Rewrite the Apocalypse dream (by Dee Cari) novel Chapter 9

Chapter 9 Alice knew Drew this early?

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Finred

Sliding into Alice’s bedroom, Joanna moved directly toward the ornate vanity. Alice was always too arrogant to lock up her valuables. Within seconds, Joanna located the heirloom emerald ring and slipped it into her bag.

She turned to leave, but the heavy thud of footsteps on the staircase froze her in place. Alice was coming up. With no time to reach the door, Joanna dropped to the floor and rolled beneath the bed, flattening herself against the hardwood.

The door swung open. From her low vantage point, Joanna watched Alice’s designer heels click across the room and stop at the walk-in closet. Alice pulled down a change of clothes, but instead of heading straight for the shower, she tossed them onto the mattress and sat down directly above Joanna.

Joanna held her breath, her heart hammering against her ribs. Just go to the bathroom, she urged silently. Go.

Before Alice could move, her phone vibrated loudly with an incoming call. She swiped the screen, set it to speakerphone, and carried it over to the vanity.

“Hi, Drew! Did you get everything?”

Beneath the bed, a violent chill raced down Joanna’s spine. Drew? Alice knew Drew this early? How was that even possible?

In her memories of the future, Drew had supposedly crossed paths with them by pure chance. Six months into the apocalypse, a military supply unit from the Evercrest Survivor Base had raided their neighborhood. Joanna had nothing but a small sack of rice and some dried jerky, while Alice had managed to bribe the soldiers with a crate of canned fruit to secure their

evacuation.

Joanna had been forced to join the dangerous scavenge teams on the long drive back to Evercrest. She was randomly assigned to Drew’s squad, and because Gwen and Alice refused to lift a finger at the base, Joanna had worked herself to the bone to provide for them-and eventually fell for Drew. Once he formed his own elite squad he had handpicked Joanna, bypassing stronger men. She had thought it was love.

Tensing every muscle, Joanna strained her ears to listen as Drew’s voice crackled through the speaker.

“Hey, Alice. Listen, I can’t make it to your party tonight. I’m completely tied up with the project layout at the base, I just can’t break away.”

The truth hit Joanna like a physical blow. They had been in league the entire time.

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11:24 Sat, Oct 3

Chapter 9 Alice knew Drew this early?

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Finished

“But I have your birthday present,” Drew continued, his tone turning smooth and manipulative. “Don’t be too mad at me, okay, honey?”

Alice pouted, her heels clicking impatiently against the vanity chair. “Why are you always so busy? You said you needed a few million to launch your logistics operation, and I just swindled the grandfather shares out of my stupid sister for you! The least you could do is show up to my gala.”

“You actually got the shares?” Drew’s voice spiked with sudden, naked greed. “Wow, Alice, that’s incredible. Once you transfer the first five million, I can secure the infrastructure and we can finally announce our engagement. Look, don’t be angry. This is perfect for our timeline. I’ll drive up this weekend to collect the paperwork and take you out for a real celebration.”

Alice huffed, picking up her phone and switching off the speaker as she walked into the adjoining bathroom, shutting the door behind her.

Joanna’s eyes narrowed into slits of pure fury. So that’s where the money went. In her past life, she had assumed Gwen and Alice were simply incompetent managers of wealth. In reality, Alice had been funding Drew’s rise to power using Joanna’s stolen inheritance. All to secure a marriage with him? She really thought back in her dream. Some things still didn’t add up. Drew never flirted with Alice after they arrived in the base. Alice always flirted with Drew and tried to offer him extra canned goods, or always tried to invite herself along with them to the canteen to eat. He ignored her for the most part but was polite and distant. Was it because Alice didn’t have the space? Was he just using Alice and pretended they didn’t know each other? What if this is a butterfly effect because Joanna is changing her destiny now? Well it was going to change once Alice realizes Joanna’s shares are no longer hers.

A dark, lethal smile spread across Joanna’s face. I would pay millions just to see their expressions when they try to cash those forged share certificates tomorrow.

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