"My, my, Flora Bloom. I wouldn’t have guessed. You’re so young, yet you’re quite the social butterfly. What, trying to keep Lex and his n all to yourself? You really think you’re sothing special, don’t you?"
’Your precious Lex just kissed my lips raw!’ Flora Bloom griped internally, deciding not to stoop to this peacock’s level. After all, besides finding the woman detestable, she didn’t have a life-or-death grudge against her.
Tianna Bloom was clinging to a special forces soldier’s arm, looking at Flora Bloom with a smug grin. The soldier had a stern expression, but his ears were bright red and he stood ramrod straight, as if at military attention.
Lex Cross glanced at Tianna Bloom but said nothing. The man she was clinging to, however, spoke up.
"Boss, can I, can I fight back?"
Lex Cross was staring intently at Flora Bloom’s profile. When he heard his subordinate’s question, a faint smile touched his lips. "Ask your sister-in-law."
Flora Bloom shot him a glare, at a loss for a coback. "Who’s their sister-in-law?! Stop talking nonsense."
"So, so, Sister-in-law, is this woman really your sister? Can I, uh, can I...?"
Flora Bloom looked at the special forces soldier, who was trying helplessly to escape, while Tianna Bloom glared at her, her own face flushed beet-red.
"I barely know her."
Hearing this, Tianna Bloom flew into a rage.
"Flora Bloom, I’m your cousin! How dare you say you don’t know ? Everyone, co and look at this ungrateful wretch!"
The man Tianna Bloom was holding onto was nicknad Fortune Teller. The mont he heard Flora Bloom say she barely knew her, he imdiately flung his arm free and jumped back a good distance, his entire posture screaming ’Keep away’.
Only when he was a safe distance away did he let out a sigh of relief. This made Tianna Bloom, now utterly humiliated, turn on Flora Bloom with even greater fury.
"Flora, just because you’ve latched onto Lex, you think you can disown your own family? We grew up together!" Tianna Bloom turned to look pitifully at Lex Cross, tears instantly streaming down her face.
"Lex, Flora wasn’t like this before. I don’t know if it’s the apocalypse that’s made her this way... to the point she won’t even acknowledge , the sister she grew up with."
Flora Bloom felt like giving her a standing ovation for that performance.
"With acting skills like that, why aren’t you in drama school? The award for Best Actress would be yours, no question."
"And another thing, I wouldn’t dare claim the title of ’ungrateful wretch.’ When it cos to being ungrateful, rember, your parents didn’t raise . I have my own parents. What are you people to , anyway?"
Flora Bloom had no ti to waste on Tianna Bloom. Ignoring her cousin’s shouting and foot-stomping behind her, she walked straight into the kitchen.
She couldn’t be bothered to waste her breath on them. The most important thing right now was finding her younger brother. When she thought about what had happened to him in her past life, her heart ached as if it were being sliced by a knife. Even though she knew he wouldn’t et his tragic end for at least three years, she couldn’t find any peace until she saw him with her own eyes.
Now she had a car and her personal dinsion. As long as she wasn’t taken out in a single blow by so unforeseen danger, she was confident she could help her family and friends survive the apocalypse.
Seeing Flora Bloom ignore her and head for the kitchen, Tianna Bloom tried to sidle up to Lex Cross for so comfort. She was confident that with her looks and figure, she could win his affection far more easily than Flora Bloom ever could.
But before she could get close, she saw that Lex Cross, who had been so mild-mannered just monts before, seed to have beco a different person. His eyes were icy, his expression impassive, and he radiated an aura that warned everyone to keep their distance. What terrified her most was the lightning that ZZZT-ed across his palm, looking as if it would strike her down if she dared take one more step.
Sweat beaded on Tianna Bloom’s forehead as she stumbled backward into a chair. She lowered her head, not daring to look at Lex Cross again. Only then did she feel a chill run through her. She rubbed her exposed shoulders and thighs, a deep coldness seeping into her.
When Flora Bloom entered the kitchen, she saw her mother, still covered in sweat, making breakfast while her father helped. Sharon Caldwell was still sitting on a small stool to one side, eating sothing.
When she saw Flora Bloom co over, her expression changed slightly and she imdiately stood up from the stool.
"It’s not that I wasn’t helping. Your mom wouldn’t let ."
Flora Bloom stopped her mother. "Mom, forget breakfast. We need to leave now to find my brother." Then she called both her mother and father out into the main room.
She suddenly felt it was best for her group to leave as soon as possible. She didn’t want to get tangled up in any more drama with Lex Cross and Tianna Bloom.
Sharon Caldwell chased after them from the kitchen, shouting, "Hey, I haven’t had breakfast yet! Jade, you have to at least finish making the food, right?"
At this point, everyone was gathered in the main room except for Stephen Bloom.
Flora Bloom looked at Sharon Caldwell, her expression placid, but her eyes held a chilling coldness.
’My mother will not exhaust herself making breakfast for soone else!’
"If you want to eat, make it yourself! Are your hands broken?"
Sharon Caldwell had been intimidated by Flora Bloom ever since watching her hack open a zombie’s skull and kill that monstrous ox the night before. Now, faced with a look that said Flora Bloom was about to eat her alive, how could she dare say another word?
Flora Bloom took her mother’s hand, stopping her from going back into the kitchen.
"Mom, we have no idea how my brother is doing in Morhaven. The sooner we leave, the sooner we’ll get to him."
The thought of her son made Jade even more anxious than Flora. "Yes, yes, you’re right," she said, then called out to Caleb Bloom, "Honey, bring down the things we packed upstairs. We’re leaving now."
Flora Bloom stopped Caleb Bloom. "Dad, I’ve already got our things. I’ve prepared food, too."
Flora Bloom then turned to Neal Wallace and the others. "This trip to Morhaven will take a long ti. Are you all sure you want to co with ?"
Her question was actually directed at rvin Warren.
"rvin Warren, your family is in Argent, and Captain Cross’s team is heading back there now. If you want to go ho, you can leave with them. Besides, it’ll be much safer for you on the road."
She glanced at Lex Cross. Although she phrased it as a question, she was already certain he would do her this favor.
"You wouldn’t mind one more person on the road to Argent, would you, Captain Cross?" ’After all, you’re already taking Tianna Bloom’s family. What’s one more person?’
Lex Cross’s eyes sparkled, his gaze fixed on Flora Bloom.
"I don’t mind."
Conflict flashed in rvin Warren’s eyes. He eventually lowered his gaze, unable to look at Flora Bloom, and said in a low voice, "Flora Bloom, I’m sorry. I... I had wanted to go to Morhaven with you."
Flora Bloom nodded slightly, cutting him off. "Don’t say another word. I understand. Family is what’s most important."
Just then, Caleb, who was nestled at Flora Bloom’s side, fixed his gaze on Tianna Bloom with a sullen little face.
"Sister, that bad woman wants to kill you."
Tianna Bloom felt Caleb’s stare. There was a power in his simple, innocent eyes that seed to see through everything, stirring an unspeakable darkness in her heart.
"What nonsense are you spouting? When did I ever say I wanted to kill Flora Bloom?"
As if he’d struck a nerve, Tianna Bloom reached for Caleb’s collar, but Flora Bloom snatched her wrist. ’How does this little bastard know what I’m thinking?’ she wondered.
"Tianna Bloom, you’ve always been one to sweat the small stuff. Why are you picking a fight with a child?"
"Sister, she also called a little bastard!"
Flora Bloom frowned, looking from Caleb to Tianna Bloom. She confird that Tianna Bloom hadn’t actually spoken a word, then pulled Caleb behind her with a thoughtful expression.
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