Apocalypse Queen: My Space, My Rules Chapter 242: Settling Accounts

Chandler finished opening all the mussels Mariella had dug up in one go. He collected more than a dozen pearls in total, each one large, round, and of excellent quality.

"I'm going to look up pearl drilling techniques online and make you a necklace." He seemed genuinely interested in the idea.

The storage space consumed all kinds of jewelry, so every time Mariella entered it, she had to remove her diamond ring.

Sometimes she forgot, and he had to remind her.

Once he made her a pearl ring, she would be able to wear it on her hand all the time.

...

The two of them lingered in the storage space for quite a while. It was only when they got hungry that they realized it was already past noon.

They simply ate lunch inside the storage space before returning to the living room.

The first thing Mariella did after leaving the storage space was take out her phone. Sure enough, she saw two messages from Matthew.

"Mariella, are you coming downstairs for lunch?"

"Mariella, I saved food for you in the kitchen."

The two messages had been sent an hour apart, and the last one had already been sent an hour ago.

Mariella replied immediately. "I already ate."

Matthew replied instantly. "Okay."

Mariella felt a little embarrassed and scratched her head, but she had no idea what to say, so she chose to say nothing.

Meanwhile, the man who had completely charmed her seemed unaware of everything and was still following the dance video on TV, practicing hip-swaying moves.

Mariella watched for a while and grew curious. "You're actually really good at this. Did you already know how to dance before?"

She understood a little about dancing herself, and Chandler did not look like a beginner at all.

Chandler remained calm. "Wasn't it you who said martial arts and dance are connected?"

Mariella fell silent.

She felt like what she had said actually made way too much sense.

...

The two of them stayed wrapped up in each other's company all afternoon.

After learning the hip-swaying dance, Chandler moved on to another trendy footwork dance, and somehow he looked convincing doing that too.

Mariella lounged on the couch with a caramel latte in hand. While enjoying someone's energetic dancing, she continued using her mind to dig up mussels in the storage space, never getting tired of it.

It was not until she received a message from Number One. "We're back."

Mariella checked the time.

Huh, it was not even five yet. Why had he brought the team home early?

Still, it worked out perfectly, because she had been planning to gather everyone for a meeting anyway. Now was as good a time as any.

The two of them straightened their clothes and immediately went downstairs.

All of her teammates were waiting in the large dining room, every single one of them present, including Serena and Lucky. Their eyes all turned in unison toward the two people walking down the stairs side by side.

Serena had grown impatient waiting. She ran over on her short little legs, tugged on Mariella's clothes, and muttered, "Mariella, when I went to look for you, I saw Captain Zimmer using a wire to pick the lock on your bedroom door. He opened it and went inside. I wanted to go too, but Daddy pulled me back. He said I wasn't allowed to go in and bother you. He said whatever it was could wait until you came out. But you stayed in your room all morning and never came downstairs for lunch. Were you hungry?"

Children spoke without filters.

But hearing Serena say all that in front of the whole team still made Mariella extremely embarrassed.

She cleared her throat and explained, "Captain Zimmer and I were discussing important business."

Whether her teammates believed that or not, she had no idea. Most likely, they did not.

But Mariella did not like internal drama, nor did she care much about how others viewed her. What mattered most was satisfying herself first.

"Everyone's here, right? Before dinner, let's have a meeting."

Matthew quickly pulled his daughter back to his side and gave her a quiet warning. "When adults are talking, kids shouldn't interrupt anymore."

Serena still had many questions, but after hearing her father say that, she could only pout and obediently close her mouth.

"Woof!" Lucky barked once in support of his owner.

Mariella patted his head and ordered, "Go guard the front gate."

Lucky was reluctant to leave his owner, but he still carried out the order without hesitation.

Mariella looked around at her teammates. They had been out for three or four straight days, climbing hills to cut wood, making charcoal, and then working all day again today. They looked dusty and travel-worn.

But everyone's spirits seemed good. The hard work had not exhausted them. Instead, it had made them feel more fulfilled.

Mariella continued in a clear voice, "You've all been working for me for almost six months now. I've already paid you twice. The first time was cash according to your contracts. The second time was weapons, ammunition, and gear as payment. There are still three months of wages unpaid, so today we'll settle that."

Number One was the first to speak. "I don't know what the others think yet, so I'll only speak for myself."

Mariella looked at him and gave a slight nod. "Go ahead."

"We've been working for Ms. Townsend for almost six months, and the disaster has lasted nearly five months. If we hadn't stayed at No. 98, most of us probably wouldn't even be alive anymore. Ms. Townsend is our benefactor and the one who helped save us. Being able to work for you is a blessing." His dark eyes fixed steadily on her as he said, "Other than the weapons and equipment, I don't need you to pay me any wages."