Hearing someone call his name, Happy raised his head.
He glanced at the three men, and a deeply resentful expression immediately crossed his face.
"Oh, looks like I'm pretty famous. Even freaks who like to play dress-up in the middle of the night know me."
Happy sighed and spoke dejectedly.
"Let me correct you there, buddy. That was before. As of this afternoon, I'm not their bodyguard anymore."
"You know what I'm saying?! My damn bosses fired me."
Happy patted the counter and gave a bitter laugh.
"This is the new job I just found. Night shift at a hotel front desk. The pay's only a tenth of what I used to make, but at least I don't have to put up with that treatment anymore."
"But that's not important. What I should be asking is, what do you guys want here in the middle of the night? Are you looking for a room or someone?"
Hearing that, John and the other two exchanged looks.
All three were dumbfounded, utterly unable to understand what was going on.
The Stark brothers' personal bodyguard, a trusted aide who had been with them for years, had actually been fired that afternoon?
And then he'd come to a hotel in the middle of the night to work the front desk?
Did that make any sense?!
Like hell it did!!
John took a deep breath, feeling that things might not be so simple.
He looked at Happy and tentatively voiced his doubts.
"Fired? How's that possible? Hadn't you been with them for years?"
John stared intently into Happy's eyes, trying to spot any sign that he was lying.
As soon as Happy heard the question, his already aggrieved face flushed red, and he immediately grew agitated.
"Do you have to ask?! Do you have to reopen old wounds?!"
Happy suddenly began shouting, waving both hands in the air as though he'd suffered a terrible injustice.
"Fine! I'll tell you why I was fired! Because of those damn Starks! Their tempers are unbearable! They never even treated me like a human being!"
Happy leaned over the front desk and began pouring out his grievances, spittle flying.
"You have no idea how miserable it is being those two brothers' bodyguard! They're practically two babies who never grew up!"
"Take food, for example. Tony's a hardcore cheeseburger fanatic. He has to have a double cheeseburger from Burger King every day! And it has to be hot!"
Happy grew angrier as he spoke.
"And Luca? He hates cheese! He has to have a spicy chicken sandwich from Wendy's! And the lettuce in it has to be fresh!"
"Do you know how torturous that is?! Every time they said they were hungry, I had to drive several blocks through the damn Los Angeles morning rush hour to buy them two different burgers!"
"But if they got even a little cold, that bastard Luca would mercilessly mock my driving, saying I drove like an old lady! And Tony would say he was going to dock my pay!"
Happy continued badmouthing Tony and Luca at length.
"And that's not even the worst of it! Do you know what happened after the press conference this afternoon? That damn bastard Luca actually changed clothes in the car!"
"He threw his shirt, covered in the smell of perfume, right in my face! I protested, and that bastard Tony just told me to get lost! He said I didn't understand Stark Family humor!"
Happy's eyes were a little red, and he looked utterly heartbroken.
"All those years! Even if I didn't accomplish anything great, I still worked hard, didn't I? And they kicked me out over one protest! Those heartless capitalists!"
Faced with Happy's furious tirade, which went on for several minutes,
John and the other two were dumbfounded again.
They had expected a fierce battle or some kind of scheme.
Instead, they were standing here listening to a fired bodyguard complain about how his bosses ate burgers?
The whole situation was bizarre in the extreme.
Even so, none of the three found it strange.
According to their information, Tony and Luca had always been playboys who did whatever they pleased.
The Stark brothers firing their bodyguard over something trivial was perfectly plausible.
John coughed awkwardly, his taut nerves relaxing a little.
It seemed the lobby was empty simply because the hotel was poorly managed, and the man at the front desk just happened to be Happy, who had just been kicked out.
It was all a coincidence.
It had to be!!
"Okay. I'm sorry to hear that," John replied perfunctorily.
"Good luck with your new job. I hope you find a good boss who doesn't eat burgers."
Happy sighed and waved a hand, looking as though he had nothing left to live for.
"Thanks for your concern, buddy. Honestly, I never want to see anyone named Stark again for as long as I live! Just hearing that name gives me a headache!"
John froze for a moment.
Then he smiled and said meaningfully,
"Don't worry. You'll get your wish very soon."
Happy blinked and asked foolishly, "Why? Are they moving out of California?"
But John had no intention of wasting any more words on this useless bodyguard.
Time was short, and he intended to stick to the original plan.
So John pulled out his credentials and flashed them quickly in front of Happy.
"We're agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the FBI," John said, switching to a businesslike tone.
"We're on a secret assignment, tracking several dangerous fugitives. We need to see the hotel's guest information immediately, especially for the guests in the top-floor suite."
Under normal circumstances, a hotel receptionist faced with this situation would certainly ask to examine their credentials carefully and might even call the manager to confirm.
But Happy didn't.
As soon as he heard that the FBI wanted to investigate the guests on the top floor, he smiled and immediately welcomed them enthusiastically.
"Please, go right ahead, officers! I'm at your service!" Happy pointed toward the elevator corridor beside him.
"The top-floor suite, right? Those two damn Starks are there! They took five women in with them. They must be up to some shady, illegal business! Make sure you investigate them thoroughly! Better yet, throw them in prison!"
Happy eagerly showed them the way.
"See that elevator? That's their private elevator. You don't need a key card. Just press the top-floor button and it'll take you up. Officers, do you need me to take you there?"
John and the others were stunned yet again, unable to react for a moment.
Why was Happy being so cooperative? He was practically begging them to arrest the Starks?!
Things were going a little too smoothly, so smoothly that it was bewildering.
But in order to finish the mission as quickly as possible, John put away his credentials and shook his head.
"No need. What happens next is classified. Just stay here."
With that, John gave Jack and Mark a look.
The three ignored Happy, turned around, and headed straight for the private elevator.
At the front desk behind them,
Happy watched their retreating figures as they walked farther away, seeing them enter the elevator lobby.
The next second, he breathed a sigh of relief, and a look of pity appeared on his face.
After a moment's thought, he lowered his head and made the sign of the cross over his chest.
"May God bless you, and good luck."
Without further hesitation, Happy dragged a large travel bag he had prepared long ago out from under the front desk.
"I need to get outside and drive the car to the back door to wait for the bosses. It's bound to be dangerous up there soon. Those idiots have no idea what kind of monsters they've messed with."
Happy muttered to himself as he quickly slipped out of the hotel lobby.