Chapter 5

The Sector 4 Mega-Wholesale Distributor was a cavernous beast of corrugated steel and echoing concrete, smelling faintly of burlap, diesel, and industrial bleach. 

It was the kind of place where ordinary people bought in bulk, but where billionaires bought in tons.Maya stood in the center of Loading Bay 4, her tailored black trench coat a stark contrast to the grimy surroundings. 

Before her sat a small mountain of wooden pallets. Fifty tons of polished white rice. Thirty tons of canned meats, vacuum-sealed vegetables, and powdered milk. 

Thousands of gallons of cooking oil and purified water. It was a foundational survival stockpile, costing her nearly four million dollars of her newly unlocked fortune. 

"Miss Vance," the regional manager, a balding man named Garris, wiped sweat from his forehead with a clipboard. "I gotta tell you, this is the largest single order we’ve seen in five years. But there’s a slight hiccup.

 My loading crew just hit their mandatory union break. They won’t be back for another hour, and the freight elevators are acting up. Your trucks can't be loaded until—""That won't be necessary, Mr. Garris," Maya interrupted, her voice smooth and carrying an absolute, chilling authority. Garris blinked, confused. "Ma'am? You paid for full delivery and loading.

""And you will be paid for it," Maya said, her green eyes locking onto him. "But my private logistics team is already here. 

I will inspect the inventory myself. You and your crew can enjoy the rest of your break in the front office. I’ll call you when I’m done.""Inspect it yourself? Miss Vance, these pallets are wrapped in industrial shrink—"Maya didn't argue. 

She simply reached into her coat, pulled out a crisp, hundred-dollar bill, and folded it in half, sliding it into the breast pocket of Garris’s uniform.

 "Take your break, Mr. Garris. In the front office. With the door closed."The manager swallowed hard, feeling the thickness of the bill. He nodded quickly. "Right. Yes, Miss Vance. I'll be at the front desk if you need me."As soon as the heavy steel side-door clicked shut behind him, Maya was completely alone in the echoing bay. 

She let out a slow, quiet breath and closed her eyes. She reached deep into the base of her skull, finding that familiar, burning spark of energy. 

It flared to life, rushing down her spine and pooling in her chest. When she opened her mind’s eye, the grimy loading bay vanished. In its place was her spatial dimension. 

It was an infinite, pristine expanse of polished concrete stretching out beneath a sky of quiet, swirling grey mist. There was no wind. No sound. No passage of time. It was a perfect, time-frozen vacuum.

 Maya opened her physical eyes and raised her right hand. Expand.A silent, invisible ripple of energy washed over the loading bay. There was no flash of light. 

No dramatic sound effect. The universe simply blinked. One second, the bay was packed floor-to-ceiling with millions of dollars of life-saving supplies. 

The towering stacks of rice blocked out the overhead fluorescent lights. The next second, the concrete floor was completely, utterly bare. Fifty tons of grain. Thirty tons of canned goods. 

Thousands of gallons of water. Gone. Swallowed into the void, perfectly organized and preserved in her infinite storage. Maya lowered her hand, a small, deeply satisfied smile touching the corners of her lips. 

The sheer efficiency of it was intoxicating. In her past life, she had starved to death while Adrian ate the food she bought. 

This time, she was hoarding enough calories to feed an army for a decade. And not a single scavenger, raider, or ungrateful ex would ever know it existed.She turned to leave, but the side-door suddenly clicked open. 

Garris poked his head in, looking confused. "Miss Vance? The freight elevator just fixed itself, and my guys are back early. Do you need the forklifts to—"He stopped dead. His jaw dropped as he stared at the completely empty loading bay.

 The millions of dollars of inventory had vanished into thin air. "Where... where is it?" Garris stammered, his face draining of color. "The rice! The meat! Did... did someone rob us?!"Maya didn't flinch. She didn't even blink. She simply turned to him with an expression of bored, aristocratic annoyance. 

"Robbed? Don't be ridiculous, Mr. Garris," she said smoothly, walking past him toward the door. "My private fleet of trucks arrived through the rear loading docks while you were in the office. 

They’ve already loaded everything and driven off."Garris stared at her, then at the empty bay, his brain short-circuiting.

 "But... the rear docks are sealed! The security gates are down! And you didn't have any trucks out front!"Maya stopped and looked over her shoulder. Her gaze was so cold, so utterly devoid of empathy, that Garris physically took a step back.

 "Are you questioning my logistics company, Mr. Garris?" she asked, her voice dropping to a dangerous, silken whisper. "Because I can have my legal team review the security footage of the rear docks. Or, you can accept that you just had a very confusing hour, take your union break, and forget this ever happened."She pulled a thick, banded envelope of cash from her purse—five thousand dollars—and tossed it onto a nearby crate.

 "For your trouble. And for your silence. Good day."Garris looked at the money, then at Maya’s terrifyingly calm face.

 He swallowed hard, nodding frantically. "Y-yes. Of course, Miss Vance. The rear docks. Right. Have a good day."Maya walked out into the crisp autumn air, the heavy steel door shutting behind her.

 Her food supply was thirty percent full. Her fortress was breaking ground. She was untouchable. 

But as she slid into the back of her armored SUV, her phone buzzed sharply in her pocket. She pulled it out. The screen was flashing with a red, urgent alert from Vance Legal.

 It was a direct message from Arthur Sterling. [URGENT: EMERGENCY INJUNCTION FILED. ADRIAN BLACKWOOD HAS SUBMITTED A PETITION CLAIMING COMMON-LAW SPOUSAL RIGHTS. HE IS ATTEMPTING TO FREEZE YOUR $120M ACCOUNTS. HEARING SCHEDULED FOR TOMORROW AT 9 AM.]

Maya’s fingers tightened around the phone, the leather of her gloves creaking. Adrian. He was sitting in a roach-infested motel, completely bankrupt, and he actually thought he could steal her money. 

A dark, terrifying smile slowly spread across Maya’s lips. "You want to play in the courtroom, Adrian?" she whispered to the empty car. "Let's see how much you have left when I'm done with you."