End of the World? I'm the Boss novel Chapter 22

Chapter 22 A Secret Plan

Ruby rolled her eyes again and turned her back on Ella.

Ella was speechless.

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“Just ignore her,” Robin said calmly. “Clean up the dishes. I’m going upstairs to take a nap.”

“I…”

Ella gathered her courage. “Can I go check on Mr. Henry first?”

Robin looked her up and down. “Sure. Let Cotton take you.”

After a short pause, she added, “The big white goose.”

“Okay.”

Robin turned and walked upstairs. Ella stayed behind, staring at the table full of leftover food. Her eyes slowly began to shine.

She probably wasn’t going to eat this anymore, right?

Ella had just eaten a huge meal, and Robin hadn’t even said anything. If she took some of the leftovers to the others, Robin probably wouldn’t mind.

Ella licked her lips. Her heart started beating faster. Her mind told her this was wrong. Robin had helped her. She shouldn’t repay kindness like this. But once the thought appeared, she couldn’t push it away.

Henry hadn’t had anything to eat for days. He was badly injured too. Without proper food, even medicine might not keep him alive.

Forget it. Just do it.

Ella’s eyes grew firm. She quickly looked left and right. Then she glanced toward the second floor. After making sure no one was watching, she hurried to the pot. She scooped all the cooked but untouched food into a large bowl. After thinking for a moment, she also added several big scoops of cheese. Then she hugged the bowl close to her chest and sneaked outside.

What she didn’t know was that upstairs, Robin was lying on her bed with a laptop resting on her legs. The screen clearly showed every corner of the first floor.

Robin watched Ella quietly sneak out. Instead of getting angry, a small, thoughtful smile appeared on her lips.

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13:27 Thu, May 21

Chapter 22 A Secret Plan

Just as she expected. The girl was clever.

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While they were eating earlier, Ella had kept adding food to the pot, pretending she was starving. She ate like she hadn’t seen food in years.

But when she was finally full, there was still plenty of food left in the pot. Robin would never eat leftovers. So, Ella used the excuse of cleaning up and packed everything to take outside for her friends.

Robin didn’t mind little tricks like that.

In fact, she admired them.

In this cruel and bloody apocalypse, being naïve was not a good trait. Only people who were smart and a little calculating could survive.

There was an old saying. In the apocalypse, the first people to die are the overly kind fools. They would get themselves killed and drag others down with them.

But Ella was different. She was clever yet loyal.

If she had abandoned Tim and the others after just one meal today, then one day she might betray Robin too for someone else’s kindness.

So far, every quality Ella had shown fit Robin’s expectations perfectly.

However, this sneaky habit of hers needed to be corrected.

Robin wouldn’t allow anybody take her things for free.

Outside the gate, Tim and Dane had finally finished treating Henry’s wound.

After taking antibiotics, his breathing became steadier, though he was still unconscious.

Tim carefully reached into a plastic bag and pulled out a pack of crunchy ramen snacks.

Dane spoke in a low voice. “One pack is enough for the two of us. Let’s save the other one for Mr. Henry and Ella. I wonder if that girl is being treated badly in there.”

His voice grew quieter as he spoke. Then anger crept in. “I don’t even know who that woman inside is. She took one look at Ella and picked her out right away. We’re useless. Ella has already protected us so much on the way here. And now we still have to let a young girl take the risk for

us.”

Tim let out a long sigh. His heart felt heavy.

The crunchy ramen snack was dry and rough. Before all this, they had worked as bodyguards

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Chapter 22 A Secret Plan

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for the Woods. Their lives were not as luxurious as their employer’s, but they had still lived well. Food like this was something they would never even touch.

But now they had been hungry for days. The moment they tore open the package, the snack gave off a smell that seemed unbelievably delicious.

Both of their stomachs growled loudly. They quickly split one pack of crunchy ramen snacks and started eating. Crunch. Crunch. They shoved the dry noodles into their mouths without slowing down. The hard pieces scratched the soft skin on the roof of their mouths, but neither of them cared.

Soon the whole pack was gone. But it was nowhere near enough. After starving for several days, their empty stomachs had only just tasted food again. How could that possibly satisfy them?

Their stomachs rumbled like engines. Loud and endless. Acid burned in their empty guts. The hunger twisted inside them and made them feel miserable.

They swallowed again and again, trying to push the feeling down. Even so, neither of them looked at the second pack of crunchy ramen snacks. That one was for Henry and Ella.

Tim finally stood up. “Dane, when we came in earlier, I think I saw some staff dorms over there. Stay here with Mr. Henry, okay? I’ll check those buildings and see if there’s any food left.”

Dane shook his head. “I should go. There may not be many zombies around here, but you don’t have any ability. It’s dangerous if you run into one. At least I can control lightning. I can protect myself.”

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