Chapter 18  “That’s my girl! Well done. This ungrateful wretch deserved it,” Irene cheered.  “Way to go, Christie! You should’ve slapped him too. Teach him a lesson he won’t forget,” Leroy added.  The mother and son applauded, secretly delighted.  Shawn smirked. “Andrew, I almost feel sorry for you. Christie’s such a kind and gentle woman, and you not only fail to cherish her, but you also manage to make her this angry. You’re beyond help. It’s no wonder Christie broke things off with you.”  Christina froze as she watched the water drip down Andrew’s face, soaking his shirt.  “W–Why didn’t you dodge?”  Andrew could have avoided it, but he chose not to. “Are you satisfied now? Do you feel better? You know their true nature better than I do, yet you believe everything they say. You’re right, us breaking up was wise. Because you’re nothing but a foolish woman!”  Andrew’s icy tone and cold gaze made Christina shiver. She started to doubt her own actions and whether Andrew was really the kind of person she thought he was. After all, Andrew was not the type of person she painted him to be.  Irene and Leroy were constantly stirring up trouble. One loved to gossip, and the other was a bully. How could she have believed them so easily?  Suddenly, Christina felt a rush of regret. “Andrew, I-”  Andrew raised his hand, cutting her off. “I don’t care what you want to say. I’ll just tell you this -take care of yourself. Your mom might be awful, but I didn’t touch her. As for your brother, you’d better find out what he really did. If it had been someone else instead of me, he might have ended up dead, not just slapped around.”  With that, Andrew turned to leave.  Christina hurriedly called out, “Andrew, I’m sorry. Please, let me explain!”  Andrew looked back with a cold smirk. “Explain what? Don’t you think I’m a jerk who can’t be trusted? You’ve already thrown water at me. What’s next, Ms. Stevens? Do you want to hit me too?”  Christina opened her mouth but could not utter a word..  Leroy shouted, “Hey, Andrew! Don’t try to confuse the issue! You beat me up and tried to hit my mom. That’s a fact!”  Irene chimed in, “Exactly! You clearly attacked us, a defenseless widow and her son. Leroy’s injuries are proof. My back still hurts, and I haven’t even held you responsible for that yet.  +25 BONUS  Shawn taunted, “Andrew, stop playing the victim You can’t fool Christle into feeling sorry for you. Mrs. Stevens and Leroy have evidence. What do you have?”  The other diners in the restaurant turned to look at Andrew, their eyes filled with disapproval and anger. They all thought Andrew must be an idiot for offending the most popular and beautiful CEO in Jayrodale. It was like picking a fight with every gentleman in the city.  Suddenly, a voice cut through the tension. “Who says Dr. Lloyd doesn’t have evidence? I was there. I’m an eyewitness.”  Everyone was stunned, wondering who had come to Andrew’s defense.  The scent of expensive perfume filled the air as Francesca, a petite woman with a curvy figure, approached, carrying a designer handbag. Andrew frowned, surprised she was still around and ready to dive into this mess.  Shawn and Leroy gaped at Francesca, practically drooling. She was a knockout–the kind of woman men dreamed about.  “Dr. Lloyd, you’re too patient. This nasty woman and the ugly guy are clearly making things up, and you’re taking the fall. I don’t get why you’re putting up with this,” Francesca stated, eyeing Irene and Leroy with disdain.  Irene fumed and shouted, “Who do you think you are, you little tramp? Do you know who I am? Stevens Corporation is our family business, and my daughter is the CEO.”  Francesca smirked, “So what?I’m Francesca Aicker. Should I care?”  Shawn gasped. “Francesca Aicker? You’re the prodigy from the renowned Aicker medical family, the chief of Jayrodale General Hospital?”  Irene’s eye twitched, and she immediately backed down. “Shawn, is she really from the famous Aicker family?”  Shawn nodded grimly, “Not just that, she seems to be the legendary Dr. Cedric Aicker’s only granddaughter and protege.”  Irene instantly fell silent, her face pale with worry. Stevens Corporation might be well–known in the business world, but the Aicker family was Jayrodale royalty. In a real showdown, Stevens Corporation would not even be on their radar.  “You must be Dr. Lloyd’s ex, Christina Stevens, the popular CEO, right?” Francesca asked, ignoring the others.  Christina replied modestly, “I wouldn’t call myself popular, but yes, I’m Christina.”  Francesca spoke bluntly, “You seem intelligent, so I’ll be direct. Your mom and brother are Jying through their teeth. I saw your brother threatening Dr. Lloyd with a knife outside my hospital. When things didn’t go his way, he took a swing at Dr. Lloyd.”  She added, “Oh, and your mom? She’s about 90% responsible for this mess. I’ve never seen  +25 BONUS  Chapter 16  such a vicious woman in my life. Dr. Lloyd was too nice. If it were me, I’d have rearranged her face.”  Christina’s face turned beet red with embarrassment. She wanted to argue but did not know where to begin.  The truth was far more outrageous than Christing had imagined–her mother and brother had played the victims when they were actually the aggressors. Moreover, she had wrongly accused Andrew and even splashed water on him  “I can’t believe you pulled a knife. This is beyond absurd,” Christina said through gritted teeth, glaring at Irene and Leroy. She felt utterly embarrassed by the whole situation.  Irene seethed with anger at Francesca but was too afraid to confront her. So, she turned her wrath on Andrew instead.  “It’s all this loser’s fault! If he had just given Christie the land as he should have, Leroy and I wouldn’t have had to confront him!”  Leroy chimed in, feigning innocence, “Christie, I just got carried away. I only meant to scare him a little. How was I supposed to know this jerk would provoke me?”  “Shut up!” Christina snapped, not buying his excuses for a second. Then, she turned to Andrew, her voice filled with regret, “Andrew, I apologize. I’m truly sorry. I’ll buy you a new outfit to replace the one I ruined. It’s the least I can do.”  :  Andrew remained indifferent. “That won’t be necessary, Ms. Stevens. I couldn’t accept anything from you.”  Francesca batted her eyelashes at Andrew, looking pleased with herself. “Dr. Lloyd, I cleared things up for you. Don’t you think you should thank me?”  Andrew replied coldly, “I don’t recall asking for your help in my affairs.”  Francesca glared at Andrew, fuming as she stormed off. Her intervention had not been entirely selfless–she had hoped to put Andrew in her debt, but he clearly was not playing along.  Shawn chuckled, trying to smooth things over. “Mrs. Stevens, Leroy, Christie, it was just a little misunderstanding. Now that it’s cleared up, let’s move on. Andrew, don’t feel bitter about this. Mrs. Stevens is your elder, arid Leroy is Christie’s brother. You can’t expect them to apologize to you, can you? Be the bigger man here.”  After his little lecture, Shawn straightened his expensive suit and smiled at Andrew. “By the way, Andrew, you might not know this, but I’ve helped Christie secure that orphanage property. I’m in a good mood today, so I’ll do you the honor of inviting you for a drink to celebrate.”  Leroy chimed in with flattery, “Shawn’s the man! Unlike some freeloaders who are good for nothing.”  +25 BONUS  Chapter 18  Irene sneered, “If a certain someone had even a third of Shawn’s ability, I might not find them so disappointing.”  Andrew was about to leave, but Shawn’s words made him pause and chuckle mockingly. ”  Shawn, your skin is sure thick. Are you sure you’re the one who secured the orphanage property?”  Chapter 19