After wiping up the spilled coffee, Pepper went to brew two fresh cups.
Leon and Tony emerged from their "closed-door training session" and joined her in the living room. Each brother claimed a single-seater armchair, sipping coffee while admiring the shimmering golden waves of the ocean beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Tony: "Dinner party?"
Leon: "Obadiah invited us?"
The brothers turned simultaneously to look at Pepper. She nodded.
To celebrate the safe return of the long-lost Stark brothers, Obadiah had tasked Pepper with personally inviting them, because neither of their phones could be reached.
"Couldn't get through?"
Tony frowned.
Leon, meanwhile, glanced casually at his phone's contact list, where Obadiah's name had long since been blocked. He said nothing, leisurely sipping his coffee.
"Jarvis, what happened?" Tony asked.
"Sir, before beginning the Mark project, you explicitly instructed me to block all outside communications to avoid disruptions."
"…Right. That does sound like me."
"Tony," Pepper said, fixing him with an unimpressed stare, "whose company is this, exactly, yours or mine?"
Tony coughed awkwardly and deflected. "Well, since it's a dinner party hosted by good ol' Obie, guess we'd better show up."
He turned to Pepper. "What time?"
Pepper stood up, snatched the half-finished coffee from Tony's hand, and turned gracefully on her black-stockinged heels, offering only a retreating, elegant silhouette.
"Now. What time do you think it is?"
Tony looked over at Leon.
Leon just shrugged. "Let's see what snake oil Obadiah's trying to sell this time."
…
Evening arrived quickly.
At a five-star hotel near Stark Tower, Obadiah had gone all out, booking the entire venue. Reporters had gathered in droves.
When the brothers rolled up, dressed to kill and driving their respective rides, the hotel's entrance was already swarming with journalists and onlookers. Fortunately, security was just barely doing its job, keeping the crowd from blocking the main doors.
Tony showed up in his classic silver Audi R8, not the priciest car, but a personal favorite.
As soon as he stepped out, a valet came to collect it.
Leon's ride, however, was a different story.
His vehicle? The Jet Sliger.
Unlike any conventional motorcycle, it had no pedals, no handlebars, no throttle, just two multifunctional rotary grips and a massive touchscreen.
"Uh… Mr. Leon, I, I'm terribly sorry, sir, but I… I don't know how to operate… your… uh… bike?" the female valet stammered.
Leon's name carried a certain notoriety, but with that came status. There would be no cliché "servant disrespects the master" scene here.
The valet was drenched in sweat, trembling under Leon's easygoing smile.
"No worries," Leon said kindly, patting her on the shoulder with practiced charm. "I'm not gonna eat you."
He leaned in, added conspiratorially, "Just walk ahead and lead the way. It'll follow you on its own."
"…Huh?"
Every word made sense individually, but somehow, as a sentence, it scrambled her brain.
Meanwhile, the brothers' arrival caused a total media frenzy.
After all, this was their first official public appearance since vanishing three months ago. That impromptu press conference? That didn't count.
They strolled down the red carpet, cameras flashing, crowds cheering, it felt more like a Hollywood premiere than a corporate dinner.
And in the midst of all the elite Obadiah had invited, someone familiar caught Leon's eye, someone who made him do a double take.
No, not because she'd once opened a certain door for him in a moment of mutual convenience.
Definitely not that.
"Hey, Leon. Still remember me?"
A blonde woman in an off-shoulder purple evening gown walked up with a sultry smile.
"Of course I do, darling."
Leon wrapped an arm around her waist and, in full view of the press, laid a dramatic French kiss on her lips, confident and shameless.
Some confused spectators in the crowd murmured, "Isn't he afraid of getting 'canceled' doing that in public?"
But others who knew Leon better laughed and replied, "Canceled? That man's entire public image is already rubble. What's left to collapse?"
Indeed, Leon's rugged good looks, magnetic charm, and devil-may-care freedom-loving vibe made him a perfect fit for the land of liberty.
"Ahhhhhh!"
"Leon! I want to have your babies!"
"You? You're a dude."
"Who cares? I'll find a way! I'll carry them myself if I have to!"
"It'll be us girls giving Leon babies, thank you very much!"
"Get in line!"
A mountain of muscle in overalls, rocking a center-parted hairstyle and standing 8 feet tall, screamed like a fangirl, only to be drowned out by even more hysterical female voices.
Scenes like this were old news to Leon.
He'd even hosted several "fans-only" meetups before, strictly for those who were hot and stacked, of course.
Naturally.
Leon arrived with a babe on his arm, that was just business as usual.
The surprising part?
Tony, who normally had no shortage of flings and fame, actually turned down a familiar socialite's flirtation.
His eyes were scanning the room, clearly looking for someone.
Obadiah, meanwhile, was basking in the media glow, beaming as he gave interviews, so the brothers decided to grab some food on their own.
They parted temporarily to explore the venue.
Tony headed to the bar. No sooner had he ordered a Scotch than someone approached.
"Mr. Stark."
Tony blinked. "You are…?"
"Agent Phil Coulson."
"Oh right. You're from that… Shield-whatever thing. Pepper mentioned you guys. Said you tried to talk to Leon?"
"It's S.H.I.E.L.D., Mr. Stark," Coulson corrected politely.
"Sure, sure."
Tony sipped his drink, casually waving it off, then his gaze locked onto a woman in a blue evening dress with golden waves in her hair.
Pepper Potts.
She had arrived earlier, and Tony hadn't even noticed.
"I know you've been through a lot lately," Coulson continued. "But we'd really appreciate a debrief. There are a lot of unanswered questions, some details you might forget over time."
"So, how about this, let's schedule it. The 24th, 7 PM. Stark Tower. Sound good?"
Tony swirled his drink, his eyes never leaving Pepper's silhouette.
"Sure. That works."
Downing the rest of his Scotch, he shook Coulson's hand and made a beeline for Pepper.
Though there'd always been chemistry between them, that last line had never been crossed.
Pepper had her concerns, he was her boss, she was just an employee. Power imbalance. Workplace gossip. And Tony's playboy antics didn't exactly scream "safe bet."
But things had changed.
After the kidnapping, she saw him differently.
And Tony?
He knew he owed her something real.
When the flower blooms, pluck it. Don't wait until the branch is bare.
…
Elsewhere.
Leon and the blonde journalist, Kristin, his old flame, had already found a private room.
And were now engaged in… further discussions.
Every 250 P.S = 1 Extra Chapter
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