18 Floors Above the Apocalypse novel Chapter 109

Indeed, Max had always been the girl's pet. From a young age, the dog proved extraordinarily clever. When the girl was once threatened by a mugger during a nightly jog, it was Max who fearlessly fought the thug off, sustaining a serious knife wound in the process.

Then there was the time this girl dated Hector. If Hector hadn't been allergic to dog fur and if Max hadn't shown such hostility towards him - even biting him once - they might have remained a couple.

But Hector was decisive. It was either him or the dog. She had no choice but to sell Max to a butcher shop, using the $800 she received to buy a shirt as an apology gift for Hector.

She regretted her decision immensely, often crying in secret. She even buried some of Max's toys in the park as a makeshift grave. Little did she know that Max was still alive and had found a new owner.

The girl was heartbroken, but she wasn't foolish enough to admit the truth in front of Officer Evan. Despite everything, Max was hers!

Stella didn't understand why the girl sold Cooper to the butcher shop, but she was sure it wouldn't be the last time if the dog was in her hands.

"Your dog? How are you going to take care of him?" Stella's eyes were icy cold. "I can see your intentions clear as day. You and your accomplices are all the same."

If Officer Evan hadn't been present, Stella wouldn't have bothered arguing with her. She would've taken her knife and ended the girl on the spot.

The girl was furious when Stella exposed her, her voice rising to a shrill pitch. "That's my business, not yours. Give me my dog back."

"Hold on," Officer Evan interjected. "Since neither of you can provide definitive proof of ownership, let's let the dog decide. Whoever he chooses to go to is his rightful owner."

The group was confident, and whatever was on the menu for the people living on the 18th floor, Cooper would eat the same. He was never treated differently, and he even got the most substantial share, not just in terms of meat but bones as well.

Stella had to abide by Officer Evan's decision. What was meant to be hers couldn't be taken away by anyone else. If it wasn't meant to be, it would be useless to keep it.

Despite her reluctance, Stella knew that a forced relationship wouldn't be a good one. She was confident that Cooper, who risked his life to save her in his past life, wouldn't become a disloyal dog for his unworthy previous owner.

So she let go of the leash.

But the other girl didn't play fair. She crouched down and reached out her hands to Cooper, calling out with affection, "Max, come to mama."

Cooper moved forward a couple of steps, then stopped and turned to look back, seemingly making a difficult decision.

Stella took a deep breath, cursing the disloyal dog.

Rosie was agitated, tugging at her brother Jasper's sleeve. "Jasper, I want Cooper."

Jasper patted her head. "Rosie, we have to respect Cooper's choice."

"Max." The girl's voice was full of emotion, almost on the verge of tears. Seeing Cooper slowly walking towards her, she finally felt at ease.

As for the crowd behind her, their eyes gleamed with greed, seeing not a lively dog, but a pot of succulent dog stew. Such a plump dog would provide them with several meals.

The disloyal dog walked away step by step, without looking back, even starting to run towards the end.

Stella couldn't bear it any longer, reaching into her pocket. The dog might be disloyal, but he had saved her life in her previous life. If he wanted to go back to his previous owner, fine, but it shouldn’t be in the form of a meat stew.