Queen Of The Apocalypse: Master Of Crops

Chapter 1 Coming Back

"This is Summer. She's the Moore family's long-lost daughter," Simon Moore said.

Summer Hayes woke up from darkness, the suffocating haze of near-fatal blood loss still haunting her.

She blinked, dazed, taking in her surroundings, realizing she was standing in the living room in Moore Manor.

Right in front of her were her parents, Robert Moore and Evelyn Moore, dressed in fancy clothes.

Sophia Moore, the so-called heiress, was standing next to Evelyn, wearing a white designer dress and clinging to Evelyn's arm. She shot Summer a nervous glance.

It hit Summer that, somehow, she was back at the moment she first met her parents.

Summer never thought those dramatic, rich family plot twists would ever happen to her until a week ago, when a sharp-suited young man showed up, introduced himself as Simon, CEO of Moore Holdings.

He told her that he was her elder brother and that she was the Moore family's heiress, switched at birth twenty years ago,

After checking out the DNA test results he brought, Summer spent a whole week mentally bracing herself before finally working up the nerve to come to Moore Manor and meet her parents.

Summer had always known she was adopted. After her adoptive parents split up, her mom, Helen Hayes, raised her alone. Deep down, she couldn't help but wonder what her real parents were truly like.

Summer was still reeling from the shock when Evelyn suddenly pulled her into a tight embrace, her voice trembling with emotion. "My sweetheart."

The luxurious scent of Evelyn's perfume brought Summer back to her senses. She quietly slipped out of Evelyn's arms, pushing down the surge of resentment in her heart.

This was the very mother of her blood, the one who had, in the apocalypse, drugged her and handed her over to a ruthless gang.

In the end, Summer died along with the gang's leader, but when she opened her eyes this time, she was back here.

"You must be Summer, right? Welcome home," Sophia said, stepping forward with a nervous smile.

Summer sneered inwardly. In her previous life, Sophia had started the same way, acting all welcoming at first, then turning nasty once she was back home.

After Summer came home, Sophia kept playing her little games. Sometimes she'd fake an injury, sometimes she'd cut up her own dresses and jewelry, and every single time, she'd blame it all on Summer.

No matter what Summer said, the Moore family always believed Sophia. Their disappointment in Summer only got worse.

"Is she the girl I was swapped with?" Summer asked, expressionless as she turned to Robert and Evelyn. "If I come back, does she have to move out?"

Evelyn was stunned for a moment, then blurted out, "Of course not. Sophia isn't leaving."

"Summer, you and Sophia are both our daughters," Robert said, a hint of annoyance in his voice. "Do you really think the Moore family can't handle having two girls?"

Before Summer could respond, an angry voice shot down from the stairs. "You should be the one leaving. How dare you talk to Sophia like that?"

Summer turned to see a teenage boy, maybe eighteen or nineteen, strutting down the stairs in head-to-toe streetwear. That was her younger brother, Ethan Moore.

Ethan marched down, glaring at Simon with a mix of confusion and accusation. "Why did you bring her back here?"

"Ethan, stop," Robert snapped, his voice low and stern. He turned to Summer, trying to smooth things over. "Summer, Ethan is just a kid. Don't take it to heart."

"I'm not a kid anymore. Why should I have to accept this girl from nowhere as my sister?" Ethan shot back, his voice full of resentment.

Summer instinctively glanced down at her own clothes.

After graduating, she helped Helen manage the family's private lake and orchards, running across the hills frequently. She was certainly not as polished or brand-clad as Sophia.

However, Summer really wasn't interested in fighting with Ethan right now. She said, "You misunderstood. I never said she had to leave. I'm not here for some family reunion. I'm here to talk about transferring the lease for Evergreen Hill."

The Moore family was in the tourism business, and they'd set their sights on Evergreen Hill in Evergreen Town, planning to build a fancy resort there. The lease for Evergreen Hill used to be under Helen's name, but now it was handed to Summer.

Helen had put a lot of money into the lake and orchards on Evergreen Hill.

Simon met Summer when he was negotiating the lease transfer with the Hayes family. He was floored by how much she looked like Evelyn, and when he found out Summer was adopted, he secretly grabbed a hair for a DNA test.

That was how he discovered Summer was actually the Moore family's daughter, switched at birth.

Summer's suddenly bringing up the lease threw the Moore family for a loop.

Evelyn was the first to snap out of it, and she said, "Summer, it's your first day home. Let's not get into business stuff now. Come on, let me show you the room I set up for you."

Summer knew she had to make sure the lease transfer went through today because in just three days, Evergreen Hill was going to get slammed by a freak mudslide.

That mudslide was the disaster that kicked off the end of the world and the start of Summer's nightmare. She lost everyone she cared about, even Helen, in that catastrophe, and had no choice but to go back to the Moore family.

This time, Summer was dead set on keeping her distance from the Moore family. She was going to protect her adoptive family and survive the apocalypse together.

For that, she needed a ton of cash to hoard supplies for the end times. Therefore, she had to sign that lease transfer and get her hands on the money.

"The tourist season is just two months away. Signing the contract now will benefit the Moore family," Summer said, knowing exactly what Robert cared about most.

For Robert, the company and profits always came first. Whether Summer was the real heiress or not meant nothing to him.

Sure enough, after a brief pause, Robert turned to Simon and said, "Go get the contract from my study."

Robert had been pushing hard for the Evergreen Hill project. Moore Holdings had made a few bad investments in recent years, and they desperately needed a new money-making venture to turn things around.

Robert had no idea why Summer was bringing up the contract now, but honestly, he was more than happy to go along with it.

There were still a few months before the peak tourist season in June, and if everything went smoothly, this investment could start making money for the company this year.

"Summer, let's go check out your room. Mom and I worked on it all day for you," Sophia said, reaching out and grabbing Summer's arm.

"That's not necessary. I'm not moving in," Summer said, pulling her arm back, shutting her down.

Sophia blinked, looking at Summer like she couldn't believe what she'd just heard.

"Cut the act. Are you playing hard to get?" Ethan said, arms crossed, voice dripping with disdain.

"Ethan, enough," Robert barked. "Summer is your sister. Apologize to her."

Ethan shot back, his face full of resentment, "Why should I? She's the one who should be saying sorry to Sophia. Look at the way she acts toward her. Why did Simon even bring her back here? Did he ever think about how Sophia feels?"

Summer sneered. She thought, 'He definitely thought it through. It's obvious that Simon did all this for Sophia.'

At first, Summer thought Simon brought her back to the Moore family because he actually cared about her, but later, she realized the truth.

Simon had a thing for Sophia, and the only way he could ever have a shot with her was if the real heiress came back.

Summer could never forget how, when Sophia had framed her, Simon had destroyed the surveillance footage and provided false testimony to support Sophia.

