18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Chapter 271

"Absolutely not!" Bran almost choked on his disbelief.

He'd admit, Stella was a looker, but women were the last thing he lacked. What kind of beauty hadn't he seen? Hollywood starlets, social media influencers, budding models, small-town girls... all he had to do was snap his fingers and they were his. "You're overthinking." Bran said dismissively, "I'm just intrigued by your mystery."

That was a relief. Stella would've been terrified to be on his radar, "So what?"

"I got curious, so I accidentally hit you with my car."

Stella laughed, "Bran, I'm curious about what goes on in your head. Should I crack it open with a knife to take a look?"

Yep, she was definitely the first woman to speak to him like that.

Bran looked uncomfortable, his eyes darting elsewhere, "I didn't expect such a big fuss today. My... my apologies."

Well, what a surprise! The rich boy apologizing. Had it been anyone else, Stella might not have let it go. But considering the vehicles and parts in Arcadia, and the swallowed pink diamond, she felt slightly uneasy.

Moreover, her ultimate goal was to continue living in the villa, and the Porras family wasn't to be messed with. Since he had given her an out, there was no need to push it.

"Of course, if you people insist on causing trouble, we're not afraid."

By "you people", she meant the self-proclaimed elites of the neighborhood. Her words were not only for Bran but also for those who thought highly of themselves.

Bran's pride took a hit, but considering his father's sudden change of attitude after meeting Evan, he decided to swallow his pride. He waved nonchalantly and strutted away. Cooper stubbornly remained where he was, staring at Bran's retreating figure, baring his teeth.

Stella patted him and turned to go home.

she closed the gate, Jasper came downstairs, "What

attracted to me," Stella

you?" Stella leaned forward, sniffing, "You smell like jealousy." Jasper pulled her into a hug,

"Don't you

but he couldn't help feeling

dazed." Stella sat down to explain, "Bran is the youngest of the Porras family, spoiled since childhood. Everyone praises him wherever he goes,

be annihilated. After the bloodshed of the apocalypse, the Porras family became more cautious and low-key, but

the Porras family didn't provoke them, Stella was willing

surprise, Bran actually sent people to deliver food. Stella was speechless

things over. Drinks this time. He mentioned clearing up the misunderstanding and dropping the case

and they wilted for several days.

were well-raised in Arcadia, which allowed them to gradually transition to the greenhouse. If they had found seedlings in the wild, most would have

herbs was quite

wanted to go into the mountains to find as

volunteered, "Let Dylan take care of them. He really

too much for a child to handle. Moreover, everyone knew

for a moment and decided to ask on the

that the family would be out for a few days, Austin readily agreed, "No problem, just bring them over. Dylan has been nagging about wanting to keep some pets.

It would be good for the kid to experience some hardship, to understand the

two large cages of poultry were carried over, along with a big bag of feed made from crushed corn and sweet

searched by many people. They chose to enter the mountains from another direction in Ivywood Estates, aiming for an unexplored area. The seasons

about herbs, and now they split up to search. Rosie was assigned Cooper as her

day, they had gathered dozens of herbs, all of which were preserved in

the mummy sleeping bags. She shared

Stella would regularly apply