Nowadays, the rumors about the family on the 25th floor were spiraling out of control. All sorts of stories were being told. Whenever anyone in the building so much as mentioned them, their expressions would twist with fear and disgust, and they’d curse them under their breath.

The three brothers had come out to explain that the bloodcurdling screams had nothing to do with them.

But the sound clearly came from the direction of their apartment. Coupled with the brothers’ rough, brawny appearances and their gruff way of speaking, no one believed a word they said.

When River Larkin told her about all this, his face was filled with a confident smile, as if he were quite pleased with the results he had orchestrated.

For the past few days, all their conversations had taken place outside her door. Stella Sterling found this deeply inconvenient, and she regretted more and more not having installed a second door.

’It’s too late for regrets now. I don’t know how to install a door, and besides, I don’t even have one!’

"What’s wrong, Stella?"

Outside the door, River Larkin saw Stella’s brow suddenly furrow and asked with concern. He took two steps forward, as if wanting to get a closer look at her.

Stella snapped out of it and held up a hand to stop him. "I’m fine."

Her expression was cold. River Larkin froze, a flicker of irritation rising within him.

’Over the past few days, I’ve been putting on a show for the other residents, deliberately or not, and I’ve won over quite a few of them. My relationships with several families are pretty good, which has helped me get a lot of my confidence back.’

’I was getting so frustrated with Stella Sterling before that I started to think something was wrong with me, that I was just genuinely unlikable.’

’But now I know the problem isn’t me—it’s her. There’s something seriously wrong with Stella Sterling. Her psychological development must be completely abnormal. Otherwise, how could she remain so cold after I’ve been trying to win her over for so long?’

’Haven’t I been going to all this trouble these past few days just to help her solve her problems?’

’This Stella Sterling is just too damn arrogant.’ A cold glint flashed in his eyes, but he quickly reined it in.

’Stella Sterling has so many supplies. She’s thoroughly prepared. If I can get her to cooperate with me, it’ll still be worth it—’

Seeing his eyes darting back and forth, Stella Sterling figured he was scheming again and let out a soft chuckle.

She stared at him, her voice tinged with displeasure. "Your progress is a little too slow."

River Larkin suppressed his growing impatience and smiled. "Don’t worry, it’ll be soon. I just hope that once you see what I’m capable of, you’ll be willing to cooperate with me in earnest!"

He was smiling, but the look in his eyes was completely different from before, and his words carried a hidden meaning.

’Given Stella Sterling’s current attitude, I’m starting to worry. Is she just using me?’

’But things have already come this far. I might as well see it through.’

’At first, I noticed her because it seemed like she was hoarding supplies, so I made a point to keep an eye on her. Later, I discovered that Stella Sterling was actually very sharp. She was the partner I’d chosen.’

’Of course, I’m not really looking for a partner. No team-up, no matter how good, is as solid and reliable as the bond between a husband and wife. "Seeking cooperation" was just an excuse to get close to her. My real goal is to conquer Stella Sterling; then all her supplies will be mine.’

’With a smart woman by my side, plus my own cleverness, I’m confident I won’t fare too poorly, no matter what happens.’

’That’s why I’ve been so accommodating toward her. It’s not like I can’t find other teammates.’

’But if she keeps being so ungrateful, I’ll have to consider other methods. After all, there are many, many ways to get what you want from a woman.’

Stella Sterling acted as if she hadn’t caught the hidden meaning in his words. Her tone remained cold. "You can rest assured on that point. I always do what I say I’m going to do."

Before River Larkin could even crack a smile, she continued, "But you can’t expect me to wait forever. To be honest, I never would have thought it would take you this long to deal with a few ordinary people."

"I hope you’ll hurry." With that, Stella Sterling, apparently out of patience, took two steps back and slammed the door shut.

River Larkin was furious. He spun around and stomped downstairs. "Easy for her to say when she’s not the one doing it! She has no idea how hard this is. We’re talking about killing three men, not three pigs! Does she think you can just kill them whenever you want? It’s not that easy!"

’I can’t take on those three brothers with brute force alone; I’m no match for them. I have to outsmart them. From planning to execution, every step takes time. It’s not easy at all.’

"But it looks like there’s still hope as long as I can deal with those three brothers quickly. I’ll worry about the rest later!" he muttered to himself. But as he was heading downstairs, he suddenly bumped into someone.

River Larkin fell right on his butt on the stairs. He was about to yell, but the words caught in his throat when he saw who it was.

The man before him was strong and burly, around forty years old. River Larkin had seen him before; it was Bell, the youngest of the three brothers from 2508.

"Hey, man. What’s the rush? Is something up?"

He dusted off his pants, got to his feet, and asked with a nervous chuckle.

Bell stared at him, his brow suddenly furrowing. "Why does your voice sound so familiar?"

River Larkin’s heart skipped a beat, but he kept his expression neutral. "We live in the same building. You’ve probably heard me around before!"

Bell didn’t think much of it and walked past him, continuing up the stairs.

River Larkin turned to watch him go. The next floor up was the 28th, where only two households lived. ’Is he going to see Stella Sterling?’

Remembering that Stella Sterling already had a feud with the three brothers, he quietly followed, hiding around the corner of the stairwell to see what was going on.

’If he’s really going to cause trouble for Stella, I’ll just watch for a bit. It’d be good for her to see that these three aren’t easy to deal with. Then I’ll pop out at the critical moment—’

He smiled at the thought.

But he soon realized he was mistaken. After reaching the 28th floor landing, Bell didn’t stop; he kept going up!

’He’s not here to cause trouble for Stella?’

River Larkin frowned. After a moment’s thought, he slowed his pace and continued to follow, his eyes darting about.

「A moment later, a voice drifted down.」

"Trey, you’re here?"

...

THWACK! THWACK! THWACK!

Stella Sterling was hitting the punching bag. With one final punch, the bag flew back. She looked and saw that its leather cover had actually split open.

’It’s a shame I don’t have anything to measure with. I’d really love to know just how much force is in my punch now.’

’This punching bag probably won’t last much longer.’ Stella Sterling took off her gloves and moved on to other exercises.

She knew her physical abilities were far better than in her past life—both her strength and her agility had improved—but she didn’t know by how much.

There was no frame of reference. The few people she’d run into were just ordinary folks with no real skills, making them easy to handle. She couldn’t get a true measure of her own power.

’If I get the chance, I definitely have to test out my current strength.’

Stella Sterling kept thinking about it as she continued her workout. An hour later, she finally left the gym, drenched in sweat. Feeling sticky and uncomfortable all over, she headed straight for the bathroom.