All the way there, Raven had been terrified that someone might leap out of the fog and kill her. That was why she arrived so much later than Theodore. She spoke fast, her words tumbling over each other. "Mr. Mervyn told me to catch up with you. He said you need to go back right away. Don't ... erm ... don't do anything reckless." Cassian raised an eyebrow and looked straight at Theodore. "Didn't you just say Mr. Dave sent you? Funny, that doesn't seem true." Theodore gave an awkward laugh. Of course, he had lied. What was he supposed to say? 'I came because I'm into your fiancée and want to steal her from you'? If he said that, he could forget ever setting foot near Villa 1 again. He'd gone home two nights ago, but no matter how long he thought about it, he couldn't shake the idea that a capable woman like Natalie was worth fighting for. Her three battle pets and that stash of heavy weapons were just icing on the cake. Even if he trained Raven for years, she'd never be like Natalie—unless he took a completely different approach. Theodore glanced at Natalie's icy face and decided he had to at least try. So he shamelessly stepped closer. "Okay, fine, this isn't my dad's idea. But I really think we should sit down and talk. We're neighbors, right? We should look out for each other ... " Before he could finish, Natalie grabbed the door handle, clearly not wanting him inside. "If you've got something to say, say it here," she said flatly. "My house isn't open to visitors." She didn't like him. The man did animal experiments, and since she raised pets herself, she instinctively found him creepy—and dangerous. As she moved, the sunlight hit her hand. Theodore's eyes widened in shock. "The Star of Veloria?" he blurted out. Natalie jumped at his sudden shout and followed his gaze down to her left hand—the diamond ring Cassian had given her. She looked confused and turned to him. "What's wrong with him?" Cassian smiled. "He probably recognized the ring name." The ring? Oh ... maybe that's what the diamond's called. Natalie looked down again at the sparkling gem. Cassian had always been modest; he hadn't told her anything special about the ring when he proposed. It was big and beautiful, sure—but Theodore came from an insanely rich family. For him, a huge diamond shouldn't have been anything special. Why did he look like he'd seen a ghost? Theodore's face was stiff. Natalie's hand had been hanging by her side before, and he hadn't noticed the ring until now. That wasn't just any ring. That was The Star of Veloria—a vivid pink diamond worth a billion dollars. The color, clarity, and cut were perfect. If it had weighed more than 30 carats, it would've been worth even more. But price wasn't the main thing. What mattered was that this pink diamond was one of a kind. When it appeared at auction years ago, it caused an uproar among the elite. Normally, the rich didn't go to auctions themselves—they sent assistants. But this stone was different. So many wealthy wives showed up in person, including his own mother, Celina Mervyn. He'd been only six at the time, but Celina had dragged him along to that auction.She didn't win, though. The diamond was bought by a mysterious bidder who never revealed his face. Celina still hadn't gotten over it. The auction catalog page featuring that diamond was still framed in their home. Theodore swallowed. He knew instantly that Cassian must've been the one who gave it to Natalie. He looked at him and said, "Rumor was, the mysterious buyer of The Star of Veloria was a man in his 50s ... " Cassian smiled. "That was my grandpa." He turned to Natalie. "He gave it to me before he passed. Said I should give it to my future wife. He was sorry he couldn't do it himself." Natalie blinked, then thought of Cassian's late grandfather—and her own grandfather. She lowered her head and gently touched the diamond. So it was a family heirloom. Theodore's chest sank. How could he ever compete with that? His own family had fallen so far that Dave had even sold off Celina's 50-million-dollar emerald bracelet. There was no way they could afford a billion-dollar diamond. He'd already lost in love, and now he'd lost in wealth, too. There was no winning this woman over. Defeated, he took a small step back. "Well, since you're busy, maybe we'll talk another day." Cassian arched a brow, a knowing look in his eyes. So that was it—he hadn't come to "discuss strategy." He'd come to make a move on Cassian's fiancée. Cassian's tone turned sharp. "Goodbye, Mr. Theodore."Then he lifted his hand and shut the door. Right before it closed, Lucky poked her head out and gave a friendly bark to Raven behind Theodore—like she was politely saying goodbye.