Just then, Ethan walked over with a document in hand. "Here's the lease transfer contract for Evergreen Hill. This is the final version."

Without responding to Ethan, Summer picked up the contract and started reading through it.

Helen had invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in the lake, which yielded two harvests each year, earning tens of thousands of dollars each time.

Since the lake would be ready for harvest in two months, Helen had wanted to wait until after the harvest to sign the contract in her previous life.

However, it led only to a deadly mudslide, followed by years of apocalyptic disasters that devastated the entire tourism industry, rendering the agreement completely void.

Summer said, "We agreed on one million dollars for the lease transfer. Let's add another 100 thousand dollars for signing today. The lake will be ready for harvest in two months, producing at least tens of thousands of pounds of trout.

"You've checked it out before; it should sell for over 150 thousand dollars."

"Deal," Robert said after a brief pause, nodding his approval.

"Thanks, Dad," Summer said, forcing herself to sound grateful even though she felt nothing but disgust inside. "Can you send the money tomorrow?"

Robert was caught off guard for a second when Summer called him "Dad", but he looked pleased about it.

He smiled and said, "Normally, the payment would take a month to process, but since it's your first day home, I'll make it happen for you. I'll have 1.1 million dollars sent to you tomorrow."

Summer breathed a sigh of relief.

"Summer, can we go see your room now? Don't make a fuss, or Mom will get upset," Sophia said, biting her lips and looking a little upset.

Summer remembered how, in her previous life, she'd agreed to stay here for a few days, and three days later, disaster struck. She lost everyone she cared about, even Helen.

Thinking about all the humiliation and unfairness she'd suffered with the Moore family, Summer wanted to snap back at them right then, but she dared not burn bridges before the money was in her account.

Without that money, Summer couldn't hoard supplies for the apocalypse. She was just a fresh college grad with barely any savings.

Therefore, Summer put on her best conflicted look and ducked her head. "Thanks for getting the room ready for me, but this is all just too sudden. I need a few days to calm down. I'll move back once I've made up my mind."

Evelyn looked a little down at Summer's answer, but then reminded herself that it was indeed overwhelming for Summer. She thought she should give her a few days to process it.

She stepped up and gently hugged Summer. "Just give me a call when you're ready, okay? I'll send someone to pick you up. I really miss you, baby. Don't make me wait too long."

Summer managed a smile at Evelyn, trying her best to look calm.

Suddenly, Sophia spoke up, her voice trembling a little. "Summer, are you leaving because of me?"

Sophia lifted her tearful gaze to Summer, looking heartbreakingly fragile. "If it's because of me, I can leave. I don't want to make things hard for you."

"Sophia, don't be ridiculous. This is your home, and you're not going anywhere." Evelyn immediately dropped Summer and hurried over to fuss over Sophia.

"Sophia, don't talk nonsense. Nobody is gonna kick you out," Ethan sneered, shooting Summer a nasty look.

"Sophia, trust me. This will always be your home, no matter what," Simon said softly.

"Summer, I know this might feel unfair to you, but it's not Sophia's fault. I hope you two can get along. You're both part of this family," Robert said, his voice low and firm.

Summer had already tasted the Moore family's favoritism toward Sophia in her previous life.

After she came back, not a single one of the Moore family truly cared about her; all they ever worried about was whether Sophia would be heartbroken because of her return.

One time, Sophia purposely broke a keepsake from Helen. Before Summer could even react, Sophia burst into tears, and everyone immediately rushed over, comforting her and scolding Summer for not taking better care of her things.

However, watching the whole family crowd around Sophia, Summer felt absolutely nothing.

She had zero interest in fighting Sophia for their so-called affection. She thought, 'If she wants her so-called family, then go ahead. I just want to save my real family.'

"I have to go. I expect the transfer money to hit my account tomorrow," Summer said coldly, then turned and walked straight out of that stifling house without a single glance back.

Chapter 2 The Eden Realm

As Summer stepped out of Moore Manor, she noticed a drizzle falling outside.

Summer felt weak as the nightmarish scenes of the apocalypse from her previous life flashed through her mind. She shook her head and fumbled for her phone to call Helen.

In her previous life, at this exact moment, Helen and her uncle, Charles Hayes, were getting ready to head out of town to buy saplings.

They wouldn't be back until the next evening, and when they finally returned, they got swept up in that massive mudslide.

The call connected, and Helen's voice came through the phone. "Summer, what's up?"

"Mom," Summer called out, her voice trembling.

It had been three years since she last heard Helen's voice. It hit Summer like a storm, flooding her with joy, sorrow, and raw, uncontrollable emotion.

"Summer, what's wrong? Why are you crying?" Helen asked anxiously.

"Mom, you and Uncle Charles just left, right? Just come back home right now. Call Aunt Grace and tell her to come back. There's something really important I need to tell you. It's urgent," Summer said, choking back her tears.

Helen replied quickly, "Okay, don't panic. We're coming home right now. We'll be there soon."

After hanging up, Summer's mind raced as she replayed everything.

It was March 1st, and on the early morning of the 3rd, Evergreen Hill would be hit by a massive mudslide. She had to get her family out of there before March 2nd, no matter what.

Having made up her mind, Summer jumped into a taxi and sped straight toward Evergreen Town.

The lady driver made small talk with Summer. "This rain has been coming down for over a week now. Who knows when it'll finally let up?"

Summer gazed out at the rain streaking down the window, having mixed feelings. It was this rain that set off the mudslide at Evergreen Hill.

After that came a freak tornado, then a year of relentless heatwaves. Then the volcanoes blew, ash covered the sky, and the world was swallowed by darkness. The endless cold nights began.

For the next two years, people longed for rainy days more than anything.

After a moment's thought, Summer turned to the driver and said, "Looks like the weather has been acting up lately. You might want to stock up on some food and medicine at home, just in case."

The lady driver nodded along, but whether she'd actually listen was out of Summer's hands.

After getting out of the taxi, Summer didn't head straight home. Instead, she made her way to the mid-slope of Evergreen Hill.

Relying on her memory, Summer came across a huge white granite boulder nestled in the woods halfway up the hill.

She and her elder cousin, Ian Hayes, used to hang out here as kids, but she'd never imagined that this granite boulder was hiding a secret realm inside.

The boulder was about 26 feet long, 13 feet wide, and tall. Back in her previous life, the mudslide had sent it tumbling down the hill.

When the world was hit by catastrophic floods, Sophia happened to discover and unlock the Eden Realm hidden inside the giant granite boulder.

Back then, floods were sweeping through, and a pandemic was spreading like wildfire.

Using the Eden Realm, Sophia created a special water with healing powers that helped the Moore family bounce back from bankruptcy. The whole family, who already favored Sophia, became even more loyal to her, following her every word.

When Sophia suggested selling Summer off to an underworld gang, Evelyn made Summer drink the drugged water.

