Rewrite the Apocalypse dream (by Dee Cari) novel Chapter 60

Chapter 60 I’m joining your team

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Finished

Joanna’s heart hammered against her ribs, the sheer magnetic pull of him threatened to scramble her focus. Annoyed at her own physical reaction, she abruptly slapped his hand away from her chin and stepped back, breaking the spell.

“Sit down, Julian,” she ordered, her voice curt as she gestured toward the sofa.

Julian blinked, momentarily surprised by her sudden coldness, but he complied, throwing his overcoat over the back of the chair. As he sat, his sharp eyes instantly swept the room, taking in the tactical rigs, the state-of-the-art communication equipment, and the heavy-duty crates stacked neatly against the wall.

He raised an eyebrow, looking back at her. “So, is this it? The end of the world?”

“You could say that,” Joanna said, crossing her arms and staying a safe distance away. “But you shouldn’t have come here, Julian. You still have to go to that mountain in your grandmother’s hometown.”

Only she knew the truth: that mountain peak, during a freak storm, was where he would be struck by a rare, localized surge of lightning—the catalyst that would unlock his devastating electrical powers in the apocalypse.

Julian’s jaw clenched, his expression shifting to one of sheer annoyance. “I don’t want to go to some remote peak. I want to stay near you. I’ve liquidated my life, Joanna. I’m here.”

Before she could reply, the apartment door swung open. Jolie, Rachel, and Raven walked in, carrying heavy gear, followed by Allen and Jake, who were grumbling under the weight of a portable solar battery. They froze at the sight of the towering, impossibly handsome billionaire sitting on their couch.

Instantly, Julian’s demeanor shifted. He crossed his arms, his posture slouching slightly as he let out a dramatic, irritated sigh.

“Who are they?” Julian demanded, his voice suddenly laced with the tone of a spoiled, entitled prince whose vacation had been interrupted. “I thought this was a private operation. Why is my safehouse filled with a high school science club?”

“Hey!” Jolie snapped, immediately bristling. “Who is this Ken doll?”

“He’s Hawthorne,” Allen muttered, recognizing the face from his corporate hacks. “Great. A billionaire. Just what our apocalypse squad was missing.”

“I want in,” Julian declared flatly, ignoring them and looking directly at Joanna like a child demanding a new toy. “I’m joining your team. Right now. Tell them to leave.”

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Chapter 60 I’m joining your team

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Joanna rubbed her temples, feeling a headache coming on. “You can’t join us yet, Julian. Not until you go to that mountain. There is something there you need-a specific… potential. It’s the source of your power. The lightning. You have to be there when it happens, or you’ll just be a liability.”

Julian stared at her. The spoiled act vanished in an instant, replaced by the suffocating, dominant aura of a ruthless CEO who was used to dictating the terms of multi-billion-dollar mergers. He stood up slowly, towering over Joanna, his dark eyes locking onto hers with a commanding intensity.

“I don’t care about a storm, and I don’t care about potential,” Julian said, his gravelly baritone dropping to a low, authoritative purr that brooked no argument. “But I do know how to negotiate. Here is my proposal, Joanna. I will sign over every bunker, every firearm, every piece of medical supply, and all three billion dollars of my liquidated assets directly to you. It’s yours. All of it.”

He stepped closer, his chest nearly brushing her shoulder, pinning her with his gaze.

“But on one condition,” Julian whispered, his voice dripping with smooth, arrogant possession. “You, and only you, come with me to that mountain on Thanksgiving. And until then? I stay right here. In this apartment. With you.”

Joanna stood speechless, her mind racing as she stared at the sheer arrogance of his offer. Irritated by how easily he had cornered her, she stepped away and gestured sharply to her

team.

“Everyone, sit down. Now,” she ordered.

After a round of stiff, tense introductions, Joanna grumbled under her breath, rubbing her temples. Julian immediately tried to step back into her space, his heavy gaze locked on her, but Joanna put a hand flat against his chest, shutting him down instantly.

“No,” she said, kicking him out of her personal bubble. “Here’s how this is going to work. Jake, Allen-you two are bunking with Julian upstairs. Raven, you’re coming downstairs to stay with the girls.”

Julian opened his mouth to protest, but Joanna cut him off. “I agree to go to the mountain with you on Thanksgiving. But you’re not sitting around playing spoiled billionaire for the next month. You start combat training with us tomorrow morning. Exchange contact info with everyone right now. Jolie,” she directed, looking at her friend, “you’re going to work with Julian to spend his remaining cash on supplies and heavy gear.”

Upstairs in the guys’ apartment, Julian stared at the cramped bunk bed in the living room. His inner monologue screamed in protest. He was Julian Hawthorne, a man who slept on five- thousand-thread-count Egyptian cotton, and now he was relegated to a frame that looked like it had been salvaged from a military surplus store.

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Chapter 60 Im joining your team

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