Chapter 241: Going On A Vacation 2 [Edited]

The morning sea breeze carried the clean scent of salt and open water across the harbour, washing the last traces of District 1 from Nicholas’s mind.

For the first time in weeks, there was no smoke hanging over the skyline, no emergency sirens bleeding into the distance, and no alerts waiting to interrupt the next five minutes of his life.

The ocean simply stretched ahead of him beneath the morning sun, impossibly calm compared to the chaos he had spent the last two weeks surviving, and Nicholas found himself almost suspicious of how peaceful it felt.

Nicholas stood by the boarding ramp in a plain grey linen shirt, dark shorts, and sunglasses, leaning against a wooden piling with his hands resting in his pockets. Beside him sat two neat, dark duffel bags containing his essentials and several sets of clothes.

Then came the rest of the convoy.

A loud clatter of wheels on wooden planks announced their arrival before anyone could even see them.

Katie marched down the boardwalk with an enormous, brightly coloured backpack that bounced against her knees with every step.

The zipper was straining so hard that a plastic pink shovel and the corner of an oversized colouring book stuck out from the top seam. In her small hands, she clutched a large paper bag overflowing with dried fruit crisps, chocolate crackers, and juice boxes.

"Look, Big Brother!" Katie beamed, stopping in front of him and proudly shaking the paper bag. "I secured the emergency rations! Marina said I could bring whatever fit in my bag, so I made it fit!"

Nicholas reached down, gently lifting the bag to test its weight. It weighed nearly fifteen pounds.

"You packed enough sugar to keep a kindergarten class awake for three days," Nicholas said, adjusting the strap on her shoulder. "Where are your sandals?"

"Under the cookies," Katie answered without hesitation, entirely unbothered.

Behind her, Marina walked up the pier with a rolling suitcase, wearing a wide-brimmed straw hat and a light summer dress. Her face looked lighter than it had in months, the perpetual tension around her eyes finally giving way to a relaxed, genuine smile.

"Don’t look at me," Marina said, raising her hands before Nicholas could speak. "I told her one box of snacks, and she negotiated it into a tactical supply run. She gets that stubbornness from you."

"I don’t negotiate for cookies," Nicholas replied flatly.

"You negotiate for everything else," Marina countered, playfully nudging his shoulder as she stepped toward the gangway.

A heavy, industrial rumble shook the wooden boardwalk as Julie arrived, pushing a handcart stacked with four massive, reinforced black flight cases. She wore an oversized Hawaiian shirt over a neon swimsuit, giant round sunglasses, and a wide bucket hat that looked entirely impractical for a boat ride.

Nicholas’s eyes narrowed behind his sunglasses.

"What is that?"

"Essential vacation equipment," Julie said, patting the top metal case with pride.

"We agreed on an off-grid trip, Julie," Nicholas said, not moving from the ramp. "No broadcast rigs. No livestreams."

"These aren’t for livestream!" Julie protested, throwing her hands up in dramatic offence. "These are high-resolution personal memory archival devices! It’s for the family album! Do you want your little sister to grow up with zero high-definition 4K 120fps footage of her first time seeing dolphins? Are you a monster, Phantom?"

"I can live with grainy photos," Nicholas said.

"Well, I can’t!" Julie scoffed, quickly manoeuvring the cart past him before he could physically inspect the locks. "Besides, Nectron promised he’d carry them upstairs once we arrive."

Right on cue, Nectron strolled up the pier, wearing a sleeveless navy compression shirt that showed off arms the size of tree trunks, easily slinging two large suitcases over each shoulder without breaking a sweat. Vixen walked beside him in a white sun top and wide linen pants, looking serene and completely unbothered by the lack of hero costumes.

Bringing up the rear was Selena.

She had left her tailored supervisor suits and combat boots behind. Instead, she wore a simple, sleeveless dark blue sundress, flat leather sandals, and dark sunglasses resting on top of her pulled-back hair. She carried a single sleek shoulder bag, walking with a calm, measured stride that looked remarkably natural under the morning sun.

Nicholas looked at her for a moment.

"You’re not wearing the suit," Nicholas noted as she reached the ramp.

Selena paused, lowering her sunglasses to give him a dry, unimpressed look. "It’s thirty degrees on an open ocean, Nicholas. I am an A-rank supervisor on mandatory administrative leave, not an idiot in wool. Try to keep up."

