"I assume you've already learned—through various channels—what kind of things I've been through,"
Lucas said calmly.
Wanda and Pietro exchanged a glance and nodded again. They had already heard most of it from Elaine.
"Human society instinctively rejects people with extraordinary abilities," Lucas continued leisurely.
"So if you truly want to enjoy a normal life, it's best to do exactly as I said."
Wanda replied seriously, "Lucas, we understand your intentions. We know what we should do."
Lucas nodded, clearly satisfied with their attitude.
"As for Sokovia, I'll deal with that completely in the next few days. After that, you don't need to worry about it anymore."
Hearing this, Wanda and Pietro stood up at once and bowed deeply.
"Thank you for everything you've done for us."
The seriousness on Lucas's face softened into a gentle smile.
"This is something I promised you. If I give my word, I keep it."
"Alright—have some fruit."
Elaine placed a fruit platter on the table.
At that moment, Lucas's pupils suddenly contracted.
The Tesseract's energy fluctuations abruptly intensified—
even more violently than when Carrie had been holding it earlier.
"??"
Two question marks practically appeared over Lucas's head.
"Elaine—hold this."
He tossed the Tesseract to Elaine.
The moment she caught it, visible streaks of energy began flowing inside the cube.
That said, nothing more dramatic happened.
"I haven't seen it in a long time," Elaine suddenly said.
"You've seen it before?" Lucas asked cautiously.
"I once saw it in my father's great hall," Elaine replied casually.
"Not long after that, my father gave it away."
She tossed the Tesseract back to Lucas.
Lucas's heart skipped a beat.
Anyone who could treat the Tesseract as a collectible—and casually give it away—
had to be at least on Odin's level.
Elaine's background was clearly far more terrifying than he had imagined.
Ding-dong!
The doorbell rang.
Carrie immediately jumped off the sofa and dashed to the door.
"Hey, lovely Princess Carrie—we meet again."
The moment the door opened, Tony Stark's unmistakable voice rang out.
"Good afternoon, Lucas."
Tony, wearing sunglasses, walked into the living room with gift bags in hand, Carrie happily tagging along.
His gaze soon landed on Wanda and Pietro.
"They're are my friends – Wanda and Pietro," Lucas introduced proactively.
"Nice to meet you both," Tony said generously as he removed his sunglasses.
"I'll make up for this first meeting with a proper gift next time."
"Don't be polite with him," Lucas added dryly.
"He has so much money he doesn't know where to spend it."
"Thank you, Mr. Stark," Wanda and Pietro said politely.
"Ah, that's too formal," Tony chuckled.
"Look at how natural Carrie and Elaine are."
He plopped down onto the sofa.
Carrie handed Elaine the gift meant for her.
"I picked it myself," Tony said proudly while wiping his hands with a wet tissue.
"They said it's an original manuscript by an ancient Egyptian high priest. Thought you'd like it."
Who would have imagined that the same Tony Stark who once openly disliked Lucas—
even looked down on him—would now be this warm and friendly?
"So," Lucas asked while taking a bite of apple,
"what brings you here?"
"Lucas, listen to how cold that sounds," Tony said dramatically.
"Can't I just come over to visit?"
"You know your eye twitches slightly when you lie," Lucas scoffed.
"Really?" Tony asked, startled.
"I'm kidding," Lucas laughed.
"Alright," Tony said, turning serious.
"I came to thank you for helping me last time."
"If it weren't for you, I might've died from poisoning before discovering the new element."
Lucas waved it off.
"It was nothing—just a small favor."
"Is that the Tesseract?"
Tony noticed the cube and picked it up.
After examining it for a moment, he frowned.
"It just looks nice. Doesn't feel that special."
"If you want the full experience, I can let you try," Lucas said casually.
"But I can't guarantee you'll still be on Earth the next second."
Tony's face stiffened.
He immediately tossed the Tesseract back.
He believed Lucas completely—
because if it were ordinary, S.H.I.E.L.D. and Nick Fury wouldn't have guarded it like a treasure.
At that moment, the doorbell rang again.
Carrie once more sprinted to the door and opened it.
"Hello, Carrie," a gentle voice greeted her.
Soon, Clark, dressed neatly and wearing glasses, walked into the living room.
"Good afternoon, Lucas," Clark said, adjusting his glasses.
"And these are…?"
Lucas introduced everyone again. Clark greeted them warmly, one by one.
"I get the feeling your friend here isn't simple," Tony said after sizing Clark up.
Clark looked surprised, then smiled politely.
"That's nothing compared to you, Mr. Stark."
"Haha, I like that," Tony laughed.
"Don't get too arrogant in front of Clark," Lucas teased.
"If you annoy him, he could punch your Mark armor into scrap."
"What?" Tony stared at Lucas, then at Clark.
"You're saying he can destroy my armor with one punch?"
"Are you messing with me?"
"Believe it or not," Lucas shrugged.
"I warned you."
"It's not that extreme," Clark said hurriedly.
"I'm just a normal person with a bit more strength."
"That makes me believe him even more," Tony said immediately.
"…"
Clark was speechless.
"So," Lucas asked after finishing his apple,
"what brings you here this time?"
Clark hesitated, then said awkwardly,
"Well… I wanted to ask—how did you manage to get together with Kara?"
The living room instantly fell silent.
Everyone turned to look at Lucas.
Lucas, of course, didn't take the bait.
He rolled his eyes and countered,
"So—which girl are you interested in?"
"She's my colleague," Clark admitted directly.
"Her name wouldn't happen to be Lois Lane, would it?" Lucas blurted out.
"How did you know?!"
Clark was genuinely shocked.
"Just a guess," Lucas coughed lightly and immediately changed the subject.
"As for chasing girls, I think you should ask this playboy instead."
"A very wise recommendation," Tony said with a charming grin.
"Although I don't like the word playboy. I treat every relationship sincerely."