Rising from the Ashes (Andrew and Lauren)

Still, Andrew had no reason to question Chantelle over something like that, so he could only keep it to himself.

On the other hand, Chantelle had never looked him in the eye. Her posture remained straight and composed.

Andrew could not stand the weird tension in the room anymore, so he stood up and said, "Well then, Ms. Garcia, once you're done cleaning up, you should get some rest. I'm going to bed now."

Chantelle stood up with him and laughed lightly. "Alright, Mr. Lloyd, good night!"

Andrew headed upstairs, turned off the lights, and lay down. Since Chantelle was staying overnight at Serenity Villa, he could not have the three girls join him tonight.

Otherwise, if things got noisy, Chantelle would inevitably hear everything, which would be rather awkward.

Lauren, Francesca, and Aspen were thinking the same thing. Soon after everything was cleaned up, they each returned to their respective rooms and obediently went to sleep.

Andrew had already fallen asleep, but his phone received a message. He smiled, figuring it must be from Lauren, Francesca, or Aspen.

The three ladies clearly could not handle being left alone either.

However, when he squinted and opened his phone to check, it was not from any of his three beloved ladies.

[Mr. Lloyd, are you asleep yet?]

The message was simple, just those few words. However, it was the sender's name that made Andrew look several times just to confirm he was seeing it right.

It was from Chantelle, the ice queen.

[I'm already asleep. Do you need something?] Andrew replied and put his phone down.

Chantelle texted back almost instantly, [It's nothing major, but I was wondering if I could trouble you for a moment. The window in my room won't close, and cold air keeps blowing in. It's really uncomfortable!]

Andrew could not help but frown. [The window won't close? Hold on, I'll come take a look!]

Chantelle replied, [That would be great. Thank you so much! But Mr. Lloyd, please keep it quiet. I don't want to disturb Ms. Rhodes and the others!]

Andrew got up and immediately headed to Chantelle's room. He moved very quietly, also worried about disturbing everyone else's rest.

Chantelle's bedroom door opened with just a gentle push. He carefully walked inside, where it was pitch black with no lights on.

"Ms. Garcia, turn on the lights so I can help you with the window."

No one responded, and the room remained completely silent.

Andrew called out again about turning on the lights, but Chantelle still did not respond, so he walked over to turn them on himself.

The moment the lights came on, he saw a figure sprawled across the bed, her nightgown pulled up, revealing soft curves and bare skin glowing under the light.

Chantelle's face was flushed red, though whether from alcohol or embarrassment was unclear.

Biting her lower lip, she looked at Andrew with shy, coy eyes. "Mr. Lloyd, you came!"noveldrama

Andrew was completely speechless. He looked toward the window, which was closed perfectly fine. In other words, there was absolutely no problem with it not closing properly.

He instantly realized what this supposedly aloof woman was trying to do. "Ms. Garcia, you've got guts, I'll give you that!"

Chantelle's eyes darted away nervously. "I don't even know why I'm acting so crazy like this! Anyway, Mr. Lloyd, it's up to you. Either give it to me or don't, and if you won't, I'll get dressed and leave right now!"

Andrew felt frustrated. "I can give it to you, but you didn't need to come to my place for this, did you? Don't tell me you're like Aspen, enjoying the thrill and excitement of risky situations?"

Chantelle's face turned red with

shame and anger. "I'm nothing like your little servant girl! Anyway, back when we were treasure hunting in that remote wilderness, you took my virginity. So from now on, you can't refuse me." sŵnovel

Andrew shook his head and replied in a serious tone, "Ms. Garcia, I don't even understand the relationship between us myself! The main issue is that I'm not clear on your attitude.

I'm genuinely sincere with Fran, Lauren, and Aspen; they're truly my women."

He continued, "But with you, if it's just a physical transaction, I don't think it's necessary!"

Chantelle panicked. "But what if I'm being serious?"

Andrew was stunned. "You're being serious?"

Chantelle stammered, her heart racing. "I don't know if I'm being serious or not! Anyway, I want you to sleep with me. I know making this request makes me seem pathetic and shameless, and you'll think I have no dignity!

"But I'm 30 years old now, and ever since that time with you, I can't stop thinking about it! I'm not the type of person who likes to suppress myself, so come here!"

Andrew chuckled bitterly. "So you're treating me like a friends-with-benefits situation!"

Chantelle lifted her head defiantly, her pale neck tilted in pride. "Even if it's just friends with benefits, you're the one getting the better deal! Are you going to tell me sleeping with me wasn't enjoyable? Didn't stroke that oversized ego of yours?"

Andrew did not respond but instead stared at this woman, giving her a thorough once-over. Finally, he walked over and clicked off the lights.

The room fell into silence.

Then, Andrew's calm voice slowly emerged from the darkness. "You'd better prepare yourself for wobbly legs at work tomorrow! Also, keep it down later, or else Fran and the others will all know about it tomorrow!"

Chantelle felt like her entire body was on fire, her heart nearly beating out of her chest.

"I'll try my best, but if I can't help myself, don't blame me!"

What followed was another long, tangled night of passion.

Through this night of intimate communication, Andrew discovered a huge secret.

Chantelle, like Aspen, very likely suffered from the same condition. Both had developed serious issues, and their cases were not mild.

She enjoyed being dominated, being overwhelmed, and liked it when Andrew used force until she was crying and screaming.

Andrew was absolutely sure that Chantelle had Stockholm Syndrome, too, and her case was just as severe as Aspen's.