At the top-floor restaurant of Stark Tower, crystal chandeliers cast a glittering glow over the Italian-imported cloud-pattern marble dining table. Reflected specks of light danced across the gold-rimmed plates. Tony Stark sat with one leg crossed over the other, swirling a wineglass in his hand as ice cubes clinked crisply against the glass like a jazz drumbeat. "I'm telling you, nephew, you've really been making waves at school lately. A genius girl on one side, a childhood sweetheart on the other—planning to build your own teenage alliance?" As he raised an eyebrow, the curls over his forehead swayed lightly, and his eyes behind the lenses gleamed with teasing amusement.
Lee Stark rolled his eyes helplessly and viciously cut off a large piece of steak, sending juices splattering across the tablecloth in dark stains. "Uncle Tony, could you not use such exaggerated comparisons? Wanda and Gwen are just my classmates. We only entered a science competition together." His cheeks puffed out as he spoke, making him look like a little squirrel guarding its food.
"Just classmates?" Helen Cho pushed up her rimless glasses, their metal frames glinting coldly beneath the lights. She slapped her tablet onto the table, and the screen immediately began playing high-definition footage from the competition—the scarlet glow at Wanda's fingertips, the withered vines instantly coiling around the energy storage station, their leaves giving off an eerie fluorescence. "I've spent twenty years researching bioengineering at Stark Industries. I've cultivated glowing roses and modified bacteria that break down oil stains, but I've never seen plants grow from seeds to maturity in ten seconds. Unless..." She deliberately drew out the last word, a faintly jealous note in her voice as she stared at Lee with the focus of a microscope.
Happy's mouth was stuffed with spaghetti and meat sauce as he raised a hand indistinctly, completely oblivious to the sauce running down from the corner of his mouth. "I'd bet five dollars that it was magic! Back when I was on the streets of Brooklyn, I saw a magician stuff a pigeon into a top hat, then pull out a hot dog!" His words made Pepper's silver dinner knife clatter against her plate.
"Oh, give it a rest, Happy." Tony reached over and tugged on Happy's tie. "Your street magic stories could go from Brooklyn to Queens, then circle back to Manhattan." He suddenly leaned closer to Lee, the rich aroma of red wine mingling with a faint scent of motor oil. "Seriously, kid, that girl's abilities are a little beyond normal. We need to figure out where she came from. If a man-eating flower suddenly sprouts from your desk one day, don't expect me to clean up afterward."
Pepper elegantly dabbed the corner of her mouth with a napkin, her pink pearl earrings swaying gently. "I think we shouldn't rush to conclusions. In the competition video, when Wanda collapsed from exhaustion, that girl named Gwen was the first to rush over and support her. Her eyes were full of worry—even her eyelashes were trembling." She pushed the sliced steak toward Tony. "I trust the children's judgment. Maybe they simply want to protect each other."
Lee looked gratefully at Pepper, remembering how Gwen had shielded him from the frenzied fans at the school gate last week. Even when her ponytail had been pulled loose, she had not let go. He cleared his throat. "Wanda does have secrets, but she's never hurt anyone. If it hadn't been for her in this competition, we wouldn't have won the championship. And did you know? She usually loves reading Slavic Mythology Studies. Once, I asked why she was interested in that stuff, and she blinked at me and said, 'Maybe one day I'll summon a Slavic god to help with my homework, then I can openly refuse to hand in my physics test.'"
The joke made everyone at the table laugh. Happy laughed so hard that he slapped the table, making the salt shaker dance and nearly fall into the pasta. Helen Cho held her glasses as her shoulders trembled slightly. Tony was even more theatrical, wiping away tears that did not exist with a napkin. "I like this girl! Next time I write a paper, I'll have her summon a god of mathematics to help me!"
Helen Cho finally managed to stop laughing, but her gaze remained intent. "What about Gwen? She's been borrowing books related to mysticism quite frequently lately. Her borrowing records even include handwritten manuscripts from the nineteenth century. That doesn't seem like mere interest."
At the mention of Gwen, Lee's expression softened, and his thoughts drifted back to middle school. They had joined the robotics club together then. Once, a robot they had built suddenly went out of control, its wildly spinning mechanical arm nearly injuring the students watching nearby. Gwen had rushed forward without a word and pressed down the gears with her bare hands. In the end, three bloody cuts had been left on her arm, yet she still smiled and comforted him. "It's fine. Just think of it as getting up close and personal with a mechanical arm."
"Gwen has always been a curious person." Lee played with the fork in his hand. "Maybe she noticed that Wanda was unusual, so she wanted to learn more. She's done quite a few impressive things before. Once, the school projector suddenly started smoking, and she took the casing apart right there. She used a hairpin as a screwdriver to fix the wiring, leaving even the technology teacher dumbfounded."
Pepper smiled with relief, warmth hidden even in the fine lines at the corners of her eyes. "They both sound like wonderful children. Perhaps we could find an opportunity to get to know them properly?"
"Great idea!" Tony suddenly sprang out of his chair, completely unconcerned that red wine had spilled over his custom-made suit. He snapped his fingers, and nanoparticles immediately projected a party blueprint into the air. "We'll throw an exclusive Stark family party! We'll set up holographic projections on the top floor, make a virtual medieval magic castle, hand out fire-breathing wands as party favors when the guests arrive, and prepare cotton candy that changes color based on their mood..."
"Setting aside your crazy party plans for a moment," Helen Cho said with a smile, shaking her head as she brought up a 3D model of the laboratory, "I suggest inviting them to tour the lab. Let them see our quantum computer. Maybe Wanda can use magic to optimize the algorithms, and Gwen can help calibrate the newly developed mechanical arm."
Happy raised both hands excitedly, making the pasta on his plate wobble along with them. "I'm all for it! I can even teach them how to drive my Lamborghini. I guarantee it'll be more exciting than a roller coaster! Last time I took Aunt May for a ride, her legs went weak when she got out. She said it was more terrifying than watching a 3D horror movie!"
As Lee watched everyone discussing things so enthusiastically, warmth surged through his heart. He had thought it would be a serious interrogation, but it had unexpectedly turned into a cozy family gathering. He smiled. "I'm sure Wanda and Gwen will be happy. But Uncle Tony, don't make your party too outrageous. At last Halloween's party, you turned the tower into an alien battlefield. The cleaning lady complained about the glowing alien slime for a full three months."
Everyone burst into laughter again, and the restaurant filled with a lighthearted, cheerful atmosphere. Outside the windows, the sun gradually sank lower, dyeing the entire room a warm orange and casting a soft glow over every face. In that moment, all suspicion and worry were swept away by laughter, leaving only the trust and care shared among family.
And so, the discussion about Wanda and Gwen became, amid the relaxed and harmonious atmosphere, an anticipation and welcome for new members. Lee knew that their story had only just begun.
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