Lottie was shy by nature. It had taken her a lot just to relax a little. Olivia didn't want to scold her. Instead, she gently said, "Sweetheart, you've got it wrong. That's Natalie's boyfriend. His name's Cassian." The little girl tilted her head and blinked. "C-a-ssian?" Cassian glanced at her. Olivia corrected her. "Not C-a-ssian. It's Cassian." After thinking for a moment, she added, "If that's too hard, you can just call him Cass." Lottie pouted and pointed at him. "But he looks like a big brother." Olivia's words choked in her throat, unsure how to explain. Ghania jumped in. "She's just a kid. She doesn't get all these. She sees Cassian's young and handsome, so she thinks he's a brother." Natalie laughed. "Let Lottie call whatever she wants. But I'd prefer she call me sis—it makes me feel young again." Olivia frowned. "That's all mixed up! You call me sis too." Natalie shrugged. "I'm her sister, you're my sister. Everybody's right in their own way." While the adults joked around, Lottie's eyes stayed glued to Cassian. "Mom," she whispered, "can I sit next to him?" The table went quiet. Olivia frowned, and her tone grew sharper. "You're sitting just fine where you are. Why change seats?"The girl shrank back at her mom's serious tone, her lip trembling like she was about to cry. Natalie quickly stepped in when Lottie almost broke out in tears. "It's okay. She can sit anywhere she likes. Let her come sit by me." She started to get up to swap her seat with Lottie, but Cassian reached out with his fork and placed two pieces of meat onto her plate. Olivia saw it and instantly understood. She stopped Natalie right away. "Nat, no need to move." Natalie glanced at Cassian, then quietly sat back down. She teased, "This girl's just like Lucky. She can't take her eyes off a handsome face." Olivia and Harold both laughed, remembering the first time they saw Cassian. Lucky had dashed straight onto his ship, tail wagging like crazy. Cassian smiled too and shot a glance at Lucky. Hearing her name, the dog leaned forward. But this time she didn't cozy up to Cassian or Natalie. Instead, she stared straight at Lottie, who was sitting beside Olivia. Natalie noticed and gently stroked Lucky's head, trying to calm her. She also shot a glance at the little girl. Then something struck her. Lottie's gazes weren't the same as Lucky's. Animals and kids could both be shallow about looks, but Lucky's gaze was obvious—pure puppy love. Lottie's stare looked similar—her gaze burned into Cassian's face—but it wasn't as innocent as Lucky's. Natalie studied her a couple more times. Strangely, she couldn't read what was in those eyes. She was about to nudge Cassian, hoping he would say something to the child, but for some reason she stopped. She didn't feel like speaking up for Lottie.Harold jumped in to lighten the mood. "I'm hurt! How come Lottie only wants to play with Cassian and not me? Aren't I just as handsome?" Ghania rolled her eyes at him. "Please. With Cassian sitting right here, you dare to call yourself handsome?" Natalie laughed. "Don't be so harsh. Harold really is a good-looking guy." Cassian quietly placed a piece of grilled fish on Natalie's plate. Harold smirked at his mom. "See? Even my idol agrees I'm handsome." Ghania shot a glance at him. "She's just being polite." Natalie looked at Harold's sulking face and said, "No, really. You are handsome. I mean it." Cassian gave her another piece of grilled fish. Natalie raised a brow at the growing pile on her plate. "That's enough. I can't eat all this." He finally set the fork down. "Eat more." The conversation drifted from one thing to another. Lottie stayed quiet. She didn't run off to play with the pets. She just sat in her chair, calm and still. The only time she'd shown any surprise was when she first saw the pets. After that, she seemed neither interested in them nor afraid. Harold studied her and said, "Olivia, she's got such steady emotions for a kid." Olivia nodded. "She's a little timid, but she never causes trouble." Ghania noticed Cassian hadn't said much all night, so she asked, "Cassian, do you still have family around?" Natalie, busy roasting sweet potato slices, perked up. She had fallen in with Cassian almost by accident and realized she didn't really know much about him. The only thing she remembered was that first time she rode in his car, when he casually mentioned his father had died young. Cassian finally spoke. "No family left. I grew up in an orphanage." Everyone at the table froze, surprised by his words. Harold's eyes went wide. "Buddy, you're an orphan?" Cassian calmly placed a piece of roasted lamb onto Natalie's plate and added, "Not exactly. My mother's still alive, but she disappeared years ago. My dad died in a car accident when I was seven. After that, they sent me to the orphanage." Natalie stared at him, stunned. She had always thought he was a confident, untouchable rich man. She never imagined his life had been this difficult.