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.

Jasper came downstairs, "What did he

said he was attracted to

sniffing, "You smell like jealousy." Jasper pulled her into a

you jealous?" Stella laughed, "Don't you have faith

he couldn't help feeling

to explain, "Bran is the youngest of the Porras family, spoiled since childhood.

be annihilated. After the bloodshed of

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

to her surprise, Bran actually sent people to

Drinks this time. He mentioned clearing up the misunderstanding and dropping the case at the police station. Stella ignored him, letting her

they wilted for several days. Eventually, they

to the greenhouse. If they had found seedlings in the wild, most would

seemed cultivating herbs

enough to treat a cold and resultant pneumonia, which was like providing a standard answer. Stella wanted to go into the mountains to find as many herbs as possible. Jasper had no objections. The other things could be moved into Arcadia, but it

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

was a lot of poultry and it might be too much for a child to handle. Moreover, everyone knew how much Austin pampered his

moment and decided

agreed, "No problem, just bring them over. Dylan has been nagging about

be good for the kid to experience some hardship, to understand the realities of

over, along with a big bag of feed made from crushed corn

area. The seasons became more distinct, and many early-budding plants and seedlings were frozen to death or injured. Of course, there were also resilient ones who were

had spent a lot of time teaching the siblings about herbs, and now they split up to

had gathered dozens of herbs, all

Stella took out the mummy sleeping bags. She shared one with Jasper,

up on insect repellent, so Stella would regularly apply it on