Chapter 53: Chapter 44: Never Seen Someone So Shameless

The seemingly simple meal concluded in silence. Seeing her mother clear away the dishes, Flora Bloom gestured for Ethan Monroe and the others to help wash up.

Only Flora Bloom, Caleb Bloom, Stephen Bloom, and Sharon Caldwell were left at the table. Their daughter hadn’t been seen since Flora had woken up.

Flora Bloom didn’t like to beat around the bush. This family wouldn’t have shown up unless they wanted something, and she had no intention of wasting her time on them.

Just as Flora Bloom pretended to stand up to leave, Stephen Bloom stopped her. To be precise, he didn’t call out to her directly. Instead, he found another way to make her stay.

"Caleb, about what I mentioned earlier, when do you think we should get it done? Time waits for no one!" Although Stephen Bloom’s tone was composed, his words betrayed an unconcealable urgency.

Caleb Bloom hesitated, shooting a troubled look at Flora Bloom. Sensing her father’s gaze, Flora sat back down and listened.

"Look, Jade is perfectly fine now—not sick or injured at all. You have to do whatever it takes to save your niece too."

Hearing this, how could Flora Bloom not understand? No wonder that showy peacock, Tianna Bloom, hadn’t shown up to freeload a meal today. ’So she got bit.’

Stephen Bloom was a deeply calculating man. He clung to his authority as an elder and paid Flora Bloom no mind. As a senior member of the family, he would never stoop to negotiating with her. Even though he knew Flora was the one who could save his daughter, he addressed only Caleb Bloom.

’As long as Caleb Bloom agrees, what choice would a little girl like Flora have but to help?’

Caleb Bloom sighed and looked at Flora Bloom. His eyes seemed to ask for her opinion, but they also held a hint of pleading.

Flora Bloom knew her father was a pushover who placed too much importance on so-called family ties. She didn’t want to make things difficult for him. But saving Tianna Bloom? That wasn’t going to be so easy.

Flora Bloom suddenly turned to Stephen Bloom. "Uncle, there’s no need to pressure my dad. He can’t save Tianna Bloom."

Stephen Bloom gave Flora a long, hard look, then forced a smile. "Flora, you know, your cousin was just talking about you the other day. Said she bought you some clothes from your favorite brand and wanted to give them to you."

Sharon Caldwell quickly chimed in. "Yes, yes! As soon as she’s better, I’ll have her bring them over. And that bracelet you two had that huge fight over? I’ll have her give it to you as well."

At this, a strange smile spread across Flora Bloom’s face.

"Uncle, just how many of my things has Tianna Bloom swiped from me since we were children? Don’t pretend you don’t know. My father is too soft. He considers you his own brother, so he couldn’t bring himself to reprimand your daughter, showing you plenty of respect all these years."

"That bracelet was a gift from Grandma before she died, and Tianna snatched it away. Did either of you ever say a single word to her about it?"

"You’re right, you’re right. She was in the wrong. We’ll be sure to give her a good talking-to when we get home."

Flora Bloom rolled her eyes. ’If you were going to discipline her, you would’ve done it years ago,’ she thought. ’Why wait until now? Would you be sitting here, speaking to me so pleasantly, if you didn’t need me to save your daughter?’

"I’m afraid she’s in no condition to listen to your lesson now. After all, there’s only one outcome for a zombie bite—you become a zombie and go on to bite others."

Flora Bloom’s words successfully sent the couple into a panic. As much as they wanted to save face, they relented for their daughter’s sake.

"Flora, I’ve always been good to you, haven’t I? For your old uncle’s sake, please, save your cousin."

"That’s right. Just save her, and we’ll make her apologize to you the moment she wakes up."

Seeing Stephen Bloom and his wife speaking so submissively, Caleb Bloom couldn’t help but say to his daughter, "Flora, we’re family, after all. If we can save her, we should. Your younger siblings are still missing... Our family can’t afford another loss."

"Exactly! Tianna is your own cousin, your blood. You can’t just stand by and watch her die."

Sharon Caldwell’s words made Flora Bloom laugh to herself.

’My own cousin?’ Flora scoffed internally. ’Your own sister might kill you, so what’s a cousin? In this apocalypse, there are countless stories of flesh and blood slaughtering one another. Some people sell their own wives and daughters for a single hot meal.’

’The women who get sold live a life worse than a dog’s. They become mere objects for the men of this world to vent their frustrations on. The pressure to survive has created so many twisted minds in this apocalypse, and those women are tortured in depraved ways until they’re broken beyond recognition. Suicide is common.’

’And they want to lecture *me* about family ties?’

’Fine. We’ll talk about family.’

"Uncle, Auntie, I can save her."

"Really? That’s wonderful! I knew you were still a kind girl, Flora."

"Oh, Flora, thank you! Your auntie doesn’t even know how to begin to thank you."

Flora Bloom had been smiling at the pair the entire time, but now her smile grew even wider.

"But I have conditions."

"Name them, name them! We’ll do anything you ask, as long as it’s in our power," Sharon Caldwell said hurriedly, while Stephen Bloom nodded in agreement. At the end of the day, she was their only daughter; a parent’s love is a powerful thing.

