The unpleasant meeting finally ended with Stark's apology.
Stark was quite brave; he didn't scream loudly. At this moment, he was just holding his painful right hand with his left, resting it on the bar, constantly wincing.
Alvin thoughtfully brought him an ice pack for his hand and didn't forget about his bodyguard, 'Happy.' Looking at Happy's broken nose and comically swollen, fat face, Alvin mused that his parents must have hated him to name him 'Happy.'
Stark applied the ice pack to his right hand, squinted at Alvin, and said, "Kid, you're in trouble. Your restaurant is in big trouble."
Alvin smiled, looking at Stark with a very punchable expression, and said, "Are you going to sue me? Because you harassed a waitress and were almost made to wet your pants by a nineteen-year-old waitress? Ha~ Mr. Stark, are you sure? I certainly don't mind. The restaurant has surveillance and audio recordings. If you want to have a lawsuit, my restaurant will definitely become famous."
It was the first time Stark had suffered such a great loss, and it was hard for him to let it go without getting his face back. He said angrily, "Kid, I don't bully women, but I'm going to teach you a lesson. One-on-one. My bodyguard is a professional boxer, and I've trained with him—" He paused, seeing Happy's terribly disfigured fat face, "I'll go sign up for a judo class. When my injury heals, I'll come and teach you a lesson. One-on-one."
"Are you sure?" Alvin asked with a smile.
Stark stared at Alvin defiantly and shouted, "I'm sure. I'm going to beat you, you fraud, until you're picking your teeth off the floor."
Chief George wiped his forehead, wanting to speak but holding back. He looked at Stark, this awkward, stubborn genius who, in some ways, acted like a child. George shook his head and finally said nothing. If you want to find trouble, that's your business.
Alvin smiled and nodded, saying, "No problem, the Peace Hotel always welcomes you!"
Pepper, standing nearby, tapped the bar. Like a worried mother, she glanced at Stark, who was glaring at Alvin like a child, and said to Alvin, "I'm here to discuss business. Can we start?"
Alvin shrugged, pulled out a pen and paper, and sat down in front of Pepper across the bar, saying, "Then tell me in detail about the vampire you saw. Let's see if it's the same thing I know about."
Pepper thought for a moment, recalling, "They look no different from ordinary people, just very pale skin. I encountered them in a nightclub. They were incredibly fast and could crawl up walls. They had two long fangs in their mouths. One of my bodyguards was bitten and had his blood drained while trying to save me. Oh, and these things have almost no body temperature."
Stark, with his loose tongue, interjected, "Nightclub? No body temperature? Pepper, how do you know? You never told me! You need to give me a report on this no body temperature thing when you get back!" Although his words were loose, he couldn't hide the sourness in his tone.
Alvin ambiguously raised an eyebrow at Pepper. This spirited and capable blonde beauty blushed, avoided Alvin's gaze, glared at Stark, and said, "You don't even believe these things exist. What am I supposed to tell you, Tony? Every time I mention vampires, you just mock me and say I'm delusional!"
Stark irritably threw his sunglasses on the bar and shouted to Jessica, "Miss Waitress, seeing as I'm injured, could I get a beer? Let's hear what your fraud of a boss has to say?"
Alvin put away the paper and pen, smiled at Pepper, and said, "I probably know what that thing is! Thank you for sharing. If I may ask, Ms. Potts, have you considered a change of career? My community school is expanding and needs many excellent female leaders like you. This job would be more fulfilling than taking care of a willful big child."
Pepper gave a dry laugh and said, "Thank you! I'll consider your offer." She paused, "If you're going to look for those things, please be careful."
Alvin smiled and shook Pepper's hand, raising his eyebrows at Stark in a show of defiance, holding on for five extra seconds. Just as Stark was about to explode, Alvin let go and said with a smile, "Please seriously consider my offer, and feel free to visit my school sometime. My doors are always open for you."
Pepper found it somewhat amusing to watch the two grown men compete, shook her head, and said nothing.
Ginny, who had been leaning on the bar, chin in her hands, watching the adults talk, curiously looked at Stark's ice-packed right hand and said, "Cold, uncomfortable."
Stark, usually eccentric and capricious, was surprisingly good-tempered with Ginny. He made a funny face at her and said, "Your waitress is too wild!" He then playfully blew on his right hand, indicating it was very painful.
Ginny was amused by Stark's expression and said, "You, Nick, fool, same, Jessie angry, hit you."
Stark was clearly not used to Ginny's way of speaking. He paused, then said, "Hey~ little beauty, I'm not a fool. I'm a genius inventor."
Ginny nodded affirmatively and said, "You, Nick, fool, same."
Stark looked annoyed at Alvin and said, "Who is this fool named Nick?"
Alvin was delighted that Stark was flustered. He shrugged and said, "Nick is a mischievous second-grader, but you can't call him a fool. His dad doesn't have a very good temper."
Stark waved his hand angrily and said, "This is truly the worst day of my year!" With that, he turned and walked out of the restaurant first. Pepper nodded to Alvin as a greeting and followed him out, no longer listening to Alvin talk about vampires.
At the door, Alvin still heard Stark complaining to Happy, "You actually couldn't beat two big dogs? Find me a judo or martial arts, whatever kind of teacher. I'm going to beat that guy inside. Just looking at his face makes me want to flatten him."
Chief George, seeing Stark and his group leave, breathed a sigh of relief. He was truly afraid that Stark and Alvin would clash again. The current outcome was quite good.
Chief George looked at Alvin inquiringly and said, "Do you have any idea about those things?"
Alvin thought for a moment and said, "I probably know what they are. I need to verify it. If my guess is correct, then, Chief, you're in big trouble."
Chief George asked irritably, "How do we verify it?"
Alvin smiled mysteriously, spread his palm, and squeezed it hard, "Catch two of them and see, then we'll know."