Andrew’s expression remained emotionless, his eyes devoid of any sympathy. “Didn’t you say you were confident? That you were exceptional? I gave you every possible advantage. Yet look at you, you still couldn’t even touch me.”

He added, “So, tell me… doesn’t that make you completely worthless?”

Tears finally spilled from Aspen’s eyes. She gritted her teeth and hissed, “Andrew, don’t get cocky! I’ll fight you to the death!”

Andrew’s eyes narrowed slightly. With a flick of his wrist, his hand cut through the air, heading straight for Aspen’s face.

She shut her eyes in despair, bracing herself for another slap. However, it did not land on her cheek this time. Instead, his palm came down hard – right on her backside.

This was not a playful slap – it was pure, calculated punishment.

A sharp gasp escaped Aspen’s lips as a searing pain shot through her body. Her legs buckled, a numbing ache spreading through her lower half, making it impossible to stand.

The sheer force of the strike sent her crashing to the ground. She curled up, gripping her legs as she trembled from the pain.

Andrew dusted off his hands. “Game over. Trash is still trash – boring and useless.”

Aspen slowly lifted her head. Her eyes burned red with hatred, tears still clinging to her lashes.

“One day… I’ll make you eat those words,” she swore, her voice shaking with rage. “I’ll prove to you that the ‘trash’ you look down on will be someone you have to look up to!”

Andrew did not even bother responding since he was not interested in empty promises.

He dusted his hands and turned to Natasha. “Keep this Stevens family brat here for now. Throw her into training with your people. Let’s see if she ever improves from being the absolute weakest.”

Natasha grinned. “Sure, whatever you say. But honestly, it feels like a waste to put such a stunning woman through combat training. There are plenty of better ways for her to be useful than swinging a sword around.”

Andrew glanced down at Aspen, his lips curling into a smirk. “Nope, not worth it. Her chest? Slightly better than a chopping board. Her ass? Honestly, I just tested it – not even close to Fran, Lauren, or you. And as for that face of hers… Well, at this point, she might as well be competing with a troll. No one’s gonna be interested.”

Aspen’s entire body stiffened. She nearly choked from sheer rage, doubting her own existence for the first time in her life.

Was she really that pathetic now?

A short while later, Andrew left West End’s headquarters. For now, he did not have any solid plans for Aspen.

As much as Natasha joked about selling her off, Andrew was not that cruel, and that was a line he would not cross.

At the same time, it was clear that Aspen had not learned her lesson as she was still as arrogant as ever. She was stuck in her delusions, clinging to the pride of a noble family heiress.

Andrew had humiliated her for a reason – to break her stubbornness and force her to face reality. However, beyond that, he was not the type to torment people for fun.

If Aspen could learn and grow, she might actually be useful one day. After all, her background was not all that different from Lauren’s or Francesca’s—she had been raised in an elite family and had the education to match.

Andrew figured that if she ever got her act together, she could assist Lauren in the future.

Meanwhile, the promotional campaign shot by Shiloh had officially launched, and Rhodes Pharmaceuticals was finally seeing some positive traction.

The flood of negative press, attacks, and bad reviews had begun to slow down. On top of that, Michael’s viral video scandal had completely stolen the spotlight.

With public attention shifting elsewhere, Rhodes Corporation’s biggest crisis was finally