She Pulled a Fortune From the Deep, But Her Ex-Husband Just Tried to Steal It All!
Previously: A hardened diver surfaces with a legendary treasure, only to be confronted by her arrogant ex-husband demanding she hand it over. But she has a few surprises of her own.
The Abyss and the Arrogance
Brock’s smug confidence shattered the moment Martha’s hand shot up. It moved with a speed that belied her weathered appearance, her grip clamping onto his wrist with the unyielding force of a vise. The audible thud of bone and tendon echoed in the sudden, shocked silence of the tavern. She twisted his arm downward, arresting his aggressive lunge with brutal efficiency. The power dynamic in the room had irrevocably shifted, the hunter suddenly caught in the prey’s snare.
Martha: "Never touch the hands that pull fortune from the abyss, boy."
Brock gasped, his breath hitching as sweat beaded on his pale temples. His arrogant smirk vanished, replaced by a mask of stunned disbelief and dawning fear. His teeth clenched, his body rigid with a mixture of pain and humiliation. Martha released his trembling wrist, the tension in the air palpable. Then, with a guttural grunt, she heaved the sodden canvas sack onto the scarred timber table. The heavy thud resonated through the room, drawing the eyes of the few other patrons nursing their drinks in the gloom.
With a violent, decisive rip, she tore open the sack. What lay within banished the dim tavern light, replaced by an incandescent, golden radiance. It was a 17th-century Spanish royal monstrance, solid gold and encrusted with a breathtaking array of uncut Colombian emeralds and deep, blood-red rubies. The sheer weight and historical significance of the artifact sent a thunderous metallic boom across the oak planks, scattering brine and disbelief.
Martha: "San Cristóbal galleon, 1682—eighty million dollars in royal Spanish bullion."
Brock stared, his pupils dilating in terrified awe. His face, now bloodless, was illuminated by the relic’s ancient glow. This was no mere salvage haul; this was a king’s ransom, a piece of history reclaimed from the seabed. He had come to dismiss Martha’s efforts, to reclaim what he believed was rightfully his by association, but she had just presented him with irrefutable proof of her triumph. The arrogance that had defined him moments before began to crumble, replaced by a raw, primal fear. He had underestimated Martha, and in doing so, had potentially ruined himself.
”He had underestimated Martha, and in doing so, had potentially ruined himself.