Apocalypse Queen: My Space, My Rules Chapter 24: A Little Show of Force

Anyone could guess who was hell-bent on making trouble for her. It had to be the Grahams or the Shepherds.

Mariella was sick of it. She decided to make a little show of force.

She called Chandler. "Send over five of the toughest bodyguards you've got."

...

Fifteen minutes later, a seven-seat van pulled up at Mariella's parking spot.

The doors opened, and Chandler personally came over with five bodyguards.

Mariella glanced at the numbered badges pinned to their chests. Number One through Number Five. It looked like their strength really did line up with their bodysize.

Chandler hurried over with the team and asked, "Ms. Townsend, are you alright?"

Mariella flicked her eyes to the rearview mirror. The people following her were gone.

Of course, they might have only backed off for the moment, hiding nearby and waiting for her to be alone before coming back to cause trouble.

Mariella wasn't afraid of them, but she truly didn't want to waste her time and energy on people like that.

She had already paid for bodyguards, so she was absolutely going to use them.

"I'm fine." Mariella slipped on her sunglasses and curled her lips into a smile. Then she said, "Number One stays. Everyone else goes back with Captain Zimmer."

Chandler was speechless.

He shot her a slightly irritated look.

Mariella turned to the still-frozen Number One and said, "Get in the car."

With the other bodyguards watching him with a mix of envy and jealousy, Number One walked over awkwardly.

"Ms. Townsend, I'll drive," he said, taking the initiative.

Mariella didn't argue with him. She got out and walked around to the passenger seat.

At the same time, she used the chance to look around. There was still no sign of the people who had been following her.

Looks like those lackeys from the Grahams or the Shepherds lurking in the shadows got spooked by my security team. They're probably running back to report and come up with a new plan.

Hah, if you want to come at me head-on, you'd better be tough enough.

...

Number One drove with complete focus, his eyes fixed straight ahead.

But his cheeks stayed flushed the whole time, and his heart kept pounding.

He was sure Mariella had taken a liking to him. She had picked him in front of everyone, and even Chandler had been outdone.

Along with the quiet pride he felt, there was also a trace of worry. If he stood out too much, would the others start resenting him?

But that wasn't the main point. The real issue was whether he should go along with it if Mariella made a move on him.

Number One spent the whole drive tangled up in that thought until the car reached the commercial street.

"Pull over," Mariella suddenly spoke up.

Number One stopped the car and stole a glance at her from the corner of his eye.

"You can get out now." Once Mariella confirmed that nobody had followed them, she was ready to send Number One away.

"Huh?" Number One didn't quite understand what she meant.

Mariella smiled at him. "I suddenly feel like driving around and shopping by myself. You can take a cab back."

She pulled up his payroll account info and transferred him a pretty generous amount for cab fare.

Number One's face stiffened a little. What exactly does Ms. Townsend mean by this?

It wasn't until he was sitting in the taxi that he finally understood what Mariella had meant. She made up an excuse just to send me money!

Now that Ms. Townsend has offered me an olive branch, should I respond somehow?

Number One thought it over and finally decided to stick to his principles.

He believed his skills were strong enough. He was confident he could pass the evaluation on his own and didn't need to rely on selling his looks to stay.

I need to let Ms. Townsend know I'm not that kind of easy man.

...

Mariella drove herself into the commercial street and started stockpiling food like crazy.

Fresh street snacks straight out of the fryer, made-to-order meals cooked on the spot, she packed them into takeout containers, carried them to the car, and stored them in her storage space.

Grilled salmon, New England clam chowder, chicken soup, pulled pork sandwiches, shrimp cocktail, ribeye steak, fried shrimp, garlic butter scallops, roast duck, beef stew, pan-seared sea bass, honey-glazed chicken bites, braised lamb shank, and fish stew.

Braised oxtail, roasted chicken, barbecue pork ribs, garlic pork ribs, roasted mixed vegetables, sautéed celery, braised tofu, honey barbecue wings, roasted pork belly, beef and mushroom stew, curry beef with potatoes, smoked trout, and sliced roast beef.

Buttermilk cookies, shepherd's pie, black pepper chicken pie, fried dumplings, pancakes, and meatloaf.

Lamb stew, creamy fish chowder, chicken salad, braised lamb, braised pork knuckles, roasted chicken with herbs, and hummus.

Mariella ordered five portions of every dish. Once they were packed up, she carried them into the car and stored them in her storage space while they were still piping hot.

Some dishes took time to prepare, like lamb shank and fish stew. So after paying, she kept walking around the food street and stopped whenever she saw ready-made food she wanted to try.

Once enough time had passed, she circled back to pick up the lamb shank and fish stew that had just come out fresh.

Mariella spent the entire afternoon on the food street, wishing she could move the whole street into her storage space.

She paid one bill after another, and batch after batch of food went into her storage space. The haul was huge.

By the time it got dark, she was so tired she could barely keep walking, and she had eaten so much she was stuffed. Only then did she finally call it a day.

She called Chandler and told him to send bodyguards to pick her up.