Chapter 63: Chapter 52: This Woman Is Not to Be Messed With

After heading upstairs, Lex Cross rounded a corner and was about to kick in a door when Flora Bloom stopped him just in time.

"You bastard, stop! That’s my parents’ room!"

At first, Flora was a little intimidated. The heart-stopping chill in his eyes made it hard for her to breathe. He seemed genuinely furious.

But the moment she spoke, the darkness in his eyes vanished without a trace.

Lex Cross grinned. "Which one is your room?"

Flora struggled again, but when it proved useless, she fell silent.

"If you won’t talk, I guess I’ll have to bother your parents?"

Her face flushed red, Flora had no choice but to say, "All the way to the end, on the right."

Lex Cross opened the door, threw Flora onto the bed, and locked the door behind him.

Flora had just sat up when Lex roughly pushed her back down, covering her face and neck in a barrage of kisses.

The smell clinging to Lex made Flora’s stomach turn. She took a proper look and—good God—he was covered head to toe in the slime and blood of zombie corpses. It was a vile combination of sour and putrid stenches, each making the other worse.

"GACK!"

Unable to control the churning in her stomach, a stream of bile sprayed from Flora’s mouth, splashing onto Lex’s face.

For a moment, Lex’s face darkened. He wiped the fluid from his cheek and flicked it away. But then he saw Flora’s pale, apologetic face looking up at him so pitifully, and he suddenly found the whole thing hilarious. He burst out laughing.

"You really don’t show me any mercy, do you?"

’He had to admit it, right? When had a woman ever treated him like this? It was one thing for her not to like him, but to humiliate him in public?’

Flora watched Lex laughing to himself by the bed and shot him a glare.

’This guy just manhandled me so roughly, with no consideration at all...’ Thinking this, Flora placed a hand on her abdomen and lay on the bed, staring into space.

"Polly, this father of yours is really the worst."

Lex watched Flora lie motionless on the bed, her face still pale. She was stroking her belly, complaining to her daughter, Polly, about what a terrible father he was.

"What’s wrong? Is your stomach upset?"

As he spoke, he naturally reached out and began to rub her belly.

’She’s a girl, after all.’

Lex assumed it was the zombie brains and the guts of zombie cattle all over him that made her sick to her stomach.

But he didn’t know that Flora was suffering from morning sickness. And that she was carrying his child.

’Strangely, my churning stomach is actually starting to calm down under the warmth of Lex’s palm. The nausea is fading.’

So Flora didn’t stop him.

’It’s strange. I’m not as repulsed by his over-familiarity as I thought I’d be. Is it because of Polly?’

’Still, to avoid future complications, this has to be the last time I have any contact with him. After this, we’re going to Morhaven to find Joel. In a world this big, it’s unlikely we’ll ever meet again.’

’Besides, in this life, all I want is to raise Polly Bloom, find a safe place for my parents and brother to live in seclusion, kill some zombies, level up, and live out the rest of my days.’

"You don’t seem to like me very much, do you?"

Seeing that Flora seemed distracted, Lex suddenly turned and lay down beside her.

Startled by his move, Flora instinctively kicked him away. Caught off guard, Lex was knocked to the floor. He sat up, glaring at her.

"Don’t think for a second that I’ll fall in love with you just because we had a one-night stand. Not a chance." As she spoke, she kicked his hand off the edge of the bed.

"You woman, can’t you be a little more gentle?" Lex said fiercely as he got back on the bed. Then he leaned in close, whispering seductively in her ear, "You were much cuter that night, holding onto me."

Before he could finish, Flora cut him off. "Shut up! I was drugged!"

Lex saw Flora’s face flush crimson, looking like she was about to fly into a humiliated rage. He wisely shut up, but that just made him laugh even harder.

"Alright, no more teasing. Let’s get down to business."

Seeing the sudden seriousness on his face, Flora slowly managed to calm her own racing thoughts.

’To be honest, since my rebirth, I thought I could harden my heart toward any man who got close to me. But I had underestimated the devastating power of this man’s looks.’

’I have to admit it: I’m a sucker for a handsome face. Even covered in filth, it only adds to his masculine aura and gives him a hint of familiarity.’

When Lex saw Flora’s look of relief, he found it both amusing and a little disappointing. ’A woman is actually rejecting me? A woman I’d spent the night with, no less. But the most incredible thing is that she apparently doesn’t even remember me afterward. That’s a direct challenge to my masculine pride.’

"What? A little disappointed?" Lex teased, leaning closer. He blew softly on her ear and, seeing her earlobe turn a delightful shade of pink, laughed in triumph.

Suddenly, Flora whipped out the combat dagger hidden in Lex’s boot and pressed the tip against a very specific spot on his groin. "Get this close to me again," she said, "and I’ll snip you with one cut. Once you’re a eunuch... well, eunuchs don’t count as men. We could be great girlfriends after that."

Lex shook his head, looking resigned. With a practiced move, he disarmed her, smoothly snatching the dagger and sliding it back into his boot. He held up his hands in surrender, looking at Flora, who was now fuming with humiliation. "Alright, alright," he said. "You win. I’m terrified."

Flora rolled her eyes at him. "Fine. What’s this ’business’ you wanted to talk about?"

"Tomorrow, we’re taking Micah and leaving for Argent."

Flora nodded. "Good. Just take him, then. You don’t need to clear it with me. Keeping him here just wastes food."

"You... want to come with me?"

The way Lex asked her, his expression so serious in the quiet room, was somehow more alluring than his earlier teasing. It made her heart flutter.

’But my rational mind is screaming that impulse is a devil. Joel’s life is on the line in Morhaven; I can’t let myself be seduced by a handsome face.’

"No, thanks."

Lex hadn’t even realized he was going to ask her to come with him. He’d always hated complications above all else. But Flora’s curt refusal stunned him.

"You can bring your parents and friends with us. I can protect you."

Flora looked into Lex’s eyes. They seemed to hold the light of stars—confident, insistent, shining with a brilliance she had never seen before.

For a fleeting moment, Flora felt that if she said yes, perhaps the outcome would be different. But in the end, reason won out over impulse.

’The lessons of my past are a stark warning. I can’t rely on anyone. In the apocalypse, the moment you start depending on someone else, you forfeit your chance to ever become truly strong.’

At that thought, Flora instantly became composed.

"No. I’m not used to being protected. Besides, my brother is in Morhaven, waiting for me to rescue him."

Lex was taken aback. He pressed again, "If you trust me, come back with me first. Then, I’ll go with you to find your brother."

Flora laughed.

’This guy... he’s so determined to take me with him. It’s probably not as simple as just wanting to protect me, is it?’