~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For 20 advanced chapters, visit my Patreon:
Patreon - Twilight_scribe1
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Charlize Theron was not the type with a people-pleasing personality. In fact, because of certain past experiences she had never spoken about to anyone, she was extremely guarded around strangers.
Henry's way into her heart had, to some extent, taken advantage of a vulnerable moment. But since he had never intended to use her for anything, their relationship was able to continue.
As for physical needs… that was a different matter altogether.
Katharine Hepburn, likewise, was not some sweet girl who let others push her around. She was humorous, sharp-witted, and possessed the strength so admired in women of her era.
In Henry's original expectations, a meeting between two equally strong-willed women would have been nothing short of a clash of queens.
The reason he dared to bring Charlize to meet this legendary figure was precisely because Charlize Theron had not yet reached her "complete form." He hoped she could learn to interact more smoothly with this veteran of the film world, drawing nourishment from her life experience and paving her own road toward becoming an Oscar winner.
Who would have thought that the old and the young would hit it off instantly? Once they really got talking, they completely forgot about Henry—treating him as nothing more than a household servant responsible for tea and errands.
But with him hovering around, he was starting to get in the way. Katharine simply waved a hand and said,
"Henry, go buy some ingredients and prepare tonight's dinner. Tony will be coming to eat as well—don't poison him."
Having his intentions exposed by the old lady before he could act, Henry had no choice but to abandon such classic intestinal-cleansing dishes as hairy crab stir-fried with persimmon, spinach with tofu, pumpkin fish soup, and lemon shrimp.
As the saying goes, once the farmer's almanac is opened, even chefs start to worry. Still, Henry generously spared the young tycoon's digestive system.
---
In the afternoon, the doorbell rang.
Henry was busy in the kitchen, and Katharine wasn't very mobile, so it was Charlize who went to answer the door.
When she opened it, what she saw was not Tony Stark as he appeared on television, but a large, heavyset Black man, with a group of people of various skin tones standing behind him.
Charlize paused, then asked,
"May I ask who you're looking for?"
The big man at the front handed over a business card and said,
"Good afternoon, ma'am. I'm Wesley Washington, head chef of the Wesley Five-Star Catering Team.
"Mr. Tony Stark commissioned us to prepare tonight's dinner. Is this Ms. Katharine Hepburn's residence?"
The extravagance of the wealthy was truly eye-opening—coming to someone else's home as a guest, yet bringing your own chefs. Charlize Theron had gained a new perspective.
From inside, Katharine called out loudly,
"Charlize, who is it? Is it little Tony?"
"No, Katharine. It's a catering team hired by Mr. Stark."
"I see. Then let them in. And tell Henry in the kitchen that he doesn't need to bother anymore."
"Alright." Charlize responded, then opened the door wide and welcomed them in. "Please, come in."
---
Once permitted, the catering team sprang into action. Some unloaded fresh ingredients from refrigerated trucks, while others carried boxed tableware from standard vans.
The catering team didn't consist of just chefs and assistants—there were also service staff. In total, more than twenty people.
As the head chef and person in charge, Wesley needed to know where the kitchen and dining area were so he could make arrangements. He asked Charlize to lead the way, and the two headed toward the kitchen together.
Seeing the man working with his back turned, Charlize spoke up.
"Henry, Mr. Stark hired a catering team for tonight. This is the head chef, Wesley Washington."
Henry put down what he was doing and turned around. Wesley froze for a moment, then pointed at him uncertainly.
"Henry… Henry Brown?"
"Ah, Chef. Long time no see. I'm surprised you still remember me."
Wiping his hands dry, Henry exchanged a friendly fist bump with the chef he had once worked with on Under Siege.
"I didn't expect you to be a guest today." The big man greeted him warmly, then his expression shifted to concern. "You and Mr. Stark—everything's alright now?"
"Would someone that important really hold a grudge against a small fry like me? It's been settled for ages," Henry replied casually.
"That's good to hear. I was worried someone might secretly ask me to add poison or laxatives," Wesley joked. Then he glanced around the kitchen. "You were preparing dinner?"
"Yeah. I didn't expect you guys to show up. If I don't want to starve, I have to cook myself."
"What were you planning to make?" The chef couldn't tell from the ingredients alone, so he asked directly.
"Just some home-style dishes. Whatever I could buy, I cook. I didn't plan much. What about you? Don't tell me you're improvising on the spot too."
"How could we?" Wesley laughed. "Thanks to your cheeseburger, Mr. Stark often hires my team. That dish is on today's menu as well—he asks for it every single time."
As he spoke, Wesley handed over a menu. It wasn't for ordering; it simply listed everything available that evening.
The contents weren't strictly divided into Western courses like appetizer, side, and main. Just among the main-dish options alone, there were at least three: cheeseburgers, bouillabaisse, and duck confit.
Looking over the menu, Henry whistled.
"Wow. Is this what rich people eat? Chef, at your level, how good is this menu?"
Lowering his voice conspiratorially, Wesley said,
"I'd love to tell you that every service I do is top-tier, but the truth is, there are levels. What Mr. Stark wants is the real top-grade ingredients."
"Oh? Let me see just how top-grade," Henry joked.
Just then, several people wheeled in large tanks filled with aerated water. One glance was enough to leave Henry stunned.
"Is what's in that tank what I think it is?"
"I remember you said you worked on a crab fishing boat in Alaska. You don't recognize it? King crab."
"Of course I recognize king crab. But alive? Isn't this a bit excessive? It's December—crab season should be over. Where did you even find live ones?"
"These are Norwegian red king crabs. There's no seasonal restriction there—only monthly quotas. To get this tank here, the shipping cost alone was more expensive than the crabs themselves."
"Tsk tsk. The lives of the rich really are beyond my imagination."
---
Charlize finally found an opening to ask,
"Henry, you know Mr. Washington?"
"Ah—Wesley Washington, a top-tier chef trained at Le Cordon Bleu in France. We were once on the same film crew," Henry explained, then added introductions. "This is Charlize Theron—my girlfriend."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Theron," Wesley said warmly, flashing a wide smile and his naturally bright white teeth.
Henry briefly explained how he and Wesley had met, of course emphasizing how many free meals he'd enjoyed.
Charlize exclaimed in surprise,
"What kind of film crew could afford a chef team like this?"
"The same one as today's guest—funded primarily by Mr. Tony Stark."
"Oh… my God," Charlize was left speechless.
Wesley added from the side,
"But I've only done catering for a film crew once. Most productions would never agree to spend their budget like this."
After answering Charlize, Henry turned back to Wesley and asked,
"Want me to help out today?"
"Hey, you're a guest," Wesley laughed. "Just help by eating. Don't steal my job."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
🎉 Power Stone Goal Announcement! 🎉
I'll release one bonus chapter for every 500 Power Stones we hit!"
Let me know what should I do
Your support means everything—let's crush these goals together! Keep voting, and let the stones pile up! 🚀
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~