Nadia snorted. "That was before everything fell apart—back then, everyone did stuff like that. If this had happened during the apocalypse, do you really think you'd be like Mr. Holland, staging a big, formal proposal and a wedding? Please. You'd probably muddle through and just move in together." Roderick paused and thought about it. "If it were the apocalypse, I wouldn't pull off some huge, theatrical proposal. "But if you wanted it, even if it was just the two of us, I'd give you a small ceremony, however you wanted it, and make you my wife." Nadia smiled. "Alright, fine. I'll admit you'd make a good husband. But today's not about us. Let's get moving. We've got stuff to do." "Okay, okay, let's go!" The three of them soon showed up at Harold's front gate. After saying hello, Nadia took their son inside while Roderick greeted Olivia and the others, then headed toward Villa 1. He had a job to do. Harold's family was charged with drawing Natalie into the decorated Villa 5, and the three pets would definitely stay home. Cassian had made it clear that the three pets weren't just animals—they were family to Natalie. Of course, they needed to be there to witness such a big, happy moment. So Roderick's assignment was to wait outside the villa, and once the couple stepped out, slip in and bring the three little ones over to Harold's place. Wearing a gas mask, Roderick moved quickly toward Villa 1. Luckily, the thick fog hid him, and the security cameras couldn't pick him up. He found a tucked-away spot and waited quietly for the two to emerge. Inside the villa, Natalie and Cassian were having breakfast. Natalie picked up a delicate steamed dumpling and popped it into her mouth with a satisfied hum. "See? Even though I haven't cooked in ages, I've still got it." She grabbed another and bit in. "The shrimp filling is so fresh and tender." When she looked up, she noticed Cassian staring down at his plate, all focus on the beef pasta. Natalie laughed. "Why are you so stuck on the pasta? Try the ravioli—it's amazing." Cassian, distracted, mumbled, "Yeah, it's delicious." Natalie raised an eyebrow. "How can you say it's delicious if you haven't even tried it?" "Huh?" Cassian snapped back to himself and quickly picked up some ravioli. "Wait, I haven't tried it yet?" He popped it in, chewed, then nodded. "Okay, you're right. It's pretty good." Natalie gave him a puzzled look. "You're acting weird. You seem like you've got something on your mind." Cassian cleared his throat. "What could I possibly be thinking about?" Natalie squinted at him for a moment. "Something's definitely off with you." Then she blurted, "Tell me—are you seeing someone else out there?" Cassian couldn't help laughing. "I spend every day in this house with you. Where am I supposed to meet someone else?" Natalie jabbed a finger at him jokingly. "Then it must be someone from your dreams!" Cassian dropped a forkful of bitter greens onto her plate. "Eat your vegetables." Natalie shot him a look, then lowered her head and continued eating. But in her head, she was certain he was hiding something. He was usually calm no matter what, but today he actually looked anxious. We spend every day together—nothing strange has happened. Well, he went out for a short walk yesterday. Could something have happened then that I don't know about? As she wondered, she unconsciously finished every last bite on her plate. She set her utensils down and rubbed her stomach. "I think I ate too much." Cassian looked at the empty dishes in surprise. "You cleared that so fast. I'll get you some antacids." Natalie waved him off. "No need." Then she said, "You barely touched your vegetables, so I ended up eating almost everything. Look, you still haven't finished your pasta." Cassian froze for a moment—she was right. Today, he was more nervous than usual. He was so keyed up he couldn't eat; his mind kept circling around whether Harold's side might run into trouble. He knew Natalie was almost certainly not going to refuse him later, but the nerves wouldn't leave him. The truth was, he hadn't tasted a single bite. Cassian hurriedly cleared the rest of his plate. Just as he was about to pick up the dishes, Natalie's radio crackled. "Nat, come quick!" Cassian sat up straight. It was time. Natalie grabbed the radio. "Olivia, what is it?" Olivia's voice came, tense and worried. "That strange woman from before is back. You need to come see. She looks kind of—" Before she could finish the message, the radio cut out. Natalie frowned. "Olivia?" She called a few more times, but there was no answer. Natalie turned to Cassian. "Something's wrong." Cassian said, "Let's go check it out." Natalie nodded. She pulled two submachine guns from storage and tossed one to him, then the two of them rushed out the door.