Reluctantly, Lucky jumped down and walked over to Natalie. At least her dog was behaving for once. Natalie felt a bit relieved, grabbed the leash, said goodbye to Cassian, and went upstairs with Lucky. Back in her room, she locked the door, unclipped Lucky's leash, and was about to slip into some comfy clothes. But suddenly, Lucky started running after her, barking nonstop. "Ow, ow, ow!" Natalie, I smelled Hottie on the way here. He was following us! "Ow, ow, ow?" Did you notice that?Natalie stared at the dog, completely baffled by her nonstop barking. What on earth is it trying to say? She stepped back. "Shoo! Stop barking!" Lucky stomped her paw. Why can't she understand me? Switching tactics, she tried using body language. She barked twice at the stairs, then twice at Natalie, sneaking around like a little spy. Finally, Natalie got it. "You want to sneak downstairs to find Cassian, huh?" She flicked the dog on the forehead. "You lovesick dog! Behave yourself!" Then, she checked the door to make sure it was locked. Lucky was speechless. Natalie ignored her dog, changed into loungewear, washed up, and slapped on a face mask. She pulled a rocking chair out of storage space, settled in, and put on some chill music. Feeling ignored, Lucky let out a tiny whine and went back to her bed. If she won't understand, whatever. Hottie doesn't seem dangerous anyway. Lucky could sense his calm vibe. Meanwhile, Magnus and Kelvin were in a villa, listening to reports from their men. Kelvin had his arms crossed, his eyes sharp and focused. Sitting at the head of the table, Magnus looked half-asleep, barely opening his eyes. But if anyone looked closely, they'd see his hand resting near his waist, ready for his gun. Once the reports were done and the men left, Kelvin asked, "Magnus, the base hit 2,000 people. Should we still let more join?" Magnus opened his eyes. "Keep going! More people mean more strength." Kelvin hesitated. "But more people use more resources." Magnus shrugged. "No problem. We can squeeze the outer residents a bit. As long as the inner members are living well, that's what matters." He smirked. "The outsiders just make us look good. Boost our numbers, act as shields, and in the end ... we make the best use of them." Kelvin thought, then nodded. "You're right." Magnus rolled a pair of stress balls in his hand. "Any new talent in the inner wall besides that rich guy today?" "Yes, a 22-year-old girl arrived. She's good-looking, came alone, has a car, and brought a dog." Magnus sat up, clearly interested. "Oh? What's her name?" "Bonnie Ashford." "Bonnie ... " he repeated, memorizing it. A girl surviving alone was impressive enough, but with a dog? He didn't dismiss it as luck. He knew that she had serious skills. He pursed his lips and asked, "How's the dog?" "Word is, it's fat and strong." Magnus grinned, satisfied. "Good. Find a chance to test her." Kelvin nodded. "Got it." Magnus leaned back and asked, "How's Cyril doing?" Kelvin's serious face softened. "I talked to him a few days ago. He's taken over four neighborhoods and collected protection food, living pretty well now."Magnus rolled the stress balls, smirking. "Four neighborhoods? That's nothing! Tell him to come here. "We run all of Jarford—better life, bigger power. In three years, all of Northlorn will be ours! He could be third-in-command here." Kelvin agreed. "I think so, but he can't leave his buddies behind." Magnus chuckled. "No worries! Once we expand into another villa area, we'll move all the residents from his old neighborhood here." He didn't care about the residents. He just wanted Cyril's hundred-plus experienced guys. Bringing them in would level up the base even more. Kelvin understood immediately. "When Cyril visits next month, I'll talk to him."