Chapter 7
She didn''t even blink before blocking him. The phone rang not even a minuteter. It was an
unfamiliar number. It didn''t take a genius to figure out it was one of Hector''s pals or Hector himself.
Ste was not about to be duped again. If they managed to get even a crumb from her, she’d have
lost. She turned off her cellphone, only to find that Rosie had fallen asleep on the sofa. She was
curled up tightly, even in her dreams, she looked uneasy.
She checked her temperature, the fever had dropped to 100.4°F. Ste wanted to be stealthy so as
long as Rosie was here, she couldn''t continue her culinary adventures. As Ste ate her sloppy
pasta, she found it surprisingly delicious.
The balcony had an escape window, while the rest were covered with frosted ss stickers. Light
can pass through into the room, but the situation inside cannot be seen from the outside.
Ste took out her nting pots and soil, and a few pounds of potatoes. She cut the ones that had
sprouted into chunks, coated the cut ends with wood ash, and nted them in the pots. She nted
around 20 pots and ced them all on her patio in Arcadia. She also nted a few pots of garlic,
green onions, lettuce, and spinach. She took out her hanging hooks and hung the pots on the
railings. As long as she took care of them, she could have fresh vegetables anytime.
Before she could wash her hands, there was a loud knock on the door, "Ste, Ste!" The voice
was unfamiliar. If she wasn''t mistaken, it must be one of Hector''s friends. Apparently, they were truly
desperate.
"Ste, we know you love to cook. Can you spare us some food?"
"We''ll pay double, no, five times the price."
"Just ept the friend request. We''ll send the money right now."
"I mean, we''re all friends here. We''ll see each other again. Do you have to be so ruthless?"
Despite the two stainless-steel doors separating them, their voices were loud and their words grew
increasingly offensive, even resorting to kicking the door in frustration.
Ste grabbed a knife from the kitchen and flung open the door, brandishing it, "Who kicked my
door!"
Three guys stood outside. They were initially pleased to hear the door open. They all knew Ste
was smitten with Hector, and they figured she''d never let her man go hungry, right?
Their snacks had run outst night, and they''d been starving all morning and afternoon. They
couldn''t hold on any longer. All they had left were a few bottles of beer, which only made them
hungrier.
Hector had described Ste as a strange girl with a hoarding habit. She had plenty of food stashed
away, so much so that most of it would expire before she could finish it. They''d often made fun of
her behind her back, but now their mockery hade back to haunt them.
Before they could utter a word, Ste swung the knife at them. They scattered in terror, and anger
red up, "Ste, have you lost your mind!"
Ste stood in the doorway, her expression icy, "Get lost. I wouldn''t want sons as shameless as
you."
The guys were taken aback. Once they''d recovered, they started hurling insults, "Ste, what the
hell do you mean!"
"Since I''m not your mom, why should I feed you?" Ste threatened them with the knife, "Kick my
door again, and I''ll chop you up for dinner."
She''d survived three years in a post-apocalyptic world, had been in fights, and killed. She''d seen
the worst of humanity.
Facing her menacing demeanor, they were terrified, "You... we''re all friends here. And we''re not
refusing to pay."
"First of all, I don''t have any food, and even if I did, I''d rather feed it to dogs than give it to you. You
think I don''t know what you say behind my back?" Ste red at them. "If you despise me so
much, whye begging when you''re hungry? You be so spineless after skipping just two
meals?"
N?velDrama.Org owns this.
The guys were flushed with embarrassment, shaking with rage.
"Tell Hector not to be all lovey-dovey with the cheerleader on one end while asking me for food on
the other. Eating a free meal and trying to act high and mighty – isn''t that cheap? If hees to
bother me again, I''ll expose him on the school forum and neighborhood group. Let''s see if he still
has any dignity left."
Just because they were hungry didn''t mean they had no dignity. And Ste, wielding a knife and
with a crazed look in her eyes, looked like she''d been pushed over the edge by Hector''s rtionship
with Sadie.
"We''ll see." With that, they slunk away.
Ste stayed silent, driving her knife into the wall, scaring them into running away. That should keep
them at bay for a while.
Ste closed the door and found that Rosie had been woken by the noise. She was on the verge of
tears, looking terrified on the sofa. The girl was not in a good state. She must have been deeply
traumatized.
Leaving the knife in the kitchen, Ste softened her voice, "Rosie, don''t be scared. Those were bad
guys. I drove them away."
She checked Rosie''s temperature again. The fever had gone down. Hearing Rosie''s stomach growl,
Ste asked, "Are you hungry?"
Rosie nodded, then shook her head, "Where''s my brother?"
The guy from 1801 hadn''t returned yet. Ste excused herself to the kitchen and returned with a
bowl of oatmeal from Arcadia.
Rosie was starving. She ate while stealing nces at Ste, as if afraid she might suddenly get
mad.
She was so sensitive; she must have suffered a lot. Ste gently stroked her head, handing her a
lollipop.
"Thank you, ma''am." Rosie was very well-behaved, quietly snuggling on the sofa.
Ste was scrolling through her phone when she saw Hector''s plea for help in the group chat.
Hector had a handsome and cheerful appearance, making him quite popr at school. He was
skilled at maintaining good social rtionships and, with many students renting apartments in the
same neighborhood, it didn''t take long for him to attract the attention of beautiful women.
"I have bread and hot cocoa. You cane and get them if you need them."
She clicked on the girl''s profile picture. She was a tenant on the 12th floor, a cute, petite girl from
the ounting department, and another one of Hector''s admirers.
Both parties were willing, so there was nothing much to say, but she probably didn''t realize that it
wouldn''t just be Hectoring over, but a whole bunch of people. They were like a swarm of
locusts, leaving nothing behind.
Ste had seen her carrying groceries home. She probably cooked at home and had food stored. If
she was wise enough to realize what was happening after being mooched off a couple of times, she
could still cut her losses in time.
Ste thought for a moment and then posted a message in the group saying she was hungry. No
one responded. Then, she offered to exchange $20 for bread but still, no one responded.
The storm raged outside. The old windows of the building next door shattered, letting in the howling
wind. The water level on the streets was rising.
It turned out to be a once-in-a-century super storm. Many people were starting to panic. The group
chat was a lot quieter than it had been in the morning.
Rosie fell asleep again. Ste covered her with a nket to keep her warm. There was another
knock on the door, "Rosie."
When she confirmed it was the guy from 1801, Ste finally opened the door.
Dressed in raincoat, dripping wet, he was holding a sticky note she had pped on his door, "Is
Rosie at your ce?"
Ste nodded, "Rosie caught a cold and was feverish. She cried until she vomited and almost
choked. I''ve given her medicine and her fever has subsided. You can take her home and continue
giving her the cold medicine."
Taken aback and worried, he asked, "Are you a doctor?"
"Sort of."
He stepped inside and felt Rosie''s forehead. He was about to take Rosie away when he suddenly
spoke, "Sorry for the intrusion. My name is Jasper, I just moved inst night, and my ce is
practically empty. Given the hurricane, I doubt it''ll stop any time soon, and I need to go out to get
some supplies. Could Rosie stay here for a bit? I''lle and get her tonight."
Ste was surprised, "You''re going out in this hurricane?"