At night in Vienna, Clark and Diana sat hand-in-hand on a cruise ship gliding along the Danube River, just like any ordinary couple.
Though it was a bus-ship, since it wasn't peak tourist season, there weren't many people onboard. The quiet atmosphere was one of the reasons Clark and Diana had chosen this particular boat.
Noticing someone playing the piano and collecting tips, Clark requested a few songs, and he and Diana simply sat there, listening to the music and watching the scenery. Because the sun set late in Vienna, even after 8 PM, they could still see the fading sunset in the sky.
"Such a beautiful city," Diana remarked, gazing out at Vienna from the boat.
"Yeah, it's really lovely," Clark replied, holding her hand—but his mind was somewhere else. He couldn't stop thinking about the fact that Tony had "accidentally" only given them one hotel room.
Just one room! Clark hadn't seen the inside yet, but knowing Tony, it probably only had one bed. The very thought of sharing a bed with Diana made Clark's heart race.
"What's wrong, Clark?" Diana asked. Since they were holding hands, she could feel the sudden change in Clark's heartbeat through his palm.
"Nothing," Clark said, taking a deep breath and pushing away his chaotic thoughts.
"Really?" Diana cast a skeptical glance at him. But Clark had already calmed down, and Diana couldn't sense anything unusual anymore.
Ten minutes later, the cruise docked. Clark and Diana walked off the boat along with the other passengers.
"It's getting late. Let's head back to the hotel," Clark said, checking the time on his phone—it was almost 9 PM.
Hearing that, Diana glanced at the sky. It looked like mid-afternoon back home, but after checking the time herself, she nodded. "Let's go back then."
Though Clark didn't show it on the outside, inside he was screaming: "We're going back! We're going back!"
Diana wasn't exactly calm either. She'd lived among humans for decades and seen all kinds of things. But aside from Steve, the man who once took her into the outside world, she hadn't had any close contact with other men.
Even with Steve Trevor—their most intimate contact had only ever been hand-holding, like now with Clark.
As for the single room Tony arranged for them, Diana had noticed long ago… but she didn't say anything. Still, now that they had to go back, and Clark's demeanor was clearly hinting at something, her heart wasn't as calm as she appeared.
But what exactly was she feeling? Nervousness? Anxiety? Or… anticipation?
Whatever it was, Diana kept smiling and chatting with Clark all the way back to the hotel.
Once there, Clark fumbled with the keycard and opened the door—only to be stunned by what he saw. He'd never had any real concept of what a presidential suite looked like… until now.
Tony had booked them a two-bedroom suite—one presidential bedroom and one ladies' room. No wonder he had only reserved one room. It turns out they could choose however many rooms they wanted within that suite.
"Pfft." Diana giggled at Clark's dumbfounded expression. But when she looked at the two-bedroom suite, she felt both relieved… and a little disappointed.
"I'm going to my room first," she said, walking past Clark and into the room on the right. She turned back, smiled at him, and then gently closed the door.
Clark opened his mouth as if to say something… but in the end, no words came out. I mean, what could he say? "Want to sleep together tonight?" Yeah, no. He wasn't that thick-skinned. Maybe that's why he was still single.
"Ahem…" Clark sighed and entered the other room.
Once inside, he flopped onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling with his hands behind his head. He had no idea what he was thinking anymore. Then, he heard the sound of running water from the adjacent room—Diana was taking a shower!
As the water splashed, Clark's mind conjured up two little figures: one with white angel wings, the other with horns and a pointed tail.
Devil: "I just want to look, that's all!"
Angel: "No! I don't usually want to look, so why would I today?!"
Devil: "Today is different!"
Angel: "And why is today different?"
Devil: "Do you really not know, or are you just pretending not to know?"
Angel: ...
Gradually, the devil in Clark's head started gaining the upper hand.
"Fine, I'll just take a peek…"
DING-DONG!
Just as Clark was about to act, the suite's doorbell rang. Reflexively using his X-ray vision, Clark glanced toward the door and saw a blond man in a gray suit with slicked-back hair standing outside.
Clark frowned. He didn't know who this stranger was, but he definitely wasn't a hotel staff member. And if he wasn't hotel staff, showing up this late at night… couldn't be good.
Outside the door, Aldrich Killian pressed the doorbell again, frowning at the lack of response. He was certain Clark was in there—his men had been monitoring the hotel entrance the entire time.
Not just the entrance—they even had people stationed on the rooftop and in the building opposite Clark's suite. After all, Clark could fly, and they had no idea which direction he might come from.
After Killian pressed the doorbell a second time, the door to Presidential Suite 002 finally opened, and there stood Clark, wearing only shorts.
"Can I help you?" Clark asked, showing no warmth toward the handsome stranger at his door.
"I'm Aldrich Killian, founder and CEO of Advanced Idea Mechanics," Killian introduced himself, extending his hand toward Clark.
"AIM?" Clark didn't take the hand. He didn't like this guy—especially not someone who disturbed him at night.
The name Killian and AIM sounded familiar to Clark, but he couldn't quite recall where he had heard them before. Then, like a light bulb going off, he thought of Pioneer Video—but quickly dismissed it. This AIM clearly had nothing to do with that.
"So what do you want from me?" Clark asked from the doorway.
Killian wasn't fazed when Clark didn't shake his hand. He simply pulled it back and replied smoothly, "We want you to attend tomorrow's meeting, to speak on behalf of the government—and support us."
go to "patreon.com/Hussain678" for more chapter