Before Natalie could think much, the little girl spoke softly. "Hi, Natalie." Natalie looked down at her and smiled. "Hi, Lottie." The girl was nine, maybe around 4 feet tall. But from her thin frame and frail look, it was clear she was malnourished and hadn't grown well. She seemed closer to 3'10. Natalie gently patted her shoulder. "Come on in." Lottie flinched away, as if afraid of her. Olivia led the child inside and explained, "She's heard a lot of scary stories about you from the people downstairs. That's why she's so nervous." Natalie chuckled. "It's fine. Let her play with the pets for a bit. She'll relax soon." Olivia greeted everyone as she walked in. Lottie followed close behind, turning her head to take in the room. Something was pulling her attention; she kept glancing toward the kitchen. Natalie followed her gaze and saw Cassian finishing up the last of the preparations. She called out, "Alright, let's sit down. We'll eat and talk." Everyone happily gathered around the table, cheerful despite the steady acid rain outside. Harold and his mom hadn't known about Olivia adopting a child, so Olivia told the story again from the beginning. Natalie went to the storage room for drinks while Cassian quietly grilled the meat. By the time Olivia finished, the first batch of barbecue was ready. Cassian held a piece of tomato in one hand and picked up a piece of pork belly with the other. He dipped it in the seasoning and handed it to Natalie. She took a bite, and her eyes lit up. "This is so good!" But her gaze drifted toward the beef on the grill. Cassian noticed. Without a word, he picked it up and placed a piece on her plate. Olivia caught the moment and teased playfully, "Ohhh, look at that." Harold, while serving his mom, chimed in, "My idol deserves someone special. My buddy is just right for her!" Natalie raised a brow. "Buddy, huh? Not Mr. Holland anymore?" Cassian smirked from the side. Harold scratched his head. "That's how guys are. A few words, and you know if you click. We just talked a little, and I knew right away we'd get along." He sighed. "Too bad I didn't join Holland Group earlier. Would've saved me a lot of wrong turns." Natalie knew he was talking about the mess with his old job. She joked, "Doesn't matter where you worked. The world ended anyway. Now you're all stuck being unemployed with me." Ghania laughed out loud. "Natalie is right! The past doesn't matter. What matters is that everyone at this table stays healthy and safe. That's real happiness." They chatted while grilling meat, clinking glasses now and then. Olivia barely ate, busy taking care of the child next to her. The girl hadn't eaten like this in ages. She was small, but she packed away more food than anyone expected. When she was full, Olivia finally took a bite of meat herself. Natalie lamented. Olivia really did treat this girl like her own daughter.Then she asked, "Olivia, what's Lottie's full name?" Olivia shook her head. "She doesn't remember. All she knows is her name's Lottie." "She doesn't remember her name?" Harold looked at the girl in surprise, remembering how Olivia had said she kept calling random women "Mother." He asked, "Did she hit her head?" Olivia said, "No. I checked. She hasn't had any recent injuries. If it's not something she was born with, then maybe it's from an old wound." She added gently, "It's fine. I gave her my last name. From now on, she's Lottie Solace." Harold nodded, watching the little girl eat clumsily, his expression thoughtful. Natalie noticed the child had finished eating. Worried she'd get bored, she called over the pets. "Lottie, want to play with three of my good friends?" She knew kids usually loved animals. And shy kids especially opened up to pets even when they avoided adults. Lottie glanced at the pets; she shook her head. Instead, she pointed at Cassian. "I want to play with him." Natalie froze and turned toward Cassian, who was busy grilling the meat and vegetables. He acted as if he hadn't heard a thing the little girl said. With steady hands, he finished his work and slowly set the food on Natalie's plate. Olivia looked embarrassed. The girl didn't know better, but she did. Cassian wasn't some babysitter—he was the CEO of a huge company.If it weren't for Natalie, they never would've been eating at the same table with him. It was one thing for Cassian to humble himself and grill meat here, but asking him to play with a child? Impossible.