Andrew felt a wave of heat rush to his head from the view.

'Focus,' he reminded himself. 'A proper master doesn't just mess around with his servant whenever he pleases.'

After giving himself that internal pep talk, Andrew reached for her tight jeans and peeled those off too. He let out a quiet sigh of relief that she was not wearing a miniskirt with thigh-high stockings. He was unsure if he would survive that temptation.

Once Aspen was completely undressed, her body temperature finally started to come down.

Only then did Andrew notice how shapely her legs really were. They were long and lean-classic beauty essentials. She reminded him of Lauren, who also had those long, fair, runway-worthy legs. The only difference was that Lauren had a rounder, perkier backside.

On the other hand, Aspen was more like a delicate girl next door, stripped down and vulnerable. Nothing about her body screamed "extra", but everything was just right in every place. It was the kind of figure that came together in perfect harmony-not an inch too much or too little.

Shoving away the rising heat in his body, Andrew turned off the lights and collapsed on the couch.noveldrama

Why was a billionaire CEO of an investment firm sleeping on a couch instead of booking a separate room?

Why did a handsome, wealthy man choose not to share a bed with the gorgeous woman lying there?

Well, Andrew w did not want to look too desperate. Booking a separate room would have been boring since he would miss out on all the visual perks right in front of him. However, jumping into bed with her right away would have been predatory behavior.

Sure, Aspen could have been his with just a snap of his fingers, but forcing things

was not his style. Letting things unfold naturally? That was the true art and a much better experience.

Just as Andrew drifted off into sleep, Christina sent Quinton a message.

Christina: [Andrew is staying at the same hotel as the three of us.]

It was short, straight to the point, and laced with spite. Quinton read it, then chuckled coldly. He did not rush to tip off the Goldings just yet. Instead, he stared at the message with amusement.

He mumbled, "Women... once they fall out of love, they can go from 'I'd die for you' to 'I wish you were dead and buried.' And clearly, that's exactly what Christina's doing with Andrew.

"Sometimes really don't get what goes on in that kid's head. If I were him, I'd have just fed Christina a few sweet lies and won her back. Once I had her eating out of my hand, I'd take what I wanted, use her up, and then swallow the Stevens Group whole. Everyone wins."

Quinton scoffed. Then, he picked up his phone and called Elon. Despite both being heirs of the Five Apex Families, he never thought much of Elon. He thought the guy was fat, had terrible taste, and married someone who looked like she came straight out of a dumpster fire.

Not to mention, Elon had zero tricks up his sleeves.

In a world where all firstborns were trained in scheming and survival, Elon stood

out for being hopelessly naive. Meanwhile, Quinton saw himself as a master of manipulation and dirty tricks.