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

was attracted to me," Stella

asking, "And you?" Stella leaned forward, sniffing, "You smell like jealousy." Jasper pulled her into a hug, "Are you attracted to

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

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

since childhood. Everyone praises him wherever he goes, which has fostered his arrogant and domineering behavior. But then he

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

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

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

day he sent more things over. Drinks this time. He mentioned clearing up the misunderstanding and dropping the case at the police station. Stella

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

which allowed them to gradually transition to the greenhouse. If they had found seedlings in the wild, most would have died, let

cultivating herbs was

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

take care of

be too much for a child

thought for a moment and decided to ask on the

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

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

big bag of feed made from crushed corn

direction in Ivywood Estates, aiming for an unexplored area. The seasons became more distinct, and many early-budding plants and seedlings were frozen

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

had gathered dozens of herbs, all

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

so Stella would regularly apply