Chapter 132
Suzy froze.
Her whole body stiffened as she instinctively grabbed Leonard’s sleeve.
He immediately noticed something was off and glanced back at her, silently asking what was wrong.
Suzy raised a finger to her lips, signaling him to stay quiet.
Then she took two careful steps forward, moving soundlessly, and tilted her head to listen.
The fire door on the thirteenth-floor stairwell stood ajar.
The voice continued.
"I know medicine is valuable right now, but I really need it. I can trade three boxes of instant noodles for a box of fever medicine. Or... you can name your price. I’ll negotiate."
It was Wendy. Suzy was certain now.
She had heard that voice clearly through the surveillance just last night—there was no mistaking it.
Leonard had mentioned before that he’d seen Wendy at Starlight Towers. Now it all lined up.
She had left the Kale house... and come here.
What Suzy hadn’t expected, though, was that they would end up in the same building.
What a small world.
Listening closely, Wendy’s tone now was nothing like the arrogant confidence she had shown in the videos.
Instead, it carried a soft, almost pleading sweetness.
Suzy narrowed her eyes.
Was she... acting cute?
Wait.
She probably was.
A memory flashed through her mind—the masked man she had encountered in the stairwell before.
Liam.
Those deep, striking eyes resurfaced in her memory.
Got it.
Wendy was almost certainly here for him.
Someone who had prepared so thoroughly for the apocalypse would never lack basic medicine.
This was just an excuse—an opportunity to get close.
Leonard lightly touched her arm, lowering his voice to a whisper. "You know her?"
Suzy mouthed silently: Wendy.
His brows knitted instantly.
"Thank you. I’ll go get the supplies now," Wendy’s voice came again, a note of excitement slipping through.
Clearly, the deal had been made.
Suzy and Leonard stayed still. A moment later, the sound of a door opening echoed.
Footsteps followed—light, quick. Almost cheerful.
Wendy was in a good mood.
Suzy lowered her gaze, thinking.
So Wendy had already connected with Liam.
As for how close they were... Well, Wendy was the female lead.
It would be hard for anyone to resist her charm.
Just as Suzy was lost in thought, Leonard gave her a gentle tap.
She looked up.
He pointed downward, his voice barely audible. "Someone’s coming."
Suzy focused.
From below rang a mess of footsteps.
Chaotic.
Heavy breathing mixed in.
More than one person.
Definitely not Wendy.
Her eyes flickered.
Last night’s events flashed through her mind.
Don’t tell me... the Kales are already here?
That fast?
Even faster than she had expected.
Leonard’s expression grew serious. He reached for her arm. "Let’s go back first."
In a situation like this, avoiding trouble was the safest option. Visiting Thomas could wait.
But Suzy pressed his hand down and shook her head.
"No rush."
They were hidden.
And besides... If it really was the Kale and Sanders families coming for Wendy... How could she possibly miss a show like this?
Even if they couldn’t see it directly, just listening from the stairwell would be worth it.
Leonard looked at her excited expression and sighed softly, shaking his head.
"I figured you’d say that."
The footsteps grew louder.
Closer.
Climbing steadily toward their floor.
Amid the uneven breathing, faint fragments of conversation began to surface.
Climbing more than ten flights of stairs clearly wasn’t easy for them.
"Does that girl really live here?"
"Yeah. I remember clearly—it’s this building. The floor... I think it’s the tenth."
"You think she’ll open the door?"
"If she doesn’t, we break it. Didn’t we bring tools?"
Their voices came in fragments, rising and falling with labored breathing.
Suzy and Leonard exchanged a glance.
Leonard mouthed silently, "So it really is about Wendy."
Suzy nodded vigorously, her eyes lighting up.
Of course it was George and the others.
Perfect timing.
Wendy had just gone to trade with Liam on the thirteenth floor—if the timing aligned...
They might run straight into each other.
Suzy was practically buzzing with anticipation.
"Tenth floor. This is it."
On the landing, George and Fiona stood by the fire door, weapons in hand.
Behind them were Tommy, Jack and Margaret, along with Patrick.
Vanessa, pregnant, had stayed behind.
This time, both families had come out in full force.
Each of them held something—tools, makeshift weapons—sweat soaking their clothes as they panted heavily.
Climbing ten flights had taken its toll.
"You sure it’s here?" George snapped, irritation thick in his voice. "We didn’t just climb ten floors to end up at the wrong place, did we?"
"I’m sure," Fiona said, swallowing. "I remember it clearly. It’s here."
"Alright then."
George glanced back at the others.
Margaret gave him a look. He turned back—and shoved the door open.
The door swung wide.
And there, Wendy stood in the hallway, arms full of instant noodles.
For a split second, father and daughter stared at each other.
Both stunned.
Behind George, Margaret stepped forward immediately, her gaze locking onto Wendy.
The moment she saw the boxes in her arms, her eyes gleamed.
"She really does have supplies!!" the woman shrieked.
Wendy took a sharp step back, her guard instantly up.
"How are you here?!" she demanded, shock flashing across her face.
How did they find her? She had never told them!
George’s smile twisted, his eyes cold and venomous.
"Wendy... did you really think you were hiding so well?" he said softly. "Your mother already knew where you were."
Wendy’s head snapped toward Fiona.
She knew? How?!
Their eyes met. Fiona smiled. But there was no warmth in it—only something cold, almost hateful. To her, this girl in front of her was no longer her daughter. Just a hollow shell.
Her real Wendy would never be this cruel. Never this selfish. Never abandon her family.
Wendy forced herself to stay calm.
Her gaze swept over them.
Six people.
All armed.
None of them here with good intentions.
I was careless.
In the next instant, she dropped the boxes of noodles. And from thin air, something appeared in her hand.
It was a pepper spray.
Before anyone could react, she sprayed.
A sharp mist burst forward.
George and the others, caught completely off guard, took the hit full-on.
"Cough—what is this—?!" George choked, eyes burning. "You wretched girl—!"
Pain exploded in their eyes. Tears streamed down instantly.
By the time they recovered even slightly, Wendy had already slipped back into her apartment and slammed the door shut.
Margaret staggered back, rubbing her stinging eyes.
But instead of anger, her expression twisted with excitement.
"Did you see that?" she said, voice trembling with greed.
"That girl... she really has a storage space!"