Chapter 407

Lauren cried hard, but her resolve remained unshaken. She declared firmly, “No. If I choose to comply now, that’s when I’ll truly regret it. I’ve told the family countless times–Andrew isn’t ordinary. He’s a hidden gem, and he deserves not just me, but any exceptional woman!”

The momentary softness in Tiana’s eyes vanished instantly. “So you’re still blindly obsessed with him?” she asked coldly.

Lauren trembled as she felt the invisible barrier between mother and daughter, which had briefly narrowed, suddenly grew wider than ever.

She slowly wiped away her tears and said expressionlessly, “Call it a blind obsession or say I’m degrading myself either way, it has to be Andrew.”

Tiana sneered. “Fine. You’ve always made this boy sound extraordinary. Let’s see how exceptional he really is. Do you think he’s better than Joe?”

Lauren scoffed. “Joe has his family’s backing, of course, people look up to him. But when it comes to true excellence, he doesn’t even deserve to be compared to my Dr. Lloyd!”

“Words are cheap–we need facts,” Tiana replied coldly. “Starting today, your house arrest is lifted. You can return to work at Rhodes Corporation, but I need you to do one thing–prove to me what makes this Andrew so special.”

Tiana continued, “If he turns out to be ordinary and worthless, I’ll never approve of your relationship, even on my deathbed. Your father will inform the Driscoll family about this, and you know Joe’s temperament. If he learns about Andrew’s existence, the consequences will be severe.”

Lauren’s face paled slightly as she protested, “You can’t let the Driscoll family go after Andrew! He’s on his own without any backing, while Joe has the entire Driscoll family supporting him–it’s not fair!”

“Fair?”

Tiana laughed coldly. “There’s no such thing as fairness in this world. Only the strong survive, and the weak perish. Why would elite families talk about fairness with someone they could crush like an ant? Why would they waste their time?”

Lauren felt angry but knew she could not convince her mother. She gritted her teeth and said, “Fine, I’ll bring Dr. Lloyd to prove it to you. But let me be clear–if his performance is impeccable, will you, Dad, and the Rhodes family approve of our relationship?”

“If this Andrew truly is the hidden gem you claim he is, then perhaps the Rhodes family might end up looking up to him instead,” Tiana replied dismissively.

Lauren stated confidently, “You might be right–one day, Andrew might have the entire Rhodes family looking up to him.”

With that, she turned and left, eager to see Andrew after several days apart.

Tiana stood at the second-floor window of the mansion, watching her daughter’s retreating figure with a calculating look in her eyes.

“Foolish girl, you’re too naive,” she muttered. “No matter how hard Andrew tries or how lucky he gets, he can never match someone like Joe, who comes from old money. It’s an insurmountable gap–the advantage of centuries of family legacy. A common man will always be common, never comparable to true nobility.”