Apocalypse Queen: My Space, My Rules Chapter 7: Do You Enjoy Being Hit?

Harvey quickly stepped forward and caught Roxanna's unsteady body. He frowned as his gaze swept unhappily over Mariella.

Under the light, Mariella's delicate features seemed to be wrapped in a layer of icy frost, and her almond-shaped eyes shone with a sharp brilliance. She was as stunning as a flower yet as cold as ice.

Harvey felt she seemed different from before, though he couldn't pinpoint exactly what had changed.

He ignored the odd feeling in his chest and spoke in a cold, scolding tone, "No matter how much dissatisfaction or resentment you have, it shouldn't spill into your work. Skipping company meetings without a reason is bad enough, but now you're taking it out on Roxanna? You know she isn't in good health, and she's your sister. Shouldn't you go easy on her?"

Same words again!

Mariella couldn't help but let out a laugh of anger.

Roxanna's watery eyes brimmed with tears, about to spill. "Mariella, please let Kingston and Jennifer go. As long as you show mercy, you can hit me or scold me!"

With that, she lunged forward, seized Mariella's hand, and put on a show by slapping herself with it.

Smack! Mariella played along and delivered a sharp slap across Roxanna's face.

Her pale face now bore five clear red finger marks. Her teeth felt loose, her head twisted sharply to the side, and her whole body swayed violently.

Luckily, Harvey's reflexes were fast enough to catch her. He exclaimed, "Roxanna, are you okay?!"

Roxanna was completely stunned by the slap, forgetting all her usual fake, manipulative lines.

Harvey turned sharply, glaring at Mariella and shouting angrily, "How dare you lay a hand on Roxanna?!"

Mariella raised an eyebrow, looking innocently at Roxanna, astonished. "Oh my, I've never met anyone like you. You actually pulled my hand to hit yourself! Do you want to get hit? Do you enjoy being hit?"

Roxanna's face flushed, utterly speechless.

She wanted to accuse Mariella, but it had been her idea to pull Mariella's hand to hit herself.

Who could have expected Mariella to actually hit her? And she hit her so hard!

Roxanna suffered in silence, unable to argue, tears streaming down her face.

Harvey shielded her, his eyes practically burning with anger.

Through gritted teeth, he spat out a chilling warning, "Mariella! Don't go too far!"

Roxanna's dazed brain finally caught up. She gritted her teeth against the fiery pain on her cheek and continued her fake sweet act. "Harvey, please don't blame Mariella. If it makes her feel better, if it keeps her from going after Kingston and Jennifer, I don't mind taking a slap..."

Before Roxanna could finish, Harvey lost his temper and shoved Mariella hard.

Mariella quickly retreated, making it look like she'd been knocked down while taking almost no impact.

She fell to the ground and yelled, "Help! He hit me! He's hitting a woman right here at the police station!"

...

The police station's surveillance was comprehensive, recording the entire dispute clearly.

Roxanna and Harvey had both stopped Mariella first. Roxanna was the first to step forward, pulling at Mariella and even grabbing her hand to hit herself.

Harvey then shoved Mariella, causing her to fall.

Mariella hitting Roxanna had been in response to Roxanna's own actions, whereas Harvey hitting Mariella was deliberate.

A man hitting a woman was already indefensible, and he was the first to act.

With clear evidence, Harvey was also held at the station.

Roxanna cried bitterly, trying to block Mariella from leaving.

"Mariella, please spare Harvey! There's really nothing between us. Please don't misunderstand. Don't take it out on him..."

"What? You want me to hit you again?!" Mariella tugged at her ear, looking incredulous. "Oh my, so you're into that?"

Roxanna could no longer pretend. She clenched her teeth, hissing, "Mariella, when did you learn to play dumb?"

"If we're talking about playing dumb, I'm nowhere near your level!" Mariella gave her a devilish, infuriating smile. "Bye-bye!"

She turned and walked away.

Roxanna wasn't about to let her leave, chasing after her.

