You’re pretty sure this is the most chaotic press event you’ve ever agreed to.

A tiny kitten is climbing your sleeve like it’s on a mission, Joe is laughing way too loudly, and Maya is narrating everything like a nature documentary. Charlie watches it all with an amused smile, gently scratching behind his kitten’s ears.

Natalia, meanwhile, has turned fully toward you.

“Okay,” she says, trying—and failing—not to laugh, “your kitten has decided you’re its emotional support human.”

You glance down at the kitten, then back at her. “I feel honored.”

She grins, eyes crinkling, and shifts closer so your knees touch. The contact feels intentional. Comfortable. Like she didn’t even have to think about it.

When the interviewer asks who’s most likely to adopt their kitten, Natalia answers immediately.

“She is,” she says, pointing at you without hesitation.

You blink. “Excuse me?”

Natalia shrugs, still smiling. “I trust her judgment.”

There’s something in the way she says it—soft, certain—that makes your chest warm. The cameras catch it, of course. They always do.

Joe makes a dramatic gasp. “Wow. The favoritism.”