"It’s an improvement," Nicholas said, turning toward the boat.

Selena froze for a fraction of a second, a slight flush touching the tips of her ears before she quickly cleared her throat and hurried past him onto the deck.

The ferry’s engines hummed smoothly as the ship cut through the deep blue swell of the open sea, leaving the mainland skyline far behind.

On the open upper deck, the warm wind whipped through the railings. Katie was leaning against the safety glass with a set of toy binoculars, excitedly pointing at every sea gull that flew past. Nectron and Vixen sat nearby on cushioned lounge chairs, enjoying the quiet hum of the ocean with cold drinks in hand.

At the aft seating area, Marina and Julie sat across a small wooden table, watching Nicholas and Selena standing near the forward observation rail.

Nicholas was leaning against the polished wood, pointing out a distant shipping freighter to Selena while she listened, leaning her hip against the railing with a relaxed smile.

Marina leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand as her eyes tracked the pair.

"She’s good for him," Marina murmured softly.

Julie glanced up from her tablet, pushing her bucket hat back. "Selena? She’s bossy, stubborn, and threatened to throw me off a building three times this week."

"Exactly," Marina said with a quiet laugh.

"Nicholas doesn’t need someone delicate who walks on eggshells around him. He spends his entire life pretending he’s made of stone, treating everything like a contract. Selena looks right through that and yells at him anyway. She keeps him grounded."

Julie grinned, the mischievous spark returning to her eyes. "Oh, absolutely. Did you see his face back in the hospital when he told her the dry cleaning comes out of her salary? He only acts like an annoying brat around people he actually cares about."

Katie suddenly trotted over from the railing, carrying her colouring book under her arm. "What are we scheming about?"

Marina smiled, pulling Katie onto the bench beside her. "Don’t you think big brother and Selena are a good pair?"

Katie’s eyes lit up like lanterns. "Katie approves! Selena was funny when she went all red in the basement! And she doesn’t let Nicholas eat cold leftovers straight from the pot!"

"See? The kid gets it," Julie said, tapping her tablet to create a new file.

"First, I’ll make sure they end up sitting next to each other for every single meal, sunset, and private excursion."

"Step two," Marina added with an all-knowing grin, "we make sure Nicholas has to ask her for help with everything domestic."

"Deal," Julie chuckled, high-fiving both Marina and Katie.

After two hours of smooth sailing across pristine waters, the horizon opened up to reveal the Azure Archipelago.

The sight was breathtaking.

Rising from the turquoise sea was a cluster of lush, emerald-green islands surrounded by natural coral reefs that broke the ocean swell into gentle, lapping waves. The private western atoll came into view, featuring sheer white cliffs, dense tropical palms, and a private cove of pure, powdered white sand that gleamed like salt under the noon sun.

Perched on the cliffside above the cove was the Sovereign Crest Compound: an expansive, multi-tiered modern villa built of dark timber, floor-to-ceiling glass, and natural stone, complete with private infinity pools, open-air terraces, and private docks.

There were no patrol boats. There were no flashing sirens, no media helicopters, and no emergency broadcast towers.

There was only the endless expanse of blue sky, the gentle rustle of coastal palms, and total, uninterrupted seclusion.

The ferry pulled into the sheltered cove, bumping softly against the wooden pilings of the private dock.

Katie was the first to run down the gangway, her sneakers hitting the dock before she kicked them off entirely, running onto the soft white sand with a shriek of pure delight.

"THE OCEAN!" Katie yelled, spinning around in the warm breeze. "BIG BROTHER, LOOK! IT’S BLUE ALL THE WAY TO THE END!"

Nicholas walked down the ramp with his duffel bag slung over one shoulder, feeling the warm sea air wash over his face. He looked at Katie splashing in the shallows, at Marina laughing as she took off her sunhat, and at the quiet, peaceful horizon stretching out before them.

Selena stepped up beside him on the sand, shading her eyes as she looked at the pristine cove.

"Not bad for an association compensation package," Selena said, glancing sideways at him with a soft smile.

Nicholas adjusted his sunglasses, the subtle, lingering tension in his shoulders finally melting away into the ocean breeze.

"It’ll do," Nicholas said quietly. "Let’s go unpack."