Maddening Storm

A Date?

The feeling of holding a hot potato in her hands was awfully intense.

"I can't let anyone find out about the spatial space. Otherwise..."

An image of her stripped and restrained on a laboratory bed, with wires and needles sticking out of her body like a porcupine, flashed in her mind and sent shivers down her spine.

The scientists in the apocalyptic world could only be described with one term, and that was lunatics. The crash of the government and civilized society gave them free reign to unleash the demons in their hearts and do whatever they wanted. Capturing people with special powers, and performing extreme and unethical experiments on them, became one of their new hobbies.

Ella had already died once. She did not want to become a test subject and die without a complete corpse.

So this space and its ability...it could not be exposed!

Sighing despondently, she left the spirit spring with a slight thought.

Her room was silent, and she appeared on top of her bed. Ella didn't know if her body had disappeared with her entrance into the spatial space, or if only her conscience had left her body.

But from where she appeared, she knew she could at least shift her positions with the use of the space.

Perfect!

At the descent of the apocalypse, she was one of the majority who awakened only a single special ability, and that too, two years after the end of the world. The nightmare of sleeping in telephone booths with zombie arms stuck in the glass and reaching out for her, their stiff faces plastered on the screen with their eerie milky eyeballs staring unblinkingly, was still as fresh and vivid in her mind as if it had happened yesterday.

With the ability to shift positions, she could at least escape a zombie encirclement.

Knock! Knock!

"Elladine Muzhir, if you don't open this door in ten seconds, I'll break it down!"

Jabri Vaahid's thunderous shout shattered her trance like glass swept with a sound wave attack.

Hell! Did she miss something? How long had she been in the spatial space?

Ella couldn't tell. It was still dark outside, and there were no clocks in the room. She hurriedly jumped off the bed and raced towards the door. With an anxious yank, she pulled it open and looked up at her contract husband.

"What is it? Why are you back again?" She asked with a disgruntled expression.

He suspiciously narrowed eyes. "You...why did you take so long to open the door? What were you doing in there?"

"If you haven't noticed, it's night time. Normal people sleep at this time." She emphasized the word normal and sneered in gleeful mirth when his expression froze.

But only for a brief moment. Jabri Vaahid wasn't a man she could offend. Until she left the Vaahid Mansion, Ella did not want to cross him. If she got locked up in the underground dungeon of her previous life, she would have to start a fire again to gain her freedom.

The man quickly regained his composer and clasped his hands behind his back. With a cold face, he stared at her for a few seconds, then said in a helpless voice. "Elladine, you are now my wife and the Mistress of this Mansion. As the wife of Jabri Vaahid, you have certain duties you have to fulfill..."

"Don't even think about it! I will not sleep with you!" Ella cut him off before he could complete his sentence.

Wife, my foot! She was his bought bride! his breed tool! When did she become the Mistress of his Mansion? And since she wasn't the one to take his money, Ella refused to let him touch her. If he was dissatisfied, he could seek out Kuram Noel for explanation!

Sigh. It seemed she wouldn't be able to avoid the dungeon after all...

"What the hell are you thinking? I was going to say you have social responsibilities to fulfill. But from your impatience, could it be...you're in a hurry to sleep with me?"

The man's usual stoic expression softened into a teasing smirk. His dark eyes flickered with unidentifiable emotion as he scanned her from head to toe.

"Who...who's in a hurry to sleep with you!? Mr. Vaahid, don't flatter yourself."

"I'm flattering myself? You're obviously in a hurry to sleep with me. Otherwise, why would you bring up the topic with such agitation?"

"That's because you spoke misleadingly. You spoke misleadingly!"

"Heh. I didn't say anything about sleeping together, though? Woman, it's fine if you want to sleep with me. Though I'm not in the mood right now, I'm sure I'll get into the act after seeing your bare skin. After all, we're husband and wife, and it's the law of nature for a married couple to sleep together. Why are you getting so flustered?"

Ella scoffed disgustedly. "Why? Because you bought me as a breeding tool! Do you think I would look forward to presenting myself as a contracted womb?"

Instantly, a suffocating pressure pressed on her chest. Ella blanched, and took back a staggering step.

Da**! Da**! Da**! She had forgotten who she was facing!

Holding her chest, she wheezed and coughed for a few seconds like a fish on dry land. "Cough! Cough!" Her eyes stung, and for a split instant, she wondered if this was how she was going to lose her precious second life...

In the next second, a pair of strong arms wrapped around her shoulders, and the oppressive pressure disappeared as suddenly as it appeared. Jabri Vaahid picked her up and briskly carried her to the bed. Gently setting her on the mattress, he hovered over her with a worried expression. "You...Are you okay? Do you need me to call a doctor?" He asked with a ting of guilt.

"No, I'm fine. I think it's about time you left." The longer he stuck around her, the more danger she would likely be in.

Ella wanted to live long. Even with the shadow of the impending apocalypse hanging over her head, she had no desire to die or end her life early.

"Then, I'll leave. But...can you wake up early tomorrow morning? I have a social event, and my business partners want to meet my wife. I had the servants fill your wardrobe with new jewelry, formal gowns, heels, and purses...you can wear whatever you want. Just be ready by 8, okay?"

Social event? So he needed her to accompany him.

Ella sighed dejectedly. After the little suffocating incident, she didn't feel like going anywhere with him at all. However, he gave her the purple pendant. That was tantamount to giving her a lease on life, a higher probability of surviving in the world after doomsday.

"Alright, I'll be ready at 8."

Just a social gathering, how hard could it be?

Although the comparison between a life and a date couldn't be mentioned, sticking around him was no different from walking around with a time bomb on her neck. For Ella, it was a fair exchange to return his favor and relieve the burden on her mind.

Getting her consent, Jabri Vaahid hesitated for a brief moment. He opened his mouth, then closed it with a frown. In the end, with a stiff nod of his head, he made his way out of her room.

He needed to be patient. She was now his wife. With a long future together, he had plenty of time to change her mind.

The moment his figure disappeared from her sight, Ella released the breath she had been holding and slumped onto her bed.

Da**! This was one hell of a day.

Rebirth, discovery of her ex-husband and best friend having an affair behind her back, spatial space, and a date to look forward to...

Though the world was about to end in four days, Ella still looked forward to the sunshine of the next morning.

She wanted to fully enjoy the last few days of a peaceful civilization. Once the primitive era was ushered in, peace would become a long lost dream...