Andrew had no idea that Leslie's words had actually done him a huge favor.

Ryder, pushed to his limits and humiliated repeatedly, had made up his mind that he would take over as head of the Ulrich family to prove his worth. When the time came, he would make sure Leslie paid for it, hard.

…

The late autumn wind was cold and biting as it swept across the lawn behind the Serenity Villa.

Training continued as usual, but today there was a new face among them—Lauren.

Since she had just recovered, Andrew did not have the heart to throw her into intense drills. Instead, he had her jog around to get her blood flowing and her energy circulating again.

Tiana dropped by, clearly pleased with what she saw.

"I really like your training methods. Honestly, Andy, I admire it," she said with a sly smile.

Her voice dipped into that usual flirtatious tone. "You're just as capable as your dad was back in the day."

Andrew's face darkened slightly, unable to tell whether this unpredictable