Chapter Five: Saltwater

The sea glistened like a field of sapphires, the sun painting molten gold across each wave. Amina Kim lay stretched across the sunbed of her luxury catamaran—sleek, minimalistic, and customized down to the last deck nail. A floating temple for one, with her first husband manning the helm.

Correction—steering like a man possessed.

She wore a bikini so skimpy it was criminal, a wine-red thong with golden accents and a sheer sarong tossed around her hips. Her skin, warm and glistening, absorbed the kiss of the sun like a goddess collecting tributes. Oversized sunglasses masked her lazy gaze, but the smirk tugging at her lips gave away the fact that she knew exactly how much Jin was struggling to focus on sailing.

Jin. Her first. Her favorite—for now.

He wore nothing but linen pants and saltwater in his hair. Muscled, tanned, calm in the way predators are when satisfied. Their encounter at the boutique had unraveled something, and now they were here, days later, floating on sea and sin.

Their journey was a return voyage—from the sun-drenched coast of Cinque Terre, Italy. Amina had roots here. Her maternal line traced back to the wine valleys and lemon groves, generations of quiet power tucked into villas and quiet estates. No one questioned her presence. Her family name was silk stitched into the history of this place.

But she didn't come just for heritage.

She came to stock up. The local restaurants, those hidden gems with no Instagram pages but recipes older than time—she visited each one, tasted, documented, and made subtle offers. To some, she suggested writing out recipes. To others, she asked them to prep larger batches of their sauces or oils "just in case." Most of them agreed. They respected her. And the more they did what she asked, the more their paths aligned with hers.

Only a few would survive the coming cataclysm. But those few would follow her. And they would thrive.

Back on the catamaran, her spatial pocket was fuller than ever. Wines from vineyards that only opened to family friends. Olive oils so pure they shimmered. Cheeses sealed, sauces bottled, pastries stored in the silence of her timeless space.

Jin approached her, a bottle of sparkling citrus water in hand. She took it, let their fingers brush.

"You like watching me, don't you?" she teased, tilting her head back.

He smirked. "You're hard not to watch."

"Flatterer." She sipped, then flicked her fingers. A faint blue shimmer lit up.

> [B4: You're hoarding again. Vain much?]

"I am woman, hear me roar."

> [B4: That's not roaring. That's seducing the sun. Also, who stores eight bottles of 1996 Barolo just for sauce?]

"I do. That's who I am." She stretched, one leg draped over the other, the motion so casual and feline it made Jin's eyes darken.

> [B4: Should I tell him you're collecting men like you collect fine spices?]

"He can smell it already."

Jin knelt beside her sunbed and ran a hand along her thigh. "Are you always this dangerous?"

She leaned in, brushing his lips with hers. "Only when I like someone."

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Later that evening, they docked at her private island, just a whisper of green and marble floating off the Italian coast. It wasn't huge, but it was hers. The reconstruction of her penthouse was still underway, but this island would serve as one of many fallback points.

The villa on the island was modern—glass walls, spiral staircases, retractable roofs. She'd designed it with a mix of anime villain lair and early-2000s Disney drama mansion. And in one sealed basement chamber, she had an active scan running for jade. Pure, flawless jade. The final piece to a function B4 had only just revealed.

> [B4: With 20 certified pieces of primordial jade, you may activate Globe Storage. Think of it as putting a palace in your pocket.]

Amina's heart clenched. Her family's villa—where her parents raised Amina Kim with love, laughter, music. It wasn't just a structure. It was a living memory.

"I want it preserved. I want my children to grow up in it."

> [B4: Then we need jade. And a lot of luck.]

"I'll make my own luck."

Jin stepped into the room then, freshly showered, shirtless, towel around his waist. "You coming to bed?"

She turned, letting the ocean breeze whip through her robe. "Only if you promise not to fall asleep too quickly."

His laugh was low and dark. "Challenge accepted."

And just like that, the night folded into silk sheets, whispered names, and another secret memory stored safely between them.

Tomorrow, she would go hunting for jade.

Tonight, she would be worshipped.

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