Chapter 159: Chapter 159: Friends Who Didn’t Make It to the End

A trace of coldness laced her tone, but she quickly masked it, her expression turning blank as she watched the person enter.

Louis Grant’s heart skipped a beat. Though the chill in her eyes vanished in an instant, he had caught it. In that moment, a sense of danger washed over him.

He paused at the doorway, only continuing forward after a long moment as if nothing had happened. "Alright, alright. I’ve got it. I’ll be sure to watch it next time."

"I was just worried you were hungry, so I brought you something to eat!"

Stella Sterling was already on her feet, her expression once again unreadable. She nodded slightly. "Thank you."

"Haha, don’t mention it! Ethan Young specifically ordered this for you. He also wanted me to tell you that you don’t have to stay cooped up in this room. You can go out and walk around whenever you like." 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Louis Grant’s expression was a little peculiar as he said this.

’It’s not as if this woman has been obediently staying in her room, anyway,’ he thought. ’No one even knows when she slipped out last night—not even the guard at her door.’

’If she hadn’t saved Basil Xavier’s life by some fluke, knowing Ethan Young’s temperament, he would never have let her off the hook. Even if he wouldn’t touch her as a favor to me, he’d probably have thrown her off the ship right away.’

But since her little trip out resulted in her saving Basil Xavier, Ethan Young didn’t press the issue.

However, Ethan Young did chew out the guard who was on duty at her door last night.

And now, thanks to her connection with Basil Xavier, Ethan Young was no longer restricting her freedom.

Still, he figured that with a personality like Quincy Sterling’s, Ethan Young’s order was entirely redundant.

Her actions last night had already proven that.

All that changed for Stella Sterling was that she’d gone from moving about freely in secret to moving about freely in the open.

Stella Sterling raised an eyebrow but said nothing more. She couldn’t help but marvel internally, ’Basil Xavier sure has a lot of pull.’

She looked at what Louis Grant was holding: a bowl of steaming noodles, complete with an egg and a few stalks of vegetables.

However, the vegetables didn’t look particularly fresh—they were slightly yellowed, which detracted from the dish’s appeal.

Looking at the bowl of noodles, Stella Sterling knew this was certainly not the standard breakfast Meridia Base provided for survivors.

If everyone received a meal of this quality, Meridia Base would likely be unable to sustain it.

Last night, for instance, her normal ration would have just been a single steamed bun.

But now, it had been replaced with a hot meal. She figured it was either because Louis Grant had secretly given her his own portion, or it was on account of her saving Basil Xavier.

Louis Grant remarked in amazement, "The man you saved must be someone really important! Even I don’t get this kind of treatment. And just because you saved him, Ethan Young is showing you such favor!"

The amazement in Louis Grant’s voice was palpable.

With food so scarce and fresh vegetables even rarer, even he couldn’t eat them whenever he pleased.

He rarely got to eat noodles with eggs and greens himself. Today, you could say he was benefiting from Quincy Sterling’s good fortune.

"I’m surprised too," Stella Sterling replied casually as she ate.

’Why did Basil Xavier end up in such a state? And what about Gordon Ford? He wasn’t with Basil, so where could he be?’

Stella Sterling mulled over these questions but ultimately decided against asking Basil Xavier.

She looked up at Louis Grant, who was sitting across from her. "Haven’t you eaten yet?"

"Ah, I’ve already eaten! Don’t worry about me, I ate before I came over." Louis Grant, thinking she was concerned for him, felt a surge of delight and answered quickly.

"Since you’ve already eaten, why are you just sitting there staring at me? Why don’t you step outside for now? Once I’m done, I’ll trouble you to come back and clean up."

Stella Sterling spoke in a tone of friendly negotiation.

Having him sit there and watch her eat made her feel a little uncomfortable.

It was a habit from her past life: whenever someone was near while she was eating, she remained constantly vigilant, on guard against anyone trying to snatch her food.

Even though she knew Louis Grant wouldn’t do such a thing, she would still react subconsciously whenever he made a sudden move.

It was ruining her appetite.

Louis Grant blinked, then smiled. "Alright, I’ll head out then. If you need anything, just give me a shout from the door."

"Oh, right. That guy Ethan Young said you can keep this room for the time being."

As he spoke, Louis Grant looked at Stella Sterling with a hint of envy. He didn’t get such good treatment—he had to cram into a room with several other base members.

’He’d said he would look out for her on the ship, but now it felt like she was getting better treatment than he was.’

And so, just as he reached the door, he suddenly turned back to Stella Sterling. "Quincy Sterling, you should join the base! Once you join, I’ll follow you. How about I be your lackey?"

Stella Sterling’s expression was deadpan. "Hm, I’ll think about it. But as for you being my lackey... you’re not quite up to snuff."

Louis Grant was immediately displeased. "What do you mean? What’s wrong with me being your lackey? A guy with my status and looks working for you... just think of the bragging rights!"

"Nope, I’m going to be your lackey, and you can’t refuse me."

By the end, it seemed Louis Grant was arguing with himself, genuinely insisting on becoming Stella Sterling’s lackey.

His antics greatly improved Stella Sterling’s mood. Her eyes danced with amusement. "Go on, get out of here. You’re really not cut out to be my lackey."

Without waiting for a reply, she lowered her head and started eating her noodles. Louis Grant had wanted to say more, but seeing her, he swallowed his words and left. He even thoughtfully closed the door softly behind him, just like a proper lackey.

Stella Sterling shook her head.

The smile didn’t leave her face, and she finished the bowl of noodles with gusto.

’It’s actually nice to have someone—a friend—to joke around with like this once in a while.’

’But in this apocalypse, can true friends really exist?’

The smile on Stella Sterling’s face faded, replaced by a cool indifference in her eyes.

’Friends?’

’She and Lydia Magnus had been so close at first. Iris had truly helped her with so much in the beginning. But in the end, the two of them still reached that point.’

’Maybe as long as it isn’t a matter of life and death, as long as self-interest isn’t on the line, everyone can get along. But the moment those things come into play, everyone is selfish, aren’t they?’

’Iris Langley... I can’t say whether she was right or wrong. I can’t even bring myself to blame her. But even now that I’ve been reborn, I can never face her normally again.’

After finishing her noodles, Stella Sterling pulled some fruit from her personal space and ate it before taking the bowl and leaving the room.