Chapter 684

Aspen gave a satisfied nod. “That’s the spirit. That’s the Christie I know. Don’t worry. With me by your side, Stevens Corporation will rise stronger than ever.”

Christina forced a weak smile. “Yeah… at this point, the only way I can reclaim my dignity is through my career. I’ll make Andrew see that I’m not a quitter. I’ll catch up to him—and surpass him.”

Aspen’s eyes gleamed with a cold, twisted amusement. In her mind, Andrew was probably already rotting six feet under, completely unaware of the foolish Christina’s self-pity.

Still, she could tell that Andrew’s brutal truth had shattered Christina’s confidence. Well, killing Andrew had at least served the purpose of giving Christina a sense of closure.

Meanwhile, Andrew had no idea that Christina was drowning in regret and disbelief, teetering on the edge of an emotional breakdown. Then again, why would he care? To him, Christina’s well-being was none of his concern anymore.

He strolled into the Moonlit Apothecary, a bag of herbs swinging from his hand. He asked casually, “Nyla, how are you feeling?”

To his surprise, Lauren was already there, sitting beside Nyla with a concerned expression.

“Dr. Lloyd, I’m feeling much better now,” Nyla replied with a smile. Her complexion looked noticeably healthier than before.

Lauren walked up to Andrew, her eyes filled with curiosity. “Dr. Lloyd, Fran told me you stormed out earlier. You didn’t go after Gordon, did you?”

Andrew let out a cold snort. “There’s no more Gordon. He’s gone–for good.”

His words stunned the three women into silence. Lauren, Nyla, and Francesca exchanged nervous glances.

“Andrew… did you kill Gordon? That hunchbacked freak?” Francesca asked, her voice tight with apprehension.

Andrew noticed the worry on their faces. Lauren seemed calm enough, but Nyla and Francesca were visibly unsettled.

He decided to ease their minds, saying with a casual shrug, “No, I didn’t do it myself. I just sent Dylan and Natasha to handle it. Gordon was a dangerous lunatic, so we had him run out of Jayrodale. He won’t be coming back.”

Lauren nodded with relief. “That’s good. As long as he was still around, we were always going to be at risk.”

Francesca exhaled heavily, clutching her chest as if trying to steady her heartbeat. “Andrew, you scared me half to death. For a second, I thought you’d actually killed him. If that were the case, we’d be in big trouble with the Bridgefields’ Stevens family.”

Andrew smirked to himself. Even if they were, he was not afraid of Bridgefields or any family that tried to stand in his way. As for Gordon, the man was as dead as dead could be–there was no question about it.

He shifted the bag of herbs in his hand and smiled at the three women. “Lauren, Fran, you two keep Nyla company for a bit. I’ll go make her some medicine.”

Lauren beamed. “Of course, Dr. Lloyd. Thanks for taking care of her!”

Nyla flushed with embarrassment. “Dr. Lloyd, I–I can take care of myself. I shouldn’t be troubling you with this.”

Andrew shook his head. “Nyla, if you’re going to help out here at the Moonlit Apothecary, you should stop calling me Dr. Lloyd. Just call me Andrew or Andy. Dr. Lloyd sounds way too formal.”

Nyla hesitated. “But… if Ms. Rhodes can call you Dr. Lloyd, why can’t I?”

Lauren’s eyes sparkled with amusement as she gave Nyla a teasing grin. “Oh, silly girl. That’s because Andrew and I are a couple. I have special privileges, obviously.”

Francesca scoffed and crossed her arms. “Andrew, go make the medicine already. Lauren, quit rubbing it in – you’re going to make Nyla feel awkward.”

Lauren turned to her with a playful smirk. “Aw, Fran… are you jealous again?”

“I’m not jealous,” Francesca muttered.

“You totally are.”

“I’m not!”

Andrew knew where this was headed. The playful bickering between Lauren and Francesca was only going to get louder. Without a word, he turned and hurried into the backroom, welcoming the momentary peace.

As soon as he lit the stove and set the herbs aside, his phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out and froze; it was the foolish woman, Christina.

Even though they still had each other’s numbers saved, neither had called the other in ages.