Moments after Summer swallowed it, she went blind and weak, falling to the floor.

In the darkness, she heard Evelyn and Robert's voices. "Sophia, you don't have to worry anymore. I promise, from now on, you'll be my only daughter. No one will ever upset you again."

Then Simon and Ethan chimed in. "This is the right thing to do. She's always been jealous of Sophia. She's made Sophia's life miserable all these years.

"She was never really part of the Moore family. Just look at her. She takes after her adoptive parents. Maybe she'll learn her lesson this time."

In the darkness, fear and helplessness spread through Summer. She wanted to ask them why they were doing this.

Summer had always treasured her family, and during the apocalypse, she did everything she could to look after them.

After Robert went bankrupt and let the housekeeper go, she took on all the chores herself. When Simon and Evelyn were running a high fever during the bitter cold, she went out into the snow to get fever medicine for them.

Just before Summer blacked out, she could feel Sophia walk up and nudge her face with the tip of her shoe.

Sophia said in a low voice, "Honestly, I should thank that damn hill near your house. If I hadn't scratched my hand on that white boulder, I wouldn't have gotten this magical Eden Realm."

Snapping out of her memories of the apocalypse, Summer bit down on her finger, pressed her bloodied palm to the boulder, and waited silently.

Suddenly, a blinding light erupted. Then, in an instant, both the boulder and Summer were gone, leaving not a single trace behind.

A voice rang out. [Hello, welcome to the Eden Realm.]

Summer opened her eyes to find a stream before her. On one side stretched a wide field of farmland, while the rest of the world was hidden behind a thick veil of mist.

The voice continued. [Welcome, host. This is your first time activating the Eden Realm. Eden Stream and Eden Farm are now unlocked for you.]

A white cat hopped over to Summer's feet, stretched lazily, and curiously eyed her.

"Hello there," Summer blurted out, surprised.

Summer looked at the cat in surprise, noticing its fur was white with patterns, just like the granite boulder.

The cat said, [I am the Eden Realm.]

Summer thought, 'Wow, the cat can talk.'

Pushing down her shock, Summer looked around. She thought, 'So, this is the legendary Eden Realm Sophia got her hands on in her previous life.'

Summer glanced around at the swirling mist, curiosity bubbling up inside her. She asked the cat, "What's hidden behind all this fog?"

The cat, who was named Snowy, said, [Everything behind the mist is still locked. Right now, only Eden Farm and Eden Stream are open to you. As for the rest, you'll explore and unlock them yourself.]

[You can stock the stream with fish and shrimp, and grow crops in the fields.]

"Planting, huh? What season is it in the Eden Realm right now? Which seeds do I need to get for planting?" Summer asked.

Snowy said, [In the Eden Realm, it's always the right season for any crop. You can plant whatever you want. Everything grows faster and better here than anywhere else.]

Snowy circled Summer and looked proud. [As the host bound to the Eden Realm, you now have the ability to manipulate objects within this space. Go ahead and try moving something with your mind.]

Summer tried to control a small stone by the stream, and under her mental command, it flew out.

Snowy padded around Summer and kept on explaining. [Host, you can move items from inside the Eden Realm to the outside world, and you can also bring things from outside into the Eden Realm.]

[Remember, you have to be close enough to the item if you want to pull it inside. If you're having trouble bringing something in, just get a little closer and give it another shot.]

Just then, Summer's phone rang. She swiped to answer, and Helen's voice came through. "Summer, we just got home. Where are you?"

Summer replied in a rush, "I'll be home in a minute."

After hanging up, Summer looked at Snowy and asked, "How do I leave the Eden Realm?"

Snowy said, [Just picture yourself as an item and use your mind to move yourself out.]

Following Snowy's instructions, Summer willed herself out with a thought. When she blinked, she found herself standing back on Evergreen Hill.

The huge granite boulder that used to sit on the hillside had simply disappeared into thin air, as if it had never been there in the first place.

On her way home, Summer passed by a lake and saw the automatic feeder spitting out fish food nonstop. The fish swarmed in, fighting over every bite.

Watching the frenzy, Summer willed the fish with her mind, attempting to transfer them straight into the Eden Stream inside the Eden Realm.

[Received 30 tilapias.]

[Received 30 trout.]

[Received 30 basses.]

[Received 30 perches.]

[Transfer complete. Eden Stream has finished cleaning the fish. All parasites have been cleansed. They're totally safe to eat now.]

Summer thought, 'Wait, this stream has a purifying effect, right? Could it be that the medicine Sophia used to solve the pandemic in her previous life came from the water of this Eden Stream?'

As Summer kept running through memories of her previous life, she found herself standing at her front door without even realizing it.

Pushing down the flood of emotions in her heart, she gently pushed open the gate of the farmhouse she hadn't seen in years.

Chapter 3 Preparing To Move

Summer walked into the house and saw Helen, Charles, and Julia waiting for her.

Seeing their faces, Summer felt like crying, and she threw herself into Helen's arms.

"What happened, Summer?" Julia Hayes walked over and gently stroked Summer's hair.

Charles quickly spoke up to comfort her. "Summer, don't worry. Take your time and tell us what's going on. We're all here for you."

Seeing the concern on everyone's faces, Summer took a deep breath to steady herself and said, "I signed over the lease rights for Evergreen Hill to Moore Holdings. The total payment is 1.1 million dollars, and the money will hit our account tomorrow."

Helen looked surprised. "What? Why did you sign it so suddenly? The fish haven't even been caught yet. Weren't we supposed to wait until after the fish were harvested before selling?"

Charles was also taken aback. "Summer, why didn't you talk to us? You're just a girl. Don't let the people from Moore Holdings take advantage of you. Those businessmen are very shrewd."

"I had to sign the deal today. There's going to be a mudslide early morning the day after tomorrow. If we dragged, the whole contract would be worthless," Summer explained, her voice steady but urgent.

Everyone was surprised. Julia hesitated, then said, "There's never been a mudslide on Evergreen Hill. I've lived here for decades, and even during the worst rainstorms, nothing like that ever happened."

"Yeah, before we took on Evergreen Hill, your mom and I looked into it. The experts said the geology here makes landslides unlikely," Charles chimed in.

Summer said seriously, "I know it's hard for you to believe, but I swear, I've got reliable info. This mudslide will hit our house. Plus, the two neighbors will be in danger.

"We need to pack up now and leave tomorrow."

Seeing the serious look on Summer's face, they couldn't help but trust her a little more. They knew she was never one to mess around or exaggerate.

Ever since her parents divorced, Summer had been balancing school with handling all sorts of family affairs. As the only college student in the house, everyone relied on her for advice.

After Julia and Charles got scammed out of 30 thousand dollars a few years back, whenever it came to money, they'd always check with Summer first.

