No way Lucas could like me! After Theresa got back, she first told Tyler what Tania meant. With his heart sinking, she spelled it out—Tania had flat-out rejected him. That little spark that never really had a chance was completely snuffed out. Once she finished with Tyler, Theresa went to find Lucas. Busy as she was, she still had to deliver another rejection on Tania's behalf. … She found Lucas at Xavier's house. The moment she walked in, Xavier greeted her with a wide grin. "Theresa's here." "Old Mr. Keaton." Theresa greeted and carried over two boxes of cookies. "You come all this way and bring treats too." Xavier's expression lit up at the sight of the cookies. "You've got so few hobbies, Old Mr. Keaton. I rarely drop by, don't I owe you a little joy?" Xavier laughed even harder. "You're amazing. If only Lucas had half your sense, I could finally close my eyes in peace." He shot a sharp look at Lucas standing beside him. Lucas instantly went into his best 'I'm in trouble' mode. They could practically see the guilt written all over him. "What's up with him?" "I'm still worrying about his big life decisions. Lucas is twenty-eight, almost thirty, still not married, and he's keeping me awake over it." "Old Mr. Keaton, you should take it easy. Things like this are all about timing and luck. You can't rush it," Theresa said, speaking up for Lucas. Xavier looked at her and said, "I'm not rushing. I'm frustrated. Lucas is such a closed-off guy. If he likes someone, he's too scared to say it." "Grandpa!" Lucas shouted. "Shut up. Theresa's here today. You're too scared to ask, so I'll ask for you. Theresa—" Lucas panicked at that, and his cheek turned bright red. He stepped forward and grabbed Theresa, pulling her away.She shrugged him off. "Why hide it? Since Grandpa knows, I'll just say it straight." Lucas went completely speechless. Xavier's eyes widened as he stared at Theresa. "You knew too?" "Yeah, Lucas told me a while back. I actually came today to give him the final answer," Theresa said, taking a deep breath. She looked at him with undeniable regret. "It's not going to happen, but at least we can all still be family." Lucas just stared at her, dumbfounded. Theresa patted his shoulder and leaned in, lowering her voice so only he could hear. "My Aunt Tania didn't say yes to Tyler either." Lucas was left utterly speechless again. He watched Theresa's serious, straight-up expression and let out a small laugh. The gloom that had clouded his face just moments ago vanished. His gaze locked on her, and his clear eyes sparkled. Meanwhile, Xavier sank into a state of complete regret at her words. He stared at Theresa, feeling the weight of the moment. What a great girl. Sigh! In the end, Lucas just isn't worthy of her. Well, it's not surprising. The good thing is that Theresa is so understanding about it. Even after saying no, she doesn't cut ties with us, and we can still be family. After feeling glum and upset, Xavier looked at Theresa, his gaze shifting slightly. From now on, I see her like she's my own granddaughter. I no longer want her to be my granddaughter-in-law. "Let's eat first," Xavier called, gesturing for everyone to grab a plate. Theresa enjoyed a hearty dinner at his place. To Xavier's surprise, Lucas didn't sulk or lose his appetite. If anything, he seemed closer to Theresa, chatting and laughing like there was no wall between them at all. Seeing them like that lifted a bit of the heaviness Xavier had been feeling. If they can be like this, that's fine too. … After dinner, Xavier let Theresa stay at his place. Theresa still had things to attend to and politely declined, so Lucas walked her to the door."I heard from Bennie that you had him rush out another ten reports?" "Yeah." "Don't wear yourself out like that. Take it one step at a time." Theresa shook her head. "You just don't get the kind of power the Starborn Order has." "But the Starborn Order still hasn't made a move," Lucas said. They had chipped away at quite a few departments of the Starborn Order, yet the Order never struck back. Now, they hadn't even sent a single message. "I don't think it's that they're afraid of us," Theresa said with a long exhale, tilting her head up to stare at the dark sky. "I think they just don't care about us." Lucas drew in a sharp breath when he heard her words. They don't care about us… We, the Blazing Sun Alliance, are hands down the biggest, top-tier camp in the world, and the Starborn Order doesn't care about us…? At that moment, they stepped out onto the street, which was glowing with bright lights.