The Kryptonian nearly sprayed the champagne in his mouth across the floor. But he, along with Aether and Hepburn, could only stare in astonishment at Victor von Doom, who had revealed the truth.
After swallowing the champagne in his mouth, Henry slowly calmed himself. "I thought that, like the young ladies of the Mellon family, they would all enter into strategic marriages. But they're free to marry whoever they want?"
"Generally speaking, that's true. But sometimes they'll allow one or two members to choose someone outside their familiar circles and bring in new blood. Like that person you should know very well—the Hollywood star Arnold Schwarzenegger married a daughter of the Kennedy family, didn't he?"
"So that's why there were so many men attending the banquet alone today, all of them regretting that they hadn't dressed up like peacocks."
"Ha, peacocks. Your assessment does fit that bunch of clowns quite well."
Compared to those flamboyantly dressed men who looked even more sophisticated than nightclub escorts, Victor von Doom's attire was far less ostentatious.
He wore a Nile-blue suit, close to dark green and tailored to fit, paired with a checked tie and a white shirt. It followed the style of old European aristocracy, carrying a faint, heavy air of decline.
That kind of attire conveyed a certain message of keeping others at a distance. Especially to young women.
Henry didn't think anyone would mistake the meaning behind such clothing. "But Doctor Doom also came to the banquet, yet he looks as though he doesn't want to be chosen?"
"I have a woman I admire." Victor von Doom's expression changed before he continued, "But an invitation from the Mellon family isn't something I can easily refuse when it comes to my business."
That made sense. Henry had been able to refuse