The invitation arrived inside a crystal case, sealed with silver wax, addressed in calligraphy that only the wealthiest circles still used. Gabrielle Serenity had received thousands of invitations in her life—galas, private screenings, fashion previews—but the Abyssal Pearl stood out. It was the world’s first underwater celebrity cruise-hotel, a drifting palace designed to sink beneath the surface during the day and rise at sunset, offering a view of the ocean like a moving aquarium. A place built for people who lived in the spotlight and wanted to spend their money somewhere even the public couldn’t reach.

The ship was essentially a floating city. Nightclubs carved into glass domes, restaurants where the ocean drifted past like a living mural, private theaters, boutiques that only opened after midnight, spas, lounges, hidden bars, and suites that adjusted their lighting to match the color of the surrounding water. Privacy was guaranteed. Money was assumed. Excess was the default.

Gabrielle accepted the invitation simply because she wanted a week of fun. Finals at Bev High had just ended, her schedule was clear, and the idea of an underwater nightclub sounded too bizarre to skip. She wasn’t interested in uncovering anything sinister. She wasn’t here for drama. Just entertainment.

Still, the name behind the invitation wasn’t unfamiliar.

Captain Hayes. The public viewed him as a visionary. Sam, Clover, and Alex had told a very different version of him a year earlier—one involving a suspicious airplane project, controlled environments, celebrity “studies,” and a fixation with famous figures. Gabrielle had met him enough times to see the strange admiration in the way he observed celebrities, the way he talked about them like rare artifacts. Nothing about him surprised her anymore.

The Abyssal Pearl emerged from the ocean mist like a dream built of blue glass and neon. Celebrities walked the boarding platform as drones flashed from a safe perimeter distance, capturing their arrival. Inside, everything glowed softly, as if the ship had been designed to make every guest look like a magazine photo.

Hayes waited at the top of the ramp to greet arrivals. His smile was flawless, polite, ready for the cameras. The charm ran on autopilot as he shook hands and exchanged greetings with actors, singers, models, and influencers.

The moment he saw Gabrielle, his posture shifted—subtle, sharpened, attentive.

He didn’t linger, didn’t attempt theatrics, just acknowledged her presence with the kind of precise interest that always made his staff straighten their posture.

Inside, the ship opened into a grand atrium lined with marble, cascading lights, and massive glass windows revealing schools of fish drifting by. Music pulsed from the nightclub several floors beneath. Conversations echoed around the space as celebrities explored lounges and bars glowing with underwater reflection.

The cruise center was the most crowded. Attendants rolled drink carts, a pianist played in the corner, and Hayes’s robot staff moved in smooth, perfect lines. When Gabrielle approached the counter to place an order, several of the robots immediately detected her presence and rolled forward, trays unfolding in preparation.

Hayes crossed the floor almost instantly.

“Not her,” he said to the robots, raising a hand without looking at them. “Back up.”

The robots reversed in perfect synchronization, giving a wide amount of space around her. Hayes stepped into the gap, resting one hand lightly on the counter as if the moment had always been his to handle.

“I’ll take care of that,” he said, glancing at the retreating attendants. “They’re efficient, but they’re not great at knowing who gets priority.”

He reviewed the drink list on the glass display with casual confidence, entered a private request through his channel, and confirmed it with a quick tap. His attention drifted briefly to the lounge crowd, calm and observant.

“You picked a good time to be here,” he added. “Things get louder later. For now, it’s the best place to settle in."