Apocalypse Queen: My Space, My Rules Chapter 204: Important Stuff

Imperial Crest Plaza had earned its reputation among the wealthy for a reason. Whatever anyone could possibly want, it had it, and every last brand carried was top-tier.

It was precisely because of those two properties that their quality of life had stayed close to what it'd been before the catastrophe, with relatively little disruption.

"We got all of it back!" Kieran said with full conviction. "I sat down with the residents and worked it out. You're getting a stake in both businesses. You'll take the shares that belonged to the Grahams and the Shepherds, and the stakes belonging to the residents who didn't make it go to you too. You avenged them. That counts for something."

Going forward, she'd be the second-largest shareholder in both enterprises, right behind the Hancocks.

Mariella thought it over briefly and decided there was no point in being gracious about it. "All right, I'll take it. And since I'm a stakeholder now, I'll put in the work to help keep both businesses running properly so that everyone in Celestine Ridge stays supplied, today and however long from now."

Long nights and brutal temperatures were coming, and if they didn't prepare in advance, the farm could be wiped out entirely.

Her neighbors had given her a stake in two businesses and pulled her into their community. She intended to hold up her end of that and make sure both operations stayed healthy and lasted.

"I have a contact at the weather station," Mariella told Kieran. "From what I'm hearing, severe cold is moving in sooner than anyone's expecting. When it hits, the extreme low temperatures could wipe out a huge portion of the livestock and poultry. Greenfield Organic Farm needs to start preparing now."

Kieran's respect for Mariella had long since passed the point of question. He absorbed everything she said without a trace of doubt. "Whatever you say, we'll get on it immediately. Just tell us what you need."

Ever since he'd started looking to Mariella as the one worth following, he'd freed himself from the exhausting pressure of having to be the one with all the answers.

Carrying everything alone was brutal work. Even his grandfather, at the height of his power, had buckled under it.

Following Mariella's lead made things considerably easier.

Why fight for the top spot when being her right hand suited him just fine?

He still carried a flicker of something warmer toward her underneath it all, but that didn't get in the way of his trust in her judgment.

Mariella thought for a moment, then gave her instructions carefully. "Get the Celestine Ridge residents together and pool your resources to source enough thermal insulation film. Get heated greenhouse structures up over Greenfield Organic Farm before the cold front arrives. The cattle, sheep, and poultry all need to be moved indoors. You'll need to set up heating systems and stock enough coal and feed to last."

"Hold on, let me get someone to write that down." Kieran was genuinely taking notes.

Mariella hadn't expected him to be this Terryative, and she found it faintly amusing.

His willingness to fall in line made things considerably easier to manage, though.

It seemed the effort she'd put into establishing herself over these past weeks hadn't been wasted. Most of the residents, Kieran included, had started treating her word like it carried the weight of law.

"I'm just putting options on the table. Take it as a starting point." Mariella had no interest in carrying the entire operation on her back. "You should call a full residents' meeting and hash out a concrete plan together for handling the cold. A room full of people will come up with more than I can on my own."

If she tried to micromanage every detail, not even a dozen versions of herself would be enough.

Her role was to point the way forward. The specifics of how to get there were for everyone to work out collectively.

They talked a while longer before the call finally ended.

Mariella looked up and found Chandler standing beside her, utterly silent.

She pulled in a sharp breath. "When did you get here?"

His ability to suppress his presence was almost uncanny. He caught her off guard nearly every time.

She was grateful he was a teammate rather than an enemy. If he weren't, she'd probably have died at his hands more than once by now.

"I came over when you stepped away to take his call privately. You were probably too caught up in the conversation to notice me." There was a faint edge to his voice that didn't quite manage to be neutral.

Mariella blinked her clear eyes at him. Was that jealousy?

She curled a finger toward him. "Come here."

The man stood his ground with full composure and didn't move.

"Come on," she said, her voice dropping a little softer.

He relented then, leaning toward her with the air of someone making a reluctant concession.

She smiled and took his hand, pulling him down beside her onto the porch swing, then pressed a light kiss to the sharp line of his jaw.

The firm press of Chandler's lips eased into a faint curve, and a quiet warmth surfaced in his eyes, scattered and soft like starlight across a dark sky.

"I'm planning to get some supplies from Denton. Tell me if there's anything you want." She settled against his shoulder, one slender finger tracing the clean angles of his face, following the lines of his profile.

Everything about him, his features, his build, the way he carried himself, landed precisely on every point of her aesthetic. Small wonder she found him so captivating.

A face like that deserved to be indulged.

What she hadn't counted on was that he'd take that indulgence and run with it.