Rewrite the Apocalypse dream (by Dee Cari) novel Chapter 30

Chapter 30 Joanna’s parting words kept echoing in Rachel’s mind

60

Finished

Rachel stood in the quiet courtyard for a moment, the heavy silence returning. She turned to her brother, who was staring fixedly at the empty gateway where the van had just been.

“What did you think of those two, Allen?” Rachel asked.

Allen paused. The silence dragged out for a highly charged moment, his jaw tightening slightly. He didn’t answer right away, but the sudden rigidity in his shoulders spoke volumes more than his words ever could.

Sensing his sister’s intense, probing stare, Allen finally cleared his throat. “They’re odd. That Joanna is sitting on a mountain of secrets, but she seems honest enough about wanting the jade.”

Rachel’s eyebrows arched slightly. She found his response fascinating. He didn’t bring up the assistant. Usually, Allen was an unshakeable shadow, staying glued to Rachel’s side during high- stakes transactions to scan for threats. But today, his focus had drifted entirely to Jolie.

A small, calculating spark lit up in Rachel’s mind. Maybe she would use those family matters in Aurora as a perfect excuse to drop by Joanna’s place-not just to figure out the mystery woman, but to keep a very close eye on what was making her brother lose his legendary composure.

“We’ll see,” Rachel murmured vaguely, turning back toward their own vehicle.

As they drove away from the warehouse, Joanna’s parting words kept echoing in Rachel’s mind. Bug-out bags. Food. Water. Shovels. Metal bats. It sounded like the paranoid delusion of a crazy person, yet Rachel’s gut-the same gut that had kept her alive in the underground trade for years-was screaming at her to listen.

Her mind immediately began organizing a checklist. She didn’t want to analyze why she suddenly felt this frantic, overwhelming need to prepare, but she decided to stop by an all- terrain car dealership first thing tomorrow morning.

What Rachel didn’t know, as she watched the skyscrapers of Felton blur past her window, was that those bizarre, unsolicited instructions from a stranger were about to become the single most important piece of advice she would ever receive in her life.

The heavy tires of the rented van hummed against the asphalt as Jolie steered them away from the industrial district, navigating the darkening streets of Felton. The towering skyscrapers stretched upward like bars of a cage, casting long shadows over the pavement.

Jolie kept her hands tight on the steering wheel, her eyes darting repeatedly to the rearview mirror. “Joanna, I still can’t believe we just drove away with three crates of raw rock. Five million dollars. My hands are literally shaking.”

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11:26 Sat, Oct 3

Chapter 30 Joanna’s parting words kept echoing in Rachel’s mind

60

Fin Shed

Sitting in the passenger seat, Joanna couldn’t repress a wide, ecstatic smile. Her heart was hammering against her ribs with pure, unadulterated excitement. To anyone else, they were hauling worthless, unpolished debris. But Joanna knew the truth.

“It’s the best five million we will ever spend, Jolie,” Joanna said, her voice rich with a fierce, triumphant thrill. “Think about it. The luxury market charges five times more for jade once it’s cut, polished, and mounted in gold. But the… the value isn’t in the craftsmanship. It’s in the stone itself. By buying it raw, we just saved millions. We got five times the volume for a fraction of the cost.”

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