Norwich’s ports were closed during the winter season. Frequent snowstorms and ice often forced the harbor to close, so typically freight was shipped further south where the waters were warmer. Although the frigid air was like fire to the lungs, it made a morning jog along the boardwalk considerably more peaceful. Fewer pedestrians along the path meant an easier route too.

Jisoo came to a stop near a tree on the sidewalk she often used as a landmark to indicate when she hit the ten kilometer mark of her morning run. She exhaled and checked her time. 

Ten kilometers in fourteen minutes and thirty-two seconds. Jisoo read from the fitness tracker on her watch. Well… at least I’m improving.

The current world record for a ten kilometer run was set in 2093 by Kamarudeen Anyango, at an incredible twenty three minutes and forty nine seconds to establish the unbeaten men’s record. Relative to the fastest athletes on the planet, her own accomplishments seemed nothing short of unbelievable. However, put in context to her old times, only beating an Olympic gold medalist’s best time by a scant nine minutes was rather pathetic.

As she had suspected, the Peach of Immortality’s effects had faded considerably since she first consumed her first and only one. It would take time and patience to dig into her body’s reserve of the now dormant energy, or she would need to devour another Peach. Of course she could ask Grace and receive one right away, but that was the kind of mindset she wanted to avoid. This was her reckoning for getting out of shape in the first place. 

To a normal human, the divine creations of her family possessed innumerable benefits. A simple whiff from the garden they were cultivated in could cure diseases, and a drop from an unripened Peach would extend a person’s life by several decades. However these effects paled in comparison to the powers reaped by those who carried the Xírǎng. Only women directly descended from either Baochai, or her elder sister Daiyu carried it in their bloodline. As Daiyu Fang’s granddaughter and her only known descendant other than her mother, Jisoo was heir to that power as well. 

Nobody knew where her mother Keqing was. How she had escaped the prying eyes of the entire Amrita Corporation for decades was a mystery for the ages. Until she was found they could only hope she chose not to have more children other than Jisoo, and spawn an unknown branch of individuals with the Xírǎng who would need to be purged or potentially brought in for re-education if located.

Jisoo had a lot on her mind as of late. She intended on returning to the fold so to speak, and return to active duty as an operations specialist for her family. After she settled her affairs in the United States, Jisoo would return to Singapore. Moreover she would make a formal request to Min to enter an oath with Eren. That prospect admittedly frightened her. Eren would need to be screened as a suitable husband. 

It felt too soon for that. But ideally Eren would never discover how closely he was scrutinized. At a guess, Grace and two other cousins would be chosen to appraise him to deem him worthy or not. Then a majority opinion would be provided to Min, who would determine whether or not Jisoo would be granted permission to marry him one day. 

I shouldn’t be too concerned. Eren is by all means an ideal candidate for marriage, especially for someone with my role in the clan. Jisoo thought and finally took a seat on a park bench. 

To cool off from her run, Jisoo had taken a stroll through a nearby nature trail that cut through a large park in downtown Norwich. Popular with outdoorsy types and those who wanted a bit of tranquility to break up the high octane city environment. She removed a small pouch from her sports jacket. Inside she kept a little snack, usually a few nuts, seeds and dried fruit which would give her the energy needed to make the trek back to her apartment. There she and Eren would begin their core workout. 

Situations like Eren aren’t that uncommon. They’ll pick specialists who can groom him to learn things about us overtime and condition him to take the news better. Jisoo theorized. She had wanted to keep him in the dark about it all, but knew if she wanted to spend eternity with him there was only one way. And it was with her family’s approval. And one other condition…

A fit of laughter suddenly broke her attention. Then she heard something crack against a tree somewhere nearby. Jisoo wiped her fingers clean of crumbs and returned the sealed pouch to her pocket. She stood up from the bench and listened carefully. Her five senses were dramatically improved by the Peach’s latent power, and since her time spent trying to fully reawaken it, her hearing was greatly enhanced as well.

A small sob. Then another. And a whimper. 

Silently she approached the direction she had heard the noises from. Several dozen meters off the trail and through some brush was a small picnic site. Covered in snow and the benches, grill and other equipment frosted over from lack of use. In the distance on the other end of the private clearing, Jisoo espied four individuals. The smell of some kind of smoked drug was in the air.

