Magnus saw Natalie out, then leaned back on his couch with a satisfied grin. He rolled a pair of stress balls in his hands, letting his mind drift into pleasant daydreams. Before long, Kelvin walked in. Spotting the look on Magnus's face, he asked with a smile, "What's on your mind, Magnus? You look way too happy." Magnus opened his eyes and saw the tall, broad-shouldered Kelvin heading his way. He squinted a little. Funny, he'd never noticed before how much charm this guy carried. Magnus sat up straighter. "Nothing much. What brings you here?" Kelvin replied, "I took a few guys out on patrol. Nothing going on, so I figured I'd stop by and chat." Magnus waved him to sit. "We pulled in a lot of people from Ironclaw Base. The villas are almost full now, aren't they?" "Yes," Kelvin said. "Luckily, the new place we picked out is almost ready." Magnus looked pleased. "Good. After my birthday party, we'll open the new spot. All the recruits will have to pay double in food rations." Kelvin answered without hesitation, "Got it, Magnus." After a pause, Magnus added, "Except your brother. He and the men he brought don't have to hand over anything." A deeper smile spread across Kelvin's face. "Thanks, Magnus. Once things settle down, I'll go see Cyril myself." Magnus kept rolling the stress balls, his tone softening. "That kid's stubborn. Talk to him gently. If he really doesn't want to join us, don't force him." Kelvin frowned. "He doesn't get to be willful. He's lucky to be part of our base."Magnus chuckled and leaned back again, saying nothing more. Kelvin's eyes dropped to the coffee table, where two wine glasses sat. One of them hadn't been touched at all. He glanced back at Magnus, a knowing look in his eyes. "Magnus, you seem to be in a pretty good mood. Did Ms. Bonnie stop by earlier?" The stress balls in Magnus's hand froze mid-roll. "Why did you bring her up all of a sudden?" Funny. When he'd just been with Bonnie, she kept talking about Kelvin. Now, sitting with Kelvin, the guy suddenly brought up Bonnie out of nowhere. It put Magnus on alert. But Kelvin didn't notice his shift in mood. He answered seriously, "I saw her on my way back." Truth was, he'd seen more than just Bonnie. Walking beside her was Kash, handsome and charming as ever. The two of them strolled along with the dog, talking and laughing together. Even from a distance, with no way to hear their words, Kelvin could feel the warmth and closeness between them. Bonnie had never once shown Magnus the kind of easy, relaxed smile she gave today. Kelvin watched him, biting back words. In his eyes, Magnus was clever and charismatic. But he knew women didn't always see men the same way he did. Take Kash, for example. His looks could turn heads—Kelvin himself couldn't help sneaking an extra glance. Compared to that, Magnus ... well.Magnus noticed the look on his face and frowned. "Say it straight." Kelvin hesitated. But they were brothers. There was nothing he couldn't say. "Magnus, do you really want to marry Bonnie? Honestly, I don't think she feels the same about you." Magnus cut him off. "What about me? Ms. Bonnie is very happy with me. You don't need to worry. Nothing's going wrong." Kelvin had no idea that Magnus had already been tricked by Natalie. He was waiting for the arrival of his birthday party to finally win the woman he dreamed of. Even worse, Natalie had planted seeds of suspicion against him, making Magnus guard his heart. From the way Magnus spoke, it almost sounded like he and Bonnie were already together. Kelvin thought about what he'd seen outside earlier, then couldn't hold back anymore. "Magnus, I really don't think she's a good woman. If her heart belongs to someone else, and she's still cozying up to you, she must be after something." "Her heart belongs to someone else?" Magnus's frown deepened. Bonnie had brought up Kelvin in their talks more than once. And now Kelvin claimed she has feelings for another man. Could they have done something behind his back? His eyes narrowed dangerously. His closest brother, trying to steal his woman? That would never happen. He wouldn't give her up, but he also didn't want to lose Kelvin, his strongest right hand. So he avoided that subject and said coldly, "Don't bring this up again. I know what I'm doing."Kelvin thought Magnus was blinded by Natalie's beauty and pressed harder. "But even her name and job don't sound real. Bonnie? Come on, who names their kid with that name anymore? And her registration stated that she's a hog butcher. Sure, she gives off a tough vibe, but that's not the same thing at all." To him, everything about Bonnie screamed mystery and danger. A woman who couldn't even be honest about her name or her past—how could she ever be someone's partner for life?