Dark Queen Of Apocalypse (by Morgan Hale) novel Chapter 3

Chapter 3

As Chloe stood at a storefront, the owner greeted her warmly, “Hey, gorgeous, want some bread?”

She rubbed her stomach, swallowing hard. Despite being full, she couldn’t resist. “I’ll take them all,” she said. “Sure… Wait, what?” The owner was about to pack up when he realized what she’d said.

“I said, I’ll take all the bread here,” Chloe repeated. With her billions in inheritance, money meant nothing to her.

Just then, Shawn’s unwelcome voice sounded behind her. “I knew you were following me, Chloe.”

‘Of all people, I ran into this jerk twice on my first day back. What are the odds?‘ Chloe thought.

She clenched her fists, so tightly her nails dug into her palms. The sharp pain kept her from losing control and killing Shawn in public.

Shawn was about to make a sarcastic comment when Chloe turned. He froze, completely stunned by her beauty.

‘Damn, who knew she’d look this stunning without makeup. She’d be amazing in bed,‘ Shawn thought.

His voice softened, but remained bossy. “Come here.”

Chloe barely controlled her murderous intent, about to walk away. Just then, she spotted the emerald bracelet on his wrist and paused.

Memories flooded back. Before the apocalypse, Shawn had always claimed to hate her but never removed the emerald bracelet she’d given him, the one that used to be her family heirloom.

He’d kept her chasing, always giving her a glimmer of hope before pulling away. She was hooked, falling deeper and deeper into his twisted game.

Suddenly, something clicked, and her eyes narrowed suspiciously.

‘This emerald bracelet might be worth something now. But after the apocalypse, it couldn’t even be worth a stale bread.

‘So why did Shawn still treat it like treasure? And why did Sophie freak out when I asked for the bracelet back?‘ Chloe wondered, growing more puzzled.

Shawn noticed Chloe staring and a smug smile spread across his face. ‘She must be thrilled, thinking she’s finally won my attention,‘ he thought.

“Come here,” he called out again, beckoning her over. The emerald bracelet swayed on his wrist, gleaming brightly in the sunlight.

Chloe moved slowly toward Shawn. With sunlight behind her, she looked like an ethereal fairy, absolutely breathtaking.

Passersby shot Shawn envious looks and exclaimed, “Man, this guy’s got some serious luck”

The crowd’s comments stroked Shawn’s ego. He lifted his chin proudly, curled his finger at Chloe, ready to speak.

But in the blink of an eye, the whole vibe flipped.

A fierce glint flashed across Chloe’s face. She moved like lightning, grabbed a water tub from a nearby stall, and dumped it over Shawn’s head. Before he could react, she wrenched his right arm behind his back.

Her left hand clamped the back of his neck, pinning him down like a cop subduing a suspect. Despite being six feet tall, he was completely helpless.

Passersby nearly dropped their jaws. They stopped in their tracks to watch the drama unfold while murmuring to each other.

“Wamn, what a plot twist.”

“Thought this was a romantic scene, but she took him down. This girl’s got a serious attitude. I wanted to win her over.”

“Hey, gorgeous, single? Want to give me a shot?“People in the crowd started cheering and whistling at her.

Some people in the crowd hooted and hollered, while some wolf–whistled.

The tub crashed off Shawn’s head. He was drenched to the bone, water dripping from his hair. Rotten vegetable leaves stuck to his face, making him look utterly disheveled.

Chloe gave Rosalie a cold stare, her tone icy and distant. “What are you doing here?”

Rosalie looked shocked and hurt, tears instantly welling up, appearing utterly pitiful.

Sam Stimson strode from the crowd. In his fifties, he still radiated mature, manly charm. Too bad he was nothing but a total scumbag beneath the fancy exterior.

As he passed Chloe, he shoulder–checked her hard, nearly knocking her down.

“Rosalie, are you okay? Did you get hurt?” Sam asked, helping her up, his voice full of concern.

“Dad, I’m fine. I think Chloe just doesn’t like me,” Rosalie mumbled. She glanced nervously at Chloe, looking scared and pitiful.

Sam frowned, shooting Chloe a hostile glare. He was about to speak when Vanessa, his wife, stopped him with a head shake.

Remembering their real purpose here, he swallowed his harsh words.

A chubby kid poked his head out, shouting rudely, “Chloe, Rosalie was talking to you. Why’d you shove her? Guess your mom forgot to teach you how to behave.”

Kiera tugged her grandson’s hand and said in a mild tone, “Don’t say stuff like that.”

Niko, the chunky kid, stared up at Kiera with wide eyes. “Grandma, weren’t you the one who said that?”

“Shut up,” Kiera cut him off.

Chloe, about to leave, suddenly stopped. She walked toward the seven–year–old Niko, staring him down with a cold, almost creepy look.

Kiera instantly pulled Niko behind her. He peeked out, shooting Chloe a nasty glare.