She crept behind a tree and observed the situation. 

Three male. One female. All four of them appeared to be in their twenties. The woman and one of the boys had similar features. Most likely siblings. The other two had no such distinguishing characteristics. Their clothes looked new. Especially their boots. Brand new winter boots. Probably the first season they had ever been used. Tourists. 

“Your aim is off.” Jisoo heard one of them quip. He had his back turned to her direction, and observed another person in the group rummage through the snow. She frowned. 

What are they doing? Who made that sound I heard earlier?

The man shrugged. “Hey I was close that first time though. Let’s see if I can put some spin on it.” He assumed a pitcher’s stance and faced some of the tree branches. The other three backed away a few steps to give him some room. A rock was in his hand. 

Another whimper, full of terror. Jisoo tracked the sound upwards and peered through the tree branches. Her pupils dilated to fixate on the source of the noise, and quickly focused on a small bird’s nest in the barren branches. However there was no bird or eggs from what she could tell. Instead, there was a tiny, shivering speck woman cowering behind the twigs. 

Branches and dead leaves exploded in different directions. The man threw the rock at a high velocity through the thicket where it torpedoed into the bird’s nest where the speck was hidden, and the nest was struck on one side and tumbled down the branches before slamming into the ground. 

Blood and viscera exploded in different directions. A direct hit from the rock that was the equivalent of a high speed boulder striking the speck girl's body with the force of an express train. Any remnant of her fragile life was extinguished like a candle before a hurricane, quite literally smashed out of existence into a fine pink pulp.

Another round of laughter. “Bullseye!” One of them side as high-fives were shared between the group. 

Her expression hardened in fury.

Fucking degenerates! The outline of a bladed mechanism underneath her watch activated. Grace’s other holiday gift they had kept hidden from Eren. A more potent formula that only required a scratch. She took a deep breath and checked in all directions to ensure nobody was nearby. Unlike at Ginny’s, Jisoo was sober.

Which meant there would be no witnesses this time.

“…so we will be meeting at a place called Delphi’s Tavern. Have you ever been there?” Maddie asked with her pen behind her ear. With a few days to herself to recover and work at a more tempered routine the bags beneath her eyes had subsided.

Eren masked a grimace. “Yes, me and my girlfriend have been there before.” He replied.

It was official. On New Year's Day, the employees of Eureka would congregate and meet for the first time. Anybody who could make it was invited, and meet up in downtown Norwich. Maddie had already reserved a private room and made early preparations. She would be on a flight tomorrow.

“Great! Well you’ll have to recommend something for me, I love Mediterranean food.” She beamed. “I’ll see you then, and take it easy this week!” His boss encouraged before the video call ended. 

Eren sighed. He got up from his desk and moved into his new bedroom in the speck house that Grace and Jisoo had acquired for him. For the first time in his life he had new furniture and equipment. It almost felt wrong. 

If Maddie hadn’t declared me employee of the month I probably would have come up with some excuse to not go. But now everybody in the start-up wants to meet me. Eren lamented. What should I do? 

The front door to the apartment opened. A few seconds later, Jisoo strolled into the bedroom, drenched in sweat from her morning jog. Her dark hair was matted against her forehead from sweat, and her chest heaved with each labored breath she took. How she still had the energy each day to go to the gym and strength train right after an intense cardiovascular workout was beyond Eren. 

Jisoo smiled and walked over to plant a kiss on his back. “You look all grumpy.” She mused and wiped some sweat off her forehead. “What’s up?” She asked.

He informed her of the dilemma. Jisoo’s smile slowly faded as he explained the situation, and she bounced on her heels anxiously. For a few moments she remained silent, until finally she replied.

“Do you want to go?” Jisoo eventually inquired. 

Eren paused to think about that. “I… don’t really know.” He stated aloud. “All I’ve done so far is try to determine how to get out of it.” 

“I’m inclined to agree with that line of thinking.” She sighed and took a seat on the bed. Carefully she scooped him up and placed Eren on her shoulder where he reclined idly. “But if you want to go, then I would support your decision.”

“But do you think it’s a good idea?”

