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.

gate, Jasper came downstairs, "What did

said he was attracted to me," Stella

while before asking, "And you?" Stella leaned forward, sniffing, "You smell like jealousy." Jasper

Stella laughed, "Don't you have faith

wasn't that, but he couldn't help feeling

overthinking. I guess he's just a little dazed." Stella sat down to explain, "Bran is the youngest of the Porras family, spoiled since childhood. Everyone praises him wherever he goes, which has fostered his arrogant and domineering behavior. But then

before the apocalypse, anyone who dared disrespect the Porras family would probably be annihilated. After the bloodshed of the apocalypse, the Porras family became more cautious and

didn't provoke them, Stella was willing to

people to deliver food. Stella was speechless and ignored

things over. Drinks this time. He mentioned clearing up the misunderstanding and dropping the case at the police station. Stella ignored

and they wilted for several days. Eventually,

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

cultivating herbs was

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 was hard to

Dylan take care of them.

and it might be too much for a child to handle. Moreover, everyone knew how much

moment and decided to ask on the

few days, Austin readily agreed, "No problem, just bring them over.

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

made from crushed corn and sweet potato sprouts. The three of them

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

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

they had gathered dozens of herbs,

Stella took out the mummy sleeping bags. She

regularly