"I really did have something I wanted to say to you, Mr. Sage…" Sage's ears perked up. "What shampoo do you use? Your hair looks really nice." He was speechless. "I hate my hair. It's not dark or shiny enough, so share your secret." Sage stared at Theresa, who looked completely serious in front of him. He reached out and pulled off her shower cap in one swift motion. Theresa's long, auburn hair cascaded down her shoulders. Sage looked at her glossy hair, which wasn't even wet. Behind his gold-rimmed glasses, his eyes were unreadable. "You were hiding someone in the bathroom just now, weren't you?" Theresa looked straight into his eyes, blinking innocently. "Come on, Mr. Sage…" she called out sweetly. He was at a loss for words. "Why won't you believe me? I honestly want to know your secret to great hair." Theresa looked at him seriously. "Don't be fooled by how it looks right now. I shed a ton of hair, and I've got split ends. I'm afraid I might end up bald in a few years." He looked at Theresa, who was being extremely earnest, and smiled faintly. "Besides your hair, what else did you want to say to me?" "Nothing for now." "Didn't you say you had a lot of things to tell me?" Sage popped open a can of beer. "Go on. As long as you keep talking, I won't investigate what happened back there." Feeling speechless, Theresa took a deep breath. If he wanted to hear her nonsense so badly, she would give him more. Theresa started questioning him from head to toe—what he wore, what tie he chose, how he fastened his belt, and even whether he wore winter underwear. Sage was unexpectedly patient and interested, answering every question seriously."I don't wear winter underwear." "Do you not get cold without it? Be careful, or you'll end up with bad knees when you're older." Sage held up his beer with one hand, a smile on the corner of his lips as he looked at her. "Are you afraid of the cold?" "Of course I am. As soon as fall arrives, I'm all bundled up. Sometimes, I even put on double," she said. Theresa was indeed sensitive to the cold. Once, on a heavy snow day, she went on a mission to the clothing market with Lucas. Even when she was surrounded by people while they slept, she nearly froze to death. After hearing that, Sage set his beer down and stood up. He walked into the bedroom and came back with a blanket for Theresa. Sage was borderline bipolar. He was cruel and vicious. When he faced someone stronger than him, he would appear obedient to lull them into a false sense of security, always waiting for the chance to bite back and tear his enemy apart without mercy. That was the way he had lived since childhood. He had been disliked, ignored, and overlooked by everyone. He desperately longed for strength and power, wanting to step on everyone who had ever looked down on him. But on the other hand, he had a strangely strong protector instinct. Whenever he met someone weaker than him, someone who showed vulnerability, it awakened his desire to protect them. When he had first confronted Theresa and heard her say that her life had been hard, coming to realize she had suffered much bullying, he told her not to leave and that he'd take care of her. In reality, no one believed his words. Not even Sage believed in himself either, but he longed to be needed. So whenever Theresa called him sweetly, he'd soften up. "You don't need to give this to me. It's not cold in here," Theresa said when she saw the blanket. The Starborn Order's headquarters had a central air conditioning and heating system. Needless to say, she felt warm. "It will get you through the night." Sage tossed the blanket to her, then turned and walked toward the small tea area in his room.Theresa quickly said, "I should head back to sleep." "You have a lot to say, don't you? We're nowhere near done yet." When Sage returned, he cleared away all the cold items on the table and brought her a cup of hot tea. "I've got plenty of time, so I'll listen to everything you have to say." Theresa didn't know what to do and simply stared at him. If he liked listening to nonsense so much, she would just keep going. This time, Theresa started asking about everything—what he liked to eat, his hobbies, and his favorite books. "Nothing." This time, Sage's answer was simple. "Why not?" "Everything I learned as a child was to please the adults. Whatever they liked, I learned. I never had anything I truly liked for myself." Theresa raised an eyebrow. She didn't know much about Sage's past. She only remembered that he was the sole legitimate heir of two major families, but apparently not favored—his parents never cared about him. "Why did you want to please them?" "Because they never cared about me." A trace of cruelty flickered in Sage's otherwise gentle eyes. "I thought that by learning the things they liked, I could get the attention of my father, my mother, and both my grandfathers."