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.

As she closed the gate, Jasper came downstairs, "What did he say to you?"

"He said he was attracted to me," Stella replied honestly.

Jasper frowned, taking a while before asking, "And you?"

Stella leaned forward, sniffing, "You smell like jealousy."

Jasper pulled her into a hug, "Are you attracted to him too?"

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

It wasn't that, but he couldn't help feeling uncomfortable.

"You're overthinking. I guess he's just a little dazed." Stella sat down to explain, "Bran is the youngest of the Porras family, spoiled since childhood. Everyone praises him wherever he goes, which has fostered his arrogant and domineering behavior. But then he was humbled by the apocalypse."

If it were 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 and low-key, but their pride remained, which might have caused Bran's split personality.

In any case, as long as the Porras family didn't provoke them, Stella was willing to keep the peace.

Much to her surprise, Bran actually sent people to deliver food. Stella was speechless and ignored it.

Unexpectedly, the next day he sent more things over. Drinks this time. He mentioned clearing up the misunderstanding and dropping the case at the police station. Stella ignored him, letting her vicious Cooper growl.

The herbs were planted in the rooftop greenhouse, and they wilted for several days. Eventually, they gradually adapted to the climate, and their condition improved.

They were well-raised in Arcadia, which allowed them to gradually transition to the greenhouse. If they had found seedlings in the wild, most would have died, let alone outdoor planting.

It seemed cultivating herbs was quite tricky.

The varieties that Collin gave were quite complete, enough 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 Arcadia, but it was hard to deal with poultry and rabbits.

Rosie volunteered, "Let Dylan take care of them. He really likes Smoky and Snowy."

There was a lot of poultry and it might be too much for a child to handle. Moreover, everyone knew how much Austin pampered his son.

Stella thought for a moment and decided to ask on the walkie-talkie.

Learning that the family would be out for a few days, Austin readily agreed, "No problem, just bring them over. Dylan has been nagging about wanting to keep some pets. This will keep him happy."

Raising poultry was dirty and smelly. It would be good for the kid to experience some hardship, to understand the realities of life.

So, two large cages of poultry were carried over, along with a big bag of feed made from crushed corn and sweet potato sprouts.

The three of them and the dog set off again.

They didn't choose Mount Greenwood as it had probably been thoroughly searched by many people. They chose to enter the mountains from another direction in Ivywood Estates, aiming for an unexplored area.

The seasons became more distinct, and many early-budding plants and seedlings were frozen to death or injured. Of course, there were also resilient ones who were still struggling against the harsh conditions.

Stella had spent a lot of time teaching the siblings about herbs, and now they split up to search. Rosie was assigned Cooper as her bodyguard for safety.

By the end of the day, they had gathered dozens of herbs, all of which were preserved in Arcadia.

The weather was cold at night, so Stella took out the mummy sleeping bags. She shared one with Jasper, while Rosie shared with Cooper.

Stella had stocked up on insect repellent, so Stella would regularly apply it on Cooper, not worrying about him having parasites.

The weather was good in the morning. Recalling how they had traded a lot of wood for the house, the two of them took out their chainsaws and collected more.

In the evening, as they were coming down the mountain, Rosie who was at the top for a breather exclaimed, "Jasper, there's smoke coming from the valley."

More accurately, it was fog.

Continual fog lingered in the valley.

This area had suffered severe earthquakes, so they approached the valley carefully. They saw a large lake, with a scent of sulfur.

It was a hot spring!

It must have been a result of the earthquakes, or else it would have been developed into a tourist resort. The lake was quite big, about three to four acres, with waves continuously rolling in the middle. Stella tried it, estimating the temperature to be around 50 to 60 degrees Celsius.

They had been exhausted these past few days, camping out and dealing with drastic temperature changes. She couldn't help but suggest, "How about we take a hot spring bath?"

Who could resist the allure of a hot spring? Yet, the water was dangerously hot, and who knows what lurked beneath the surface of the lake.

Stella had previously convinced Patrick to stockpile a decent amount of wooden hot tubs, which could conveniently now be put to use.

They got one tub for each person, making sure the temperature was just right before stepping in.

Stella had also stocked up on quite a few swimsuits in Arcadia, with each person getting one. Stella and Jasper wore the ones they'd brought from their old home in Unity Village, while Rosie's was a cute swim dress. As for Cooper, did it really matter whether it wore anything?

When it came time to change, Stella couldn't resist stealing a glance at Jasper. Immediately, her cheeks flushed bright red.

Gosh!!!