Chapter 1896
After leaving Goldridge, Andrew hit the road without pause, heading straight to find Chantelle.
Along the way, he sent quick check-in messages to Lauren, Francesca, and Aspen to let them know he was safe. Victoria had shown up at Goldridge at the perfect moment. Had she arrived a little later, he might have had to go head-to-head with Hidden Dragons and that old hag, Grace.
Now, he just hoped Victoria would be alright over there. Then again, that worry felt unnecessary.
In the entire Holtrien’s Southern Martial Union, across all the provinces, Victoria’s reputation was legendary. In short, she was an extraordinary woman. Her martial arts prowess was as fierce as her beauty was stunning.
Since she dared enter Goldridge alone to settle accounts with Henry, this meant she did not consider any of the martial arts experts there worthy of her concern.
Meanwhile, Chantelle and Hank had been ordered to investigate the parasite poison in Gabo Creek. Scarlett orchestrated the parasite poison incident behind the scenes, but Andrew did not have time to notify Chantelle about it.
He was now heading south and checking the time; he estimated it would take another half-day to reach Gabo Creek territory. Once he entered Gabo Creek territory, reaching the small county town where Chantelle was located would take several more hours.
So, Andrew slowed down and pulled into a rest stop. He planned to rest, eat, and refuel his car.
Just then, Eric woke up and glared furiously at him.
Andrew kept his head down, eating, not wanting to deal with him.
“Give me an explanation!” Eric sat across from Andrew and said coldly.
Andrew took a bite of his boiled egg and looked up. “Explain what? Eat something, then we’ll get back on the road."
Eric glanced at the microwave meals in front of him, clearly disgusted, and snapped, “You sealed my acupoints? Unlock them now!”
Andrew put down his spoon, his eyes turning cold. “That’s enough, Eric! You know what? I’ve put up with you for way too long! From the moment you betrayed Mr. Thornton, honestly, I wanted to kill you right then. But I knew that killing you would break Mr. Thornton’s heart because you’re the only family and child he has left in this world!”
Eric’s eyes turned red as he suddenly roared, “Andrew, shut the hell up! Let me go, and don’t mention Jerome in front of me ever again!”
Andrew reached across the table and struck Eric twice across his pale face.
Covering his slapped face, Eric looked incredulous. “You hit me? You actually dare to hit me? Andrew, how dare you? You…”
His furious words kept coming as he tried to continue his tirade, but Andrew delivered several more slaps.
“You piece of shit, where do you get off having such hatred for Mr. Thornton? Huh? I’m asking you! What gives you the right to resent your father? He raised you! He fed you, clothed you, and even taught you the very martial arts technique you brag so much about.
“And you had the audacity to team up with outsiders and try to kill him? All because of your pathetic crush on Hunter, a man who’s been dead for years? Tell me, if Hunter could see you from the afterlife, would he be proud of what you’ve done?”
Andrew’s voice rose with each word until he was practically yelling. Their argument drew stares from all over the rest stop.
Still fuming, Andrew lowered his head again and went back to eating.
Eric sat frozen, still clutching his burning cheek, glaring daggers at Andrew. However, he said nothing more.
The two men sat in tense silence. Two minutes later, Andrew ate the last bite of his food and stood up.
He said, “You’ve got three minutes to finish eating. You can try running, but I’m warning you now: if I catch you, I’ll break your damn legs.”
Eric took the disposable spoon, his anger bubbling just beneath the surface.
As Andrew stepped outside, two plainclothes officers blocked his path.
Jonathan Lopez, the older man on the left, frowned. “Sir, may I see your ID, please?”
Andrew pulled it out without hesitation. The man checked it and handed it back with a nod.