Chapter 21 Food Prep Chapter 21 Food Prep 0 +5 Free Coins Caroline had just finished making the barbecue ribs when she noticed a big head appear behind her , Raven staring intently at the dish with eyes full of longing . She sighed and handed him two pieces . Then she tossed together a quick plate of stir - fried greens , making a bigger portion so she could split it into five servings . By the time three dishes were done , Caroline had packed five lunch boxes . The pasta was also perfectly cooked , portioned neatly into each box . Once that was settled , she grabbed another pan and started working on a new dish . After bustling around for most of the night , she ended up with over 30 lunch boxes by dawn ! They were just regular homem dishes , but the portions were hearty , full of meat , and all`dishes she personally enjoyed . Meanwhile , in the pressure cooker , a pot of chicken soup was still simmering . Caroline decided to let it cook a bit longer sø the chicken would fall apart tender , and in the meantime , she went to take a short nap . By the time she woke up , she figured she could turn the extra into another chicken dish . Just thinking about it made her happy . Raven still looked lively and energetic , even after sneaking plenty of snacks and drinks through the night . Caroline walked over and patted his big head gently . " I'm going to rest for a bit . If anything happens , make sure you wake me . " She also switched on the air conditioner , setting it at 78 ° F - just so Raven would not sneakily set it down to 64 ° F again and freeze her . Three hours later , when Caroline woke up , Raven was sleeping right beside her , drooling slightly , looking nothing like the intimidating " hero dog " it usually seemed to be . She reached out , wanting to pinch his ear , but he instantly woke and shot her a sharp , alert look . " Lame , Caroline muttered , rolling her eyes . She stretched lazily before getting up to start her morning workout . After a jog outside , she came back to find three missed calls on her phone - all from the renovation company . They were clearly calling to apologize and begging her not to spread what had happened . After all , if word got out that they had hired a criminal as a worker , their company would be ruined . " Caroline took a deep breath . " You'd better check the identities of your workers properly . Don't let this happen again . If it weren't for my dog . I might not be alive right now ! " The company rep apologized again and again . Caroline was not going to let it slide , but she also did not want to waste time arguing endlessly . She kept it short : if they wanted the matter settled , they would have to pay . Hearing the word " compensation ," the company actually sounded relieved . By that afternoon , Caroline received 250,000 dollars transferred to her account - the amount both sides agreed on . She had no interest in dragging it through court , which would only waste her time , and the company did not want the legal or reputational fallout either , so the payout was swift . 1/2 +5 Free Coins Chapter 21 Food Prep On top of that , she also got a 200,000 reward for reporting the criminal . Altogether , she came out of the ordeal shaken but safe , with 450,000 in hand . Whether it counted as a blessing in disguise , she wasn't sure . Still , the incident made her realize her home was not as secure as she thought . That very day , Caroline went out and bought two new locks , more advanced than the old ones , plus a palm - sized lock she could use to secure things from the inside . Unless someone literally cut the whole lock apart , there was no way to break in . She also decided her bulletproof glass was not enough . She hired people to reinforce her windows with protective mesh and anti - theft bars . When it was all finished , she looked around her home and thought - unless Superman himself showed up , nobody was getting inside . That day , Caroline also headed over to the warehouse as planned to pick up a shipment from the pharmaceutical rep . Once the goods were handed over , the rep pulled her aside conspiratorially . " Miss , you're still young . You don't know the real money - makers in a pharmacy , do you ? " Caroline arched an eyebrow , pretending to be curious . " What are they ? " " Contraceptives and health supplements ! Look at you ! You bought so many standard medicines , but not a single one of those . The profit margins are huge ! " Caroline almost laughed at his eager face . Still , his words reminded her - contraceptives were worth stocking , especially abortion pills . It was harsh , but in the apocalypse , those would be in high demand . She and the rep finalized another order of contraceptives , this time having them shipped directly instead of meeting in person . The order was smaller , about a dozen large boxes , which she could easily collect and stash into her storage space herself . As for the endless health supplements he kept pushing , Caroline grew annoyed quickly and brushed him off as soon as she could .