Seeing that they were starting to trust her, Summer pressed on. "Let's move to our apartment in the city near the school tomorrow. Just trust me. By early the day after tomorrow, we'll know. If nothing happens, we can come back."

After thinking it over for a few seconds, Charles nodded. "Alright, Summer, you're always smart, and I'll trust you on this. Let's have lunch, then we'll pack up and call the movers."

Helen and Julia shared a look, then nodded.

Summer let out a sigh of relief.

Suddenly, Julia thought of the contract Summer had just signed and asked, a bit uncertain, "If there really is a mudslide, wouldn't that mean the Moore family gets the short end of the stick?

"That's not right. We shouldn't do something like that. Besides, if the Moore family found out, they'd come after you."

"Don't worry about it. The Moore family is loaded. They run a huge tourism business and have all kinds of insurance to handle things like this," Summer said.

She thought, 'I don't care whether the Moore family suffers a loss or not. They did worse things to me.'

Julia finally relaxed after hearing that.

Julia cooked up some fresh greens, pork ribs, and even made some fried chicken. Since they were moving tomorrow, it just didn't make sense to try to bring a chicken to the apartment.

It might have been simple home cooking, but Summer ate a lot.

In the apocalypse, regular food was ridiculously expensive; even a small pack of cookies could sell for hundreds of dollars.

To save food for the Moore family, Summer often survived on government-distributed Survival Biscuits, and it had been a long time since she'd eaten a proper meal like this.

After lunch, the whole family started packing up.

The place they were moving to was a well-renovated and fully furnished apartment in the city, right near a school.

Helen had bought it for Summer a few years ago, and it already had all the furniture and appliances they needed, so there was no point in hauling their old stuff over.

Summer headed straight for the kitchen. After surviving the apocalypse, she refused to waste even a single thing and planned to take every bit of it with her.

Just then, the voice of the Eden System rang out in her head. [Eden Storage has been unlocked. You can store as much as you want.]

Summer entered the Eden Realm and saw a massive warehouse across the stream from the farmland. Towering several stories high, the warehouse was filled with rows upon rows of neatly organized shelves and compartments.

Snowy explained to Summer, [Eden Storage lets you stash your stuff and keeps it fresh for ages. Plus, it'll automatically sort and organize anything you put inside.]

Summer was thrilled, finding this storage feature perfect for stockpiling supplies.

Summer raided the kitchen, snatching up everything she could get her hands on, including the cooking tools and Julia's homemade food.

Helen and Julia started packing up everyone's clothes and bedding, while Charles rounded up all the electronics, wrapped them carefully in soft foam, and boxed them up.

They kept busy until evening, when Grace Hayes, Charles's wife, came back from her shift at the clothing factory downtown.

Grace was supposed to have tomorrow off, but once she heard from Charles about the mudslide, she asked for leave and hurried home to help pack up.

She said, "Charles, are you sure about this? We've got to pack up all that bedding we just bought not long ago."

Grace was a go-getter type. She started as a line worker in a clothing factory and worked her way up to a junior supervisor, managing a team of employees.

As soon as she walked in, she didn't even take off her coat. She set down her bag and rolled up her sleeves, ready to get to work.

While packing, she asked Charles, "Have you packed Ian's stuff yet? Make sure all his little robots go in. He'll be mad if they are missing."

Ian Hayes was Summer's elder cousin, the only child of Charles and Grace, and he served in the military.

In her previous life, the final time Summer saw Ian was at their family's funeral. They clung to each other, sobbing uncontrollably over the loss of their loved ones.

Not long after the funeral, disaster struck. All soldiers and rookies were urgently called back for disaster relief and to restore order nationwide. From that day on, Summer never saw Ian again.

"I've got everything packed up. I already called the movers. They'll come in the morning and get everything loaded up," Charles replied.

The five of them spent the whole night packing, and by the time they were done, everything was boxed up except for a few pieces of furniture.

To lighten the load, Summer took advantage of moments when no one was watching and quietly slipped a few items into Eden Storage, feeling a bit smug about her trick.

By a little after ten in the evening, they went over everything one last time to make sure nothing was left behind. Only then did they finally wash up and turn in for the night.

Chapter 4 The Money Is In

After Summer left Moore Manor, Evelyn felt a little sad. She'd been busy comforting Sophia and hadn't even realized when Summer slipped out.

She sighed. "Why did Summer leave so suddenly? She could have at least stayed for dinner. Sophia and I got a room ready for her, but she didn't even take a look."

Ethan snorted. "Don't mind her. Why should we invite her to dinner after she made Sophia cry?"

Sophia quickly shook her head. "Ethan, it's my fault. Don't blame Summer."

Ethan let out a sigh. "Sophia, you're too kind. If you stay this nice, she'll bully you."

"Alright, that's enough." Robert shot Ethan a glare, then turned to Simon. "Simon, send 1.7 million dollars to Summer from my personal account tomorrow."

Simon blinked in surprise. "Weren't we supposed to send 1.1 million dollars?"

Robert took a drag from his cigarette. "The extra 600 thousand dollars is for the Hayes family. After this, Summer has nothing to do with them. Once they take this money, they should tell her to come back to us."

Simon nodded. "Got it. I'll get someone to handle it right away."

Sophia listened to their conversation, biting her lips, her eyes shadowed with a complex gloom.

Ethan complained, "Dad, that's an extra 600 thousand dollars. That's more than enough for them to never worry about money. Why should she come back at all?"

"Shut up," Robert snapped, clearly annoyed.

He and Evelyn had three kids. Simon and Sophia were both easy to handle, but Ethan was always causing trouble, stirring up problems at school.

Sophia bit her lips and murmured, "Ethan, don't make Dad angry. Summer is our family, after all. I shouldn't have upset her. She's probably mad because of me, and that's why she doesn't want to come back."

Evelyn saw the tears in Sophia's eyes and hugged her tightly, feeling sorry for her. "How could this be your fault, Sophia? You did nothing wrong. Ethan is right. You are always so kind."

Sophia buried her face in Evelyn's arms, her voice choked with sobs. "Mom, maybe I should move out. Summer is your daughter, and I know you want her back. If that makes you happy, I'll do it."

"Oh, my sweetheart, don't think that way. You'll always be my dearest daughter, and this is always your home, no matter what," Evelyn said, rushing to comfort her.

She paused and continued, "Do you remember that painting you saw at the auction, the one that cost one million dollars? I got it for you. The auction house will deliver it in a few days, and I'll have it put up in your room."

"Thank you, Mom," Sophia whispered, her face buried in Evelyn's arms. Hidden from everyone, a sly little smile crept onto her lips.

Ethan chimed in, "Mom, you saw how that girl acted the other day. She even asked if Sophia was moving out. She's obviously jealous of her. If you let her move in, Sophia is just going to get pushed around by her."