“Not really. But ultimately it’s not up to me.” Jisoo informed him and took a long draft of water while Eren contemplated his choices.

Part of him hoped Jisoo would have shot the suggestion down flat. That would have made things much simpler. Now it was in his hands what happened next. Normally such important, life-altering decisions were not up to specks. It was up to the powers at be to declare what happened to them. 

I put so much into this company in such a short period of time. Eren thought. And that much was certainly true, without him there would be no more Eureka at present. Even if I’m a speck… maybe they can look past that fact and appreciate what I’ve done?

He rubbed his temple.

But why am I thinking so optimistically? When has anybody other than Jisoo and her family ever seen specks as more than vermin to be stepped on?

The answer was rather obvious though. It was because it was simply hard to fathom Maddie as a prejudiced bigot. She simply oozed positive energy and a progressive stance. She had abandoned a sure fire path to financial success to help those in need out of a selfless desire to do good in the world. Surely if there was one person he knew who would have an open-mind, it was her.

Not once had he even seen her genuinely upset at another person. How could someone like that, so well-educated and nonjudgmental of other people look upon a speck with disgust because of how they were born? 

Maybe it’s time I start giving people more chances. The world might not be as awful a place as I think it is. Eren thought. My dad certainly thought so.

“I’ll think about it and give you a definitive answer tomorrow morning.” Eren decided. Jisoo nodded and set her bottle aside. “How was your run?”

“It was… nice.” Jisoo replied and subconsciously tapped her shoes against the hardwood with a little smile on her face. The action was rewarded with a satisfying bout of squirming from her little toys, trapped in her sweaty socks. “These new uh, insoles Grace got me really do the trick.” She lied.

It still pained her to lie to Eren so much, but it was only temporary. Little by little he would learn everything. Otherwise, he might misunderstand. She killed for a divine purpose. To repair this cruel world and reshape it the way it was always meant to be.

That was the ultimate vision of Amrita. And with every fiber of her being, Jisoo desired him to be with her when her family made their dream a reality. It would happen. Given time, of course. 

There was no point in a shower since she and Eren went straight to the gym after her run, so instead he simply got dressed for a workout. In the meantime Jisoo recovered from her combined twenty kilometer dash which had taken her less than thirty minutes in total. Although such a feat would have left any normal person in a heap on the ground, gasping for air, Jisoo simply needed a quick breather and a towel to wipe off some excess sweat to feel ready to do it all again if necessary.

She could feel just how moist her socks were getting, and chuckled at the idea of the quartet of bullies she had rounded up dying an unceremonious death, drowned in a pool of her bodily fluids as part of her workout routine. A most befitting demise from wretched cretins such as themselves. Once she had reduced them all into specks and shoved them into her shoes, where they belonged, Jisoo had carefully buried the remains of the speck girl they killed. Whatever she had been able to scrape off the snow, that is.

The only consolation she could think of was that she had most likely died quickly. Nobody should have to die like that. Alone and scared for her life as she listened the laughter of her killers. 

That could have easily been Eren, in a different lifetime. Jisoo thought as her boyfriend slipped on his athletic wear. She was probably one of the unlucky bunch kicked out of Northside to make room for their move. Thought she was safe in the wilderness, or a bird took her to the nest and she couldn’t get down… Eren might have even known her name if they are from the same commune.

It scared her to know how fragile life really was for normal people not part of her family. Those without the Xírǎng were so delicate. So easily broken. Each day Jisoo lived with the knowledge that even the slightest oversight on her behalf could simply squish Eren into paste. If for one moment she lost control when they had sex, or she lost her balance while he was on her shoulder, or she rolled over by accident in bed, his life would be extinguished. She shuddered at that terrible thought. 

He has to be approved. Min will give me permission for us to be together for eternity and he can consume a Peach. Then I’ll never need to worry ever again. 

Once Eren was ready to go they set out for the apartment gym. Although it was technically available to all residents, a few words to the property manager converted it into a private one for Jisoo and her selected guests. Sharply dressed bodyguards after the incident with Thomas Evans now patrolled the building as well, and two were stationed outside the gym when they arrived.

Jisoo bowed to both of them before she and Eren entered the spacious fitness center. 

