Rising from the Ashes (Andrew and Lauren)

After all the moguls, elites, and legacy families finished flexing their generosity at the charity event, the venue transitioned into a lavish buffet-style dinner.noveldrama

With her stunning looks and classy aura, Aspen turned heads everywhere she went. She held a glass of red wine and chatted gracefully with several older men, most balding and sporting sizable beer bellies.

Meanwhile, Andrew looked utterly bored. He had filled a plate with food and was sitting alone, eating away like he had not had a proper meal in days.

Aspen caught a glimpse of him across the room and nearly lost it. She was working her tail off trying to network and promote Supreme Capital Group, while this so-called CEO was sitting on the sidelines, stuffing his face and acting like none of it mattered.

She could not help but wonder what he was even thinking. Ignoring Andrew's protests, she marched over, grabbed his arm, and dragged him across the room to introduce him to a balding man named Harry Dunham.

"Mr. Dunham, let me introduce you this is Mr. Lloyd from Supreme Capital Group. Mr. Lloyd, this is Mr. Dunham, a major player in Gabo Creek's grocery and food industry. His group is currently valued at over ten billion."

Harry gave Andrew a quick glance, then looked back at Aspen with a frown. "Ms. Aspen, you brought a date tonight?"

Aspen smiled and said, "Mr. Dunham, this is our CEO, Mr. Lloyd. He's not my date."

Harry scoffed. "Mr. Lloyd, huh? Sorry, but I've never heard of that company in our business circle. Excuse me."

With that, he stormed off, clearly annoyed.

Aspen gritted her teeth. "That bald old mutt! No sense of class whatsoever. We were having a good conversation-I was even thinking of investing in his food group. I didn't expect him to flip like that."

Andrew shrugged. "Isn't it obvious? That old perv had his eyes on you. When I showed up, he realized he had no chance, got embarrassed, and left in a huff."

Aspen stomped her foot. "Then what do you suggest we do? Our company doesn't even have a single solid project yet. Events like this are perfect for business talk we can't just waste the opportunity!"

Andrew scanned the room and grabbed her by the hand. "Come with me. If you're going to talk

business, you need to pick bettenet

targets As for that old creep, didn't you notice how wasted he was from booze and other indulgences?

"The guy could barely breathe between sentences. You'd get more out of handing

him a roast chicken than pitching him business."

Aspen could not help but smirk

coldly. She was curious to see just

iel

how much this so-called CEO could actually do. In her mind, Andrew was just a rich brute who enjoyed tormenting her-she did not think he had any real skill.

They stopped just outside a circle of high-level guests, and Andrew stood quietly, eavesdropping.

Aspen tensed up and whispered, "What are you doing? That group includes heads from The Five Apex Families. They're the biggest players here—there's no way we can get in!"

Andrew smiled casually and did not say a word. He simply gestured for her to stay calm and listen.

One said, "Business has been rough this year. That diamond mine I invested in abroad? Lost 100 billion when that coup broke out-damn it!"

Another chimed in, "Tell me about it. Our family shifted its whole strategy overseas. We spent five years building things up, and now we're not just making zero profit-we're also caught up in legal trouble with the local government. Screw this!"

A man whispered, "Oh, please. Was your operation even legit? You guys were tricking Holtrien citizens into shady deals, selling organs, and running scams."

"Exactly. Honestly, you're lucky it's just foreign charges. Once those guys return to the country, they're definitely gonna face trial here too!"

As Andrew listened, his expression turned oddly amused. So this was what the capital's elites were up to-not all that wealth came from clean hands, apparently.

Nonetheless, the more he thought about it, the less surprised he was.