Chapter 53: Spending the Night Outdoors

After she spoke, she watched Stella Sterling and, sure enough, saw her stop.

She couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. If they could just talk, there was a chance she could convince the other woman to take her away from here.

Stella Sterling turned back, a ghost of a smile on her face as she looked at her. "And so what if I did?"

Even though she had long suspected it, Yara Sterling was still shocked and furious to see Stella admit it.

She remembered her panic when she received those photos. She remembered the fear that had gnawed at her for days when she couldn’t contact those people, terrified that her plot had been exposed. Her anger surged.

After a long moment, she took a deep breath, forcing down her rage. She finally understood why Stella Sterling was doing this to her, why she seemed like a completely different person now.

But this wasn’t the time to argue about it. Besides, compared to what Stella was doing to her now, those earlier mystifying stunts were nothing.

"Are you bringing this up to remind me that I should step up my revenge? Hmm, I can certainly oblige you on that front!"

Stella Sterling walked back and squatted in front of her, a smile playing on her lips.

"No, that’s not it!" Yara Sterling shook her head. "I just wanted to say that I truly regret it. I’m so sorry. I hope you can forgive me!"

"I don’t know how you managed to do all this, but I’m just so glad you’re alive. At least it gives me a chance to atone for what I’ve done!"

Stella Sterling didn’t interrupt. When Yara was finished, she nodded. "Hmm, you certainly look sincere enough."

Before Yara Sterling could even look relieved, Stella suddenly stood up, brought her foot down on Yara’s hand, and ground it into the snow. "But have you forgotten? You were just cursing my name a moment ago. Is this how you show you’ve learned your lesson, hmm?"

Yara Sterling trembled in pain, but after a single cry, she forced herself to endure it. "That’s only because of what you were doing to me," she said through gritted teeth. "I was angry and spoke without thinking!"

"You probably don’t know this, but some of those men contacted me later. They wanted to report you to the authorities. It was me who stopped them. If not for me, you would have been arrested by now!"

"No matter what, we’re still sisters. We’re family. After everything that’s happened, it doesn’t matter who was right or wrong. We should just let it all go!"

Stella Sterling looked down at her, the smile never leaving her eyes. "Report me? Would they dare?"

’This woman doesn’t even think before she speaks. Does she really take me for an idiot?’

’In my past life and in this one, I was always at a disadvantage whenever I fought with her. But it was never because I was less capable. It was because of our parents’ extreme favoritism. No matter what I did, I was always in the wrong, so I never had a chance to win.’

’All that must have made Yara Sterling think I was genuinely stupid, for her to concoct such a ridiculous lie.’

She smiled serenely. "That’s fine. By all means, let them report me—"

’I wasn’t afraid before, and I’m certainly not afraid now.’

"Are you done talking? If you are, I’m leaving. Try to survive. The next time we meet, you won’t be this lucky."

Patting Yara’s cheek, Stella Sterling turned and walked away.

’I said I’d make Yara Sterling suffer all the hardships of the apocalypse,’ she thought. ’This is just the beginning. She hasn’t even seen how terrifying people can be in these times.’

’How could I possibly let her off so easily?’

"No, that’s not what I meant—" Yara Sterling cried out, frantic. She hadn’t said all that to provoke Stella’s anger, but to make her see that she had secretly helped by stopping those men.

The idea was for Stella to feel grateful, to soften up, and then take her back to the Sterling Family. After that, Yara would figure out a way to deal with Stella and make her pay for what she’d done.

’But why did it turn out like this? This isn’t how it was supposed to go, it shouldn’t be happening like this—’

But this time, no matter what she said, Stella Sterling never looked back, her figure shrinking into the distance.

In the vast, white expanse, she was left all alone, collapsed in the snow, utterly helpless with no one to turn to.

Yet, a fierce will to survive burned within her—

’I have to survive,’ she thought. ’I’ll find Stella Sterling and get my revenge. I only ended up in her hands because I underestimated her.’

’But now I know Stella is different. I’ll be much more careful from now on. The next time we meet, I definitely won’t be this pathetic.’

’And another thing... this time, Stella only got me out here because I carelessly fell for her trick. But what about the first time? I was at the Sterling Family’s estate. How did she manage it then?’

’And what about those bald thugs? They were professionals. They had clearly caught Stella, so how did she manage to escape?’

’Stella must have someone helping her.’

’Revenge. I will have my revenge. Not just on Stella, but on the person backing her, too. I won’t let a single one of them get away.’

Yara Sterling’s chest heaved with agitation as she lay in the snow, as if clinging to these thoughts was the only thing giving her the strength to survive.

After who knows how long, she struggled to her feet and staggered off in a random direction.

...

’This is no good,’ Stella thought. ’The snow’s too heavy tonight. I can’t even see the path. I can’t go on.’

As the sky grew dark, Stella had planned to take out her snowmobile to pick up the pace.

But she hadn’t gotten far before the driving snow blinded her, making it impossible to press on.

At night, the snow fell even harder and the temperature plummeted, making travel impossible. Even if she could endure the cold, she couldn’t see the path ahead, and the pressure on her heart was becoming unbearable.

With no other choice, Stella Sterling stopped.

’I wasted too much time on Yara Sterling,’ she thought, filled with regret. ’Now it’s dark and I’m stuck.’

Resigned, she found a clear spot, took out the snow tent she had prepared, and quickly set it up. She then pulled out a quilt and draped it over her shoulders. The biting chill in her bones slowly began to recede. She would have to spend the night here.

Stella pulled a chocolate bar from her pocket and ate it to replenish some body heat. Then, from her personal storage space, she produced a hot meal: scalding mutton soup, braised pork, and a side of green vegetables. Stella began to eat her simple dinner.

’After clearing out that mall today, I was planning on making myself a special dinner,’ she thought. ’But since the conditions here aren’t great, I’ll have to scrap that idea.’

’Tomorrow. When I get back tomorrow, I’ll definitely make it up to myself.’

’It’s a shame I can’t stay in my storage space for long periods or rest in there, otherwise I’d just sleep inside for the night.’

After she finished eating, she collected the scraps and put them in her storage space. She switched off her flashlight and prepared to sleep.

She remembered she had a tent that could be connected to a power source, but her storage space was a mess. Aside from the things she used often, which she kept separate, everything else was piled together. She couldn’t find it right now, so she would have to make do.

’Looks like I’ll need to organize my storage space from time to time,’ she mused. ’It’s too frustrating when I need something and can’t find it.’