Robert lit up a cigarette and shot Ethan a glare. "Summer is your sister, no matter what. The Moore family's heiress can't be left out. Just think about it. If people hear about it, what would they say?"

Robert believed there was simply no comparison between the insanely rich Moore family and a small-town family like the Hayes family. He was sure that Summer would rather come back and live as a rich girl.

He thought, 'Summer even suggested signing the Evergreen Hill lease contract early yesterday. She probably wanted to make a good impression on us by doing Moore Holdings a favor.

'She didn't immediately agree to stay yesterday, probably because she was sulking after Ethan's insult. Girls need a graceful way to back down sometimes.'

Robert turned to Ethan and said, "Go to Evergreen Hill tomorrow, apologize to your sister, and bring her home."

"Why?" Ethan protested, totally shocked. He really didn't want to see Summer again. If his friends knew he had a sister from a small town, he'd be embarrassed.

Robert snorted, "If you don't go, I'm cutting off your credit card starting today."

Ethan gritted his teeth and muttered, clearly unhappy, "Alright, I'll go."

Seeing that Ethan finally agreed, Robert and Evelyn headed out to the office.

Sophia and Ethan were left in the living room.

Sophia reassured him, "Ethan, they are dead set on bringing Summer back. Now is not the time to piss them off."

"Yeah, I get it," Ethan replied, his tone softening as he looked at Sophia.

To Ethan, Sophia was the definition of class and elegance; she could dance ballet, play the piano, and had even held her own art exhibition right after turning eighteen.

He thought she was the best sister in the world, and everyone at school knew that.

Before Sophia got engaged to Edward Sutton, the Sutton family's heir, plenty of rich boys tried to please Sophia by cozying up to Ethan.

Ethan had always worn that pride like a badge.

And now he was told that his sister wasn't Sophia, but some rude girl like Summer. He just couldn't accept it. He wanted her to stay away from the Moore family forever.

*****

The Hayes family got up early the next day.

After getting ready, Summer glanced at her phone and saw a bank notification. 1.7 million dollars had just been deposited into her account.

That was 600 thousand dollars more than what the contract said.

There was also a message from Simon.

Simon said that the deal was 1.1 million dollars, and the extra 600 thousand dollars was a thank-you from the Moore family to Helen.

He said that they appreciated everything she'd done for Summer and hoped that the money would grant her a good life after her retirement.

Simon also told Summer to give him a call once she'd packed up and come home soon, so their parents wouldn't have to keep worrying.

Summer stared at the numbers, her thoughts drifting.

She thought, 'In my previous life, the Moore family sold me for 600 thousand dollars. Now they're giving me the same amount. Is this some kind of karma?'

Looking at Simon's message, Summer saw right through their intentions. She knew they wanted to use 600 thousand dollars to cut her ties with the Hayes family once and for all.

She scoffed and didn't bother replying.

Summer thought back to her previous life, when a brutal blizzard hit and Simon was burning up with a fever that just wouldn't break. The whole family was helpless, so she went out in the heavy snow to get him medicine.

Simon's fever finally broke after he took the meds, but Summer ended up sick herself from braving the snow.

Back then, Sophia strolled over, acting all concerned and saying a couple of fake-sweet words.

Simon saw it and got annoyed, blaming Summer for getting sick and making Sophia look after her.

Summer remembered every single one of those details. She thought, 'Well, let's call it the compensation I'm taking from the Moore family.'

Chapter 5 Lucy, The Neighbor

Summer stepped out of her room and saw Charles packing up the boxes.

Helen and Grace picked all the vegetables in the yard. Since they couldn't take them with them, they planned to share them with the other villagers.

Summer wasn't idle either. She went over to Lucy's place next door.

Evergreen Town was huge, but the Hayes family didn't have many close neighbors. Most folks lived farther away. Summer remembered the last mudslide on Evergreen Hill. It had wiped out three homes: the Hayes place, Lucy's, and Peter's.

Peter's family had stopped farming years ago, and all moved to the city to work. A few years back, they saved up enough to buy a house in town and have been living there ever since, so nobody lived there anymore.

As for Lucy, she lived alone.

Summer pushed open Lucy's door and saw Julia helping Lucy pack her bags.

When Lucy saw Summer, she quickly pulled her inside.

Lucy said, "Julia told me yesterday there might be a mudslide coming down the hill. I barely slept a wink all night.

"No wonder I've been a total wreck lately: jittery, on edge, that gnawing feeling in my gut. Turns out my gut was right. Disaster's been looming over us this whole time."

Summer's eyelid twitched, but she quickly steadied herself and comforted Lucy, "Don't worry, Lucy. Stick with us. We'll stay in the city for a while."

Lucy sighed and said, "I've been living alone for so many years. I always thought I'd spend my last days here in peace, but now there's this mudslide to worry about.

"If the house gets wiped out, I wouldn't even have a place to rest in peace, and I'd just end up troubling your family."

Julia chimed in, "Oh, don't talk like that. We're in this together. At least we've got each other for company. If you weren't here, I don't know what I'd do with myself."

Lucy and Julia were totally different. Julia was a countrywoman. Her family had always lived here, generation after generation.

Lucy, though, was a city girl. When she was young, she was already a college professor. Back then, only the best of the best could pull that off at such a young age.

But Lucy had terrible luck with men. Her husband ditched her and their baby years ago, ran off with his mistress, and cleaned out all their savings. He left his sick parents and newborn son behind without a second thought.

Lucy spent her days teaching at school and her nights washing other people's clothes for extra cash, all while looking after her sick in-laws and raising her son.

Even when her in-laws passed away, Lucy had to handle the whole funeral by herself. Her husband never bothered to show his face.

After Lucy finally helped her son get into college, she thought life would finally get easier. But one day, her son suddenly brought her husband back home.

After Lucy's husband ran off with his mistress, they thought they were living in paradise for a while. But once they spent all the money they took from home, the mistress bailed on him.

Too ashamed to come home, Lucy's husband ended up doing odd jobs, spending every penny he made on booze. He drank himself into a stupor every single day until he ended up paralyzed in bed.

With no one to look after him, the hospital had no choice but to reach out to Lucy's son.

When Lucy's son saw his father in such a miserable state, he felt bad for him and decided to be a dutiful son. He insisted on bringing his father home and demanded that Lucy take care of him.

Lucy was having none of it and kicked both of them out of the house.

But her son wasn't ready to give up. He actually reached out to a family reconciliation TV show, hoping they'd convince Lucy to forgive her husband and let him come back.

Lucy was furious and refused to be interviewed, but her son went even further. He dragged the whole TV crew to Lucy's school, causing a huge commotion in front of everyone.

The school, worried about the gossip and public backlash, let Lucy go early. Thankfully, the principal knew how much she'd done for them over the years and quietly slipped her some compensation on the side.

