18 Floors Above the Apocalypse novel Chapter 119

You just couldn't pull the wool over his eyes.

Feeling embarrassed, Stella played dumb, "I think there's been a misunderstanding, I'm not trying to hide anything from you."

"Do you want to know?"

"Know what?"

"My secret."

No, Stella didn't want to know. She still wanted to live, not be silenced or dissected.

Jasper kept on planting potatoes, "Stella, I trust in time."

What the hell was he implying?

Stella sensed that something was amiss and awkwardly said, "I'm sorry, I'm just naturally suspicious and find it hard to open up to people."

Despite being given a second chance at life, her post-traumatic stress disorder hadn't disappeared. She was trying to control it, and it was much better than it was at the beginning.

Jasper repeated, "You're doing just fine. I would be the same."

Well, didn't he contradict himself there? Forget it, she’d just play dumb.

After planting potatoes, they headed to 1803 to cook.

They agreed to start cooking together on Christmas Eve, taking turns for lunch and dinner.

Stella's Christmas supplies weren't going to be enough for all three families, so they had to pool resources. She provided 5 pounds of frozen potatoes, a fish, and considering her dog was a big eater, she added some grains and pasta.

Jasper contributed a bag of frozen pears, 10 salted eggs, and two pounds of pork belly.

Room 1803 provided the heat source, gas, rice and oil, and some drinks.

Christmas Eve dinner was the most important meal of the year.

Jasper took the helm in the kitchen, with Stella giving pointers. Soon, delicious smells wafted from the kitchen.

Lukas was out on the balcony, his keen sense of smell picking up the scent of other families' dinners. Hmm, their food couldn't compare to what was cooking on the 18th floor.

But in the midst of a catastrophic winter, being able to celebrate Christmas was already a blessing.

The government was particularly generous, providing an extra pound of relief food per person to ensure everyone could celebrate Christmas properly.

Despite the small amount allocated to each survivor, the total amount of food distributed was staggering due to the large number of survivors in Griffith.

There were dishes of shredded pork, beef stew, fish soup, pork soup with radishes, and a big pot of pasta.

Without fireworks, Christmas still needed some form of rituals. Lukas brought out a party popper, opened the front door and set it off. The colorful confetti fluttered down, marking the start of the Christmas Eve dinner.

With two people stirring up the atmosphere, the dinner was lively.

Stella was celebrating Christmas with such a warm atmosphere for the first time. She didn't know what the future held, but she felt a sense of warmth.

Cody said, "Cheers, Jasper, your cooking skills are getting better and better."

Lukas laughed,"Of course, who do you think take care of him?"

What did he mean by ‘take care of’? Stella frowned, these two must be itching for a fight.

Jasper was calm, "Yes, Stella was pretty good."

Stella turned to Cody and Lukas, her eyes twinkling with mischief, "Let's eat."

Whenever she had that signature smile, the two of them were sure to get a beating, and their hearts skipped a beat, "Let's eat before it gets cold."

The room was warm and everyone ate heartily.