Whether they believed what he said, he couldn’t tell, but there was one thing he was certain of. Their loyalty value had gone up.

His stomach rumbled, stopping any further thought of conversation.

He opened his mouth to ask if there was food, then he remembered they hadn’t brought anything. No one was thinking about food when the yacht was being torn apart.

It was their luck that whoever was controlling his body was kind enough to create this for them to sit in.

The time now was probably late. They hadn’t eaten. He didn’t need to think about food. There was more than enough in the storage. The issue was whether to let them know.

Thinking about it, he wasn’t very keen on it.

Food is in the penthouse. Tomorrow, they would have to find a way in. A night without food won’t kill them.

Making a final remark, he said, "You may not believe what I say now. Tomorrow, let’s get to safety, then we can sit down and have a chat. For now, sleep."

Using Amelia’s lap as a pillow, he pinched her thigh, lay down, and closed his eyes.

Morning came quicker than any of them expected. Occasionally, someone’s stomach would growl.

The sun peeked over the horizon, lazily bathing the group in its warmth. Their clothes were stiff from being in the water yesterday.

"Hopefully, this is the last time we’ll set foot in this water." Kain especially had no intention of being in this water again.

They had been stinking to high heaven since yesterday.

"We need to find an opening. A window, a door, anything. We’ll take turns searching. See if there are any broken windows on the first few floors. If not, we’re going to have to break some."

Preparations were made, and everyone got to work.

Two hours, not long, not short. That’s how much time it took for them to find an opening. The window was half-shattered. Kain had the most strength of them all. He was able to kick the remaining glass from the window pane.

After all the trouble they had gone through, the universe was merciful enough to give them smooth sailing getting into the building.

The hardest part was holding their breath. The smashed window was on the fourth floor. So they needed to hold it going down and coming up.

Kain and Amelia had the easiest time doing this, with both being Awakened.

As the team broke through the surface and into the building, they quickly climbed the stairs. Unfortunately, using the elevator was out of the question. So they had to climb more than one hundred floors on their own.

Not many people lived in the apartments in Paradise Gates. They had no reason to meet them. It was even more inconceivable for anyone to willingly climb so many stairs.

At least that’s what Kain told himself.

When he finally made his way to the security gates he had installed, he saw evidence of it being tampered with.

The security gates were separate from the exit stairwell, which they had just come out of.

Confused and somewhat furious, he ignored the issue. The security doors were the highest configuration he could get; silly attempts to open them would amount to nothing.

Wanting to soothe his hunger, Kain hadn’t noticed that the moment he opened the gate, someone opened the side door that led to the stairs and saw him and his group going through the gate.

Kain sighed; he was finally out of the waters. He clapped his hands. "Alright, all five of these floors are ours. Me, Amelia, and the kids are on the top floor. You all can decide where you want to go. There’s food, water, clothes, everything you need."

He pointed to a small inconspicuous staircase. "As you can see, I’ve installed a staircase leading to each floor. You only get to the hallway, not into the actual room."

He took four keys from around his neck, "Pick one and stick to it."

After taking their pick. Jake ended up living with Verdana, Veronica, and Jaylin. Matthew, of course, chose to live with Claire. The fourth and fifth floors were left empty.

"Tomorrow morning, 9:00 am, we’ll meet to discuss the way forward."

He took Amelia’s hand and went straight to the top floor, ignoring them.

Behind closed doors, the first thing Amelia asked was, "Are the kids okay?"

Kain scoffed, taking off his clothes and tossing them in storage. He had no intention of ever wearing it again. If he could control fire like he did yesterday, he would incinerate them.

Standing naked before Amelia, he said, "They’re fine. They’re having a great time. You can check the space. Did you forget?"

He gave her a quick kiss and rushed to the bathroom.

An hour in the bathroom, just splashing around in clean water. Kain felt embarrassed to mention it to anyone, but that’s exactly what he did.

He had the means. He won’t allow himself to live like a pauper when he can be comfortable. When he came out, he found Amelia had placed a spread on the table.

Rice, chicken, vegetables, fruits, and most importantly, no fish.

"Take the kids out so we can eat together."

When they appeared, it was obvious they were each doing their own thing. Avery had her fist out, Dominic was bending, and Ashton kept looking at his hands.

"Dad, put us back," Ashton complained, jumping.

"No. Your mother wants us to eat together. Plus...why don’t you take a look at where we are?"

This was the first time Kain called Amelia their mother. Usually, he would refer to her as Amy.

The title of mother had always been reserved until now. Though the children did call her ’Mom,’ he never used it. Hearing him use the word made Amelia’s eyes shine.

She knew Kain hadn’t given their time together a status. If he introduced her, he would always use her name. There was never a mention of them being together. They slept together, ate together, and did everything else a couple would do, but until this moment, he never acknowledged her as anything other than Amelia or Amy.

The thought that he might acknowledge their relationship aside from being parents to the children gave her a thrill.

While Amelia was caught in her own thoughts, the children were exploring.

"Is this where we’ll live now?" Avery bounced around the room.

Kain nodded, "Yes, this is your home now. Do you like it?"

Avery and Ashton responded immediately, ’like’. Dominic was slower. Kain paid special attention to him.

He asked again, to Dominic specifically, "Do you like your new home, Dom?"

The boy’s eyes moved around the room. "I like it. Our new home."

Kain’s smile bloomed when he heard that. The system also made its presence known.

[Access to Sanctuary Authority granted.]

[Floor plan available for claimed living spaces.]

[Living spaces are now system-locked.]

[The host can now add living spaces to the nurturing station.]

[Faction members with a loyalty of 90% and above now have access to team storage.]

’Huh?’

That was all Kain could say when he saw the notifications.