Lucy figured she'd just use that money to start her retirement early, but the TV show twisted the whole story. They cut out all the real details and painted Lucy as the villain who abandoned her paralyzed husband.

Suddenly, people who didn't know the truth started showing up at Lucy's door, pointing fingers and calling her out.

Lucy couldn't stand it anymore. She cut ties with everyone, left the city behind, and moved out to Evergreen Town, a place she'd visited back when she was doing research.

She rented the rundown house next to the Hayes Manor for the long haul, got the locals to fix it up, and ended up neighbors with Julia.

Julia's husband passed away early, so she had to raise several kids all by herself. She understood how tough things were for Lucy and would often talk Lucy through the hard times.

Lucy often helped Julia out whenever she could.

They supported each other through thick and thin, year after year.

When Summer's adoptive parents split up, her mom was buried in debt and had no time for her, so Summer ended up living with Julia.

Whenever Julia was out working in the fields, Lucy would cradle Summer in her arms and teach her to talk, word by word.

To Summer, Lucy wasn't just a neighbor; she was family.

Summer said, "Lucy, don't worry. Just come with us. When I was little, you and Julia looked after me, and now it's my turn to take care of you. Wherever I go, I'll take you with me. And you'll have Julia for company, too."

Lucy wiped away her tears and said, "Alright, I'll go with you. If death isn't coming for me yet, then I'm going to live my life to the fullest!"

Summer helped Lucy finish packing up her bags, then stepped outside to wait for the moving truck. Evergreen Hill was pretty remote, and she was worried the moving truck wouldn't even be able to get through.

But instead of the moving truck, a fancy luxury car showed up.

The car pulled up right in front of Summer, and Ethan stepped out. He looked around, frowning in disgust. He said, "What a dump. Seriously, what kind of middle-of-nowhere place do you live in, Summer? Even the road's all messed up."

Summer hadn't expected Ethan to show up here. This never happened in her previous life. Just seeing him instantly annoyed her, and she snapped right back, "If the road's so bad, then don't bother coming!"

"You think I wanted to come here? Dad insisted I come get you," Ethan snapped.

Summer remembered how, in her previous life, just three days after she returned to the Moore family, Sophia trashed an expensive painting and blamed it all on her.

Sophia cried, saying it was a painting their parents had just won for her at an auction, but Summer had never even set foot in Sophia's room.

No matter how much Summer tried to defend herself, nobody believed her. They all thought she was just jealous of Sophia.

Ever since then, Ethan had it out for Summer.

Trying to stick up for Sophia, Ethan poured glue into Summer's water cup and tricked her into drinking it. He even hid needles inside her food.

Summer did fight back. She complained to Evelyn and Robert, but they would always side with Ethan.

Evelyn would say, "Summer, Ethan's still a kid. You're his big sister, so go easy on him.

"Summer, don't come home and make a mess of things. You're just making me upset."

With his parents always covering for him, Ethan just got worse. He even roped in his spoiled trust-fund buddies, and together they made Summer's life hell.

Every time Evelyn dragged Summer to one of those fancy parties, those rich brats would give her the cold shoulder.

One time, Ethan's friend straight-up shoved her into the pool, and another time, they spiked her drink when no one was looking.

Thinking back on all the crap she'd been through in her previous life, Summer could barely hold back her rage.

If the end of the world wasn't right around the corner and she wasn't so pressed for time, she would've hauled Ethan off to some blind spot and beat the crap out of him.

Summer snapped at Ethan, "Get lost! Don't you guys have your own daughter? Why are you always sniffing around other people's daughters? Who the hell wants to go back to that jinxed house of yours?"

Now that the money was in her hands, Summer couldn't even be bothered to pretend with the Moore family anymore.

Once the move was done, she had to start stockpiling supplies and buy seeds to plant in her own space. She didn't have a second to waste on those people.

Ethan was caught off guard by her outburst. He couldn't figure out why Summer had suddenly changed her tune. Just yesterday, she was all sweet and gentle with Robert and Evelyn at the Moore Manor.

Ethan frowned and said, "You think acting all aloof just to get attention is going to work? Just look at this dump you're living in. Do you really think you can give up everything the Moore family has?"

"If it's such a dump, then why are you so desperate to come here? Are you that pathetic?" Summer shot back.

Ethan was so choked with anger that he could barely speak. He ran his fingers through his hair, frustrated, and snapped, "What do I have to do to get you to come back?"

"Kick your precious Sophia out, and I might just do you the favor of coming back," Summer shot back, hitting him right where it hurt.

"Why?" Ethan blurted out, totally stunned. He said, "Sophia's so nice. Why don't you like her?"

Summer spotted the moving truck pulling up to her house in the distance. She just wanted to get rid of Ethan as fast as possible. She said, "I don't even like you, so why would I like her? Move it. You're blocking the way!"

Ethan looked even more shocked. He said, "I'm your brother! Why don't you like me?"

But Summer didn't even bother with a reply. She just turned on her heel and headed back inside.

Ethan was fuming. He stomped back to the car, slammed the door hard, and barked, "Let's go home!"

The driver murmured, "Are they really moving out?"

Ethan didn't say a word, frowning.

The driver kept quiet and silently drove back to the Moore Manor.

The Hayes family and the movers loaded up all their luggage onto the truck, one by one. Then they swung by Lucy's place and helped her pack up her things as well.

After that, everyone piled in and headed off together to their new home in the city.

Chapter 6 Here Comes The Mudslide

The place in the city, in a solid school district, was bought by Helen years ago and put in Summer's name.

Back then, the neighborhood wasn't much. But when a top-ranked school opened nearby, property values skyrocketed.

The movers helped carry all their stuff upstairs before heading out.

The place hadn't been lived in for ages and was coated in a fine layer of dust.

The Hayes family spent the whole afternoon just cleaning up, sorting out the boxes of bedding, and getting the beds set up in all three rooms. By the time they finished, it was already late at night.

No one knew what Ethan told the Moore family when he got home. Starting in the afternoon, both Evelyn and Simon called Summer, but she was too busy tidying up the rooms to answer any of their calls.

Once the house was tidied up, nobody in the Hayes family felt sleepy. Even Julia, who was used to turning in early, found herself wide awake.

The whole family sat in silence around the dining table, anxiously waiting for the early hours to come.

Not long after midnight, Charles opened a short-video app, and his feed was instantly flooded with news about the mudslide on Evergreen Hill.

He hurriedly showed everyone the phone. The videos were all drone footage. These days, with social media, news travels at lightning speed.

In the clips, mud surged down the mountain like a raging river.

Enormous boulders were swept up in the torrent, tumbling down and smashing through trees in their path. For a moment, it felt like the whole world was coming apart.