As far as apartment gyms went, the one available here was on par with many high-class public ones. All of the typical equipment was present, such as lines of treadmills, different strength machines, and a few racks of dumbbells. However there was an abundance of free weights as well. Everything was ultra-modern of course, with state of the art machines and equipment designed to maximize performance. 

Most of it was just bells and whistles to artificially increase the price of the equipment, but what mattered was everything worked and was kept clean. Jisoo deposited Eren on the bench near the dumbbell rack while she stretched. 

Speck gym equipment was pretty much non-existent. Although restaurants by law were technically required to carry accommodations for them under disability regulations, gyms were not held to the same standard. It would take some time before anything she could custom order for Eren arrived, so for now they had to be creative. 

Not that Jisoo was particularly interested in changing the way they worked out together, of course.

“Ready to begin?” She asked as Eren completed his warm-up. A few push-ups and burpees to get the blood flowing were all he really needed. He nodded and waited patiently for her to get in position.

Jisoo snatched a yoga mat from a nearby wall and laid it flat on the ground. She then stretched out on it so her back touched the mat and her face was upwards. Then, she placed Eren at the soles of her shoes.

I wonder, can you hear them? Probably not… they’re barely even squirming anymore. Jisoo thought curiously and scrunched her toes around her playthings stuck in her socks. The sudden attention riled them up once more into a fit of struggling in the hot, muggy confines. Each breath she allowed them was inhaled from her sweaty feet, surely leaving them disoriented from the strong odor and lack of proper oxygen. 

Eren began his first exercise. A bit of high intensity cardio to start things off.

He scrambled to climb up the tread of Jisoo’s running sneakers, which had been cleaned meticulously before they began. The slots and divets intended to provide traction when she ran served as hand-holds for Eren to climb. Unbeknownst to him, mere inches away in that left shoe, two struggling whelps were fighting for their lives.

Effortlessly Eren reached the top of her foot, and gazed across the uneven landscape of his girlfriend’s titanic body. She peaked at him from between the narrow aperture between her bosom and stuck out her tongue. “Well? I’m waiting.” She said expectantly. 

He grinned back at her and began his sprint across the makeshift ‘obstacle course’. Eren slid down her shoe and landed firmly on her ankle, then began an all out sprint up her shin towards her thigh. This was the only easy part of this exercise, so it was important to make the best of the time. Once he reached Jisoo’s thick, muscular thigh things became considerably more difficult. Unlike her shin which was mostly bone to make a relatively even surface, her thigh fluctuated between soft and inviting to hard and strong whenever she flexed the muscle to throw him off. 

Wisely Eren kept his center of gravity low. It was less an upright sprint and more of a modified scramble which forced him to use every muscle equally.

I’m playing a little game while these little monsters suffer in my shoes… It was a delicious thought that drove her wild. Eren crossed her thigh and reached her love spot. She saw the slight confusion of his face as he realized not all the moisture he felt beneath his feet was sweat here. 

Nevertheless he continued his voyage, and began to cross her ridged abdomen. Eren hopped from the different peaks of her powerful abdominal muscles. By now he had memorized the locations, so didn’t trip and face plant like the first few times. Next came her favorite part, and probably his favorite too as he came to her chest. 

There were two options here. Either scale up one breast as fast as possible, or dive between them. Previously he had luck with clambering over them, so she was surprised when instead Eren dove right between the fleshy mounds. She giggled madly and almost threw him off balance as she felt him squirm and force his way through her sweaty breasts, and emerged covered in a thick film of moisture for his trouble. 

He came to a stop near her cheek. She spoke carefully to avoid bucking him off her face as her lips moved around. “Mmm, good work.”

“Pfft. Did you even start the timer?” He asked teasingly. She shrugged in response and he slid off her cheek onto the yoga mat below. Eren slicked his hair back and realized that he was almost soaked through with her sweat. “Damn. You’re gross right now.” He guffawed and took off his shirt to wring it dry.

She feigned offense at his quip. “Oh? What’s that supposed to mean?” Jisoo replied and sat up. 

Now it was his turn to shrug. “I’m saying you're a big, gross, sweaty Brob.” Eren doubled down cheekily.

