Chapter 696 Stephen hesitated for a moment before forcing out a strained smile .
Mr.
Lloyd , the Reckoning Toast at the Jayrodale Grand Hotel officially started today .
Raymond ns to host it for three days straight , inviting all the major yers in Jayrodale to witness it .
He exined , If , by the end of the third day , you havent shown up , it will be taken as a refusal to apologize .
At that point , Raymond , backed by the Wright family , might decide to make a move against you .
Please , think this through .
Andrews eyes darkened with indifference .
Ill go on the third day and settle it then .
But until then , I dont have the time or the interest to entertain them .
Stephen quickly nodded .
Of course , Mr.
Lloyd .
Ill pass the message along to Raymond .
Andrew gave a casual wave .
Do whatever you think is best .
He turned and left the office with Lauren beside him .
Dr.
Lloyd , Lauren said softly , ncing at him with concern , I really think you should take the Wright family seriously .
She knew his personality he was the kind of man who never bent under pressure .
However , she feared his stubbornness might draw the wrong kind of attention .
Andrews jaw tightened .
What happened to Dream Paradise was entirely the Chapman familys fault .
By any logic , theyre the ones who should be apologizing , not me .
If the Wright family chooses to ignore the facts and bully me into submission , then I have no choice but to fight back .
Lauren gave a small nod .
Alright .
I respect your decision .
But you should know … Winston is a lunatic .
A spoiled , psychotic brat .
If he loses his temper , things could get messy .
Andrew scoffed .
If hes smart , hell keep his tantrums to himself .
But if he decides toe after me , hell regret it .
Lunatic or not , Ill make him kneel and beg for mercy .
When they arrived at the Rhodes Corporation building , Marcus came rushing toward them with a tense expression .
Mr.
Lloyd , things are getting out of hand .
Raymonds pushing hard to hold you responsible and hes even brought in some big shot from the capital .
He wrung his hands anxiously , ncing at Andrew with genuine concern .
Andrew chuckled , his eyes glinting with a dangerous calm .
Rx .
I already know about it .
Ill handle it .
Marcus mouth opened , but no words came out .
He had worked with Andrew long enough to know the man never backed down .
Still , this situation was different .
Mr.
Lloyd , maybe … maybe we should rethink this , Marcus finally said .
Im distantly rted to Raymond .
I could go apologize on your behalf and offer to cover the damages at Dream Paradise .
He continued , If youe with me and say a few kind words , maybe we can smooth this over before things escte .
Andrewughed , though there was no humor in it .
First , Stephen tries to talk me into bowing my head .
Now you ? He leaned in slightly , his tone sharp but steady .
We were the ones who got provoked , Mr.
Chapman .
And when we Chapter 696 pushed back , now they want us to apologize ? What kind of world would that be ? If we just roll over , what happens next ? People like Raymond would keep running wild , while decent people live in fear .
Im not about to let that happen .
Marcus sighed and rubbed the back of his neck .
Youre absolutely right , Mr.
Lloyd .
I get it, really .
But … sometimes , taking one step back can help you avoid an even bigger fight .
He added , Why not just swallow a bit of pride , apologize , and move on ? Its not like youd actually lose anything .
Andrews smile faded .
His voice turned icy .
Im not in the habit of apologizing when Ive done nothing wrong .
With a resigned sigh , Marcus said nothing more .
He knew that once Andrew made up his mind , there was no talking him out of it .
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