Before, her face had always seemed to be covered in a layer of grime. It was sallow and gaunt, and her hair was a mess. Aside from a decent figure, there was nothing attractive about her.

Now, cleaned up and wearing a little makeup, she looked like a completely different person. The change was striking.

Having figured out the woman’s identity, Stella Sterling had a good idea of why she had come here dressed like this.

Still, she had no intention of opening the door. The woman might be stunning, but Stella’s sexual orientation was perfectly normal. Besides, she wasn’t interested in romance right now.

The person outside knocked for a while. When the door remained shut, she frowned slightly. She didn’t dare bother Stella Sterling, but she had gone to great lengths to dress up for this visit.

She had endured the bone-chilling cold, washing her hair and body with melted snow. When the water touched her skin, she’d honestly felt like she was going to die.

After suffering so much, she couldn’t bring herself to give up just like that.

Even if she could summon the courage to touch that freezing snowmelt again, she was out of shampoo and soap at home.

At that thought, she bit her lip and said softly again, "Hey, I heard some news. Someone’s coming after you!"

After saying this, she fell silent. She knew her absolute priority was to avoid offending the other woman or earning her dislike.

’I’ll wait a little longer. If she doesn’t open the door, I’ll just leave.’

Just as a flicker of anxiety pricked at her, she heard footsteps from inside the room. The long-haired woman’s eyes lit up, and she braced herself.

The moment the door opened, the woman stumbled, looking like she was about to fall weakly against Stella Sterling.

But when she saw the other woman looking at her with a half-smile, she found she couldn’t go through with the act.

So she pretended to use the door to steady herself, then tucked her hair behind her ear and gave Stella Sterling a bold, flirtatious wink.

She was decisive. Knowing why Stella Sterling had opened the door, she got straight to the point. "I wasn’t lying before. I heard from someone I’m friendly with that you’ve been targeted by the three Bell brothers. They’re going to make a move on you!"

Hearing this, Stella Sterling’s expression remained calm, showing no change.

’Some things are impossible to hide. No matter how much I try to keep my situation private, the moment I appear in front of people, they can tell I’m different.’

Being targeted was not surprising.

She had been considering it recently. ’Maybe I should change how I look when I go out in the future. It’s best to avoid any trouble you can.’ 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

’Inside the residential complex, I’ve been a bit too casual, not cautious enough. The people here are easy to handle, and I can deal with the trouble they cause, so there’s no need to make myself uncomfortable for their sake.’

’But what about people from the outside? I’m not strong enough to be completely fearless. If my situation gets noticed, it’ll be huge trouble.’

She began to mull this over, but her face remained as placid as still water, and she didn’t respond.

The woman with the wavy hair couldn’t guess what Stella Sterling was thinking, which left her feeling completely uncertain.

She thought for a moment, then chuckled behind her hand. "Of course, I know you’re strong and not worried. But the three Bell brothers are no pushovers. They’ve gathered a dozen or so people and have already robbed several families in our building. They have food and manpower now, so they’re not to be trifled with. You really need to be careful!"

"Thank you. I understand."

Stella Sterling pushed her thoughts aside and nodded. Leaning against the door, she looked at the other woman. "Is there anything else?"

"Oh, you’re welcome, you’re welcome!" Hearing Stella Sterling thank her, the woman with the long, wavy hair broke into a wide, happy smile, her tone becoming much lighter and more cheerful. "It’s nothing, really. I just wanted to give you a heads-up and tell you to be careful. My name is Yasmine Holloway. What’s yours, dear? We’re neighbors in the same building, after all. Even though we’ve had our differences in the past, you could say this is fate!"

Stella Sterling’s smile was faint. She just kept looking at Yasmine with that same smile, clearly having no intention of answering.

Yasmine Holloway’s laughter slowly faded. She took two steps forward, trying to get closer to Stella Sterling, but Stella stopped her with a quiet command. "Stay where you are."

She stopped in her tracks, momentarily awkward. But she quickly composed herself and said with a smile, covering her mouth, "Dear, what about my proposal from the other day? Why don’t you think it over?"

"Sorry, I’m not interested," Stella Sterling said, shaking her head.

Seeing that Stella Sterling wasn’t angry, Yasmine Holloway didn’t give up. "That’s fine. We could just be companions. I’m all alone. My husband passed away a few years ago, and we never had any children. In a world like this, I don’t know how I’m going to survive by myself. That’s why I wanted to find someone like you to rely on. Don’t worry, I won’t be a freeloader. I’m a great cook and a hard worker!"

She gritted her teeth and spoke her true feelings. "To be honest, I thought about finding a strong man to depend on. But if I went with one of those men, even if I found protection for a short time, I know it wouldn’t end well for me. That’s why I came to you!"

As she spoke, she began to cry softly. She had seen the changes happening in the building and felt a growing sense of helpless panic.

’If things keep going like this, sooner or later, they’ll come knocking on my door. Having my food stolen would be the least of my worries; it’s not like I have much stored away anyway. I’m already eating one meal and then starving for the next few.’

’What I’m really afraid of is something else. A woman with even a little bit of a figure like me... once those men set their sights on me, in a world where the law has lost its teeth, I’d probably become their plaything.’

’Best-case scenario, I might get some food out of it. Worst-case... I’m afraid they’d use me, and then I’d lose my life.’

’I heard that’s what happened to a young girl on the sixth floor. She was with her boyfriend, but he was severely beaten trying to protect her, and she was... used by the three Bell brothers. She resisted fiercely, so they just beat her to death. In the end, her boyfriend couldn’t take it and killed himself.’

’I don’t want to end up like that. I was hanging out with Stephen Lawrence and his group before for the same reason—to find someone to rely on. Being in a group is always better than being alone.’

’I never expected to run into a wall with Stella Sterling.’

Now, in a last-ditch effort, she had come to find Stella Sterling.

’I’ve thought it all through. It’s better to be proactive than reactive. My own abilities are what they are. I might as well find a man to depend on. But no matter who I chose, to them, I’d just be a toy. The only difference would be how well the toy is treated.’

’But Stella Sterling is different. She’s a woman, too. If she were willing to let me depend on her, it would be infinitely better than begging for scraps from those men.’

’Besides, Stella Sterling is powerful in her own right. A strong protector...’

Tears streamed down her beautiful, pitiable face, but every so often, her eyes would dart toward Stella Sterling to gauge her reaction.