After four years of surviving the apocalypse, Mariella wasn't about to let her catch up.

Thud! Roxanna fell to the ground, while Mariella didn't even look back.

She hadn't touched Roxanna. If she fell, that was her own fault.

...

Tonight taught Mariella a lesson. She couldn't go back to her old apartment anymore.

She checked into a hotel and scheduled the hiring of bodyguards for the next day.

The Shepherds and Harvey would only grow more frenzied. She had to ensure her personal safety first.

After a long day, she had made solid progress.

Besides stockpiling a massive amount of supplies, she had also sent Kingston, Jennifer, and Harvey to the police station.

For a while, those three would be busy with bail and trying to get themselves cleared.

It wouldn't be so easy for them to trouble her again.

Mariella took a hot shower and lay down as night deepened.

She planned to sort out her schedule for tomorrow, but exhaustion overtook her. She fell asleep as soon as her head touched the pillow.

...

The next day, Mariella was fully rested and ready to start anew.

She drove to Liraelith's largest bodyguard company, Flameshield Security, and handed over a tip of 100,000 right off the bat.

The company manager, Bruce Judd, realizing she was a major client, personally attended to her.

Mariella immediately said she wanted to hire 16 bodyguards.

Bruce's eyes lit up. That was a big deal. "Ms. Townsend, do you have any specific requirements?"

"Besides being able to fight, the main requirements are—unmarried, no immediate family, and no girlfriend!" Mariella's words were shocking.

Bruce froze, thinking he had misheard. "Huh?!"

Mariella repeated her requirements. "I need true loners—the kind who aren't connected to anyone. Do you understand, Mr. Judd?"

Bruce, seasoned and experienced, quickly closed his mouth and nodded. "Understood."

Some wealthy clients worried that enemies might target a bodyguard's family to force a betrayal, so those with no ties were seen as more reliable and safer.

Mariella didn't waste words and immediately laid out her terms. "Each bodyguard gets 200,000 per month, with one round of elimination every month. Those who pass the first trial period will get 300,000 in the second month. Those who pass the second trial will get 500,000 in the third month."

Bruce's eyes nearly popped out. "M-Ms. Townsend, are you serious?"

Liraelith had no shortage of wealthy people, but this level of extravagance was rare.

Monthly salaries over 100,000 were rare. Doubling or tripling it monthly was even unheard of.

With those conditions getting out, bodyguards would be scrambling over each other for this job. Even married ones would have to get divorced, those with girlfriends would break up immediately, and anyone with close relatives would have to cut ties entirely.

Mariella smiled faintly. "If anyone hides a family relationship for the sake of a high salary, they'll be required to pay five times the compensation upon discovery, and your company will pay the penalty. Mr. Judd, make sure this is written into the contract."

Bruce's eyes had just lit up, but then dimmed again. He rubbed his nose awkwardly. "Uh... sure."

This woman is so cunning!

She didn't make the bodyguards pay, but she made the bodyguard company liable, which pushed all the risk onto them.

The company had no tricks left besides keeping things under control for her.

Seeing Bruce looking a little troubled, Mariella blinked and gave him an idea. "If your company can't find 16 true loners, you can go to other bodyguard companies."

All the major bodyguard companies cooperated with each other, and their connections in this area far surpassed anything she could manage.

Mariella didn't want to waste too much energy or time finding bodyguards. She'd rather spend extra money to have Flameshield Security handle the whole thing.

After all, when the apocalypse hit, money would quickly lose its value and become worthless.

She had limited storage space and wanted to stock up on supplies, so she had to make full use of her resources while money still mattered.

Bruce forced a smile. "Ms. Townsend, you're really smart."

He was planning exactly that.

He simply hated having to share such a huge chunk of profit with anyone else.

Just then, an assistant came in and whispered something into Bruce's ear.

Mariella vaguely heard him say, "Chandler was fired by his employer. He's back at the company waiting for a new assignment."