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

attracted to me," Stella

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

jealous?" Stella laughed, "Don't you

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

explain, "Bran is the youngest of the Porras family, spoiled since childhood. Everyone praises him wherever he goes, which has fostered his arrogant

of the apocalypse, the Porras family became more cautious and low-key, but their

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

to deliver food. Stella was speechless and ignored

the misunderstanding and dropping the case at the police station. Stella ignored him, letting her vicious

they wilted for several days. Eventually, they gradually adapted to the climate, and their

transition to the greenhouse. If they had found seedlings in the wild, most would have died, let alone

seemed cultivating herbs

that Collin gave were quite complete, 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

of them. He really likes

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

a moment and decided to ask on

agreed, "No problem, just bring them over. Dylan has been nagging about wanting to keep some

the kid to experience some hardship, to understand

two large cages of poultry were carried over, along with a big bag of feed made from crushed corn and sweet potato sprouts. The three of them and the dog

didn't choose Mount Greenwood as it had probably been thoroughly searched by many people. They chose to enter the mountains from another direction in Ivywood Estates, aiming for an unexplored 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 still

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

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

out the mummy sleeping bags. She

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