Rising from the Ashes (Andrew and Lauren) novel Chapter 1164

As evening fell, Aspen and Dylan returned to Serenity Villa. The front gate stood wide open, and Andrew sat squarely in a chair in the middle of the first-floor lobby.

Aspen frowned as she stepped inside. "Why are you sitting here?"

Andrew replied, "Waiting for guests."

"Who?"

"Assassins from the Haywoods and the Goldings."

Her face darkened when she heard his words. She could not help but think Andrew had lost his damn mind for leaving the front door wide open for killers.

He glanced at her and asked, "Weren't you meeting a client? How'd it go?"

Aspen's voice turned icy. "Turns out, Christina was the one looking for investors."

Andrew raised a brow. "So? You turned her down?"

She sneered as she said, "More than that. I made sure all three of them left humiliated. That old hag Irene even got a slap from me."

Andrew simply shrugged. Aspen had never been the merciful type, and none of this surprised him. He simply ordered, "Go make something to eat. I'm hungry."

Aspen scowled. "Just order takeout. With all these people you've invited over, I can't handle cooking alone."

She pulled out her phone, only to find every restaurant refusing delivery to The Sovereign Residences.

Watching her frustration mount, Andrew smirked. "Save your energy. If takeout were an option, I'd have done it hours ago. No delivery driver in their right mind would step foot here right now. Don't torture them."

Aspen finally realized what was going on. Of course—thanks to Andrew, The Sovereign Residences had become a no-go zone. At this point, even birds probably avoided flying overhead, lest they get plucked mid-flight.

"Fine. I'll cook for you, but I'm not feeding everyone else," she muttered.

Aspen descended the stairs in her thin sleepwear, the night breeze from the open doorway causing her thin nightdress to flutter suggestively around her silhouette.

She walked next to Andrew and whispered, "Why don't you get some rest? I'll take over the watch for a while."

Andrew shook his head without looking up. "Go to bed. I'm fine."

Aspen clenched her jaw. He had been sitting motionless all day, so how could he not be tired?

She insisted, "I won't let you down. I know I'm nowhere near your level, but keeping watch is something I can handle."

Andrew's gaze flickered over her revealing attire, a smirk playing at his lips. "Planning to stand guard in your nightwear? Is that your strategy?"

His eyes traveled pointedly downward. "I don't even see a bra. Do you really think you could fight if trouble shows up?"