"Bro, even if it's your birthday, do you have to be so flashy? A party, seriously?"
The DJ's volume made Artoria's head throb. She glared with dead-fish eyes at a sheepish Tony. She'd already deflected a dozen invitations from famous trust-fund Romeos. A perfectly nice birthday, yet he had to hire a band and fill the room with socialites—hormone-soaked vultures she could read like a book.
Their eyes undressed her, imagining slow enjoyment in some bed. Tony's tongue was sharp, but against a herd of overcharged males he needed backup—thank God for Happy the driver and his air-force buddy Rhodey. Yet Artoria's gaze snagged on the turntable-Happy grandpa. Why did he look so familiar?
"Sorry, sis, I just wanted to liven things up."
Tony's grin turned awkward. He lived for the spotlight, the roar of a crowd, but none of that compared with family. He'd forgotten how little Artoria enjoyed such scenes—fail as a big brother. Still, the fact she'd come meant she cared.
"Artoria, your brother only—"
"Enough, Pepper. I know exactly what he's like, and I'm not angry."
Pepper—already holding her future sister-in-law's hand—rushed to defend him, the perfect 'follow-husband-wherever' vibe. Artoria cut her off before the birthday turned into a therapy session and waved the party on.
"All right, let's continue. Enjoy the moment, ladies and gents!"
Tony flashed a grateful smile and resumed center stage. Nearby, a familiar bald head glowered, malice plain to Artoria's clairvoyant sight. The man had plans.
"Sorry, didn't mean to bump you."
"No problem."
While watching the bald man, Artoria was jostled—luckily by a gorgeous woman or she'd have exploded. The crowd was thick; her attention shifted. She sensed danger from the poised beauty. After brief small-talk she lifted a tiny scrap from her white skirt: the woman had 'accidentally' pressed a micro-device onto the fabric.
"A bug. Who is she—the Black Widow?"
She couldn't be sure. Movies and comics never matched reality. Was the Special Agent Sharon Carter or Natasha? Either way, SHIELD—or perhaps Hydra—was sniffing around. Complicated.
"Has part of my plan leaked? I'll stay low for now."
"Big brother, you're on your own."
She sighed, waited until Tony was free, and quietly tagged him with a tracking spell and a luck boost. This was Iron Man's tribulation; he had to face it himself. Without the Time Stone she dared not twist the future too much. Remove one key hero—especially a leader—and the world might eject her.
"I really want to be the queen of RNG."
With that cryptic wish, Artoria climbed into her Rolls and left the party.
"Special Agent, how's the target?"
"Sorry, she's more alert than we thought."
After Artoria left, the beauty who had met with her smiled and took off her wig, letting her red hair cascade down. At this moment, it was unclear who this beauty was speaking to on the other end, but it was certain that their topic was the protagonist. She relayed the news of her mission failure to her superior without any burden. After a brief silence, the other party told her to begin withdrawing and to stop interfering in this matter.
"Howard! Howard, your daughter is even more formidable than your son."
Inside a secret Base, a black, one-eyed bald man sat there thinking about something after hanging up the secret communication. No one could see through his thoughts.
"We'll meet again, little cutie!"
After applying a little something to her face, the beauty transformed back into an ordinary woman. She looked in the direction Artoria's car had left and spoke with a smile; this mission was much better than protecting the playboy.