Rising from the Ashes (Andrew and Lauren)

It was the start of a new day. Winter was creeping closer, and the back lawn of Serenity Villa was already covered in frost by morning.

Aspen had almost mastered the art of bone compression, and Andrew was ready to teach her real assassination techniques.

He said, "A true assassin only gets one shot. If you can't take the target down in that one moment, you've already failed. And when that happens, you're left with only two outcomes."

Andrew stood in gloves, his breath turning into mist under the icy wind.

Francesca, Lauren, Dylan, Natasha, and Aspen stood in a straight line, listening intently.

"What two outcomes?" Aspen asked curiously.

Andrew replied, "One, you get killed by the target. Two, you fail and escape immediately, saving yourself before it's too late."

Lauren scoffed. "Well, that's easy then. If the hit fails, you just run. Getting killed by the target? Not even possible! How about that, Andrew? Pretty clever, huh?"

Andrew flicked her forehead hard, making her wince and glare at him pitifully. "If you run into someone way stronger than you, do you think you can still escape after a failed attempt?"

He added, "Do you think they're just gonna stand there doing nothing? You'll be dead before you take two steps!"

Aspen asked, "Then how do I make sure I get a clean kill, every single time?"

Andrew gave her a thumbs-up. "Now that's a great question! Landing every hit perfectly sounds nearly impossible, doesn't it? Which is why you shouldn't even worry about it for now-unless you're me."

A chorus of boos broke out instantly. His three lovely companions all rolled their eyes in unison.

Andrew cleared his throat. "Back to business! Watch my movements carefully. Don't just mimic the form, but capture the essence too. If you don't, you'll be sharing my bed tonight, alone."

Aspen's face went pale as she immediately focused with all her might. After all, being alone with Andrew for a night usually left any of the women barely able to move the next day.

Francesca was training in pure combat, a different path from Aspen's stealth- focused route. Her frame, personality, and natural talent made her ideal for direct force.

So, Andrew put her through daily regimens of brutal physical

conditioning and reflex sharpening Honestly, she was a perfect fit,. especially with her already

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well-endowed chest growing even more impressive with each day of hard training.

Lauren had started later than the others, but her progress was unusually fast. Unlike Francesca, she was best suited for cultivating internal energy-training her@ore strength and inner power.

She looked like a delicate beauty on the outside, but if she hit someone with a palm strike, even seasoned martial artists would find their organs shaking.

Andrew once asked Tiana about her daughter's constitution, but Tiana only said Lauren was 'special' and did not elaborate further.

Nonetheless, Andrew could tell that Lauren's body was far from ordinary. The problem was that she was lazy. She only took training seriously when Andrew personally pushed her.

As for Natasha and Dylan, they continued on their original martial arts paths. Andrew could not offer them tailored regimens like the others, but he did provide guidance and an endless supply of elixirs.

Still, relying on supplements alone could only take them so far. If they wanted to become true masters, they had to put in the work themselves.

"You've got a unique training method for each of them," a voice came from behind. "You must be from some ancient, powerful martial lineage, or maybe you had some kind of incredible encounter."

Andrew turned around and scoffed. "Mr. Driscoll, what are you doing here?"

Joe stood there in his usual all-white outfit, calm as ever. "It's gotten cold. The lake froze over, so I just walked across it."

Andrew winced. "Then please... walk back the same way you came."

Lauren, Francesca, and Aspen all rushed over, laughing, eager to welcome Joe

in.