With a rush of air she snatched him off the yoga mat with a wicked smile on her face. His arms were trapped on his side and despite his best efforts, he could not escape her indomitable grasp. 

She brought him closer to her face for proper inspection. This was his chance to say if he felt uncomfortable and would like for her to stop. Whenever she rough-housed him like this, it was of the utmost importance he knew he could tell her to stop at any time and she gave him the opportunity to ask. This time, like most times, he had a wide grin that screamed ‘do your worst’. 

“Oh, so you think I’m a disgusting, sweaty giant? Alright. I’ll show you gross and sweaty.” She declared forbiddingly. 

Eren’s eyes went wide as Jisoo brought him to the left side of her torso past the expanse of her cleavage. She raised her left arm in the air, exposing her recently waxed armpit. Next she opened her fingers a little so his full bare torso was exposed, and pressed Eren into her armpit like he was a stick of deodorant.

Jisoo hummed a tune to herself as she rubbed his body around, careful to make sure his face was not forced against the skin too much and breathing was not an issue. This was perhaps a little more extreme than their usual activities, but they had long since discovered a rather fun little game of cat and mouse with each other. Of course the game was rigged from the start, she could easily do whatever she pleased with him and in reality there was nothing Eren could do about it.

But the thrill came from how completely and utterly she could absolutely dominate him into submission without going too far. It made her feel powerful, to impose her will on a man smitten and transfixed by her godlike power. Consensually. However it would not be fair if Eren didn’t also derive an equal amount of pleasure from it as well. It drove him up the wall with pleasure too, to let her simply have her way with him and do whatever she pleased. 

It was a mutualist relationship. She loved to dominate others, he loved to be dominated by her. 

As long as there is consent, and I don’t go too far, it’s our little game. There was still a fight in her shoes from her captives. And today I can have even more fun.

She brought him away from the crevasse and observed Eren was now even more drenched than before. “Ugh… kinda proving my point.” He retorted and wiped his face clean of her fluids. 

“Oh I’m just getting started. I forgot my gym rag, so you’ll have to do, I’m afraid.” Jisoo chuckled and reached for his shorts. Effortlessly they slipped down Eren’s legs along with his boxers. They could finish the workout later, she had decided. 

Within her shoes, her prisoners continued to squirm endlessly against the full weight of her body pressed down upon them. Oblivious to the fun their tormentor used them for. 

Jisoo felt his previously flaccid manhood harden as he glided across her chiseled, olympian physique. She made sure to rub him against each and every bit of exposed skin, a bit more time under her pits, between her thick heavy breasts, and the firm mounds of her glutes when she peeled off her yoga pants. A little moan escaped his lips as she ground his body into her own.

By now she was quite aroused and decided to take things up a notch. Fortunately this was now their private space and she could do whatever she pleased. Jisoo laid back on the yoga mat and pulled down the rim of her tights past her crotch to expose her hairless womanhood. With how active she and Eren were, she had started waxing more frequently to keep it convenient for him to penetrate her.

Right now she didn’t care whatsoever how filthy he was, she needed him inside her. With a gentle bit of prodding she maneuvered his tiny body towards her slit and nudged him past the many folds. His little hands and tongue quickly discovered the location of her clitoris, and began to massage the area fervently. She moaned and her fingers tensed up around him, which encouraged him to continue.

As he licked and nibbled her most sensitive places, she slipped a finger deep inside of her for a moment to further stimulate herself. Jisoo’s toes curled in ecstasy around the victims trapped in her socks, a bit tighter than she should have.

Hmm… when I cum, my toes will crush them all to death whether I want to or not. In a way I guess that means Eren is killing them too? She thought. I was going to flush them down the drain later, but this seems more fitting I suppose. Eren’s avenging his fellow speck and won’t ever know!

That thought alone caused her hips to buck madly as Eren continued to ravish her.  With one hand on him to stimulate herself and protect him, she kept the other tweaking her nipple.

Help me kill them then, Eren. End their miserable lives. Jisoo’s eyes clamped shut and she began to gasp in pleasure, hopefully loud enough so the specks in her shoes would hear as well. I won’t kill them until you make me.

