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.

in

slightly at his decision but

a world ravaged by natural disasters, an instant death was

and Julia were helpless without a man's protection; to live was the greatest punishment for

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

understanding of unspoken truths, Stella wouldn't acknowledge Daniel,

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.

indeed given

Lillian had clung to him, tears streaming, begging him not

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

show his sincerity, he had given her

distant, silent for a long while before speaking. "That pendant was with me as I grew up, but I accidentally broke it. I'm

but heaven had given him

gently. "It's okay. Your health and

really shouldn't feel

the protection of Arcadia, she might have

hers now; returning it was out

know the secret of the pendant,

"Don't always put duty before yourself. You're human too, and it's okay to think of yourself sometimes. Survive, live well,

a deep breath and

out of the

the balcony, sipping her homemade cider.

spoke up. "What's

plan could Stella have? She couldn't just extract Arcadia and give it back to Daniel. "I feel a

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

of the post-disaster world, where she often appeared

a yearning

and Lillian was selfish, but Daniel was different.

in 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 love, he wouldn't have

Even if she acknowledged

responsibilities to cater only to

couldn't do that, and Stella wouldn't