Chapter 91
Now that Ste knew what they were thinking, and she couldn’t be oblivious to Jasper’s action. She
was not slow. It was something about Jasper that made her confused. Was he interested in her or
was she simply overthinking?
But how could she possibly refuse him without solid evidence of his feelings? And what if she was
misreading the signs? Living next door to him and having to work together made the situation even
more awkward.
Her friends, too, seemed to be at a loss.
“Love can’t be hidden,” said Lukas, trying to lighten the mood. “Maybe we could help you figure it
out?”
“No need,” Ste replied, slightly irritated. “I can handle it.”
Back at her room, she flopped onto her bed. She touched her face, acknowledging her own
attractiveness but questioning whether it was enough to capture the attention of someone like
Jasper. In her mind, they belonged to separate worlds, and the only thing that brought them
together was the ongoing crisis.
Before she could sort out her feelings, Ste received a call. “Ste, are you up for some practice
today?” It was Jasper.
“Yes,” she decided, eager to get a better read on him.
As they practiced, Ste kept a close eye on Jasper, even feigning a stumble to see his reaction.
True to form, Jasper was quick to help her up, showing no signs of inappropriate behavior or hidden
intentions.
She stayed a bit longer, helping Rosie make dinner, but Jasper seemed to be focused on training
her dog.
Feeling frustrated, Ste decided that Lukas’ advice was misguided. There was nothing to suggest
that Jasper had romantic feelings for her.
Ste served dinner onto tes, relieved. But as she turned around, she found Jasper watching
her. Startled, she almost dropped the te. “Why are you staring at me?” But after she said that,
she immediately felt her outburst was a little too much.
“Looks like the snow is getting worse,” Jasper noted, effectively changing the subject.
Ste turned and looked outside. Well, Jasper was right. He’s got really got eyesight!
Refusing Rosie’s dinner invitation, Ste returned home with her dog. Her mind was a whirl of
confusion and suspicion.
It took her a long time to fall asleep. Her dreams were filled with scenarios of Jasper confessing his
feelings for her and him finding out Arcadia.
After three days of careful observation, Ste was still uncertain. There seemed to be something,
but she couldn’t tell for sure.
Worn out by her own indecisiveness, Ste finally decided to ask Jasper. “Do you like me?” she
asked, with her heart pounding in her chest.
Jasper didn’t answer immediately. His gaze was steady on her. “A little,” he admitted, sending
Ste’s heart into overdrive.
“I’m actually against marriage,” she blurted out. “I’ve always been happy living alone.”
Jasper nodded, understanding her position. “I’m sorry if I’ve disturbed you. I won’t pressure you into
anything, so don’t worry.”
Relieved by his response, Ste felt a weight lifting off her chest. “You’re a great guy. You’ll find
someone who truly loves you.”
“Same to you,” he replied.
“Can we still be a team?” she asked, eager to maintain their friendship.
“Of course, if you’re okay with it.”
“I am. You’re the best partner I could have.”
Having cleared the air, Ste felt a sense of relief, but there was also a pang of regret. If the
ongoing crisis didn’t exist, she would seriously consider a rtionship with Jasper.
As Ste returned to her room, Jasper found himself drenched in sweat. His feelings for Ste had
been extinguished in the most unexpected way. With no end to the natural disasters in sight, he
hadn''t considered confessing his feelings to Ste. After all, he was still taking care of his sister, and
nobody knew what the future held. He didn’t expect that Ste was the one who ended up voicing
her feelings first.
Rosie rushed over, calling out, "Jasper."
Jasper bent down, his deep eyes full of warmth as he gently patted her head, "Have you done your
study today?"
"I did, but there are some words I don''t understand. Can I go to Ste for help?"
"Which part don''t you understand? I will teach you."
...
With the tension resolved, Ste slept soundly, catching up on lost sleep. When she woke up, she
heard the faint sounds ofmotion from the floors below.
As she stepped out of her room, she saw Jasper emerging from his at the same time. They
exchanged awkward greetings before realizing that a group of violent intruders was attempting to
break into their building.
With a serious look on his face, Jasper murmured, "This doesn''t bode well."
Ste, having anticipated such a day woulde, returned to her room to grab her weapon.
In order to save time from the imminent disaster, researchers ate and slept in their workces,
returning home only once every half a month, so Joey and Mikey weren’t home
Amber had also reported to work. A few days ago they had started collecting the bodies.
Yesterday, more than a dozen people hade. Aside from the bodies stacked up on the icy
surfaces, they also entered every building to clean up and transported the dead to a central ce
for incineration to prevent the spread of gue or other diseases. It was apparent that the
government was actively fighting the disaster.
Now, on the 18th floor, only Ste and Jasper were capable of fighting, along with abat-ready
Cooper.
Ste had a bad premonition; it seemed the intruders were prepared for this. She put on her
bulletproof vest and locked the dog in the room.
"Woof, woof!” Cooper, deceived and anxious, scratched at the door relentlessly. ‘Human, open the
door quickly!’ If the door was not opened soon, he would start smashing it.
When Ste came out, Jasper was also locking a door, with Rosie trapped inside.
"Ste, stay here and keep an eye on Rosie for me." Jasper lowered his gaze, loading his gun.
Ste also took out her firearm, "You can''t avoid what''s bound to happen. You can''t protect
everyone."
Jasper hesitated for a moment before responding, "Alright."
As the two headed downstairs, the intruders were already at the entrance, prying the door to the
16th floor open.
Katie, from the 17th floor, was visibly worried. Standing next to her was a man holding a bat, Korey,
the head of the household from apartment 1703.
"Ste, they''re here. What are we going to do?" Katie fretted.
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The intruders were really informed. Joey and Mikey had left quietly and aside from the people of
18th floor, no one knew they weren''t home. Ang''s family was also away. Only Ste and Jasper
were left, facing more than a dozen intruders.
Ste nced at Korey without answering.
Sensing the awkwardness, Korey voluntarily exined, "We were out gathering suppliesst time."