An Honored Guest Arrives

Before dinner, Tony Stark finally appeared at the Hepburn Family's seaside villa.

The bearded, pretentious-looking man complained as soon as he entered, "Catherine, why didn't you come to the old house on East 49th Street to find me? Why did you make me come all the way to Connecticut? You know it took me two hours just to get here by car."

"Your dad is much smarter; he even knows how to bring water over by plane."

Queen Catherine unleashed a devastating attack, Tony Stark Stark Jr. was once again caught off guard. He didn't even know how to retort.

However, the old lady wasn't just making sarcastic remarks; she had to maintain Tony's image in front of outsiders. She explained, "The house on East 49th Street requires climbing quite a few stairs."

"Richard and the others suggested I move to a different place, or find an apartment with an elevator. Until then, they dragged me back to live by the sea. Do you think I wanted that? A bunch of old and young, nagging me all day long."

Before Tony could say anything more, Catherine interrupted, "Don't give me any advice or suggestions about picking up those annoying habits. Why don't you just tell me to move to the moon?"

Tony, having taken a step back, made a zipping motion with his mouth. Moving it to the moon was an exaggeration; he couldn't do that either. Hmm... not yet.

The current CEO of Stark Industries certainly didn't come alone. He brought not only a group of men in black suits led by Happy Hogan, but also several men and women no older than him.

Seeing the elderly woman looking at him with curiosity, Tony casually said, "They are my personal assistants and secretary. Just find them a place to rest. Don't worry about them; I did call a cook."

Tony took off his coat as he entered and tossed it behind him. Happy Hogan caught it with practiced ease and hung it on the coat rack next to the door.

Judging from some subtle gestures, Henry noticed that some of Tony Stark's later eccentricities were gradually appearing in him.

For example, although everyone who came was considered a close confidant of him, the CEO of Stark Industries, only Happy was allowed within his reach. The others kept their distance.

I wonder if the legendary "Pepper Potts," Virginia Pepper Potts, is in it? At least Henry didn't see a blonde secretary who looks like Gwen Paltrow.

"Oh, you're here too." Tony said this deliberately when he saw Henry.

Although there wasn't much content, the sarcasm in his tone was almost overflowing, turning into tangible poison gas that covered Henry's face.

Just as Henry was preparing his retort, yet trying not to be too hurtful, Tony decisively changed the subject. His eyes gleamed as he looked at Charlize Theron. "I haven't seen you before, beautiful. Catherine, is this your great-granddaughter?"

Henry stepped forward and introduced her, "This is Charlize Theron, a rising Hollywood actress, and my girlfriend."

Tony didn't care at all about Henry's eagerness to assert his dominance. He simply put on a sympathetic expression and said, "It must be tough being with a guy who talks so meanly. Don't you want to consider finding a new boyfriend, Charlize?"

At that moment, Catherine jumped out. She waved her hand as if shooing away a dog, saying, "Go, go! Whether they're my great-granddaughters or not, I'll keep them away from the Stark Family men. Charlize, come with me. Let the men talk."

Charlize Theron, who was being pulled away by the arm, made a helpless and embarrassed expression. She didn't forget to say quickly, "It's an honor to meet you, Mr. Stark."

Watching the beautiful woman walk away, Tony raised his voice slightly and said, "Just call me Tony, don't call me Mr. Stark."

Watching the departing beauty with a heavy heart, Tony Stark immediately adopted a disdainful expression, looking at the other man. "Hmph, me using Stark Studios to pick up girls? Who's thinking of doing that now?"

Henry perfectly portrayed embarrassment, a bulging vein on his forehead, and a rather forced smile. "Mr. Stark, I haven't made up my mind about this yet. It was Catherine who summoned you."

"You haven't made up your mind yet, and you've called me here?"

Henry said, "I'd also like to know if you have any thoughts on the question I raised. That's not how it's often portrayed in movies. The CIA sends the protagonist to do some dirty work, and then cleans up the mess with the protagonist afterwards, Oblivion the evidence."

"You always have to be careful when doing things. I can't just blindly run into a target you draw. Even if you're recruiting an ordinary employee, besides offering generous compensation, you have to ensure they have no worries about their future."

"I'm not desperate; you're not my last straw. In my opinion, it's not worth taking risks that outweigh the potential rewards."

Seeing that everyone was still standing in front of the door, not even having gone into the living room, Tony gave a wink and said, "Let's find somewhere to talk."

"Catherine!" Henry shouted, "I need to talk to you somewhere."

"Go to the study. You know where it is," Catherine called out.

"I know." Henry turned to Tony and said, "Come with me. It's the small hall next to the living room; the door can be closed."

"Happy." Tony called out to his trusted leader, who immediately understood.

Happy quickly gave instructions to his subordinates: some went to inspect the house, some went to confirm the staff with the chef team, and the rest went to rest in the small living room. He himself closed the door to his study and personally stood guard outside.

Seeing this, Charlize looked worriedly into the closed study.

Catherine noticed her worry and comforted her, "Men's problems are their own to solve. You don't need to worry about them."

"Catherine, don't you want to know what they said?" Charlize asked a very naive question.

What do you think of the idea that men and women should be honest with each other?

"Isn't that right? Being honest with each other and not hiding anything from one another—isn't that the most basic requirement for relationships between men and women?"

"But I think there should be a premise: the other party only needs to tell you things that concern them or that might harm their interests. Would it be a good thing What If...? they told you a secret that you shouldn't know in your position?"

This question stumped Charlize Theron.

Catherine continued, "In general, when men and women are in a relationship, they can be completely honest with each other about everything, big or small. Because most people don't have those kinds of deadly secrets. But those people—"

The old lady pointed her chin towards the study.

"Their secrets are not something ordinary people can bear. Unless you are at the same level as them today and can help them."

"Then it's meaningful for you to know. What If...?, you'll be troubled by something you can't solve, and might even put yourself in danger because of it."