He noticed her intensity, and responded in kind zealously. The touch of a speck who knew what they were doing was simply impossible to match. And she had never had a lover quite like Eren who didn’t need any help to writhe in ecstasy.

Despite her best efforts to draw it out, Jisoo could feel herself about to cum. She did not hold back her scream, thankful the walls were soundproof or she might have alerted the entire top floor. Subconsciously she took hold of Eren’s torso, to make sure he would not be washed away in the tidal wave of her nectar when she squirted. 

And then, right as she expected, Jisoo’s toes instinctively curled as she came. 

Instantly the fragile, pitiful bodies of her playthings were trapped between the unstoppable digits and crushed into nothingness. Their warm blood and innards oozed from the gaps in between her toes. 

Eren felt another orgasm, and was taken along for the ride as Jisoo came once again in the aftermath of her first one. He nuzzled the soft, silky lips which held him in place lovingly. As her body heaved in the aftermath of two orgasms in a row, Eren continued to affectionately kiss and lick Jisoo’s clitoris. He wanted her to ride out a nice, long afterglow. 

Silence filled the gym. Jisoo laid back on the yoga mat, exhausted from the ordeal. She could feel Eren’s continued efforts and felt content to let him continue for a few minutes while she caught her breath. Absentmindedly she wiggled her toes, and was rewarded with a little squelch to confirm all four specks in her socks were no more. 

That was incredible… I need to bring toys more often. Jisoo thought. After she felt her breath return to normal, she slipped her fingers around Eren’s body once again to bring him up to her face. She sat up and noticed the stiffness still between his legs. He didn’t cum? Oh well, I’ll have to fix that.

Without a word her lips parted and her tongue slithered out towards his body. It flicked over his erection a few times teasingly, as if to appraise how much he desired the attention. He sighed and practically collapsed in her grip while she worked on his manhood. Content to let her get him off however she saw fit.

“Mmm, you seemed to really like that.” He mused between strokes from her tongue. She chortled slightly but did not stop. 

“Proud of yourself?” She teased and gave him a long, slow lick from underneath his scrotum all the way to his chin. Eren’s cock stood up straight, with his considerable size and girth it was easy to focus on it despite how small his body was.

Not many specks were well endowed enough to receive a proper blowjob from a normal sized person. Fortunately with Eren’s larger penis she could get it past her puckered lips, and with the pressure only a giantess could deliver, blew him gently. 

Already close to orgasm from his time spent between her legs, it was not long before he spasmed in her grasp and she tasted his seed on her tongue. Dutifully she swallowed his meager offering with a smile and kissed him.

He rolled his head back before he responded. “Very.”

Blood swirled down the drain, along with a mouthful of toothpaste. Thomas grimaced and realized that his injuries had not fully healed yet. The secretary in the lobby had noticed the bandages and stitches and very politely asked him not to bring any trouble to the motel. He promised that it was from a snowboarding accident, but could tell the old man didn’t believe him. 

The painkillers the doctors had put him on could not alleviate his body’s condition, just the discomfort. His face was still busted up from before Christmas Eve, and his arms as well from the assassin on Christmas Day. It hadn’t really set in yet.

An assassin was after him. Someone well-trained and knew his address. They had managed to slip inside his parents home undetected and leave in the same manner. One wrong move in that fight, and he would be dead. Although his parents had begged him to stay and involve the police, he knew better. 

If he stayed they would be in danger. This didn’t involve his parents. And he couldn’t inform the police, since that would tip off whoever was behind this. He had heard nothing from Claire, but had a gut feeling something bad had happened to her as well. Just like Alice.

He returned to the motel bedroom. A small, cheap room with a bed and creaky desk. Thomas grabbed a lukewarm beer from the countertop and took a seat. 

Those suits from the apartment building are behind the assassin, that much is pretty obvious. And that ‘Tae’ girl is the connection to Alice. She assaulted her, and after that Alice tried to hide it. But why did Alice just disappear then way after the fact?

Thomas took a sip of the beer. Even lukewarm it still tasted alright compared to the tap water at the motel. 

