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

slightly at his decision but

disasters, an instant

were helpless without a man's protection; to live was the greatest

bodies for sustenance, only to be treated like

an understanding of unspoken truths, Stella

watched his daughter, unable to take his eyes off her, and after a long moment, he let out a deep sigh. "Take care of yourself. This disaster will pass. Never give up hope." Stella stood up to leave, pausing at the door. "Did you ever give Lillian a

indeed given one to

clung to him, tears streaming, begging him not to leave on his mission. Military orders were not to be

of deep affection, they had discussed marriage in secret, and Daniel promised to return from his mission and make

show his sincerity, he had

speaking. "That pendant was with me as I grew up, but I accidentally broke it. I'm sorry,

heaven had

okay. Your health and safety are all

"You really shouldn't feel guilty because you've already given me

of Arcadia, she might have died

was hers now; returning it was out of

of the pendant, but the benefits

and cleared her throat. "Don't always put duty before yourself. You're human too, and it's okay to think of yourself sometimes.

deep breath and

way back, she gazed out of

sipping her homemade cider. "The pendant was a Larson family

spoke up. "What's your

plan could Stella have? She couldn't just extract Arcadia and give it back to

She might not verbally acknowledge Daniel, but in her heart,

she often appeared cold and

a

selfish, but Daniel was

in chaos, he had to prioritize the greater good and couldn't afford to care for his own. Yet, he

Even

he abandon his responsibilities to cater only to her, to compensate for lost

Stella wouldn't