The Apocalypse Survival Manual (Three Days Before Doomsday, I Stockpiled Billions) novel Chapter 854

Chapter 854

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With the Ardelonians who wanted her storage space gone, Nicole felt a weight lift from her shoulders.

Life at sea was wearing her down. A long soak in the hot spring helped her finally unwind.

That evening, they celebrated with good food and drinks.

There was seasoned shrimp, hearty chicken soup, bite-size beef skewers, and lobster simmered in a rich broth.

The three of them raised their glasses, and Nicole beamed. “Here’s to a world without Ardelonians.”

Cola got his own bowl of water so he could join in.

They lingered over dinner for more than an hour. Afterward, Poppy cleared the table while Cola stood watch in the kitchen.

Nicole picked and washed some fresh green grapes, then settled into the living room to watch a movie.

Zeph fed her the grapes one at a time.

She smiled at him. “Thank you.”

They were practically an old married couple by now, but they still made time for little gestures like this. Zeph enjoyed them as much as she did.

None of them had ever felt so at ease in the storage space. Now that Poppy knew about it, the whole family could lounge on the couch and talk without worrying about letting something slip.

The villa had plenty of rooms, giving Poppy and Cola all the space they could want.

With the Ardelonians gone, they could finally let their guard down. For the rest of the day, they made the most of the comforts around them. 1

When they went to bed, Zeph closed the door and windows, then took the condoms out of a drawer.

Nicole didn’t realize he had more celebrating in mind, but she had no complaints once he got started.

Afterward, they lay in each other’s arms, too spent to move.

As brutal as their world was, it brought them together. They had the chance to get to know each other and discover just how well they fit, in every way.

Sometimes Nicole wondered if, without the disasters, they would’ve gone their whole lives without ever meeting.

Even the thought of missing out on a life with him left her aching.

No one else accepted Nicole as completely as Zeph did.

She couldn’t resist asking, “If you never met me, what kind of woman do you think you’d fall for?”

Zeph tried to brush off the question, “But I did meet you, Why worry about it?”

Nicole tickled him until he gave in.

Chapter 854

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Even then, he struggled to answer. Attraction wasn’t something he could explain.

A woman could be beautiful and still do nothing for him. With the right person, though, the connection could be

instant.

“Were you interested in me from the beginning?”

“No. I just thought you were a little strange.”

She lived next door, and he wanted to know who his neighbor was. But the more he learned about her, the more curious he became.

Somewhere along the way, he started to care about her.

Zeph wasn’t a smooth talker. He used to worry that Nicole would find him boring, but she was more outgoing and never seemed to mind his quiet nature.

They were comfortable together. Their personalities complemented each other, and the relationship developed naturally.

Nicole kissed him. “You’re a good man, Zeph.”

They both fell into a deep, dreamless sleep. When they woke, it was well past midnight.

Yesterday was a treat, but they couldn’t afford to spend every day like that. With no way to know what lay ahead, they needed to conserve their time in the storage space.

Nicole figured the giant squid were long gone by now. Still, she decided to take the escape capsule out first, just to be safe.

All four of them climbed inside, and she brought them out of the storage space.

The capsule appeared on the surface. Before Nicole could look around, several powerful limbs seized it and pulled it underwater.

They stared at the hatch window as red tentacles pressed against it, their suckers spreading wide.