Tony, at Long Last

Everyone in the lounge was, of course, familiar with Tony Stark's face. And it was precisely because they were so familiar with his face that they were surprised to see him in person.

Catherine Hepburn, however, wasn't surprised at all. She waved and said, "Tony Stark, you've finally arrived."

"Catherine, sorry, there was traffic."

Tony at this stage would at least find reasons to explain things! Henry was truly amazed.

But thinking about it, it's not surprising. After all, the person asking the question was someone considered an elder, not just anyone. And this person hadn't yet grown up to be the arrogant person he was before becoming Iron Man.

Once all the elders who could keep him in check are dead, wouldn't he become a wild horse running rampant?

However, Henry didn't react much when he saw the person, which made Tony curiously ask Catherine, "Did you tell him?"

"No, I didn't say anything."

The two were communicating as if they were speaking in cryptic language.

Henry picked up some food from his plate and, while eating, remarked, "Only someone we both know could be invited to a banquet like this by Catherine. So seeing you wouldn't surprise anyone."

Tony, who had started growing a beard, grinned. He regretted extending the invitation and now wanted to turn around and leave.

However, Happy had already followed his previous instructions and asked all irrelevant people to leave the lounge. Only Catherine, Tony, and Henry remained in the lounge, and after clearing the area, Happy stood guard outside the door.

Tony looked at the food Henry was picking out on his plate, his expression clearly showing that he wanted to eat but didn't dare to reach for it.

Seeing this, Catherine said, "Eat up, Tony Stark. The things Henry picked are delicious, at least they're not the weird ones. I remember you weren't always so polite."

The young master would reach for anything he liked and eat whatever he wanted; this wasn't the first time he'd done this. He figured someone else would pay for it later, so he was recklessly brazen to the point of being fearless.

But this time Tony firmly said, "No." He then turned his head away from the plate of food on the table.

This made Henry laugh and say, "What, I didn't poison you. Are you that afraid of dying?"

A joke, however, earned Tony's sharp gaze and serious expression. He asked, "What do you know?"

Seeing this reaction, Henry lowered his voice in surprise and said, "Did someone really try to poison you?"

Upon hearing this, Catherine asked worriedly, "Tony, what happened?"

Tony Stark simply shook his head, not intending to elaborate. But since everyone already knew, remaining silent would only worry Catherine. So he simply said, "It's probably just unclean food, that's why she has diarrhea."

In fact, that time they were taken directly to a VIP ward in the hospital, and they almost didn't make it through.

He used to look down on his father for having so many quirks and taboos. But after reaching the same level himself, he realized how deep the Afterlife. Those quirks were all ways of protecting himself.

Take his bodyguard team, for example. Who would have thought that Tony Stark would need a group of people to protect him?

Henry could certainly see the young master's immature stubbornness, but he kept quiet. It was a big no-no to speak too frankly with someone you barely knew.

Catherine, however, had fewer reservations and said directly, "It's not just a diarrhea problem, is it?" It's an unspoken understanding within the industry that things shouldn't be discussed outside, but that doesn't mean this old lady can't see or hear it.

Tony didn't want to dwell on it too much, knowing that the more he said, the more mistakes he would make. In the end, he only managed to utter, "What doesn't kill me makes me stronger."

This made Henry chuckle, saying, "This is the first time I've seen Nietzsche's words used to explain something. Shouldn't this be used as a conclusion after a passionate speech?"

Tony retorted sharply, "Is the answer more important or the process? People who emphasize the importance of the process are just trying to cover up their inability to find the answer. You know my conclusion; seeing me standing here is enough."

"Hehe, young master, you've improved. At least you're not so easily angered that you're about to have a stroke after just three sentences," Henry teased, then asked, "So, what do you want by going through all this trouble to bring me here?"

Watching the man casually eat from his plate, Tony finally couldn't stand it anymore and picked up a few items to eat as well. As he chewed, he said, "You're unemployed right now, aren't you? Come work for me. CEO of Stark Studios, how much salary do you want?"

Hollywood in this world no longer has one of the once-dominant Big Eight RKO Pictures. In its place is Stark Studios, founded by Howard Stark.

Stark Studios, much like RKO Pictures replaced it, produced many famous films in the 1930s and 40s.

For example, the first animated film, Snow White, produced by Walter Disney, was distributed by Stark Studios at the time, as Disney did not yet have distribution capabilities.

There's also King Kong, considered a milestone in monster movies, and Citizen Kane, which has repeatedly topped the United Kingdom's list of "Ten Greatest Movies" and will likely top the American Film Institute's list of "100 Greatest Movies of All Time."

Of course, the films that Howard Stark directed and starred in were all produced by his own studio, including several with Catherine Hepburn.

Before the 1950s, Stark Studios deservedly ranked among the top eight studios in Hollywood.

However, a world war shifted Howard Stark's focus elsewhere. Although he still loved movies, he couldn't devote much time to them.

Therefore, Stark Studios began to downsize its production team and shifted its focus to manufacturing and renting equipment, which better suited Howard Stark's genius, essentially becoming the logistics unit for other film companies.

Although the production and distribution departments were retained by the wealthy Howard Stark, the talented and ambitious individuals had long since moved on to other film studios.

Howard Stark knew his own company inside and out, so he didn't stop these people from leaving. Instead, he encouraged them, and in the process, streamlined his film company.

Therefore, while Stark Studios still possesses production and distribution capabilities, it exists as a small division supporting independent films. Instead, Stark Studios ' equipment and supplies rental program strongly supports the development of Hollywood.

The latest and most advanced photography equipment is naturally sought after by major film studios. They will consider renting or simply purchasing it, depending on the circumstances.

However, some of the old equipment also satisfied independent films with limited funding, or aspiring directors with ambitions in filmmaking. Stark Studios has been able to survive to this day thanks to Old Man Stark's personal hobby.

Upon hearing this name, Catherine Hepburn felt only nostalgia. To be honest, she hadn't expected Tony to bring this up. Was Stark Studios about to rise again?

As for Henry, he asked in surprise, "Stark Studios is still around? I thought your Obadiah Stane would sell or shut down this company, which isn't part of the military industry, like other companies."