The Apocalypse Survival Manual (Three Days Before Doomsday, I Stockpiled Billions) novel Chapter 551

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Chapter 551

The earthquake warning had saved countless lives, and survivors from neighboring cities were still flooding into the area.

With demand so high, housing prices continued to rise.

Polar night was approaching, with smog and acid rain expected afterward. Renters could lose their homes at any time, so anyone who could afford to buy a place had every reason to do it.

Nicole fully supported the idea. “That’s great! The sooner you buy, the better.”

They were all strong and capable, so making a living wasn’t a problem. Beatrice, especially, felt as though she had been given a second chance now that she had recovered.

A new goal gave them something to work toward. They raised their glasses to a fresh start.

By a little after 6 p.m., everyone had eaten and drunk their fill.

Nicole brought out some peanuts and sunflower seeds. “Poppy grew these herself. Try some.”

“Wow, Poppy! That’s incredible!”

Poppy blushed at the praise and ducked behind Nicole.

Beatrice and the others had brought more than compliments; they had also prepared small holiday gift bags. Cash was no longer very useful, so they filled the bags with candy instead.

Poppy wasn’t the only one who received one. Cola got one, too.

It had been so long since Poppy had received a holiday gift that she couldn’t stop smiling.

Nicole played an old holiday special she had downloaded years ago. Everyone watched it together, remembering what celebrations had been like before the apocalypse.

The show ended around 10 p.m. Since the roads might not be safe that late, Zeph drove the four of them home.

While Poppy helped clean up, Nicole took a new outfit for her from her storage space. It was a holiday, after all. The little girl deserved something new to wear.

She hadn’t just picked out something new for Poppy. She had also set aside new clothes for herself and Zeph.

Nicole had just gotten out of the shower when she heard the car pull up, so she ran a bath for him.

After Zeph finished bathing and dried his hair, he quietly closed Poppy’s bedroom door. Then he went back to Nicole, dimmed the bedside lamp, pulled her into his arms, and kissed her.

“Thank you, Nicole.”

She looked at him, puzzled. “For what?”

“For giving me a home and taking such good care of Poppy,”

Nicole had a temper, and it wasn’t exactly mild. Yet after all their years together, they had barely ever fought. Their life had always been surprisingly peaceful.

Attraction might have brought them together, but Zeph’s sense of responsibility and endless patience were what made him such a good partner.

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He held himself to high standards, but he never expected Nicole to live by the same rules. Even when they disagreed, he respected her choices.

Whether she was right or wrong, he always backed her up in front of everyone else.

It sounded simple, but not many men could truly do that.

Nicole knew exactly how difficult she could be. Before the apocalypse, very few men would have had the patience to deal with her. Considering everything Zeph had done for her, she was the one who should have been thanking

him.

Then again, she had read enough relationship advice to know that praising a man too much could go straight to his head.

Nicole swallowed the words on the tip of her tongue. She slipped her arms around his neck, a playful gleam in her

eyes.

“So how are you planning to thank me?”

Still kissing her, Zeph reached toward the nightstand. “How many times do you want me to thank you?”

Wait. He hadn’t always been this shameless. When had he learned to talk like that?

Nicole slept until after 9 a.m. the next day. By the time she dragged herself out of bed, Zeph and Poppy had already made breakfast and even dressed Cola in a sharp little suit.

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