Chapter 427 - 374: Seth Warren’s Little Scheme
Chapter 427: Chapter 374: Seth Warren’s Little Scheme
Chelsea Todd naturally joined Seth Warren’s team. But surprisingly, Seth paid an uninvited visit to Flora Bloom’s Villa Three that very evening.
That evening, Flora Bloom and her group were sitting around in the courtyard, having dinner. Perhaps because of the apocalypse, most of them had lost their families and had come here as refugees. As a result, they especially cherished these moments every night when they could gather to eat, drink, and chat.
Who knew what other disasters tomorrow might bring?
The swarm told Flora that Seth Warren was outside Villa Three. So, Flora excused herself from the group and walked toward the gate.
Flora had deliberately planted a circle of mutated foxtail grass at the main gate of Villa Three. It would automatically attack anyone who got too close. This also prevented people from getting too near the villa’s outer wall and accidentally losing a limb.
When Flora reached the gate, she happened to run into Sepherdine, who was bringing Jed Holden along. She knew the two were there to freeload a meal, so she didn’t think much of it and let them in first.
Flora turned to Seth Warren and asked, "Captain Warren, is there something I can help you with?"
"Chelsea Todd is on my team."
Flora blinked, unsure what Seth was trying to say. "Oh? Is that all you came to tell me?"
Seth Warren’s face flushed. The man, who was usually so meticulous and morose, was for some reason extremely hesitant as he tried to figure out how to say what was on his mind.
"No, no. What I mean is, I know you don’t like Chelsea Todd. I just wanted to say there was nothing else to her joining my team. Please, don’t overthink it."
Flora frowned and sized Seth Warren up. ’This wasn’t his personality before!’
"Oh. There are a lot of people in the base and plenty of teams. Who joins which team has nothing to do with me. You can do as you please."
Flora’s words made Seth even more anxious. "I... what I mean is, I’ll keep an eye on her for you!"
Flora was well aware of what had happened at Villa One during the day. After all, Lucia and Belle Bloom had already acknowledged her as their master, linking them to her spiritual power. It took her no effort at all to know their thoughts.
"Keep an eye on her for me? Captain Warren, there’s really no need. Chelsea Todd has nothing to do with me. Whether she lives or dies is none of my business. Is there anything else?"
Looking at Seth Warren’s nervous yet eager expression, Flora finally understood the purpose of his visit.
At first, Flora had thought Seth came because he was afraid she would misunderstand and think he was colluding with Chelsea Todd. But she never expected he was actually using this to curry favor. ’Maybe he’s even hoping for some kind of reward?’
Initially, Seth Warren had just wanted to give Flora a heads-up to avoid any misunderstandings. But when he saw Sepherdine and his subordinate, Jed Holden, casually walk into Villa Three—a place most people in the base considered strictly off-limits—he felt a pang of envy.
There was a time when he, too, had the chance to get closer to Flora’s side. Even if they didn’t become comrades-in-arms, they wouldn’t have been so distant. But now, he worried about being misunderstood over every little thing.
Flora Bloom held control over the base’s defenses and commanded the strongest attack team. Any one of her pets could annihilate his entire squad in an instant.
In that moment, he admitted it to himself: he had grown greedy.
"Miss Flora, I... I was actually wondering if I could... join your team?"
Flora stared at Seth in surprise. Suddenly, Lex Cross stepped out of the shadows, wrapped an arm around Flora, and shot a cold glare at Seth.
"No."
Seth Warren’s expression changed. ’Why is *he* here too? When did he arrive?’
Flora glanced at Lex and smiled. "What are you doing here?"
Lex opened his mouth, and the faint, sweet scent of rice wine wafted over her head. "My wife has been out here for so long while pregnant. Of course I had to come and check on her."
His words made Seth incredibly awkward. It was as if Lex were implicitly criticizing him for keeping a pregnant Flora standing at the gate just to talk.
"Who’s your wife? Stop talking nonsense!" Flora shot Lex a playful glare before turning back to Seth, having found the perfect excuse.
"Captain Warren, if there’s nothing else, we’d like to go back inside. As you can see, in my condition, I haven’t even finished my dinner yet."
Flora gave Seth an awkward yet polite response as an excuse to leave. But just then, he spoke up again.
"Um, I’ll report back to you daily on Chelsea Todd’s situation. And please, consider what I said earlier."
Flora lowered her gaze, her eyes glinting playfully. "I’ll consider it."
Lex swept Flora up into his arms and carried her into the villa without a backward glance, leaving Seth Warren standing there, utterly bewildered.
’Did I make myself clear? Or did I fail to get my point across?’
Seth Warren stood at the gate of Villa Three for a long time before slowly walking back. When he returned to Villa One, he saw the fountain at its entrance. Ever since Flora’s people had modified it, it seemed like a perpetual motion machine, its water spouting endlessly.
The fine, cool mist sprayed onto his face, suddenly clearing his head and calming him down.
’I was too hasty! The matter with Chelsea Todd could have been an opportunity, but I wasted it. What a shame.’
Meanwhile, Lex carried Flora back to the dinner table. He waited on her as if she were the Empress Dowager, filling a bowl with rice for her, another with soup, and placing food in her bowl—one chopstick-full of vegetables for every one of meat. Otherwise, given Flora’s eating habits, her chopsticks would only ever find their way to meat, never to leafy greens.
Flora found it strange as well. In her previous life, she had been pregnant for ten months, and her morning sickness had lasted until around the eighth month. If it weren’t for her strong physique as a superpower user, she might have vomited herself to death.
But now, at just over five months along, it seemed she hadn’t had morning sickness for a long time.
’Is it because I’ve had a balanced diet with prenatal supplements and all sorts of nutritious food this time? Maybe the baby is developing more healthily, and my own body is better than in my last life, so I don’t have morning sickness?’
But regardless of the reason, it was a good thing for her. The only issue was that her belly was now swelling up day by day like a balloon, making it genuinely difficult for her to get around.
After dinner, she suggested going for a walk. Cynthia Grant was about to accompany her but was sent back to her seat with a single glare from Lex Cross.
Lex took Flora’s hand and led her for a walk under the wisteria trellis. Seeing Lex’s serious expression, which couldn’t hide the cautious look in his eyes, Flora smiled.
"Hey, I’m not an invalid, you know. You don’t have to be so careful!"
The corner of Lex’s mouth curved up. "I want to be this careful. I want to make up for everything you lost in your past life."
Flora froze for a moment at his words, then a relieved smile spread across her face. "That’s all in the past! I don’t care about it anymore. Look, I have my parents, my brother, my friends, and you. Everyone is with me. Fate has already compensated me for everything I lost and missed out on in my previous life."
Light and shadow flickered in Lex’s eyes. "In the future, our child will be with you, too. And I will protect you with my life, so you can continue to live without a single worry."
The vibrant purple wisteria blossoms hung heavy on their stems. A bee stirred within a cluster of flowers, causing a shower of purple petals to fall from the tightly packed blooms.
Under the floral archway, the pregnant woman stood on her tiptoes, reached up, and pinched the handsome face of the man who stood a head and a neck taller than her.
She shot him a glare. "You’re so powerful, protecting me is more than enough. As for your life, you’d better keep it safe so you can wander the world and grow old with me!"