She didn't go to bed right away. Instead, Natalie let Lucky out to drink from the spring outside the villa, while she slipped into the bathroom for a hot bath. By the time she finished soaking, the tanker truck was already filled to the brim. She hurried over to shut off the water. After cleaning up, she glanced at the clock—only ten minutes left before her one-hour limit was up. She headed to the massage chair on the first floor, set the timer for ten minutes, and used the last of her time to enjoy a massage. When the session ended, though, she wasn't kicked out of the space. Natalie sat up, confused. What's going on? Just then, Lucky trotted back inside. Dogs had a sharper sense of time than people, and she knew she was used to being ejected right on the dot. Yet here she was, still in the estate. She padded over to her, ears pricked in puzzlement. Natalie was even more baffled. "Did I get the time wrong?" The dog shook her head firmly. Natalie waited another five minutes. Another five minutes went by. Still, both of them were right where they started. She looked down at her watch, a thought sparking like lightning. "No way ... did my time inside get upgraded?!"Her heart skipped. Fifteen minutes later, only then were she and Lucky booted out. Back in the bedroom, Natalie and Lucky locked eyes for a moment. Then, Natalie all but screamed in her head like a prairie dog. Her stay inside had stretched by a full 20 minutes! That 80-million-dollar emerald necklace wasn't just pretty—it was a powerhouse. It had already boosted her Blink range by 35 feet, and now it added 20 more minutes of stay time? Don't underestimate 20 minutes. In a critical moment, even a single minute could mean life or death. Overjoyed, Natalie began piecing together the rules of her space's upgrades. At first, collecting emeralds expanded its size. Once the size hit a certain limit, it boosted Blink distance. Now that the range had reached 300 feet, it was upgrading the stay time! She wondered if she fed it another emerald, would it upgrade both distance and time—or just time? If the pattern held, it'd be just time. She really wanted to find another piece of emerald to test it out. In this moment, the urge to hunt for more emeralds burned hotter than ever. The next morning, Natalie was up early, her spirits high. Cassian wasn't awake yet, so she headed into the kitchen to make breakfast. By the time he came out, the table was set with a full spread: shrimp and egg custard, pan-seared flatbread with sauce, sautéed Julienne potatoes, and ham and bean curd soup.Cassian stopped, surprised. "You're up this early?" Natalie teased, "Come on, I just got a 180-million-dollar necklace yesterday. Gotta act like a proper homemaker at least once." Cassian laughed. "That's a hint. Guess I'll have to start giving gifts more often." She shot back, "What, trying to bury me in sugar-coated bombs?" Cassian replied, "If I don't, how else do I deal with such a practical girlfriend?" Natalie arched a brow. "You know I'm practical, and you still stick around?" Cassian said, "That's exactly why." Natalie snorted with laughter. "Quit running your mouth and sit down to eat." After breakfast, as she cleared the dishes, she said, "Quick report to the boyfriend—I'm meeting two people today. I won't be back until the afternoon." Cassian took the plates from her hands. "Men?" Natalie thought a second, then answered honestly. "Yeah. Both of them." He glanced at her. "And after you meet them, you'll still love me?" Natalie raised an eyebrow. "Of course." His lips curved. "Then, go on, don't keep them waiting." She gave him a look. "I thought you'd be jealous." Washing the dishes, Cassian said matter-of-factly, "As long as you don't run off, you've got absolute freedom." Natalie teased, "And if I do run off?" Cassian turned, eyes steady. "Then I'll make it a forced love story." Natalie burst out laughing. "You've been watching too many trashy soap operas. Starting tomorrow, we're switching you to documentaries." Cassian asked, "Documentaries?" Natalie said, "Yeah. 'The Origins of Mars.'" That shut Cassian up. Still laughing, Natalie got dressed and drove to the spot she'd arranged to meet the Griffith brothers. The meeting was set for the afternoon, but she came half a day early, just in case they decided to show up ahead of schedule again. She circled the area a couple of times, making sure not a soul was around. Satisfied, she released three tanker trucks from her space, even dragging out half a tank of gas and leaving tire tracks to make it look like the trucks had been driven there. Only then did she return to her car and wait. By noon, the same semi she'd seen before rolled in, hauling three tons of grain. Dennis climbed down, grinning. "Ms. Ashford, you beat us here this time." Natalie smiled. "I can't keep making you wait. That'd be rude, wouldn't it?"