Rewrite the Apocalypse dream (by Dee Cari) novel Chapter 67

Chapter 67 Right now, you are the most valuable asset on this planet

Internally, Joanna’s mind was racing. As she stared stubbornly at her phone, her gaze kept slipping sideways, catching the dim green dashboard light reflecting off Julian’s sharp, masculine profile. He sat there, an absolute force of nature, completely unbothered by the violence they had just executed. It was infuriating how his total lack of fear and cold, dominant presence made her pulse quicken.

Julian remained silent for several long minutes, letting the quiet tension stretch between them like a physical wire. Finally, he reached into the back, pulled a premium fleece blanket, and tossed it into her lap He didn’t drape it over her gently, nor did he offer a soft word.

“Sleep,” Julian commanded quietly, his dark eyes giving her one last, lingering look that felt heavier than a physical touch. “The storm gets worse at dawn.”

Joanna pulled the blanket tightly around herself with a small huff, turning her back to him to stare into the dark woods. As the rhythmic hum of the storm finally lulled her into a restless sleep, she couldn’t deny that having his unwavering, lethal confidence beside her made the terrifying weight of the future feel just a little bit lighter.

The morning sun struggled to pierce through the heavy, grey mist blanketing the mountain pass. Inside the truck, the atmospheric pressure felt dense, heavy with the electric charge of the storm that still brewed directly above Brimstone. Joanna woke up first, her precision kicking in instantly. She looked over at Julian, who was stretching his broad shoulders, his dark eyes instantly locking onto her with an intense, unyielding gravity.

Before he could speak, Joanna reached into her pocket dimension and pulled out a container of perfectly preserved breakfast. Freshly scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, and steaming hot biscuits appeared on the dashboard, completely untouched by time, sending a rich aroma through the cabin.

Julian’s eyebrows raised a fraction in clinical evaluation. He touched the side of the container, finding it scalding hot, as if it had just left a chef’s skillet.

“Efficient,” Julian murmured, his gravelly voice dropping into a quiet, low register that felt entirely too close. His eyes shifted from the food back to her face, a dangerous, hyper-focused awareness tightening between them. “A partner who can eliminate a physical threat and perfectly manage logistics in a remote forest is a rare asset. You continue to validate my investment in this timeline.”

Joanna rolled her eyes, her expression growing grumpy and serious as she buckled her seatbelt. She looked at him flatly. “You look incredibly grumpy for a man being handed a hot five-star breakfast in the middle of nowhere, Hawthorne. Do you always analyze your food like a corporate acquisition?”

Julian didn’t smile, but a subtle, intense focus remained locked on her. “I analyze everything that has value, Joanna. And right now, you are the most valuable asset on this planet.”

He took a slow, methodical bite of the breakfast, his posture remaining perfectly rigid and commanding. “When we first met on that plane months ago, I classified you as a unpredictable variable. A nuisance to my schedule. But variables that prove to be consistently correct demand a reassessment.”

Joanna watched him, sensing the heavy, suffocating weight of his presence filling the cabin. The team dynamic between them felt sharper now, cemented by the violence of the night before, but the quiet, physical proximity was impossible to ignore. “And what is your reassessment, Julian?”

“That you are the only person in this reality who actually understands the parameters of the coming crisis,”

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Chapter 67 Right now, you are the most valuable asset on this planet

ཀད།

ned

Julian said, his voice flat, arrogant, and entirely serious. He set the container down, his dark eyes holding hers with absolute intensity. “For the past few months, I’ve experienced recurring anomalies in my sleep.

tegic visions of a dismantled world where you were the primary asset keeping the infrastructure intact. I don’t care about sentiment, Joanna. But I do care about absolute alignment. You are carrying the weight of the end of the world, and I don’t permit my partners to operate without sufficient backing. I am your backing now.”

Joanna stared at him, her defensive walls tightening even as a sharp spike of internal awareness caught her off guard. She knew the truth-those weren’t anomalies; his soul was connecting the unspoken fragments of a timeline she had fought bloody battles to survive, helping him trust her deeper. The sheer force of his arrogant confidence made her pulse quicken, an involuntary thread of security settling deep in her chest.

She looked away, her voice dropping into a quiet, guarded tone. “Julian… this isn’t a joint corporate venture. We are driving into a life changing storm, not a boardroom.”

“The rules of engagement don’t change, prophetess,” Julian replied smoothly, his tone cutting through her defenses with absolute certainty. “The scale does. I am an expert negotiator because I understand how to dominate a market. The apocalypse is just another hostile takeover. And we are going to control it.”

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