"Damn, look at this video. The orchard on the mountain is almost completely destroyed," Charles said, his heart aching as he watched the orchard he'd cared for get wiped out.

Even though he knew it had already been sold to the Moore family, he couldn't help but feel a pang of regret.

He said, "Those apple trees...I drove upstate to pick those saplings a few years ago. Tended them all this time, and they were just starting to bear fruit this year. It's such a shame."

Grace said, "This is terrifying! Look at this. Our house is totally buried in mud! Thank goodness Summer told us to move out early. If we'd still been there, fast asleep in the middle of the night, we would've been trapped for sure."

Everyone's faces showed a mix of lingering fear and deep sadness. If they'd still been holding onto any hope of going back before, now there wasn't even a shred of hope left.

Julia's home of decades was gone in an instant. She felt lost and heavy-hearted. The city might be fancy, but all these high-rises just made her feel awkward, and she didn't know a single neighbor.

The more she thought about it, the more she couldn't hold back. Her tears just started falling.

Lucy gently patted Julia's back and said, "Come on, don't be sad. We really dodged a bullet. If fate didn't take us, it means we're meant to keep living well. I'm on my own, and I'm not scared, so why should you be?

"You've got your kids and grandkids right here. As long as the family is together, that's home. Houses can be rebuilt."

"Lucy's right, Mom. If you liked living in the countryside, we can always go back and build a new place in the village when things settle down," Helen said, trying to reassure Julia.

Grace managed a weak smile and chimed in, "Yeah, a house can always be rebuilt. The important thing is that everyone's safe."

Grace thought it over, then turned to Helen. She said, "Helen, this place only has three bedrooms, so it's a bit cramped for Charles and me to stay here.

"We talked it over. I'm heading back to the factory tomorrow, and Charles's coming with me. Now that the orchard's gone, he can pick up some work at my factory."

Charles used to help out at Helen's orchard, and she paid him about 15 thousand a year. When there wasn't much to do at the orchard, he'd work part-time as a handyman at the electronics market in the city, installing appliances for people.

Grace continued, "We've still got around a few hundred thousand saved up. We were planning to buy a place in the city years ago, but Ian went off to join the army right after graduation, so we put it off.

"No need to wait anymore. We will start house hunting in the next few days, put down a deposit, and then we can move all our stuff out."

Before Helen could say anything, Summer jumped in, "Aunt Grace, hold off on all that for now. I called Ian this morning and asked him to take a few days' leave from his unit.

"I've already booked tickets for you, Mom, Uncle Charles, and Julia to go see Ian tomorrow."

The memory of Ian's despair at his family's graves in her previous life was something that always haunted Summer.

Ian had rushed home when he heard about his family's tragedy, only to leave again in a hurry when duty called.

This time, whatever it took, Summer was determined to make sure the whole family would be together before disaster hit.

Summer continued, "I've got a few friends working in meteorology, and they've all warned me that there could be severe weather disasters happening all over the country in the coming year.

"Ian's a soldier, so he'll definitely be sent out for disaster relief when things get bad. Once that starts, it'll be tough for him to come home.

"You should go see him tomorrow, bring him some homemade food and supplies. There's no rush to move. Let's handle that when you get back."

Charles and Grace were a little surprised at first, but it had been ages since they'd seen their son. After hearing Summer's reasoning, they both nodded.

Charles said, "Yeah, we should go see Ian. Last time he called, he said he was craving some of the homemade food. Let's bring him some this time."

Helen asked, "Summer, aren't you coming with us? You haven't seen Ian in ages either."

Summer really wanted to go, but she couldn't.

In just a month, a record-breaking tornado was going to hit, and this apartment was right in the heart of the danger zone. She had to use this time to sell the place and find a safer shelter before disaster struck.

"I've got a few things I need to handle, so I'll stay behind this time. Lucy and I can finish sorting everything out here," Summer said, coming up with an excuse.

"Mom, Julia, Uncle Charles, Aunt Grace, I got you tickets for tomorrow morning. Why don't you all get some rest? We'll deal with everything else when you're back," Summer said.

"Right, right, let's get some sleep. It's almost one in the morning," Julia added.

After a long, exhausting day, the Hayes family was completely wiped out and fell into a deep sleep.

*****

At Moore Manor, Simon was jolted awake by his phone in the middle of the night.

Frowning, he picked up.

His assistant's panicked voice came through, saying, "Mr. Moore, something terrible happened! There's been an unprecedented mudslide on Evergreen Hill. Huge rocks are tumbling everywhere, and every road up the mountain is completely blocked."

Simon shot up in bed.

He ordered, "Have the project team on site first thing in the morning, and get the insurance reps over there, too."

Once everything was set up, Simon hung up, his head pounding with stress.

He rubbed his temples, thinking to himself, 'Good thing Ethan told me yesterday that Summer and her family had already moved out of Evergreen Hill. If they hadn't, they would've been caught in that mudslide for sure.

'If, after all that searching, Summer ended up dying in the disaster, Mom and Dad would be heartbroken.

'Wait a second.

'Summer and her family already moved out of Evergreen Hill?'

Suddenly, a crazy idea flashed through his mind. He thought, 'Summer was so eager to sign the contract, get the cash, and move out. Did she somehow know a mudslide was coming?

'No way. Our project team checked everything. Evergreen Hill wasn't supposed to be at risk for mudslides. There's no way Summer could've predicted this.'

Yesterday, Ethan went out to Evergreen Hill to pick up Summer. Evelyn was so excited that she had the housekeeper whip up a whole welcome feast. But Summer never showed up; Ethan came back alone.

Ethan snapped, "Summer said she'll only come back if Sophia moves out."

Evelyn couldn't believe it. She tried calling Summer, but got no answer.

Evelyn had Simon try calling her, too, but Summer ignored his call as well.

Simon started to question whether bringing Summer back into the Moore family was really the right call.

Ever since Sophia and Edward got engaged, Simon had been so anxious to act that he might've rushed things.

The Moore family had actually known for years that Sophia wasn't their real daughter. Back in middle school, she found out she had AB blood type, while everyone else in the Moore family was O. So there was no way she was related to them.

But they'd raised Sophia for so long, investing not just money and resources, but real affection. They really doted on her, so finding out the truth didn't change how they treated her one bit.

All the while, they kept the secret and quietly began looking for their real daughter.

But Simon started having second thoughts about Sophia.

So when Robert and Evelyn decided to marry Sophia off to Edward, the Sutton family heir, Simon freaked out. He was in a rush to bring their real sister back home.

Simon thought, 'The Suttons are all about bloodlines. If they find out the Moore family's real daughter is out there, Edward's fiancée would definitely change.'

Simon massaged his brow, feeling more stressed than ever. Trouble was piling up everywhere.

Moore Holdings had been neck-deep in the tourism business, but the pandemic dealt a major blow to them. They were only just starting to bounce back, but last year, a few bad project calls left them with serious cash flow issues.

