Rising from the Ashes (Andrew and Lauren)

Riley waved his hand dismissively and grinned. "No rush! Before I hear anything else from you, my boyfriend here needs to take me to a hotel."

Logan's face twisted in horror. "Wait. What did you just say? A hotel?"

Riley batted his eyelashes, his black eyeshadow looking absolutely ridiculous. "Yeah, that's right! To get a room! I know who you are. You're Logan from the Kellers, a notorious bad boy of Blumedale's elite. Sleep with me, and I'll do anything you want afterward."

Logan snapped. His temper boiled over as he smacked Riley across the face. "Go to hell, you freak! I've had enough of your garbage. Damn it. Do you think I'm actually going to be your little backdoor plaything? What kind of sick fantasy are you living in?"

After getting slapped, Riley flew into a rage, covering his face with a cold laugh. "Since you don't know what's good for you, then get lost! I won't help you guys." He turned to look at Andrew, hope rekindling in his eyes. "If he won't do it, then you can. Trust me, I can give you an experience like no other!"

Andrew immediately turned and ran toward the car. "Sorry, we're leaving!"

Soon, the group set off again to find Mason's eldest son, Ryder Ulrich. This time, the car was unusually quiet with no one speaking.

Rachel finally broke the silence in a whisper. "Mr. Keller, maybe you didn't need to react that hard?"

Logan's face was still twisted with disgust. "Are you kidding me? How could I not? That little freak wanted me to sleep with him. Just thinking about it makes me want to hurl."

Rachel turned to Andrew. "Mr. Lloyd, it looks like Mason's first two sons are total disasters. That just leaves the eldest-Ryder Ulrich. But I'm warning you, he's not someone you can just waltz up and control."

Andrew raised a brow. "What's so special about Ryder?"

Rachel straightened up, her tone serious. "He's nothing like his younger brothers. One's a spoiled, twisted kid. The other's a full-blown pervert."

She added, "But Ryder? He's got a real name in Blumedale. Right now, he's serving as an officer in the military and has a solid future ahead of him. His martial

skills are strong, and his ambition is even stronger."

Andrew nodded slowly. "So he's active in the military?"noveldrama

Rachel said, "Exactly. And he inherited both Mason's ruthlessness and hunger for power. Those two weirdos we just met? Especially the one with the eyeliner? They turned out that way because Ryder bullied them mercilessly when they were kids."

Logan chimed in, "And Ryder's also tight with Xavier Haywood. In the military camp, he follows Xavier like a shadow. Don't forget your beef with the Haywoods runs deep."

Andrew let out a cool, quiet laugh. "Oh, I haven't forgotten. I already sent one of their golden boys to the afterlife."

Rachel shook her head. "That feud's serious, Mr Lloyd. Honestly, I don't think it's worth stirring up more

trouble just to recruit Ryder. Plusnet

the military district is crawling with privileged kids. Going there might put you at a real disadvantage."

Andrew's expression hardened. "Keep driving, Dylan. Let's go straight to the military base. I want to see what kind of trouble they can throw at me. And yes, I've made up my mind. Ryder's the one I'm choosing to lead the Ulrich family."

He added, "Only someone with real power and ambition would have the guts to

overthrow Mason. That's exactly the kind of person we need."