Natalie nervously fiddled with her hands when Cassian nodded. After thinking for a moment, she decided to apologize to Cassian. "Sorry about that; I didn't mean to insult your dad." "My dad?" Cassian raised an eyebrow and turned to look at her. "My dad passed away years ago." Natalie instantly wished the ground would swallow her whole. "Oh! I'm so sorry; I shouldn't have said that." Wait—if the president of Holland Group wasn't his dad, then who was it? His grandfather? His uncle? She tried again. "So ... are you the son of the president of Holland Group, or ... ?" Before she could dig herself any deeper, Roderick quickly cut in. "Ms. Ashford, he is my boss, the president of Holland Group himself." What?! The very man I had just been spreading rumors about—sitting right next to me?! Natalie was so awkward that she wished her toes could scratch a hole through the floor of the car and she could disappear from there. She had assumed when Cassian was the general manager. She never imagined this young man was actually the president of Holland Group. That couldn't be right. He's way too young. How could someone in his 20s run such a massive corporation? No way ... Maybe he just aging well? He looks young but is actually close to 40?She swallowed and asked carefully, "May I ask ... Mr. Holland, how old are you?" Cassian shot her a sideways glance. "58." Natalie was speechless. What a petty man! Roderick burst out laughing and explained, "My boss is 28." Natalie's eyes widened in shock. She was 22, freshly out of college, and unemployed. If she counted the four extra years from her past life, she was technically 26 and still jobless. And Cassian? Only two years older, but he was the head of Northlorn's biggest company. Comparison is cruel. And to think she had the nerve to spread a rumor that someone this accomplished fell for Tiffany?Please. Tiffany didn't even deserve him. Natalie glanced at Cassian's sharp, unreadable face, then sighed and spoke seriously. "Mr. Holland, I owe you an apology. I shouldn't have claimed you were obsessed with that woman or that you were 58 years old. And I definitely shouldn't have joked about inheritance. You're young, strong, and successful. You'll live a long, healthy life." While speaking sincerely, she racked her brain, trying to remember what else she had blurted out earlier. What else did I say? Hmm ... nothing else came to mind. Finally, she finished with, "Anyway... everything I said today was nonsense. I shouldn't have dragged you into my personal grudge. I'm truly sorry." Natalie waited, but the car stayed silent for a while. Curious, she lifted her eyes to see how Cassian would react. Instead of commenting on what she'd said, he asked, "You like cars?" Huh? That was a sudden change of subject. Still, she answered politely. "Well, I guess it depends on the car." "What about this one?" For some reason, Cassian kept picturing her acting like some hooligan, running her hands all over his car again and again. It was a sharp contrast from what he expected. Not at all like the cold, ruthless reaper. Talking about his Hummer, Natalie gave an honest nod. "I like it. The look is bold and powerful. Fits my taste exactly." For women, the most important thing about a car—besides performance—was how it looked. Natalie was a pure appearance-first type. She believed that if a car looked strong and impressive, its performance couldn't be too bad. Like the one she kept inside her storage space. The thing didn't just look like a beast—it was one. A true doomsday machine. In her eyes, it was several levels above his Hummer. Cassian caught the glow on her face, that almost childlike excitement, the way a kitten lights up at the sight of fish. He couldn't help but laugh softly. Clearly, she was thinking about another car she adored. The Hummer soon pulled up in front of Maplecourt. Natalie quickly thanked them and hopped out. If she had known earlier that the man she had slandered so freely was sitting right there in the car, she would've walked the whole way home on foot rather than face that awkward ride. She swore to herself she really needed to stop running her mouth. "Take care, you two. Have a good trip!" she said politely, closing the door and ready to leave. But then the rear window rolled down. Cassian leaned slightly toward her, his sharp eyes locking on hers. His voice was calm but carried weight. "Just to be clear, I perform impressively in bed." Then the window slid back up, and the Hummer roared off into the distance, leaving Natalie frozen on the sidewalk, couldn't wrap her head around the question. What does he mean by that? She thought for a moment, and then the realization hit her. Her face flushed red. That petty man! As she walked home, she couldn't stop herself from smacking her mouth with her hand.Why did I run my mouth like that? What nonsense was I even saying?! ... When she finally opened her door, Lucky came bounding over as usual, tail wagging wildly in welcome. The dog pranced in circles around her, full of excitement. Then, suddenly, Lucky froze. Her tail stopped mid-wag, and it pressed its nose against her, sniffing her clothes carefully.