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

was attracted to me,"

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

Stella laughed, "Don't you have faith in

but he couldn't

since

probably be annihilated. After the bloodshed of the apocalypse, the Porras family became more cautious

long as the Porras family didn't

to her surprise, Bran actually sent people to deliver food.

He mentioned clearing up the misunderstanding and dropping the case at the police station. Stella ignored him,

planted in the rooftop greenhouse, and they wilted for several days.

the greenhouse. If they had found seedlings in

cultivating herbs was quite

varieties 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

take care of them.

much for a child to handle. Moreover,

and decided to ask

few days, Austin readily agreed, "No problem, just bring them over. Dylan has been nagging about wanting to keep some pets. This will keep him

good for the kid to experience some hardship, to understand

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

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

had spent a lot of time teaching the siblings about herbs, and now they split up to search. Rosie was assigned Cooper as her

the day, they had gathered dozens of

at night, so Stella took out the mummy sleeping bags. She shared one with Jasper, while

insect repellent, so Stella would regularly apply it on Cooper, not worrying about