Chapter 1197
“This way, Mr. Lloyd, Mr. Rhodes, Mrs. Rhodes, and Ms. Rhodes, please!” Justin had completely changed his attitude, now grinning with over-the-top enthusiasm.
He was practically bowing, a world apart from the snobby arrogance he had shown earlier.
Tiana smiled faintly and said, “We’ll be dining in the Celestial Suite now. That won’t be a problem, right?”
The manager nodded so fast it looked painful. “No problem at all, Mrs. Rhodes. Please, right this way!”
Jameson patted Andrew’s shoulder reassuringly and whispered, “Andy, don’t worry. I already called our people. Jerry and the others are on their way.”
Andrew chuckled lightly. “Mr. Rhodes, there’s no need to mobilize the whole family. The Hopkins? I can handle them myself.”
Jameson shook his head, thinking Andrew was just putting on a brave face. He believed Andrew, being new to Blumedale, could not possibly fend off the Hopkins on his own.
Meanwhile, Andrew casually excused himself during dinner to make a quick call to the Keller family.
The moment Logan heard the Hopkins were causing trouble, he just laughed and said, “Andy, I’ll bring our men over immediately. If you want, we can flatten the Hopkins tonight!”
Tiana, elegant as ever, ate gracefully while discreetly keeping an eye on Andrew. She was clearly trying to gauge just how many hidden cards this young man still had up his sleeve.
Lauren gave Andrew a bright smile. “Andrew, you really don’t have to worry. No matter what happens, as long as my mom’s here, the Hopkins wouldn’t dare act recklessly.”
Tiana might have been crazy sometimes, but when it came to pure strength, she was absolutely the Rhodes family’s trump card.
The dinner dragged on for nearly two full hours. Originally, Jameson intended to introduce Andrew to several of Blumedale’s top figures to help him build connections.
However, with the Hopkins people looming outside like vultures, no one was in the mood for polite networking anymore.
During the meal, Andrew casually asked, “Mr. Rhodes, you mentioned earlier someone had rare herbs. Who exactly?”
As he spoke, he picked up some food for Lauren and placed it on her plate.
Jameson replied, “Rare medicinal herbs are hard to come by. Usually, only top-tier families or skilled doctors have them. The director of Mercy Hospital, Dr. Malcolm Goddard, is a good friend of mine.
“He has some in his private collection. Unfortunately, after tonight’s drama, I didn’t think it was a good idea to invite him here. I’ll personally take you to meet him another day.”
Andrew smiled and said, “No need to trouble yourself. As long as I know where to find him, I’ll make the trip myself.”
Jameson nodded. “That works too.”
Tiana set down her utensils and clapped her hands lightly. “Alright, everybody’s eaten. Let’s head home.”
Cecelia grinned from ear to ear. “Yay! But before we go home, I want to see Andrew beat up some bad guys!”
Andrew glanced at Lauren and chuckled softly. “You girls really do take after your mom. All three of you are born troublemakers.”
Outside The Palace, Archie was still hanging around, face swollen and missing teeth, cursing up a storm as he waited for the Rhodes family to finish eating.
Behind him, a massive force had assembled – over 100 Hopkins thugs, plus more than a dozen elite fighters, some even at semi-martial king level, breathing heavily with deadly sharp eyes.
Though the Hopkins family head had not shown up himself, sending such a massive squad made it clear how furious they were about Archie getting beaten up.
One of them growled, “Here they come! Time for the real show! That little punk who beat up Mr. Hopkins? He’s gonna be ripped to shreds!”
Another chimed in, “Yeah, Mr. Hopkins, you have to avenge us! That bastard slapped every single one of us earlier. Tonight, we want to see him grovel on the ground, begging for his life!”
Archie’s face twisted into a savage grin as he spotted Andrew and the others stepping out of The Palace’s front doors.
He hissed, “Tiana, you’re not getting away tonight. And as for that little bastard beside you, I’m gonna slice him into pieces.”
The words barely left his mouth before his face contorted in fresh pain. Laughing too hard had tugged at his already shattered crotch – courtesy of Tiana’s brutal high-heeled stomp earlier.