Apocalypse Queen: My Space, My Rules Chapter 187: Late-Night Interruptions

Mariella froze for a moment, then laughed as if she'd just heard a joke. "Haha, I'm not getting married."

Chandler didn't laugh. He looked at her seriously and pressed, "Why not?"

"Just not planning to." Mariella slipped back into her usual line. "It's the apocalypse, and staying alive is already hard enough. Why bother with marriage?"

Then, worried she might dampen his morale, she added, "If you meet someone suitable in the future, it's not completely off the table. As long as she's reliable and doesn't drag the team down, I can support it."

Once they joined a military base and things became a little more stable, people would still get married.

But having children was a luxury. Only high-ranking leaders or commanders could afford that.

The apocalypse was brutal. Survival was uncertain from one day to the next, and raising a baby required enormous resources and manpower.

If circumstances allowed, Mariella could accept her teammates getting married, but she wouldn't easily agree to them having children.

Without a strong base to rely on, and before becoming a top commander herself, having kids was nothing more than a distant dream.

She didn't say all that out loud—mainly because she didn't want to affect morale.

She'd heard men tended to care more about passing on their family line.

And she still remembered Chandler mentioning that his mother's dying wish was for him to marry and have children before turning thirty.

As for this capable right-hand man, Mariella valued him highly and believed in keeping things negotiable.

If she could persuade him, she would. She did everything she could to entice and retain him because she genuinely didn't want any friction between them.

Aside from Chandler, she couldn't think of anyone else she could trust enough to bring into her space to work with her.

Matthew was reliable but not strong enough in combat. Besides, he had a daughter to take care of, so he couldn't follow her everywhere.

Number One seemed steady too, but if he found out about her space—and the massive amount of supplies inside—it was hard to say whether he'd stay loyal.

Chandler, on the other hand, already knew everything. He was tight-lipped, capable, and always fought alongside her.

Mariella was more than satisfied with him. So she spared no effort painting a bright future for him—stick with her, and whatever he wanted, she'd make it happen.

Chandler's dark eyes flickered slightly, his lips pressing together.

There she went again, making promises.

Strangely, he found himself missing the times she used to scare him.

Lately, she hadn't done that anymore.

Was it because of her ex?

"You're not planning to get married anyway," Chandler said lazily, mimicking her tone. "So I'm not interested in it either. It's the apocalypse, so what's the point of marriage?"

Mariella smiled, even more pleased, and gave him an enthusiastic thumbs-up. "Smart, capable, perceptive, hardworking, and not ruled by hormones. You're my most satisfactory employee!"

Chandler rolled his eyes.

...

The two of them showered and changed inside the villa in her space, then each picked a room they liked and went to sleep.

Mariella generously spent precious time inside the space just to get a good night's rest.

"It's safe and comfortable here. Get some proper sleep tonight, as there's plenty of work tomorrow." She smiled at him, flashing him her neat white teeth.

Chandler's eye twitched slightly. He already had a bad feeling about how intense tomorrow would be.

"Good night." She blew him a kiss, then, carefree as ever, shut her door and went to sleep.

Chandler stared at the closed door for a long moment, speechless.

She teased him so casually, then went to bed without a second thought. Was she not even worried about what he might think?

Did she overestimate his self-control, or did she simply not see herself as a woman at all?

After a while, he finally turned and went into the room next door, shutting the door a bit harder than necessary.

Mariella, watching through the monitor, saw the complicated look on his face as he hesitated outside, but she didn't call him out.

She was just joking around occasionally. He wasn't actually taking it seriously, right?

...

Half-asleep, Mariella heard someone knocking on the door.

She opened her eyes, annoyed. "Who is it?"

"It's me." A low, familiar male voice sounded from outside.

Mariella sat up in surprise. She tried to check the time, but for some reason, she couldn't find her phone.

Even the virtual display in her space was gone.

"Mari, open the door." The man knocked again.

Mariella paused. Did he just call her "Mari"? Since when were they that close?

She got up, still in her pajamas, and opened the door.

Chandler stood outside. He was also in pajamas, and his collar was hanging open more than usual.

Mariella rubbed her eyes, then immediately took advantage of the unexpected view.

"Huh. You're usually all buttoned up. What's with the sudden generosity? Are you finally letting me see those pecs?"