18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Chapter 279

The past couple of years had not been kind to them, especially to Angela. Stella knew better than to pry, so she left it at that.

Jasper was already waiting for her at the curb. As they all piled into the car - the three of them and Cooper - Stella filled Jasper in on the situation. "Cody's doing alright, considering. But Angela's in a bad way because of her depression. Lukas might seem like he's all jokes and laughter, but I think he's swallowing a lot of pain. He looks like he's on the verge of a breakdown himself." Without Cody's comforting presence, Lukas might all be following in Angela's footsteps. End of the world or not, the brutality of reality, the torment of one's own mind - how many could maintain their mental health through all that?

Back in their gated community, a new notice was posted at the security booth. The Homeowners Association was holding its first ever meeting to discuss maintenance fees and plans for improving the green spaces. The meeting would be held promptly at eight in the evening.

No one was going to overlook Building 50 this time around.

After dinner, Stella and Jasper attended the meeting. Most of the other homeowners were already there, congratulating and complimenting each other. The atmosphere was so pleasant that one might mistake it for a cocktail party. The couple wasn't one for crowds, so they found a quiet spot in a corner.

From the corner of her eye, Stella spotted a familiar figure. Tracy, dressed in a classic dress, was arm-in-arm with a middle-aged man in a suit and tie, black leather shoes, and a slight beer belly. He was making small talk with everyone. This must be Asher, Julia's father.

"Jasper," Austin joined them at the meeting, settling down next to the couple.

The second-hand dealer had always loved gossip, using it as a way to quickly bring each other closer. Particularly, upon learning that Stella had fed shit to Julia, he was even more excited.

He glanced towards the crowd, lowered his voice, and started spilling the beans. "See that guy in the suit with glasses? That's the head of the Riley household. He might look decent, but he's a wolf in sheep's clothing. He has a mistress and even brought his illegitimate child back home for his wife to raise."

Stella frowned. "How do you know all this?"

line of work, there's

"Poor Tracy. She used to be a spoiled rich girl, but her family fell on hard times. She married into the Riley family to save her family's company. Unfortunately, she had complications during childbirth and can't have any more kids. She has to turn a blind eye to her

show of being a loving couple, but behind the scenes,

smiled but didn't

by now. Bran made a late entrance, all eyes on him as

despite his eccentric appearance, was the object of adoration for all the women in the

casually walked over to the corner where Stella and Jasper were sitting. He plopped down

bit. Stella really didn't want

at you, but Stella didn't return his smile. "Sorry,

doesn't matter. I remember you

when she worked under him, she'd come close to being humiliated. She

his face. He was wearing gold-rimmed glasses and a custom-made Armani suit. His

overwhelming, and Stella felt a bit dizzy. No, it couldn't be. It had been three years since the apocalypse, and that rich

a dress and a fox fur shawl, looking both luxurious and elegant. Her words were also pleasing to the ear. Stella remembered her. She had led the ostracization incident last time. The

Association made decisions together, and the maintenance fees were charged per

approach from above naturally met with objections from below. It wasn't that they cared about the resources, but they were unhappy that Building 50 was gaining power. So, they proposed that the maintenance fees should be calculated

make a decision on her own. After a discussion, they decided

idly chatting with the man next

"I have

picky. "At least get me a