The look of shock made Kain chuckle. He didn’t say anything about source energy. They just accepted planet expansion. It was unlikely they would believe the mysterious nature of source energy, even with the giant koi as proof.

He made a sound to get their attention.

"Now that we’re all on the same page. The next thing we need to do is talk to the Hartwell’s. We had previously decided we would all travel together. I’m not sure if that’s still a viable option."

"I’ll convince them," Amelia replied. "The water is getting higher; they have to leave sooner or later."

He smiled warmly at her suggestion. Kain wasn’t reassured, but he allowed Amelia to talk to them. There might be a miracle.

The meeting didn’t last much longer. Anything else could wait until the decision to leave or stay was confirmed.

His main reason for wanting to go to Paradise Gates was that it was more secure.

That night, Amelia’s persuasion could be heard from down the hall. No matter what she said, Mr. and Mrs. Hartwell refused to leave.

Since they refused, the bodyguards are less likely to leave.

Kain felt they still expected to be paid, and that was the only reason they stayed. Hope is both a great thing and a source of sorrow. If one day they come to terms with everything, the Hartwell’s may not be safe.

Amelia had crawled into bed after an exhausting argument with her parents. Kain worked hard in bed to ensure she forgot it.

What no one expected was that the Hartwell’s would board the boat and leave in the middle of the night, taking all rations with them.

A dry chuckle escaped Kain’s lips as he stared at the empty room. The food they left with was enough to last for a month. They didn’t even leave crumbs for the children.

If not for the fact that Kain had the storage space, he would have been panicking.

"Your family is a real work of art," Kain said, not looking at Amelia.

Amelia gritted her teeth and punched Kain.

Groaning, he rubbed his stomach and said, "I’m not wrong. They disappeared with all the food after such a huge argument last night about not wanting to leave."

Amelia hit him again. This time, he was prepared and dodged.

"Don’t take your anger out on me. This is domestic abuse."

He grabbed her hand that was about to swing again. Using the other hand, he turned it, palm facing outwards in surrender.

He talked about her family, but he didn’t mention that he may have heard them packing up. He was hard at work and had no intention of checking what they might be doing.

So he pretended not to hear anything.

He didn’t need their boat anyway.

They watched Amelia beat Kain couldn’t help thinking that Kain had a knack for provoking people. His nonchalant attitude sometimes made people want to hit him.

Too bad Amelia was the only one who could, or they would give him a few punches too.

Seeing the two quiet down, Verdana asked, "So...what do we do now?"

Kain looked at the children, "Are you hungry?" They nodded. "What do you want to eat?"

The children were no longer as silent as before. They shout their breakfast orders. Everything from eggs to naan was suggested. Dominic was even willing to shout that he wanted ice cream.

When Kain heard the flavour, he nodded to himself and thought, ’Yup, there’s something wrong with this kid. Who likes mint chocolate?’ Still, he was not ashamed to say he had it in storage.

The adults standing around smiled at their antics. There was no food, so where would they get all those things from?

Kain and Amelia felt no pressure to provide breakfast. The issue was the explanation of where the food came from.

In the end, Kain decided he wouldn’t explain anything. He went to the kitchen when no one was around and placed everything but the ice cream on the counter for everyone to eat.

When they all came down and saw it, Kain claimed it was from a secret stash. Even if they were curious, no one questioned it. He could get food, and that’s all that mattered.

When everyone was sated, the questions started.

"Boss, now that they’re gone, how are we supposed to leave. We don’t have a boat," Jake rubbed his stomach as he spoke. This was the most fulfilling breakfast he had had in a long time.

Kain, who was scooping ice cream, replied, "Who says we don’t have a boat. There’s one outside. Go outside and look if you don’t believe me."

Jake stepped outside, curious. He knew there was only one boat here. He had scanned the area when they arrived. That one boat was the only one here.

Jake’s exclamation made the others get up and look.

A small yacht was moored close to the house.

Veronica saw it and pursed her lips. She knew there was no other boat. So where did this come from?

She saw Amelia and Kain walking out. They weren’t surprised to see the yacht. In fact, they looked pleased with themselves.

She shook her head. No matter where it came from, it didn’t matter. As long as it could bring them to their destination.

"Okay," Kain said loud enough for everyone to hear. "Now we’ve eaten, we should all be ready to set sail. For those who don’t know, we are heading to Paradise Gates. We have no idea how much time it will take, so we need to move quickly.

Don’t worry about food. It’s already on the yacht. Go pack your things and meet down here in an hour."

With no worries, everyone was excited to pack.

Kain looked at the horizon. The building he saw previously was no longer visible. They were about to set sail into uncharted water. Danger is almost certain, but he did not say anything to dampen their spirit.

Sometimes experience is the best teacher. If it comes down to it, he can send the children to the nurturing station. Everyone else will have to fight on their own.

He caught sight of a dorsal fin some distance away. His eyes gleamed. He felt a rush of adrenaline. He couldn’t wait to see what was out there.