Natalie nodded. She was just about to offer a polite handshake when Cassian suddenly stepped in. He grabbed Magnus' hand instead. "Nice to meet you, I'm Kash Holland," Cassian said. Natalie blinked in surprise. Since when did he get so friendly? Magnus met Cassian's gaze and felt a flicker of unease, like all his secrets were on display. He forced a smile. "Oh, Kash. Nice to meet you." The handshake barely lasted a second before Magnus quickly pulled back. Cassian's hand was fair and slender, making Magnus' tanned hand look darker. With Cassian towering over him, Magnus, who was barely five feet tall, felt even shorter.He took a subtle step back and turned his attention to Natalie. "Ms. Ashford, do you like the base? Settling in okay?" Natalie nodded. "It's great. Thanks for asking." Magnus smiled. "Glad to hear it." After a short pause, he asked, "Why didn't you and Kash join the others to attack the Ironclaw Base?" Natalie explained, "It's my first day. The trip was tiring, so I wanted to rest and join the next mission." She was here to kill, not to follow orders blindly. Cassian stayed quiet beside her. Seeing that, Magnus didn't push. "Makes sense. You just arrived. You have plenty of chances to serve later. For now, take it easy."Natalie smiled. "Thanks for being considerate." If a few nice words could avoid work, she could handle that. Magnus nodded approvingly. Not bad. She's pretty and polite. If only I could ... He unconsciously smoothed his hair and stared at Natalie's delicate face for a moment. Then, he noticed Lucky sitting on the ground and tried to flash his warmest smile. "Ms. Ashford, you're beautiful. Your dog also looks strong and healthy! It's just ... " He stared at Lucky's climate suit in confusion. Why is this dog wearing flesh-colored tights? Ms. Ashford is gorgeous, but her taste is ... weird. He paused, deciding not to comment further.So what if she dressed her dog like that? It didn't change her looks or skills. Lucky wrinkled her nose at the skinny man sizing her up. What a clueless, ugly human! Why is he getting so close? Ugh! So what if I'm in a flesh-colored climate suit? Hottie didn't make a big deal like you did. Look at you—making a fuss! She turned toward Cassian and moved closer to him. Magnus ignored Lucky's obvious dislike and kept trying to charm Natalie. He adjusted his smile, trying to seem gentlemanly. "I've got some stuff to take care of, so I won't keep you from resting. If you need anything, just let me know. I'll take care of it." He glanced at Cassian thoughtfully before turning and walking away. Natalie watched him leave, then looked at Cassian's unreadable expression. It was clear that the real power behind Cassiland Base wasn't the Holland Group. Cassian, the true CEO, was standing right there. Magnus didn't even recognize him, still calling him "Kash". Natalie asked, "So, what are you going to do about him?" He pulled a disinfectant wipe from his pocket and wiped his hands carefully. "Kill him." What? Natalie was confused. "Just because he's using your name to act tough?" Cassian was even colder and more ruthless than she was. He narrowed his eyes, watching Magnus climb into his car. "Not just that."She was curious. "Oh? What else did he do to make you this mad?" Cassian didn't answer. He tossed the wipe aside and looked at her. "Want to go for a walk?" Natalie thought for a second, then nodded. "Sure." She wasn't sleepy anyway, and walking around the base would help her size things up. Since Cassian could handle the heat without a climate suit, she and Lucky would be fine wearing theirs. As for why Cassian wanted Magnus dead, he didn't tell her, so she wouldn't ask. It worked in her favor anyway. If he truly took Magnus out, it'd be a lot easier for her to deal with Kelvin later. Natalie had already figured it out. The whole base revolved around Magnus. Without him, everything would collapse. Even Kelvin, the second-in-command, followed Magnus' lead. The two of them, along with Lucky, walked outside. As they passed the outer villas, blood and bodies were everywhere. Some people were crying over the dead, while others calmly collected corpses. Natalie's eyes were drawn to the teams handling the bodies. They worked together smoothly, using specialized tools to lift, carry, and clean. Every motion was precise, like they'd done it countless times before.