Rising from the Ashes (Andrew and Lauren) novel Chapter 1602

Andrew reached the restaurant entrance and decided to bail early. After the treasure hunt, he had not had time to reconnect with his three demanding girlfriends who were already pissed about his social dinner.

They were already bombarding him with texts, each calling him 'honey' and begging him to come home.

A delivery driver in a yellow uniform came drifting to a stop right in front of him, grabbing his order bag before rushing into the restaurant. Working in that industry was not easy, so Andrew stepped aside to make way for him.

Watching the guy's walking movements, Andrew's medical instincts immediately told him this person had previously broken his leg. Moreover, he probably only had one kidney left—his body movements were uncoordinated, and he was already breathing heavily after just a few steps, looking extremely weak.

The delivery guy unconsciously muttered his thanks and looked up.

When Andrew saw him, he could not help but show a mocking expression.

"I-It's you!" The delivery guy stammered, blinking in shock.

Andrew smiled and said, "It's me!"

Leroy wiped the sweat from his face, his cheeks flushed red as he said, "Mr. Lloyd, hello!"

Andrew asked, "Can you support your family doing deliveries?"

Leroy gave a bitter laugh. "I don't have any real skills. I'm just a useless bum who takes and eats whatever's handed to him. Christie's the one carrying all the weight at home."

Andrew chuckled. "At least you're self-aware. Though compared to how stupid you were back then, you have made some progress!"

Leroy's face was tanned and weathered from long hours in the sun. He hesitated for a moment before saying, "Mr. Lloyd, are you… still unwilling to forgive Christie? She's been through a lot already. She's paid her price. I'm begging you—please help her."

Andrew's face turned cold. "Whatever suffering she's endured has nothing to do with me. You've got it twisted if you think I care whether the three of you live or die. As for helping? Yeah… not happening."

Leroy let out a hollow laugh. "Looking back at how I used to act… man, what a dumbass I was. Mr. Lloyd, ever since I started working deliveries, I've come to realize just how powerful you really are."

He added, "Anyway, I'll head off now. I'm about to be late, and if the customer complains, I'll lose my commissions!"

The voice sounded like metal scraping against metal that could send a chill down anyone's spine.

At the same time, the window rolled down, revealing a pale, beardless, extremely feminine old face.

Andrew did not move, nor did he seem the slightest bit nervous. "If you're here about Mr. Rafael… I'll keep it short. He's dead. Died a horrible death, by the way."

The old man let out a strange laugh. "The Driscolls already know about that matter. What we want to know about is something else entirely! In that ancient tomb of the Fallen Crimson Dynasty, there was a precious item called the Elixir of Immortality. You got your hands on it, didn't you?"

Andrew turned his head and smiled. "Sorry, castrato. I have no clue what you're talking about."

"What did you just call me?" he demanded angrily.

Andrew replied matter-of-factly, "Castrato, of course. Is there a problem with that?"

The old man's voice became even more shrill. "Young man, if this were back in my prime, your head would already be rolling on the floor!"