With Cassian stepping in, none of the neighbors dared to say a word. Lillian once again turned a hopeful gaze toward Theodore. But he was sitting there, totally distracted, clearly not interested in getting involved. This is so frustrating! For the life of her, she really couldn't think of any way to deal with Natalie right now. That girl was already tough and had a gun, and now Cassian was there to back her up ... She stared at Theodore with even more intensity. From her analysis, if Theodore had shown up today, that meant the Mervyns were at least thinking about driving Natalie out. As long as the Mervyns made a move, there was still hope. So her gaze got even more intense. Come on, Mr. Theodore! Cassian's been showing off all night. You can't just sit there and do nothing, right? Theodore once again sensed her intense stare. But he wasn't in a good mood. Being shown up by Cassian already pissed him off, and now this old lady was practically drooling over him. It just made things worse. He just wanted out. He rolled his eyes and called out, impatiently, "Mrs. Ashford, stop crushing on me! We're not right for each other. You can stare all you want, but it's pointless. There's more than just an age gap between us—there's a whole galaxy!" At that, everyone's attention immediately shifted to Lillian. She hadn't managed to pull her eager gaze away in time, so everyone caught her in the act.Her expression was beyond awkward. He is even more ridiculous than the rumors say! When did I ever give him that kind of look? Lillian quickly looked away and forced a smile. "Mr. Theodore, you've got it all wrong, I didn't mean it like that ... " Theodore arched an eyebrow. "Then what did you mean?" Lillian stammered, "I ... " What could she say? She couldn't exactly admit she wanted to use him as a pawn. Today really was a mess. She stammered and couldn't get a word out, so Theodore just looked away impatiently. "Whatever you meant, there's no way anything is happening between us, so let it go! "And please, tone it down. Your affection is becoming a real problem for me!" He even rolled his eyes to show his annoyance. Lillian's whole face burned, like she'd been slapped in public. She tried to explain, "That's not what I meant, I ... " Jacob's face was almost black with rage. Seeing her still digging herself a hole, he barked out, "Would you just shut up already!" Lillian instantly fell silent, looking at her husband in frustration. If nobody else understands, shouldn't he at least get it? As my husband, how can he be so clueless! But Jacob really didn't get it. His ego was so bruised that he couldn't think straight. All he noticed were the people around them laughing and staring at him. Those pitying and mocking looks made him wish he could disappear into the floor.He'd always cared about his image, and now he'd been humiliated all night! First, he spread rumors that his late wife cheated, and now his current wife was drooling over some young guy. What a joke. Jacob glared hard at Lillian. It's all her fault! Standing next to her parents, Rosalie felt just as awkward. Her mind was even simpler than Jacob's—she never realized her mom wanted the Mervyns to go after Cassian. She just felt deeply embarrassed. With so many people staring, she nearly burst into tears. That Theodore guy is my age, for crying out loud! Why couldn't Mom show a little restraint ... At that point, both Rosalie and Jacob just wanted to get out of there. Lillian was left with no way to defend herself. She had so much bottled up inside, but there was just no way to explain it, and all she could do was sit there in complete frustration. She turned her gaze away, only to meet Cassian's sharp, knowing eyes. She instantly panicked and looked away. Cassian understood. This woman wanted to use Theodore against him and Natalie, but clearly, she'd miscalculated. If the Mervyns were that easy to use, they wouldn't be where they are today. Cassian checked the time. Natalie and Harold were probably about to eat. His mission was complete. No one would bother Natalie again anytime soon. He stood up, ready to leave.Before leaving, he glanced at Jacob. "Mr. Ashford, do you still want that paternity test?" Jacob shrank back. "N-no, that won't be necessary ... " Cassian stopped in front of him. "Oh? Why not?" Cassian was a lot taller than Jacob, and when he stepped up, he blocked out almost all the candlelight, making him seem even more intimidating. Jacob swallowed nervously and said, "Because Natalie is my biological daughter!" Clearly, the plan had failed. At first, he'd denied Natalie to avoid responsibility, even at the cost of humiliating himself. But now Natalie had become Cassian's wife.