Cassian didn't even have a girlfriend before the apocalypse, how the hell did he end up with a wife? Whitney frowned. "When exactly did someone try to hurt your wife? We're here because—" She stopped mid-sentence, suddenly realizing what that implied. The rest of the homeowners caught on a moment later. "Wait, are you saying the new resident Natalie is Mr. Holland's wife?!" "That can't be right! She's not even living in Villa One!" Jacob and his family stared in total disbelief. "Mrs. Holland?! That's impossible!" Natalie had been kicked out of the elite social circle ages ago. How could she possibly be connected to someone like Cassian? They lived right here in the Hillside Villa District and had barely caught a glimpse of the man, let alone spoken to him. Natalie had been pushed down to the city slums. How could this have happened? Lillian's face darkened as she turned to Jacob and asked, "Was Natalie already involved with Mr. Holland back when she was living here?" Jacob shook his head, firm. "No way. I knew her whole circle back then. She never had any connections to Mr. Holland." He paused, then added, "If the two of them had been together back then, do you really think Mr. Holland would've let us kick her out of the house?" Lillian frowned deeper. "Then it had to be after the apocalypse started, but that doesn't make sense either. The city below is a war zone, how could they have ended up together?" Rosalie, standing next to them, stared hard at Cassian's sharp profile, clenching her jaw. "Maybe we misunderstood, Mr. Holland never said who his wife was ... " she muttered.Right then, Cassian cleared up the confusion. "That's right. The new resident—Natalie—is my future wife," he said calmly. A heavy silence fell over the room, quickly followed by stunned expressions all around. So that's why he pulled the trigger ... Turns out Natalie wasn't just some reckless newcomer stirring up drama. She was the future Mrs. Holland. And they had all, under Cassian's nose, conspired to have her assassinated. Everyone in the room flinched. Click. The sound of a shutter broke the tension. Theodore finally stopped shoveling popcorn into his mouth. Grinning like a kid, he raised a camera and snapped a group photo of the entire room. Look at these faces! Priceless. These were the same people who were always so calm, composed, and full of themselves, now completely losing it. Hehehe ... this was amazing. He couldn't wait to get that photo printed and hand out a copy to every single household. Of course, Theodore wasn't the only one acting unhinged tonight. Cassian, still clutching the shotgun, wasn't exactly in a stable mood either. After hearing one irritating comment after another, his patience was long gone. Still seated on the couch, he lifted the gun again and slowly swept it across the room, letting the barrel track over each person. No one was spared."This shotgun was a gift from my fiancée. Works very well. Anyone else want a demonstration?" he said casually. Not a sound. Wherever the barrel pointed, people shrank back instinctively. Hiding in the back, the dramatic Frederick couldn't help but sulk. Why does everyone have a gun but me? If he had a gun, he could be just like Cassian—lounging on a couch, looking cool as hell, making people bow their heads wherever he pointed. Just like the lead in that action movie he did years ago. God, that would look badass. The people who looked the worst, though, were Lillian and her crew. Because the barrel lingered on them way longer than anyone else. When it pointed at Jacob, his legs nearly gave out from under him. What had he just said earlier? His mind had gone completely blank. After slowly panning across the room, Cassian finally spoke again. "Don't worry, everyone. Natalie moving in won't interfere with your day-to-day lives. As for the Boltons ... that was just our personal matter. Nothing for you to concern yourselves with." That one word "our" made his stance crystal clear. He was saying outright that he was involved in killing the Boltons. If anyone had a problem with it, take it up with him. But who the hell would dare? Hire a hitman? Please. If the Hollands really wanted someone dead, they'd triple the price and wipe out the whole neighborhood without breaking a sweat. Someone quickly tried to smooth things over. "Oh, what a misunderstanding! We thought she was some kind of threat, turns out she's one of our own! Just didn't recognize her at first, that's all!" "Exactly, exactly. We only just found out the new resident is related to the Ashfords, and your fiancée, no less! Of course she's family to all of us in the Hillside Villa District ... " another chimed in. Cassian didn't bother listening to their nonsense. He raised the shotgun slightly, not aiming—just a warning. "I don't want a repeat of what happened today. While my fiancée is living here, I expect her to be treated with the same respect and civility you'd offer anyone else. No harassment. No targeting. No exceptions." he said, flatly. Everyone quickly nodded, agreeing in unison. One of the suck-ups even raised a hand and promised they'd personally keep watch, make sure no petty fools disrupted Natalie's peaceful life. Off to the side, Lillian's face had turned the color of week-old ash. Just a few sentences from Cassian, and the plan she'd spent so long setting up had crumbled completely. How could she not be furious? She'd carefully stirred up tension between Natalie and the other homeowners, hoping to sit back and watch the chaos unfold. Especially with the Mervyns and the Hollands involved, two of the most powerful families around. They had the numbers, the influence. How could they lose to Natalie, who didn't even have anyone backing her? Or so she thought. Now, instead of gaining power through manipulation, she'd managed to piss off a man who could crush her without blinking. How could she have guessed that Natalie had this kind of backup?