Now, with the Evergreen Hill project going south, things just got even worse for Moore Holdings.

Simon was wide awake. He got up, threw on some clothes, and got ready to have a serious talk with Robert about the mess at Evergreen Hill.

Chapter 7 Buying Seeds

Early the next morning, Summer called a cab and took her family to the train station.

Charles and Grace had packed a week's worth of clothes for Ian. Julia and Helen brought smoked brisket and venison sausage.

Summer grabbed a bunch of food and daily essentials from the supermarket and had them bring them along for Ian.

On her way back, Summer figured she'd need to stock up on supplies for a while, so she rented a small truck and drove it home.

While Summer was driving, her birth mother, Evelyn, called again. Summer glanced at the screen and hung up without a second thought.

For the past couple of days, Evelyn and Simon had been trying to get in touch, sending Summer long texts about how sweet and considerate Sophia was.

They kept hoping Summer would accept Sophia, and that the two of them could be as close as real sisters.

Summer didn't even bother to respond. She really didn't have the time to get caught up with the Moore family's drama right now.

When Summer got back, Lucy asked, "You've been acting strange these past couple of days. Is there something you're not telling your family?"

Summer paused, surprised by how perceptive Lucy was.

Summer said, "Lucy, I'll be honest with you. A friend of mine at the weather bureau said there's a huge disaster coming, something we've never seen before. We need to start getting ready.

"Don't pack up those suitcases just yet. This place isn't safe. They're predicting it'll be one of the worst-hit areas, so it's not safe for us to stay. In a couple of days, I'll need to move you all out."

Lucy looked surprised. She said, "So that's why you sent your family away."

Having the family reunion with Ian was only part of the plan. Summer needed to get her family out of the house for a few days. She had too many secrets to keep from them, and trying to explain everything would just be a mess.

With the disaster looming, she had less than a month to get ready.

She needed to sell the apartment within the next couple of days, use the cash to buy the survival villa she'd already picked out, and still leave herself enough time to stock up on supplies and make some modifications to the villa.

Time was tight, and she couldn't afford any distractions.

*****

After lunch with Lucy, Summer drove over to the seed market.

Even though Summer grew up in the countryside, she'd only ever helped out at the fishpond and the orchard.

It had been years since her family last planted any crops, and the small veggie patch out back was always Julia's territory. Summer herself had never actually bought seeds before.

Summer stepped into a seed shop and glanced over the packed shelves.

She said, "Hey, boss, I need the usual: spinach, cabbage, carrots, zucchini, tomatoes, onions, peppers, eggplant. Just give me your best. The expensive kind."

The shop owner was a friendly-looking woman. She glanced at Summer and asked, "Are you buying for a business?"

"No, I just want to plant some vegetables at home for myself," Summer replied.

The woman handed over a few bags of seeds in different varieties and said, "The priciest seeds go for a couple thousand dollars per bag, but honestly, it's not worth it for home gardening. These will do just fine for your own garden."

Summer was stunned. She'd always thought the priciest seeds were just a few bucks a pack. She never expected them to be this expensive. Clearly, this was something she knew nothing about.

The woman laughed at Summer's shocked reaction and said, "If you really want, I've got seeds that cost over ten thousand a bag, but honestly, you don't need anything that fancy.

"Just take these cheaper ones. They'll give you more veggies than your whole family could ever eat, and you can always sell the extras at the market.

"Those super-expensive seeds are all patented and monopolized by companies. The newer the breed, the higher the price. What's so great about them? Maybe they're a little rounder, brighter, or look prettier.

"But if you're just growing for your own kitchen, you really don't need to worry about any of that."

Even though Summer had a few million stashed away, she hadn't even bought her bug-out villa yet, so there was no way she was going to splurge on seeds that cost thousands a bag.

Her swagger from when she walked in was gone. Summer smiled and said, "Could you recommend something that's worth the price? I'd like one of each kind."

"Buying so much? I'll get you the smallest packs. Once you open a pack, you gotta plant them quick. If they get damp, they're done for," the woman explained.

"Thanks you," Summer replied.

Not knowing how long the apocalypse would drag on, Summer went all out, stocking up on the leafy greens her family loved, plus crunchy root vegetables, tender shoots, and climbing vines that could grow up anything.

She even grabbed extra packs of the usual stuff, plus a few oddball varieties she'd never tried before, just in case.

Once she was done with the veggies, Summer took the shop owner's advice and picked up a bunch of fruit seeds too: berries, melons, and whatever else looked good.

Hauling her bags to the car, Summer remembered the bugs. The infections. The stuff antibiotics couldn't fix. She found a natural health store and loaded up on dried herbs, tincture supplies, and anything with "antiviral" or "antibacterial" on the label.

Teas for calming, salves for healing, plus a bunch of roots and berries the clerk swore by. Better to have it and not need it.

By the time she was done, Summer had dropped a small fortune at the seed market. Her trunk was stuffed to bursting as she headed home, feeling pretty satisfied.

*****

On her way home, Summer kept worrying about how she would sell the apartment.

Last time she'd handed over Evergreen Hill, she'd played the Moores for fools. Zero remorse.

But now, selling the place to some total stranger? That just didn't sit right with her.

Summer was still stuck on that problem as she made her way back to her apartment complex.

As she walked up to her building, Summer heard people talking. She looked over and saw a real estate agent giving a tour to a couple.

The couple had their backs to Summer. The girl on the left was slim, holding onto her tall boyfriend's arm.

The girl turned to the agent in the suit and said, "Sold? Are you serious? We just saw the place two days ago! Come on, everyone knows the market's been dead for years. How could it go so fast?"

The agent said, "Sorry, miss, but apartments here get snatched up fast because there's a top school right next door. There's always a line of parents waiting.

"I told you guys if you really wanted it, you should've put down a deposit, but you didn't. That unit sold yesterday, and the down payment's already been paid."

The guy scratched his head and turned to his girlfriend. He asked, "Chloe, how about we look at another neighborhood instead?"

Chloe shot back, "Andrew, this place is just a few minutes' walk from that top school. When we have a kid, they can go there without any trouble. Plus, it's only a little over ten minutes from your office.

"Don't you want to cut down your commute and spend more time at home with me?"

Summer's eyelid twitched as a flood of bad memories came rushing back when she heard the names: Andrew and Chloe. She went silent for a second, then quietly walked up to the three of them.

Chloe turned to the agent and asked, "Are there any other apartments available in this complex?"

The agent shook his head and said, "Nope, nothing left. It's always super tight here. This was the first place to go up for sale in almost six months.

"There are still a few families waiting for a chance to buy, just so their kids can get into the school."

"I actually have an apartment for sale in this complex. Are you two interested?" Summer spoke up to the group.