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Before dinner, Tony Stark finally appeared at the Hepburn family's seaside villa.
The man, who had grown a beard in an attempt to look mature, complained the moment he walked in.
"Katharine, if you wanted to see me, why didn't you call me to the old house on East Forty-Ninth Street? Why make me run all the way out to Connecticut? Do you know I spent two whole hours just sitting in the car?"
"Your father was much smarter," Katharine shot back coolly. "At least he knew how to fly over in a seaplane."
A critical hit from Queen Katharine. Young Tony Stark's defenses instantly shattered—he didn't even know how to respond.
Of course, the old lady wasn't just here to mock him. She still had to preserve Tony's dignity in front of others.
"The house on East Forty-Ninth Street requires climbing too many stairs," she explained.
"Richard and the others suggested I move—either to a different house or an apartment with an elevator. Until then, they dragged me back here to live by the sea. Do you think I wanted this? Old and young alike, all of them nagging me nonstop."
Tony was about to say something when Katharine cut him off again.
"And don't you dare start giving me advice too, picking up those annoying habits. Otherwise, you might as well suggest I move to the Moon."
Tony retreated a step and mimed zipping his mouth shut. Moving to the Moon was a bit much—he couldn't manage that yet. Not yet, anyway.
Naturally, the current CEO of Stark Industries hadn't come alone. Besides a group of black-suited men led by Happy Hogan, he'd also brought along several young men and women not much younger than himself.
Seeing Katharine's curious gaze toward the group behind him, Tony casually explained,
"They're my personal assistants and secretaries. Just find somewhere for them to rest. You don't need to worry about them—I hired chefs, didn't I?"
As Tony stepped inside, he shrugged off his coat and tossed it backward. Happy Hogan caught it smoothly and hung it on the coat rack by the door.
From these small gestures, Henry could see some of Tony Stark's future quirks already beginning to form.
For example, although everyone present could be considered trusted aides of the Stark Industries CEO, only Happy was allowed within arm's reach. The others kept their distance.
As for the legendary Pepper Potts—Virginia "Pepper" Potts—Henry didn't see anyone resembling Gwyneth Paltrow's blonde secretary. Apparently, she wasn't here.
"Oh, you're here too," Tony remarked when he noticed Henry, deliberately emphasizing the words.
The sentence itself was harmless, but the mockery in his tone practically overflowed, turning into a cloud of poisonous gas right in Henry's face.
Just as Henry was carefully preparing a counterattack—sharp, but not too cutting—Tony decisively changed the subject. His eyes lit up when he saw Charlize Theron.
"I haven't seen you before, beautiful. Katharine, is this your great-granddaughter?"
Henry stepped in to introduce her.
"This is Charlize Theron, a newcomer actress in Hollywood. She's my girlfriend."
Tony couldn't care less about Henry's eager declaration of ownership. Switching to a look of sympathy, he said,
"It must be hard being with a man who talks so viciously. Ever thought about changing boyfriends, Charlize?"
At that moment, Katharine stepped in, waving her hand as if shooing away a puppy.
"Go on, go! Whether she's my great-granddaughter or not, I'll keep her far away from Stark men. Charlize, come with me. Let the men talk."
As she was pulled away arm-in-arm, Charlize wore an apologetic, helpless expression. She still managed to say,
"It's an honor to meet you, Mr. Stark."
Watching the beauty leave, Tony raised his voice slightly.
"Just call me Tony. No need for 'Mr. Stark.'"
As soon as she was gone, Tony Stark's expression shifted instantly to disdain as he looked at the other man.
"Hm. Using Stark Pictures to pick up women? Now who's the one trying to do that?"
Henry put on a perfectly calibrated display of awkwardness, twitching temples, and a forced smile.
"Mr. Stark, I haven't made up my mind about that yet. It was Katharine who called you here."
"You haven't decided, yet you called me?" Tony scoffed.
Henry replied calmly,
"I wanted to know whether you've thought about the questions I raised. Movies show this all the time—CIA sends the protagonist to do some dirty work, then cleans him up afterward to erase the evidence.
"When you do business, you have to leave yourself an out. I can't just charge headfirst into a target you drew for me. Even when you're hiring an ordinary employee, besides good pay, you have to make sure they have no lingering worries.
"I'm not desperate. You're not my last lifeline. From my perspective, a risk that outweighs the reward simply isn't worth taking."
Seeing that everyone was still standing by the door without even entering the living room, Tony gave a look.
"Find somewhere to talk."
"Katharine!" Henry called out loudly. "Mind lending us a place to talk?"
"The study," Katharine replied just as loudly. "You know where it is."
"I do." Henry turned to Tony. "Follow me. The small room next to the living room—the door can be closed."
"Happy," Tony called out to his trusted lieutenant.
Happy immediately understood. He quickly issued instructions—some men went to inspect the house, others checked in with the catering team, and the rest were sent to rest in the small sitting room. Happy himself closed the study door and stood guard outside.
Seeing this, Charlize looked toward the closed study door with visible worry.
Katharine noticed her concern and gently reassured her.
"Men's matters are something they can handle themselves. You don't need to worry."
"But Katharine," Charlize asked innocently, "don't you want to know what they're talking about?"
"Do you think men and women should be completely honest with each other?" Katharine asked instead.
"Isn't that right? Total honesty, no secrets—that's the most basic requirement in a relationship, isn't it?"
"I think there's a prerequisite," Katharine said calmly.
"That it concerns matters related to you, or things that could harm your interests. If he told you a secret you weren't meant to know—would that really be a good thing?"
That question left Charlize Theron speechless.
Katharine continued,
"In ordinary relationships, of course, people can share everything. Ordinary people don't have secrets that can kill.
"But those men—"
She tilted her chin toward the study.
"—their secrets aren't something ordinary people can bear. Unless your influence and capacity are on the same level as theirs, unless you can actually help.
"Only then does knowing such things have meaning. Otherwise, you'd just be burdened by problems you can't solve—and might even put yourself in danger."
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