LOGINThe mastiff refused to give up and came back every day.Cola already had plenty of followers, and Nicole had drilled the rules into him. "Cola, you're not allowed to leave the house without permission. Someone could lure you away or poison you. Then you'd never get to eat meat or play with us again."No matter how persistent the mastiff was, Cola never crossed the boundaries Nicole had set for him. He occasionally sparred with the other dog, but he always knew when to stop.As long as the mastiff didn't provoke him, Cola played fair.One day, Nicole took Cola out for a walk, and the mastiff eagerly trailed after them. He was the very definition of a devoted lackey."Nicole."A voice suddenly called out from behind her.Irene stood a short distance away, watching her hesitantly with a complicated expression.Nicole frowned. "What do you want?"Irene took a deep breath and asked nervously, "Did you grow up in an orphanage? Did you have a crystal pendant?"Nicole stared at Ire
Marcus waved dismissively. "A bet's a bet. You don't owe me anything else."Nicole almost rolled her eyes. "I never made a bet with you. Besides, your dog already paid the price."Accepting a favor meant owing one in return. Nicole wasn't about to take something this valuable without making the terms clear. That would only invite trouble later.As long as Marcus refused to name his price, she wouldn't accept the suits."Come on. Is this really necessary?" Marcus asked, exasperated. "Do you honestly think my family needs anything from you?"Nicole smiled. "Then why are you trying so hard to get close to us if you already have everything?""Now you're making it sound weird. We're friends.""Even close friends keep their debts straight. I don't make friends with people whose motives I don't understand."Marcus was left speechless, his face turning red.After thinking it over for a long moment, he finally said, "You don't have to give me any supplies. Just consider it a favor you
"Wait, I was just saying that. You actually had the nerve to ask for my helicopter?"The moment Marcus realized Nicole was pointing at the helicopter, his adrenaline spiked. "If I gave you that, my dad would kill me!"Eric had spent a fortune in supplies and called in countless favors to get that helicopter.Before the disasters, Marcus wouldn't have thought twice about honoring the bet and giving her one.But now, as much as he hated to admit it, he was probably worth less to his father than that helicopter. There was no way he was going to ask.Nicole mocked him mercilessly. "Then don't make promises you can't keep. Forget the helicopter, but if you keep bothering me, I won't play nice."She gestured to Cola. "Cola, come back."Cola released the mastiff. Only after making sure the terrified dog wouldn't try anything did he cautiously return to Nicole's side."That really hurts my pride," Marcus protested. "I can get you anything you want. Anything but the helicopter."Th
On the other hand, Beatrice's family situation was far more complicated. If Nicole and Zeph had been in their position, Nicole wasn't sure Zeph could've stood by her as steadfastly as Hughie had, without ever blaming Beatrice.A person's true character only became clear when something serious happened."There's nothing seriously wrong with you physically. What you need to focus on now is your mental health. Try to look for the positive side of things when something happens. You'll get through this," Nicole said. As they drove back into the neighborhood, a loud rumbling suddenly came from overhead. It sounded like helicopter blades.Nicole looked up and saw a helicopter.The Robinsons had flown one back and were slowly lowering it onto the roof of their villa.The entire neighborhood erupted.The Robinsons were in a league of their own. While everyone else struggled to find a working car, they casually brought home a brand-new helicopter.Everyone was jealous.Of course, jea
Nicole jolted awake and realized it was only a dream. Outside, the sun was still shining brightly.Zeph woke up as well. "What's wrong?"The feeling of being hacked to pieces was far too real. Nicole's heart pounded as she wiped the cold sweat from her forehead. "I had a nightmare."Zeph could tell there was more to it. "You know the man who was sitting next to Marcus last night?""No, but we have history."She told him about the supplies she had taken after breaking into Jason's office.That was the downside of living around rich people. You never knew whose place you might've looted before.It was bad enough that she couldn't drive any of the three luxury off-road vehicles. Now, she couldn't use the custom sword or the golf clubs either.Her luck was unbelievable.People were dying left and right in the apocalypse, yet rich people somehow refused to die.Zeph had nothing to say. They were both experts at helping themselves to anything left unattended. They would just have
"I need you to help me find Valerie," Jason said.Marcus stared at him. "Can you please get a grip? She already had one broken leg, probably broke the other jumping from the second floor, and then got swept away by a typhoon. The chances that she's still alive..."Jason refused to accept it. "No. I believe she's still alive.""Fine. Give me the car first."Jason was clearly beyond saving, so Marcus decided to get the car out of him before anything else.This Valerie woman must've had the worst luck in the world to cross paths with Jason.Hell, Marcus had already given up looking for his own perfectly healthy girlfriend. There was no way he was wasting his time searching for Jason's crippled prisoner. She was probably long dead by now.Jason nodded. "You can have the car, but I'm curious. Who had the nerve to reduce your Maybach to a pile of scrap?"Now that was a fun question.Marcus slowly turned around with an especially obnoxious grin. "There. She's the one who did it."Ja
Nicole jolted, then immediately checked with her mind.The storage space was still there. The supplies were still there, too. She tested it; she thought of an item, and a coal briquette appeared in her hand.Sweeping the space again, she noticed the glowing timer had reset to zero.That was when
After paying the deposit, Nicole drove straight to the largest outdoor gear store downtown.The outdoor gear market was fiercely competitive. The store was in full clearance mode, shutting down with brutal discounts. Some items were marked down to 20% of the original price.Perfect timing.Nicole
Nicole didn't hesitate. She blocked Edward right away.Less than a minute later, her phone rang again. It was an unfamiliar number.She didn't need to guess; this was Edward's classmate or one of his friends.Given a second chance at life, Nicole had zero interest in being taken for a fool. She w
"Ah!"Nicole Floyd jolted upright in bed, gasping. Sweat streamed down her forehead, her eyes unfocused and hollow.The sight in front of her cut through the haze in her mind.This was her old apartment, the one from before the apocalypse.Ding, ding…Text alerts kept chiming. She grabbed her p







