Apocalypse Queen: My Space, My Rules Chapter 2: Stronger Than a Prison

As expected, Kieran arrived quickly at the coffee shop on time.

He wore his signature perfect smile, his eyes sparkling with flirtation, continuously sending Mariella subtle signals.

She waved him off. "Don't bother with flirting. I'm not interested."

Kieran blinked, his smile unwavering.

He seated himself gracefully, eyes still fixed on her, teasing, "Hmm. If you're not interested in that, then what exactly do you want?"

Mariella didn't bother playing coy. She said bluntly, "One hundred million."

Kieran's smile disappeared, replaced by a rare trace of seriousness. "You've got quite an appetite. But first, I need to see if what you're offering is worth that price."

She didn't hesitate and sent a confidential business file straight to his inbox.

Kieran opened it, quickly scanning the contents. His eyes flickered with interest.

He cleared his throat lightly. "How am I supposed to know if this information is real or fake?"

"Pay ten million first. If the data in this project checks out, you can buy the rest separately." Mariella raised an eyebrow, smiling meaningfully.

"But if you buy it piece by piece, not only will it cost more, but it might waste your precious time. For someone like you, time is far more valuable than money."

Kieran's eyes darted around. He ignored her point and changed the subject. "You've always been completely devoted to Harvey. How come you suddenly switched sides?"

Mariella didn't even blink. "No matter how devoted I was, all I got in return was betrayal. Since he's moved on to someone else, I won't force the issue.

"Love doesn't put food on the table—money does. Don't you agree, Mr. Hancock?"

Kieran clapped his hands, smiling with a playful, almost mischievous glint. "Exactly! Congratulations, Ms. Townsend. You finally figured it out!"

...

Mariella received a notification confirming that the 100 million had been deposited. Without hesitation, she sent the rest of the project's business secrets to Kieran's inbox.

"Pleasure doing business!" he said, standing and politely extending a hand.

She stood, hands tucked into the pockets of her denim shorts, smiling politely yet with a cool detachment. "I hope our next collaboration will be even smoother."

With that promise of future cooperation, she had no fear of Kieran betraying her.

She also intended to keep mining Harvey's business secrets and selling them to Kieran.

The collapse of order and the breakdown of the monetary system in the apocalypse didn't happen overnight. It was a gradual process.

After all, no one would complain about having too much money.

She didn't trust people's character, but she trusted human nature.

Just as Kieran was about to leave, Mariella called after him, "Hold on, Mr. Hancock. I need a small favor."

...

Kieran's expression darkened.

"You want me to help you buy a house and front the loan?"

He looked her over, displeased. "And you're so arrogant while asking a favor. It doesn't make sense."

She hadn't even offered her hand, and he wasn't one to warm his face to a cold shoulder.

Mariella smiled confidently. "Don't forget we're long-term business partners. There will be plenty of opportunities to work together."

In the apocalypse, Kieran, as the son of Liraelith's wealthiest family, controlled resources and information that were impossible to ignore.

In her previous life, Harvey was able to protect and support the people around him by cooperating with Kieran, trading mutual benefits.

In that previous life, Mariella had always thrown herself into protecting Harvey, often dealing with Kieran directly.

She knew that aside from being a flirt, he wasn't a bad person.

As long as she didn't get romantically involved, he was trustworthy as a friend or business partner.

Hearing her words, Kieran instinctively imagined Mariella continuing to dig the Graham Group's secrets from him. He pictured the company being hollowed out and collapsing.

The thought exhilarated him. With a playful glance at Mariella, he agreed enthusiastically. "Deal!"

...

With Kieran personally involved, buying the two townhouses in Celestine Ridge became easy for Mariella.

Celestine Ridge was an upscale neighborhood in Liraelith and one of the city's highest residential areas.

During the great flood in her previous life, ordinary apartment buildings in the city were submerged up to a dozen floors, yet Celestine Ridge remained completely untouched. That was enough to prove this place was a prime piece of land.

She might doubt a wealthy person's morality, but never underestimate their intelligence.

After officially reuniting with her family, Mariella moved into Celestine Ridge and became quite familiar with the area.

She was aware of two empty townhouses on the northern outskirts. The owners had been abroad, never returning after the natural disasters in her previous life.

Initially, homeless survivors had broken in. Later, raiders had occupied the properties.

Raiders were a product of the post-apocalyptic collapse. Usually, they were groups of seven to a dozen strong men who relied on brute force to seize resources.

By the later stages of the apocalypse, lone individuals couldn't survive. They needed teams to resist outside threats.

Eventually, to escape frequent earthquakes, tsunamis, and dust storms, people flocked to official or private disaster shelters. Weak teams were annihilated, let alone solo survivors.

Having lived through four years of the apocalypse, Mariella understood every step required to secure a haven.

...

With Kieran's direct involvement, Mariella signed a loan agreement and completed the purchase the same day. She would receive the property deeds within a week.

During the real estate downturn, property values had plummeted. She bought both townhouses for a total of 20 million, paying a four-million down payment and borrowing the remaining 16 million from Kieran, to be repaid in installments.

She knew that once the apocalypse came, money would devalue rapidly, eventually becoming worthless.

When that time came, she could send some supplies to Kieran and count it as paying off the debt.

For now, her cash had more urgent uses. She couldn't afford to waste it.

...

By the time the purchase was finalized, it was already late.

Mariella didn't dare waste a moment. She skipped dinner and immediately contacted a renovation company.

The best tools were meant for the toughest jobs. Right now, cutting corners wasn't an option.

Liraelith's top interior design firm was about to close for the day when they got a massive order. The client was extremely generous with the budget, requesting a full-service renovation covering both the interior and exterior. It included furniture, appliances, and decorative pieces—down to every pot, pan, and utensil in the kitchen.

The special instructions were that all reinforced materials and construction had to meet bulletproof and blast-proof standards.

Mariella agreed to pay a two-million-dollar advance and requested that the following clause be included in the contract. "If the materials fail to meet the bulletproof and blast-proof testing standards specified in the contract, the renovation fee must be refunded at double. If the renovation can't be completed within seven days, the renovation fee must also be refunded at double."

Two townhouses needed their middle courtyard walls removed first, then all courtyard walls had to be heightened and reinforced. In addition to strengthening the exterior walls, the roofs also required blast-proof reinforcement, with an extra layer of insulation of specific thickness.

The rooftop gates were to be made of thick alloy steel plates, with high-strength steel beams for the framework, and a custom high-toughness wire mesh covering the entire courtyard. Over this, blast-proof glass would be installed, topped with an electric grid layer.

The insulation layer provided heat, cold, and sound protection, and the exterior coating had to be waterproof, oil-proof, and resistant to high-acid corrosion.

The two townhouses would be transformed into a fortress of copper and steel, practically more secure than a prison.

The renovation company's head was stunned. After a long while, he adjusted his glasses and asked hesitantly, "Miss, did you get some insider info? Is an enemy nation about to invade?"