Roderick was leaning over the fence of the second villa down the street, waving at Natalie. It had been a long time since they'd seen each other. He looked noticeably thinner, Natalie only recognized him because of the way he called out to her. "Roderick?" She had just eaten some of the food he'd passed along through Cassian a couple days ago, and now here he was in person. In a surprisingly good mood, she walked toward him. Roderick greeted her with a grin. "Ms. Ashford! Long time no see!" Then he looked past her. "Olivia! Harold! It's been a while!" Harold and Olivia smiled and gave him a wave. Olivia glanced at his arm, noticing the scar left from the robbery. "Healing well. Still got a scar, but you move like nothing ever happened," she said. Roderick nodded. "Yeah, I got lucky. You guys showed up just in time. I'd just gotten back and stepped outside for a minute. Looked up and—boom, there you were. Total coincidence. What brings you out here?" Natalie replied, "We're planning to move into the area. Just out here looking for a place." Roderick blinked in surprise, then smiled. "That's great news! It'll be nice having everyone nearby, easier to look out for each other. But ... what are you doing out here yourself?" He scratched his head. "Mr. Holland doesn't know about this yet, does he? He didn't mention anything today. If you'd just said the word, I could've helped you look. There are tons of empty houses in this neighborhood." Natalie gave a polite smile. "No need to trouble you."But Roderick waved it off like it was nothing. "Not a problem at all! You're Mr. Holland's lady, that makes you my boss too. Helping you out is part of the job!" Natalie turned bright red. Lady? Boss? Roderick sure threw those titles around like they were official. She changed the subject and asked, "You were out running errands with Cassian just now, right?" Roderick nodded. "Yeah. Mr. Holland's already back home." He paused, then clarified, "I mean your home." Ever since Cassian started dating, his own luxury villa had basically been abandoned. These days, he stayed at Maplecourt full-time, practically glued to Natalie. Thinking of that, Roderick couldn't help but remark, "If Mr. Holland finds out you're moving here, he's gonna be very happy." Natalie gave a small smile but didn't comment. Just then, a gentle, pretty woman stepped out of the villa behind Roderick. "Honey, what's taking you so long out here?" Roderick turned and waved her over. "Babe! I ran into some friends!" He started introducing them one by one. "This is Mr. Holland's girlfriend, Natalie Ashford. And these two are Harold Kingston and Olivia Solace, the ones I told you about. They're the ones who saved me." Then he turned back to Natalie and the others. "This is my wife, Nadia." Nadia's eyes lit up. "You're Natalie?" She stepped forward and warmly grabbed Natalie's hand, looking her over with bright, curious eyes."You're gorgeous!" Natalie was caught off guard by the enthusiasm. "You ... know me?" Nadia nodded eagerly. "Finally! I've heard so much about you, it's great to meet you in person!" Well, maybe "know" wasn't quite accurate, but she'd definitely heard plenty about Natalie's romance. Roderick cleared his throat, subtly signaling her to tone it down a bit. Nadia finally looked over at Harold and Olivia. "Hi! Thank you both for helping my husband!" Then she added with a big smile, "You shouldn't be standing out here, come in! I picked up a bunch of fresh veggies today. I'll whip up something simple and we can eat while we chat!" Natalie glanced up at the sky and politely declined, "Thanks, but we should get going. It's getting late." Nadia frowned slightly. "But ... " Roderick quickly jumped in, "She's right, babe. Once the sun goes down, it's not safe for Ms. Ashford and the others to be out on the road." He paused, then added, "They were just house-hunting today. Once they officially move into Hillside Villa District, we'll have plenty of chances to eat together." Nadia's eyes lit up. "You're moving here? That's great! I've been dying for someone to talk to around here." She and Roderick weren't original residents of the district, they'd only moved in after the apocalypse. Most of the neighbors, especially Rosalie, carried themselves like royalty. Snobbish, cold, and always looking down on newcomers. So hearing that Natalie and the others would be living nearby genuinely made her happy. She said warmly, "Okay then. When you guys start moving, if you need any help at all, just come find me!" Natalie had a good impression of her. "Will do. Thanks." Nadia waved it off with a smile. "Don't mention it." Then, with a teasing grin and a mischievous glint in her eye, she added, "Mr. Holland's probably waiting at home, right? You should hurry back, young couples, you know how it is ... " Natalie gave her a surprised look. Where did that come from? One second she was all sweet and graceful, the next she was grinning like a nosy aunt. Roderick leaned down and whispered, "Babe, she's still right here. Save the gossip for inside." Nadia quickly straightened up and composed her expression, switching back to her soft and elegant demeanor. "What I meant was, don't keep your family waiting. Drive safe and take care on the way back."