Stella Sterling reviewed her lists, writing in her notebook as she went.
The important items went at the front, with less critical ones further back.
She had divided her notes into two notebooks. One listed things that could be bought on the open market, which she could start gathering over the next few days. The other was for special items that were harder to get, like certain pharmaceuticals, firearms, and some high-tech equipment. These were things money couldn't easily buy on the market; she would need to find another way.
After organizing her thoughts, she went online to look up apocalypse survival checklists, just in case she had missed anything, so she could add it in time.
Time flew by. Soon, both notebooks were filled to the brim. Stella Sterling finally let out a breath of relief, setting down her pen and stretching. She glanced at her phone and saw it was already three in the morning. 'It's so late. I need to get to sleep!'
...
「The Sterling Family Residence, Vespera Villas」
Yara Sterling dialed the unsaved number again, but the line still went to a "powered off" message.
She sat on her bed, her pretty face etched with anxiety.
It had been a whole day since she received those photos, and a sense of unease had been gnawing at her ever since.
The gruesome state of the people in the pictures, along with the message the sender had included, left her on edge.
She had no idea what had happened. The messages from the bald guy's phone clearly weren't sent by him anymore. His phone had fallen into someone else's hands.
'Does this mean what I did will be exposed?'
'That message they sent... were they just trying to scare me, or do they already know who I am?'
Besides, after sending that one message, they hadn't replied to any of hers or answered her calls. She couldn't guess what they were planning to do!
'And what about Stella Sterling? Where did she go after being beaten half to death? I didn't see her in that photo. Could the bald guy and his crew's gruesome state have something to do with her?'
A vicious glint flashed across Yara Sterling's anxious face. 'Looks like I'll have to start with Stella Sterling after all!'
"Stella Sterling, aren't you coming to work? Don't you want your paycheck?"
Startled awake by a phone call early in the morning, Stella Sterling answered without even opening her eyes, only to be met with a roar from the other end.
She hung up immediately, tossed the phone aside, and went back to sleep.
'Work. What a distant and unfamiliar word...'
She'd almost forgotten it was a workday. Normally, she would be at the office right now, but not anymore. She wasn't going back to that company.
'The apocalypse is almost here. Why would I go to work? It's not worth wasting my time for a measly two thousand a month.'
The phone rang again, and then again. Fed up, she simply turned it off.
No one was allowed to disturb her sleep. Without proper rest, she'd have no energy, which would seriously affect her efficiency.
After sleeping for several more hours, Stella Sterling finally felt fully awake. She turned her phone back on and saw it was 12:38 PM. Her notifications showed over a dozen missed calls and countless WeChat messages.
She remembered the call she'd hung up on that morning. Checking her call history, she saw calls not only from her direct supervisor, Manager Larkin, but also several from contacts she had labeled "Mom" and "Dad."
Without pausing, she ignored those calls and opened WeChat. As expected, Manager Larkin had sent her more than ten voice messages. She didn't need to listen to them; she could already imagine how nasty his tirade was.
After graduation, the Sterling Family had arranged for her to work at their company, starting from the bottom for a monthly salary of just over two thousand.
According to Mr. Quinn, she couldn't just throw her weight around because of her status; she needed to start from the bottom to understand the company.
He made it sound so reasonable.
But the joke was, he had turned right around and given Yara Sterling, who had also just recently graduated, the position of assistant director.
Everyone at the company knew that she, the true daughter of the Sterling Family, was a complete joke.
Manager Larkin was her direct supervisor. He was a harsh man who often made things difficult for the low-level employees, and at Yara Sterling's suggestion, he went out of his way to cause trouble for her.
In the past, she hadn't wanted to disappoint Mr. Quinn, so she had always just swallowed her anger, bustling about for that two-thousand-a-month salary.
They said it was to "train" her, but all she ever did was menial work with no technical skill required.
But now, there was no reason to put up with that crap anymore.
She didn't bother listening to what he had said and simply sent him a voice message.
"I'm done. I quit, effective immediately!"
With that, she blocked and deleted him, then added his phone number to her blacklist, refusing to waste another second on the matter.
'The rice I ordered last night should arrive by three this afternoon. I'll head to the warehouse later.'
She stared at her reflection in the mirror, a smile playing on her lips as she noted the complete disappearance of her injuries.
The woman in the mirror had striking, vibrant features, with smooth, shoulder-length black hair and fair, delicate skin. She was an absolute beauty.
But because of this face, she had suffered a great deal during the apocalypse. After learning her lesson time and time again, she had smartened up. To survive, and also because of the harsh conditions, she had stopped taking care of her appearance. It was the same face, but she looked like a completely different person from the reflection staring back at her now.
Now, looking at this face, a few years younger than in her past life, she was very pleased. Her mood was excellent.
But an ill-timed phone call rang out again. She ignored it and calmly continued with her tasks.
After she finished getting ready and ate a roasted chicken she had packed up last night and retrieved from her space, the phone was still ringing persistently.
Seeing the word "Mom" on the caller ID, she gave a sarcastic smile and finally answered. "What is it?"
The person on the other end seemed surprised by her cold tone and was silent for a long moment.
Stella Sterling hung up.
The phone immediately rang again. As soon as she answered, a familiar, accusatory voice came through. "You don't even call me 'Mom' anymore? Stella Sterling, where are your manners?"
"I've been calling you all morning, and you don't answer or even bother to call me back. Are you trying to make someone worry on purpose?"
After the string of accusations, Stella Sterling rubbed her ear, a look of complete indifference on her face. She repeated her previous question, "What is it?"
'If it wasn't for something she needed, this 'mother' of mine would never think of me. As for her being concerned?'
'What a joke!'
'If she actually cared about me, she wouldn't have kicked me out of the house for an adopted daughter. And she certainly wouldn't have abandoned me for Yara Sterling during the apocalypse.'
She idly played with her fingers, curious to hear what the woman wanted.
As if finally realizing how unusually Stella Sterling was acting today, Mrs. Sterling on the other end of the line paused for a moment before softening her tone. "Stella, don't be upset with me. I was just worried, so my words came out a bit harsh. But I really am worried about you!"
"The company called and said you quit. What's going on? Now that you're working at the Sterling Family's company, you need to do a good job. Don't think that just because..."
More nonsense. Bored, Stella Sterling hung up without another word.