Rising from the Ashes (Andrew and Lauren)

Tiana flinched, both shocked and furious, but she had no chance of dodging him.

Under Andrew's hand, she did not stand a chance. However, the loud smack that followed was not across her face—it landed squarely on a pressure point along her waist.

A wave of sharp pain shot through her body like a crashing tide. She gasped, "Ah... Andrew, you... stop, that hurts..."

A strange moan escaped her lips, echoing awkwardly in the quiet room.

Andrew muttered under his breath, cursing her madness. Without wasting time, he lifted her up and laid her down across the bed.

Tiana stared up at him in disbelief, her eyes wide-until he pulled out a slim, metallic object.

A gleaming golden acupuncture needle.noveldrama

"Mrs. Rhodes, your speech is erratic, your energy's spiking. I'll give you a few needles to stabilize your condition," Andrew said calmly.

With that, he plunged the first needle into a targeted spot on her body. Tiana's breath hitched as her lips parted, and her reaction was a mix of pain and surprise. The sharp sting had her reeling.

This little punk actually had the nerve to stick her like that.

Andrew placed a hand on her wrist to feel her pulse. "Physically, you're in good shape overall. But your liver and heart energy-way too pent-up. You've been bottling it up for too long. So, I'm going to help you release it. Cool you off."

With two fingers pressed together, Andrew began applying firm pressure on her body's key meridian points, hitting nerves tied to the internal organs.

A mix of numbness, tingling, and heat surged through Tiana's body. It was intense -so intense her entire body broke out in sweat.

"Andrew, stop! I was just testing you, okay?" she shouted, her voice growing shrill. "I'm fine! I'm not sick-just stop already!"

The physical sensation was becoming unbearable. Her words may have been playful earlier, but Andrew's treatment had crossed a line she had not expected.

Andrew was younger, a junior in her eyes. She had no problem teasing him a little with words.

However, physical contact was a whole different boundary.

Truthfully, Tiana was far from the reckless woman she pretended to be. She came from the Lambert family, a traditional household. At heart, she was always reserved.

Now here she was, pinned beneath Andrew, being treated—but also touched in places she never expected. Her pride flared, but so did a strange, shameful pleasure.

She bit her tongue to keep from making a sound.

Had it been Jameson-her husband-she would not have held back. But this was Andrew-Lauren's future husband.

The idea of moaning in front of him? It made her want to crawl into a hole and die from shame.

At the same time, she wanted to slap Andrew senseless.

Was he really taking advantage of her under the guise of treatment?

If he was doing this on purpose, what could she even do afterward?

Call him out? No chance. Not publicly. She would only end up humiliating herself.

And Andrew's father-her first love-still had a hold on her emotions. Because of that man, she could never truly be cruel to Andrew.

Then, there was that strange, complicated pull inside her. Every time she looked at Andrew, she saw traces of the man who once made her heart race, who once made her lose all control.

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So, no-she did not see Andrew as just a junior. She did not say it aloud and fought to bury those dangerous thoughts. Nonetheless, the truth sat heavy on her heart.

Worse, Andrew was the man her daughter loved.

If she really fell into his hands and lost control, would that mean that mother and

daughter fell for the same man?

The mere thought made Tiana's entire sense of self reel. She had always prided herself on discipline and moral clarity, but now, she felt like she was teetering on the edge of chaos. A storm she might not be able to pull herself back from.