Stark naturally sat down at the bar, motioning for Pepper to sit beside him.
He placed his bandaged right hand on the bar and, in an extremely annoying tone, said, "So, Mr. um… Alvin, did you come here to apologize to me? Or do you want me to recommend your restaurant to high society?"
With that, Stark feigned a look around the restaurant, then curled his lip in disdain, "To be honest, this place isn't much!"
Frank looked at Stark with appreciation; he really liked Stark.
Stark's self-destructive demeanor reminded him so much of his own troublesome son.
Alvin was indifferent to Stark intentionally mispronouncing his name.
After all, one should always show some respect to a future weapons sponsor and scapegoat, right?
Alvin smiled at Stark and said, "Today, I mainly wanted to clear up yesterday's misunderstanding.
If you haven't eaten yet, you could try the steak here.
Perhaps you'll like it."
With an "I knew it" expression, Stark pointed at Alvin with his left hand, like a loan shark's enforcer.
"Kid, it's too late to apologize now.
I just spent 500,000 dollars yesterday hiring a Japanese judo master, and I'll be coming for you very soon.
I'm going to beat you up! Not because your waiter injured me, but to let you know that from now on, you need to show respect when you see Mr. Tony Stark."
Frank looked at Stark with some concern.
If Nick ever became like him, how many people would he have to eliminate to keep him safe?
Alvin smiled politely and said, "That's your choice, but you're injured today, aren't you?
You can try the steak here first."
Alvin brought the prepared dishes to Chief George, JJ, and Frank first.
Chief George's steak portion was only half the usual size.
Little Ginny had eaten a bit too much in the morning and wasn't hungry now.
As for Jessica, she probably wouldn't eat until evening!
Stark even mocked Chief George, saying a man eating so little truly harmed his police image.
Ignoring the foul-mouthed Stark, Alvin smiled and asked Pepper if she'd like a steak.
Pepper politely declined, citing her diet.
See! Even heaven protects girls who care about their appearance!
He chose the largest steak, replaced the olive oil on the griddle with animal fat, and quickly seared it, trying to lock in the blood and juices, rare!
He poured a generous amount of ketchup on the pasta, added a fried egg, sunny-side up—perfect!
When this sizzling steak was placed on the bar, even with Stark's pickiness, he took a deep breath of the rich aroma emanating from the steak and had to admit, "Buddy, the steak is exceptionally well-cooked.
If you weren't a fraud, I'd give you an extra 50 points."
After being ridiculed by Stark for so long, Alvin still behaved like an honest farmer, hoping to atone for his past mistakes with warm hospitality.
Stark, pleased with Alvin's demeanor, grabbed his knife and fork and began to devour the steak.
Everyone was silent, only Pepper looked at Alvin with suspicion.
Alvin, ever the gentleman, smiled at her, tilted his head, and gestured, asking what was wrong.
Pepper shook her head in confusion, indicating that nothing was wrong, but she truly didn't think Alvin was such an easygoing person.
She had a feeling Stark was about to have bad luck!
When Stark cut the first piece of steak and put it in his mouth, he chewed it and let out a very satisfied "Oh~~~," giving Alvin a sincere thumbs-up.
Stark finished the oversized steak.
Alvin thoughtfully brought him a glass of lemonade to help him digest a bit.
He then went to talk to his daughter, telling Ginny to stay and play in the shop with Jessica, and that Thor and Dom would stay with her.
Alvin waved to everyone and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, let's go see what we caught yesterday, and let Miss Pepper and Mr. Stark identify it.
Perhaps Mr. Stark's impression of me will change."
Stark stroked his neatly trimmed mustache, let out a "Ha," and said, "Then let's go see.
I can't wait.
Will it be some interesting animal, or the masterpiece of a Hollywood special effects makeup artist?"
......
In the basement of Frank's house next door, the newly renovated room was still relatively clean.
The basement lights were dim, and there were some suspicious red stains on the floor and walls near the entrance, emitting an unpleasant odor.
It was easy to associate this place with a murder and dismemberment scene.
Pepper covered her nose in disgust but said nothing.
The foul-mouthed Stark fanned his left hand in front of his nose and complained to Alvin, "Was this place converted from a septic tank?
It stinks.
I can't believe you guys live in a place like this.
When this is over, you can write me a letter, and I'll send you a check so you can properly renovate your house."
Alvin looked at Stark sincerely and said, "Mr. Stark, I must warn you, what's inside is a bit horrifying.
Most people might not be able to handle it.
You need to be prepared."
"Oh, come on, stop trying to scare me with your theatrics, buddy.
Let me see what your so-called vampire is," Stark said impatiently.
Alvin shrugged obligingly, motioned for Frank to open the door, and everyone filed into the basement.
Inside the basement, under the dim lights, three black plastic sheets covered three clearly living, humanoid figures.
Because no one spoke, the atmosphere was somewhat terrifying.
Pepper had already hidden behind Stark, only her eyes peeking over his shoulder to look at the figures.
Stark, with a hint of bravado, patted Pepper's waist with his backhand and sarcastically said, "Nice atmosphere.
This place is perfect for a horror movie."
JJ and Frank, already impatient, stepped forward, grabbed the plastic sheets, and pulled them away.
Three miserable vampires, already severely wounded and subjected to torture last night, were exposed to the light.
The most unlucky of them was the one who had been hit by an iron door yesterday.
Its exploded belly had spilled its intestines and organs all over the floor, and what had fallen by the door last night and been stepped on by Jessica was now neatly arranged beside its head.
Another vampire, whose eyes Alvin had kicked out, was the subject of the interrogation last night.
Now, the muscles on its right hand had been completely scraped off, neatly piled piece by piece beside its head.
The last one was the vampire whose arm Frank had chopped off.
This guy was actually in relatively good shape, and quite spirited.
After the plastic sheet was pulled away, it violently thrashed its body, trying to break free from the large rivets pinning it to the ground.
It opened its mouth, revealing sharp fangs, and let out an unpleasant shriek at Alvin and his group.
The horrifying scene assaulted the minds of the three newcomers.
Chief George, having been a police officer, performed quite well.
Miss Pepper, seeing the three moving, tattered corpses, screamed and promptly fainted.
Alvin, thoughtfully, said to the trembling Stark, "Mr. Stark, I must remind you not to vomit here.
The owner of this house has a very bad temper!"