Natalie chuckled. "We're definitely not running out of fuel. I've got plenty stashed in my storage." After touring the entire villa, Cassian slipped an arm around her and asked, "So, is the lady of the house happy with this place? If there's anything you don't like, I'll fix it right away." Natalie teased, "Everything's great. But if I could swap you for a better-looking man, that would be perfect." Cassian narrowed his eyes and pulled her closer. "Everything else can be replaced. The man of the house? Not a chance." Natalie smirked. "Fine. I'll make do with what I've got." He raised a brow. "And how do you plan to use me?" She had grown used to his playful remarks. Calmly, she replied, "As a cook." Cassian gave a chuckle. "That works. Cooking for Ms. Ashford is an honor." Back on the first floor, he headed toward the kitchen. "What do you want for dinner?" Natalie shook her head. "Don't bother. I'm tired today. You should rest too." With that, she pulled out two boxed meals straight from the storage space. Each tray came with four dishes and steaming pasta. Cassian knew about her storage space. When he saw the hot, freshly prepared meals appear out of nowhere, it still amazed him. "Wait—your storage space keeps things warm?" Natalie nodded. "You could say that. Time inside doesn't move. Whatever goes in comes out exactly the same." Cassian took a bite of the ribs. "Pretty good."Natalie beamed. "Right? I made it." He tried the chicken next. "Not bad. Almost as good as mine." Natalie scooped up some eggplant. "You're so full of yourself." Chewing, she added, "When the apocalypse first hit, I had nothing else to do at home. I cooked a bunch of meals, packed them like this, and stored them away." Cassian grinned. "So at the same time, in different places, we were doing the exact same thing." Back then, with no work and nothing to distract him, life felt empty. Aside from watching drama and working out, the only thing left was cooking. But without a storage space, he had to eat everything fresh. Natalie looked up at him, surprised. Same time, same actions, in different places? "That sounds kind of romantic." Cassian smiled. "And now we get to do even more things together. Think about it—that's even more romantic." Natalie laughed too, but before she could say anything, she suddenly remembered the pets hadn't eaten yet. "Wait. Where are Lucky and the others?" Normally, the moment she sat down to eat, they'd be right there, begging with hungry eyes. But when she looked around the first floor, none of them were in sight. At that very moment, Lucky was upstairs, showing her little followers around. She strutted through each room with her nose in the air, barking proudly as if giving a tour.See this? This is the place I told you about! Hottie brought me here a long time ago. This is my new home, where I live with my human and Hottie. If you follow the pack rules and respect your elders, you get to stay here with us. Baron stared at Lucky in awe. Cash just rolled his eyes. When Natalie walked upstairs, she found exactly that—Lucky holding what looked like a serious meeting. She couldn't help laughing. "Professor Lucky, is class over yet? Want to come downstairs for dinner?" Lucky barked once, wagged her tail, rubbed against her human, and dashed down the stairs to have dinner. Natalie dabbed more Burn Aid cream on Cash's feathers before carrying him and Baron back downstairs. Life in Villa One was warm and easy. But on the main road of Hillside Villas, it was grim. The sky was now completely dark. The night air had cooled, making it more comfortable, but this was the time when they should have been enjoying dinner inside their villas. Instead, they stood hungry on the road. "Will there be another aftershock?" "Honey, I'm starving. Can't you go in and grab some food?" "I'm not going back in. What if the earthquake comes again, like what happened to ... "When the quake hit, the villa collapsed and buried all four of the family. Unlike others who had been crushed to death or buried too deep, they were still alive. Through cracks in the broken concrete and twisted steel, faint cries and calls for help could be heard. But no one dared to step in and pull them out. Only Whitney tried. She crawled into the rubble, desperate to pull them out. Before she could, another aftershock struck. The ruins shifted and caved in further, trapping the family under heavy concrete and steel. Whitney failed to save them; she herself nearly got crushed. Bruno flat-out refused to let her risk it again. Whitney's eyes burned with frustration as she looked around. "The stones are way too heavy. The two of us can't move them. Before the next aftershock comes, we need everyone to help. With more hands, we might have a chance!"