“Get out!”
Andrew’s cold command cut through the air like a sharp blade, slicing deeply into Christina’s heart. The Andrew she once knew had been a gentleman—graceful, mild-mannered, and never raised his voice at her, let alone spoke with such harshness. At that time, she had seen his gentleness as weakness—a lack of masculinity—and had looked down on him because of it. But now, this cold, ruthless Andrew terrified her. For the first time, she realized just how much she missed the softer version of him.
“This is outrageous! That little brat actually dared to order those thugs under Dylan to surround us. This insult—our family must settle this score!”
On the ride back, Irene fumed, her voice shrill with anger. Leroy’s expression was equally dark. “Andrew’s gotten too full of himself. He doesn’t even respect our family anymore. Christie, you heard him, didn’t you? He had the audacity to command you to leave!” Leroy spat, his tone seething with rage. “Does he think he can defy us and get away with it?”
Irene chimed in, her voice venomous. “Exactly! Who does Andrew think he is? Just some useless man leeching off women! If it weren’t for our family giving him food and shelter, and for Christie giving him a chance to be with her, how could he possibly have gotten so lucky and climbed up in the world? Christie, you can’t let this go. At the very least, you need to remind him that no matter how hard he tries or how many women he leans on, he’ll never surpass the Stevens family.”
Leroy added fiercely, “Christie, you saw how Aspen got beaten to a pulp. Here’s an idea: let’s not take her to the hospital right away. Instead, let’s show the main family in Bridgefields exactly what happened to her.” He grinned maliciously. “Once the family head sees his daughter in this state, there’s no way they won’t retaliate. They’ll crush Andrew like an ant!”
Irene’s eyes lit up, nodding enthusiastically. “That’s a great idea, Leroy! Christie, call the main family in Bridgefields and show them what’s happened to Aspen. If we don’t teach Andrew a lesson, he’s going to overshadow us completely. You’re the Ice Queen of the Stevens Corporation—you kicked him to the curb once. You can’t let him rise above you. That would be too humiliating!”
Christina felt overwhelmed, shaking her head. “Enough, both of you. Right now, the priority is getting Aspen to a hospital and stabilizing her.” She glanced over at Aspen, unconscious in the backseat, her face swollen and bloodied. Christina’s expression shifted, torn between anger and indecision. Slowly, she pulled out her phone and snapped some pictures of Aspen’s battered face.
Irene leaned forward eagerly. “What are you waiting for? Send those to the main family now!”
Leroy chimed in, urging her on, “Yeah, do it, Christina. Let the main family see Aspen like this. Once they’re involved, they’ll make sure Andrew regrets ever crossing us.” He smirked greedily. “And while they’re at it, they can take his car. That big G-Wagon of his will look great as mine.”
Christina sighed deeply. “We should wait until Aspen wakes up. It’s her decision whether or not to escalate this to the main family. Sending these photos now feels underhanded.”
Irene snapped, “Underhanded? Nonsense! Andrew attacked us! He deserves to be beaten to death for that. He’s nothing but a disrespectful little punk!”
Leroy growled, “We can’t deal with Andrew on our own anymore. Christie, if you don’t involve the main family, it’s only a matter of time before Andrew walks all over us!”
Christina stared at her phone, her finger hovering over the “send” button in the chat with the main family. She hesitated, torn about whether or not to send the photos.