Apocalypse Queen: My Space, My Rules Chapter 34: Getting to Work

Mariella couldn't help but sigh when she heard that. "You didn't die? That's a shame."

"Mariella, you never loved me, did you? Was everything you showed me fake from the start?" Harvey refused to give up.

Mariella's smile faded, her tone turning sharp with mockery. "Oh, please. Did you ever have even a shred of real feelings for me? You don't even have that, so what makes you think you can demand it from me?"

"What..." Harvey tried to argue back, but couldn't find the words.

Then Roxanna's soft, fragile voice came through the phone. "Mariella, did you misunderstand me? Harvey and I are completely innocent. It's not what you think—"

"I wish you two a lifetime of misery together. Stay out of my life," Mariella cut her off.

Roxanna sounded even more aggrieved. "Mariella, please stop being stubborn. Harvey almost died today. Can you show some mercy and let him go? As long as you're willing to sign the letter of understanding..."

"I'm not signing anything!" Mariella's voice turned ice-cold as she raised a brow. "Go ahead, call the cops on me."

"Huh?"

"Idiot." She hung up, then blocked the number in one smooth motion.

Glancing at the time, it was almost 1 p.m. She still had a lot of real work to get done.

Wasting even one extra second on trash like them felt like a crime.

...

Inside the ICU, Roxanna was crying her eyes out.

Fannie comforted her daughter while also trying to calm her furious husband.

She let out a helpless sigh. "Mariella really went too far this time. I don't even know what to say anymore."

Connor was livid. "I don't have a daughter like that! From now on, we're done. If she dies out there, it has nothing to do with me!"

Through tear-filled eyes, Roxanna looked at Harvey and choked out, "Viola personally went to ask her to sign the letter of understanding, but Mariella had her bodyguards block the door. She wouldn't even let her step inside..."

A flash of viciousness crossed Harvey's weak face.

His original plan had been to break off the engagement first, then have Mariella kidnapped and assaulted to vent his anger.

After that, he would imprison her and use her as Roxanna's backup blood bank and spare organ source, since she dared to openly oppose him.

But before she died, he would find a way to secure a marriage certificate with her so Connor could obtain full inheritance rights to the Townsend family.

In his eyes, the Townsend family inheritance should belong to Roxanna.

To help Roxanna indirectly gain control of Townsend Group's shares, he had lowered himself to get engaged to Mariella in the first place.

But her arrogant attitude had completely enraged him. He no longer cared about inheritance. All he wanted now was her life.

Gritting his teeth, he ordered his new assistant, "Hire bounty hunters. Get me elite assassins from the global rankings. I'll pay ten million for Mariella's life!"

...

Mariella drove to Celestine Ridge and found that the inspection teams had already arrived.

It seemed that as long as the pay was high enough, not even extreme heat could stop people from showing up to work.

The two townhouses had been turned into a fortress. A ten-foot-high perimeter wall and a ten-foot-wide reinforced iron gate stood like an impenetrable barrier. Even artillery wouldn't break through it anytime soon.

The heavy iron gate slowly opened, and Mariella drove her pickup truck inside. The two inspection vehicles behind her stopped outside, and their staff braved the heat as they got out and hurried through the main entrance.

The renovation project manager was already there. Seeing his client arrive, he walked up with a broad smile, reaching out for a handshake, only to freeze when he saw the imposing black German Shepherd behind her.

Mariella waved him off and got straight to business. "Everything's finished?"

Seeing that she had brought multiple inspection teams with her, the manager forced a smile. "Our workers just wrapped up at noon after putting in extra hours. Ms. Townsend, your efficiency is impressive."

"Working together saves time," Mariella replied. Time was too precious for her.

She gave the courtyard a quick glance. Everything had been laid out exactly as she requested, including the newly dug well.

"Then let's begin," Mariella instructed the inspection teams. "Everyone, get to your stations."

The construction material inspectors began checking both the yard and interior for hazardous substances exceeding safety limits. The specialists responsible for testing explosion-proof glass and building materials moved outside for their work, while the water quality team started drawing samples from the well.

The two villas, now connected, had been fitted with a powerful fresh air system and a central air conditioning system. Not only could it regulate indoor temperature and humidity, but it could also adjust the conditions in the courtyard.

The only downside was its massive power consumption. It required three main electrical panels just to keep the entire system running.

Normally, a climate control and ventilation system this powerful was used in large office buildings. Installing it in a private residential villa was frankly overkill.

Aside from the insane energy usage, though, the system was flawless.