18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Chapter 401

Daniel looked at Stella Larson with a blend of hope and hesitation. "The best I can do is get you a spot in Project Phoenix," he said. "I hope you'll consider it."

Stella's response was polite but firm. "Thanks for the offer, but I don't need it."

She didn't even glance at the assessment report he offered; she knew Daniel wouldn't be wrong about something like this.

Family ties? They were absent when she needed them most. Now, they were just an unnecessary addition.

"There's no need for guilt or apologies," Stella said calmly. "You didn't raise me, but you didn't harm me either. So, I don't hold anything against you. In fact, as an outsider, I respect the contributions you've made to the base over the years."

"As for blood relations, they've lost their importance to me long ago. I won't carry that burden, and I don't want you to be shackled by it either. Let's just live our lives without interfering with each other."

Her words were cold and devoid of any resentment or self-pity.

Only when one is truly strong can they be independent of others.

Daniel felt a bittersweet pride. She had his blood in her veins, yet she was as good as a stranger.

But he didn't push the issue. As long as Stella was doing well, that was enough for him.

The conversation shifted to the matter of Lillian and her daughter. Daniel didn't consult Stella; instead, he made a unilateral decision.

Regardless of whether Stella acknowledged it, Lillian was her biological mother, the woman who gave her life.

Lillian's transgressions were unforgivable, but Daniel knew Stella's character well; she wouldn't let this mother-daughter pair off easily.

Simply exiling them from the base would only provoke Stella to seek a more permanent solution out of impulse.

It might seem like a release of anger, but in reality, it would be a lifelong chain to bear.

He didn't want Stella to bear the sin of matricide, so he had Lillian transferred to Goldbridge base overnight.

The official base would process the crimes committed by the women in Kindle Society following the standard procedure.

fate was in their own

his decision but said

a world ravaged by natural disasters, an

a man's protection; to live was the greatest punishment for

women, vulnerable and desperate, trading their bodies for sustenance, only to be treated like animals, abused and

unspoken truths, Stella wouldn't acknowledge Daniel, and he accepted

"Take care of yourself. This disaster will pass. Never give up hope." Stella stood up to

indeed given

Lillian had clung to him, tears streaming, begging him

affection, they had discussed marriage in secret, and Daniel promised to return

he had given her the ancestral

silent for a long while before speaking. "That pendant was with me as I grew up, but I accidentally broke it. I'm sorry, I can't return

was unfortunate, but heaven had given him

smiled gently. "It's okay. Your health and safety are all that

"You really shouldn't feel guilty

of Arcadia, she might have died long

now; returning it was out of the

of the pendant, but the benefits Stella received were

to think of yourself sometimes. Survive, live well, then you can take on greater responsibilities." Was she

took a deep

gazed out

Stella sat on the balcony, sipping her homemade cider.

up. "What's

have? She couldn't just extract Arcadia and give it

knew her well after sharing years of intimacy. She might not verbally acknowledge Daniel, but in her heart, she had

the post-disaster world, where she often appeared cold and ruthless, who could truly

a yearning for family

reality was harsh, and Lillian was selfish, but Daniel was different. He hadn't known

chaos, he had to prioritize the greater good and couldn't afford to care for his own. Yet, he did what he could from the shadows. Without

was also right. Even if she acknowledged

cater only to

Stella wouldn't ask that of