They found me almost immediately. So it’s not a stretch to say they knew how to find Alice. But does that mean… does that mean she’s still alive? It had been a dreadful thought, but the more time he spent by himself the more likely it seemed. Nobody had heard anything from her since she stormed out. That assassin with the fox mask could have killed me if he had a gun. But they chose to use some kind of syringe. A sedative maybe? Maybe he wanted to kidnap me instead? If that’s true then maybe they kidnapped Alice and she’s still alive.

It was wishful thinking. But Thomas could not bear to think that Alice was dead. Especially if that meant he drove her out and it killed her. The question was now how to proceed. One thing was certain, it was that he would be considered AWOL. The Air Force would undoubtedly come to his parents home and ask questions. So he left a false trail for them. He told his parents he would go to New York and stay with some old buddies. Inevitably they would crack and tell the Air Force exactly that. 

But for the foreseeable future, Thomas was a fugitive. He paid his motel fees in cash and turned his phone off. The motel staff thought his name was James. Eventually he would need to move on, when he had a more long term plan.

Who was that woman with all the bodyguards? He remembered her face well. There was something about her, a kind of presence that deeply unsettled Thomas. She didn’t look like some typical rich girl. Her name was Grace, right?

There was a small Internet cafe nearby. Alice used to go there frequently with friends either to study or hangout. It was dangerous to use his phone or laptop, who knew who had access to his data. Thomas flipped his hood up and strolled into the cafe.

He ordered something from the barista and took a seat, all the while he kept the hood up to keep hidden from prying eyes. Hopefully since he ordered something none of the staff would bother him either or think he was anything out of the ordinary. 

Let’s see… I have two names and not much else. Tae Park and Grace. Thomas thought and opened up a web browser on one of the cafe provided laptops. Damn, if only Claire was here. She’s good at this kind of thing.

A quick search of Park’s name did not provide much information. Apparently it was a semi-popular name in Korea. The two most popular searches he returned with that name were definitely not the woman he had encountered, one was a K-Pop idol and the other an Olympic gold medalist in archery. Probably not the kind of people to beat up college girls in an American bar even if they were in the States.

He figured there wouldn’t be much there, so Thomas went on to the name Grace. Frankly his searches were foolishly broad and simplistic. But he remembered her face well, and there was a chance she had a presence on some professional social media platform. 

This search pattern had more interesting results. 

This looks like her. Thomas thought. As he suspected, the woman he had encountered did have a profile online. However it wasn’t on a business or corporate related network. She had a personal social media account. He clicked on the profile and immediately recognized the woman from a few of the photos. Yeah it’s definitely her. But… not what I expected. 

Most of Grace’s account was just the typical content found on a young woman’s social media. Pictures of nature, food, cute animals, friends and family out together. There were a few inspirational quotes, albeit in Mandarin which he could not read. It was not exactly what he anticipated from a woman with so much personal protection. 

This entire account might exist to make her seem less shady. It would be more suspicious for such a rich person to not exist on social media whatsoever. Thomas frowned. Hang on… this company logo appears in a few posts. Isn’t that the Amrita logo? And her surname, ‘Chen’…

He cursed under his breath. 

Shit. So that’s who she is! She’s probably a relative of Baochai Fang which explains how rich she is. 

Thomas glanced over his shoulder. Suddenly he felt a lot more nervous than mere moments ago, with this knowledge in mind. The Chen family’s wealth was insane. It was hard to comprehend how wealthy they were. He could only imagine how powerful that made them, and how dangerous it would be to upset a member. 

One post caught his eye due to the location. It was from a few years ago. There was a period of time when Grace Chen was in either Busan or Seoul. Many of her posts from between 2104 and 2106 were in Korea. And they featured another woman very prominently.

That’s Tae Park! Thomas realized and almost spat up his coffee in surprise to see her. But she looked a lot different back then.

By comparison to the woman he and Claire had tracked down, this Tae Park looked much… wilder. Her hair was dyed a different color in every picture, always a bright shade such as pink, candy red or sky blue. Likewise her clothes were bold. Lots of flashy fishnets, short skirts, wedge heels, stockings, tights, and expensive accessories. A far cry from the deadly serious woman who Claire encountered, or the drunkard they had expected to find.

Most of the profile descriptions after translation described her as Grace Chen’s cousin. But he couldn’t find any more information about who she was. Had she deleted her profile?

What is going on here? Who are these people really?