Rosalie's Past

Mark studied it for a moment and quickly figured out how his cheat worked.

As long as he basked in the sun, he could gain Sunlight Value, which could be used to enhance his superpowers.

The first superpower he had unlocked was Super Brain.

Once Super Brain reached level ten, he would unlock new superpowers.

Once he unlocked every superpower, he would possess strength comparable to—or even surpassing—Superman's!

"If I have Superman's strength, then no matter how dangerous the Marvel Universe becomes in the future, I'll be able to protect myself!"

Mark thought excitedly.

[Sunlight Value +1]

Just then, Mark gained another point of Sunlight Value.

After doing some rough calculations, he estimated that he could gain one point of Sunlight Value for every five minutes spent in the sun.

"By that calculation, if I stay in the sun continuously for... hmm... about eight hours, I can raise Super Brain to level one."

Mark counted on his fingers for a while before reaching that conclusion.

After being reborn as a baby, Mark felt as though his brain had regressed along with him.

Not only had its processing speed slowed, but he also easily fell asleep whenever his brain grew tired.

He hoped upgrading Super Brain would make up for this weakness.

Just as Mark happily watched his Sunlight Value continue to rise, Nurse Daphne's voice rang out.

"Rosalie, newborn babies have very delicate skin. They can't be exposed to sunlight for too long, so you'll need to keep that in mind from now on."

As she spoke, she walked over and pushed Mark's stroller to a spot where the sunlight could not reach.

"Okay, Daphne. I'll be careful."

Rosalie, lying in the hospital bed, nodded solemnly.

"Waaah! Waaah!"

Seeing that his Sunlight Value had stopped increasing, Mark immediately began crying in frustration.

However, he still could not control his tongue well enough to speak, so naturally, neither of the two women in the hospital room knew what he was trying to say.

Over the next two days, Rosalie contacted seven or eight media outlets and newspapers, large and small.

However, once they learned that Rosalie could not provide any proof that Mark was biologically related to Tony Stark, most of those outlets simply left.

Like Hollywood Weekly, they clearly did not dare report such completely unfounded news at will.

Only a newspaper called San Fernando Valley Entertainment News took photos of Rosalie and Mark, saying that it would consider publishing the story.

As its name suggested, it was merely a local tabloid whose influence was limited to the San Fernando Valley, and its reach was extremely limited.

Even so, Rosalie rarely showed such delight and excitement.

"Baby, once the news spreads, your father will definitely acknowledge you. Then you'll be the heir to Stark Group!"

She leaned close to Mark, her voice full of longing.

Mark pursed his lips, unimpressed. He felt Rosalie was simply indulging in wishful thinking.

From Rosalie's conversations with Daphne and the reporters over the past two days, Mark had also more or less figured out the true relationship between her and Tony Stark.

Two years ago, after graduating from college, Rosalie came to Hollywood with dreams of becoming a star.

She believed that with her beauty, she would undoubtedly make an instant splash in Hollywood and become a superstar.

However, Hollywood had never lacked beautiful women, and the competition there was far more brutal than she had imagined.

Because she refused to degrade herself like the other actresses and sell her body, Rosalie had never been given a chance to rise to prominence.

At most, she had played supporting roles with one or two lines in films. More often, she was just background scenery without even a single line.

Until several months ago, at a production team's celebration party, Rosalie happened to meet Tony Stark, who had come to show support for Hollywood's top actress, Cathy Dale.

Although Tony Stark had never admitted it, Cathy Dale had spent the past two years presenting herself as Tony Stark's official girlfriend. Major news outlets also frequently reported rumors of the two entering and leaving hotels and malls together.

However, halfway through the party, Cathy Dale and Tony Stark suddenly broke into a fierce argument for some unknown reason, and the two eventually parted on bad terms.

As Tony Stark was leaving the party, he noticed the stunning Rosalie in a corner and openly invited her to join him.

Rosalie's mind had been a little foggy at the time. In a daze, she got into Tony Stark's car and spent the night with him at a hotel.

Rosalie had originally believed that she would become Tony Stark's official girlfriend from then on, and might even marry him in the future to become the mistress of the Stark family.

But when she woke up the next day, Tony Stark had only left behind a fifty-thousand-dollar check before drifting away.

Rosalie was never able to contact Tony Stark again after that.

She did not have his private number, and whenever she called Stark Group, all she received was the cold question, "Do you have an appointment?"

She had even gone to Stark Group in person, only to be stopped by security outside.

Rosalie had already completely given up hope, but when she discovered that she was pregnant, she immediately felt that another opportunity had arrived.

This time, however, Rosalie no longer hoped to become Tony Stark's girlfriend.

She only wanted him to acknowledge her child's identity and give him a better future.

Early the next morning, Rosalie asked Daphne to buy a copy of San Fernando Valley Entertainment News from the street.

In the corner of the newspaper's final page, Mark saw a photo of himself and Rosalie, along with the news report.

[Twenty-one-year-old Ms. Rosalie Payne claims that she had a secret relationship with Mr. Tony Stark, president of Stark Group, and gave birth to his son! She demands that Mr. Stark come forward to acknowledge the child and assume responsibility for his upbringing.]

The report occupied very little space, and the newspaper clearly feared being sued, so it did not offer any guarantee regarding the story. The entire piece was merely Rosalie Payne's own account.

Rosalie was somewhat dissatisfied that the newspaper had not placed the report on the front page, but all she could do now was hope that Tony Stark would see it and come acknowledge her child.

Manhattan, Stark Tower.

Tony Stark, wearing goggles and using mechanical arms to build an electronic component, heard JARVIS's reminder.

"Sir, there is a news report that I believe you should take a look at."

Hearing this, Tony Stark set down his tools and removed his goggles.

The large screen before him lit up, displaying the report about him from San Fernando Valley Entertainment News.

At this point, JARVIS was not yet the powerful artificial intelligence he would become in the future. He was only just beginning to take shape.

Tony Stark used him to monitor the internet, television stations, and newspapers across the United States. Any news related to him would be reported by JARVIS immediately.