Rising from the Ashes (Andrew and Lauren)

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's tone remained cold. "You recognized the mark on my chest. You mentioned another man. Who was he?"

Tiana's blush deepened, reaching all the way to the corners of her eyes. "His name... was Reginald Lloyd. He was my first-the first man I ever loved, and I loved him so much it nearly destroyed me.

"Before I married Lauren's father, Reginald and I were completely wrapped up in each other. He took my virginity, and I fell for him hard-so hard I never really came back from it. And on his chest... there was a totem, exactly like yours. No difference at all."

She added, "That's how I knew. That mark belongs to the Dragon Prince-the one true heir to Chetvine's royal Lloyd bloodline."

She paused then, eyes distant, caught in bittersweet memories. Her gaze flicked toward Andrew's chest again, her hand twitching as if she wanted to reach out- but she held back.

Andrew felt his scalp tingle with discomfort. "Reginald... yeah, I know him."

Tiana's eyes widened. She leaned forward, breath catching. "You do? Then do you know where he is? After he left me, he vanished.

"No letter, no call-he just disappeared from the world. I

searched for him for three years... three years, Andrew! And when

nothing came of it, I finally gavel

Out of rage, I married Jameson instead. Even now, I don't know

where that bastard went

Her face, once soft with longing, contorted into bitter resentment. The shift was instant-jaw clenched, eyes burning.noveldrama

Andrew watched her, his own face twitching n disbelief. He gave a stiff smile. "Yeah... so, the guy you're looking for? That would be my dad, and as for where he is now?¶ve got no clue either."

His own father had messed around, broken a woman's heart, and dipped. Now, that woman was standing in front of him, ready to burn the world down-starting with the guy's son.

Andrew could not help cursing silently. What kind of messed-up, soap opera-level crap is this?

Tiana froze. "Reginald is your father? You're the son of that heartless bastard? That two-faced, cold-blooded..."

Andrew rubbed the back of his neck, trying to stay calm. "Yeah, unfortunately, that's exactly what I am."

"Mrs. Rhodes, you should know... the Blood-Eyed Black Dragon totem can only be inherited by the Dragon Prince of the royal Lloyd family. My father was the last one. Now, it's me."

Tiana's jaw clenched as she

growled, "No wonder you're no better than him. Of course, you're cut from the same damn cloth—you're his

and Lauren? That can never happen!"

son! And that means never 4 msne

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