"Two conditions. First, you will return every last jar of my family’s Daughter’s Red wine."

At this, the couple grew agitated.

"Flora, how about a different condition? That Daughter’s Red... well, there’s only one jar left. I already had it sent back to you."

Flora Bloom scoffed. "One jar? You carted away more than a dozen jars of our Daughter’s Red, and you return one. Uncle, you truly have no shame."

"You—!"

Stung by the sharp words from his junior, Stephen Bloom didn’t dare talk back. But Sharon Caldwell couldn’t restrain herself.

"Bullshit! We only took eight jars that day! Where are you getting ’more than a dozen’ from? You little brat! You haven’t learned a single good thing, just how to be greedy like your pathetic mother, making such outrageous demands!"

SLAP!

Without so much as a blink, Flora Bloom sent Sharon Caldwell sprawling to the floor with a single slap.

"You wretched girl, you dare hit me? You goddamned little bitch, how dare you hit me!"

Flora Bloom had only used half her strength. Sharon Caldwell struggled back to her feet, a trickle of blood at the corner of her mouth.

Seeing his wife struck by someone from the younger generation, Stephen Bloom could no longer keep his composure. He glared at Caleb Bloom and began to lecture him sanctimoniously.

"Well, well! Your daughter is really something, isn’t she! Free to disrespect her elders now! Caleb, oh, Caleb, what a fine daughter you’ve raised! Now you listen to me: either you make your daughter behave and save my girl, or I swear I won’t let this go!"

With that, Stephen Bloom reached out to grab Flora Bloom’s hand. He was determined to see if this little girl, who usually acted as meek as a lamb, would finally learn her place!

Caleb Bloom saw Stephen reach for Flora, his other hand already raised to slap his own daughter. Caleb’s face instantly darkened. He threw himself in front of Flora, pulling her captured hand away.

"Stephen, if you go through with this, our years of brotherhood are finished."

Stephen froze, staring at Caleb in disbelief. "You can’t control your own daughter, so what’s wrong with me teaching her a lesson for you?"

But Sharon Caldwell, having just scrambled to her feet, saw an opening and lunged at Flora, only to be kicked to the ground once more.

"Dad, these two stood by and did nothing when Mom was in danger! They even conspired with Wu Shangjin’s group to seize our house and land. Can’t you see their true colors yet?"

How could Caleb Bloom not have known? But he never imagined his own brother would be so shameless, that he would actually try to get physical.

"Since you find our terms so disagreeable, you should leave," Flora said. "Don’t come back and disturb my parents. They’re getting old and can’t handle the agitation."

Sharon Caldwell scrambled up, ready to lunge again, but Stephen Bloom grabbed her. His deep-set eyes, brimming with resentment, flicked to Caleb Bloom before locking onto Flora.

"The wine really is all gone," he said. "Name another price, and I’ll agree."

Flora Bloom shrugged. "My Daughter’s Red might be gone, but doesn’t Tianna Bloom still have hers? We’ll just replace the jars missing from our collection with jars from hers. Problem solved, no?"

Sharon Caldwell shrieked at Flora, "You witch! Don’t you dare touch my daughter’s wine!"

"I agree!" Stephen Bloom declared, readily agreeing. It seemed he had come to a realization and was unwilling to delay his daughter’s treatment any longer.

But Stephen’s attitude made Sharon balk.

"Have you lost your mind?! That wine is for our daughter’s wedding! You can’t just give it to someone else!"

"So, only your daughter needs to get married? What about mine?"

Jade emerged from the kitchen and wrapped a comforting arm around Flora Bloom’s shoulder. In her heart, her daughter would always be that fragile little girl. No matter how strong or assertive she had become, she was still someone who needed protection.

Daughter’s Red was a local custom. When a girl was born, her father would brew the wine, seal it in jars, and store it in a cellar. On her wedding day, the wine would be served to the guests. The number of jars was a symbol of the daughter’s status; a small number, or none at all, would bring shame and cause her to be looked down upon by her new in-laws.

Stephen Bloom, however, was now completely composed. He forcefully pulled Sharon Caldwell back to keep her from saying anything more.

"I’ve agreed," he stated firmly. "Now, what is your second condition?"

"The second condition is simple. After I save Tianna Bloom, our two families will have nothing more to do with each other. From that point on, we go our separate ways."

Stephen Bloom shot Flora a sarcastic look. "I have no problem with that. I just wonder if your *father* will be as willing."

Seeing the struggle in her father’s eyes, Flora felt a flicker of concern. But then, as if coming to a sudden realization, he looked up. His eyes were clear, and his expression was one of profound relief, as if a great burden had been lifted from his shoulders.

"I agree."

Caleb Bloom’s words startled Stephen Bloom, but there was nothing he could do. He needed Flora to save his daughter, so he had to endure this for now. ’As long as my daughter gets better...’ he thought, his promise left unspoken.

"Since we’ve agreed on the terms, let’s go, Uncle. Take me to see Tianna Bloom."