Tony Stark was so angry he laughed. Because your child is young, he gets to throw things around? You know he's young, but you don't bother to discipline him?
And when someone knocks on your door, your excuse is always, He's still a child, he doesn't understand. Why should adults fuss over kids?
Tony Stark nodded coldly and said,
"Exactly. Your child is young, but I've heard a saying: if a child is not taught, the father is at fault. Since the child doesn't understand, then the mistakes he makes should be borne by you adults."
In his eyes, this was a typical spoiled brat from America. Some children are little angels, but some are born rotten. That's why the saying human nature is evil at birth isn't entirely wrong.
This also explained why some children killed their own parents. Sometimes, it truly wasn't the parents' fault. Some children were simply born with antisocial, inhumane tendencies. People like that should be dealt with early, before they harm innocents.
The white woman across from him wore a human face but radiated venom—sharp, mean features, upturned triangular eyes, gaunt cheeks, a pointed chin, and high cheekbones jutting out like mountain peaks.
Her bulging eyes glared as she snapped,
"Tch, I thought this was something serious. Isn't this all about money? Compensation, right? How much could a pair of pants be worth? I can afford that."
An old saying goes: a vicious look foretells a vicious heart. Women like her never stop talking, spewing nonsense, strong-willed and unwilling to back down.
Tony Stark stepped back not out of fear, but because every time she spat her venom, actual spit flew everywhere. To him, it was like standing before a watering can, only this one sprayed filth instead of water. It disgusted him.
Hearing her boast, Tony Stark pointed at his trousers.
"Fine. Since you've chosen compensation, then bring out twenty thousand dollars."
"What? Twenty thousand dollars?!"
The couple's eyes widened in shock as if they had just heard something absurd.
Twenty thousand dollars!
To put it in perspective, even in Manhattan, the most expensive area of New York, housing prices were around twenty thousand per square meter equivalent to 160,000 back home. That meant Tony Stark's trousers were priced at the cost of one square meter in downtown SH.
The average American salary ranged between three and six thousand dollars a month. Tom's father earned only thirty-five hundred. Which meant twenty thousand was nearly six months of wages, half a year of income without spending a single cent.
That much money could feed and clothe Tom's family of three for two or three years.
And Americans, obsessed with spending beyond their means, maxed out credit cards every month with no savings at all. For Tom's family, coughing up twenty thousand on the spot was like asking for their lives.
Seeing their shocked faces, Tony Stark said coolly,
"Twenty thousand dollars. Not a cent more, not a cent less. Or the brat apologizes to me and this lady and it had better be sincere. Otherwise, it's twenty thousand, no less."
Cyril didn't intervene. Though she seemed cold on the surface, she had a kind heart. But she was also a woman of principle. Tony Stark had already warned them when the child misbehaved. They ignored him. Now that they had provoked him, they had no one to blame but themselves.
The woman's lips trembled. Usually arrogant and domineering, she wasn't stupid. Earlier, when she and her husband had noticed the white Mercedes G-Class outside, she'd wondered who could be so wealthy.
Driving such an expensive car to dine in a poor backwater and then she saw Tony Stark and Cyril walk in. Cyril's elegant attire had even made her curse under her breath, calling her a "homewrecker."
She wasn't sure if Tony Stark's claim of trousers worth twenty thousand dollars was true, but she knew one thing that she couldn't possibly pay it.
So she resorted to shamelessness, bluffing with a tough front despite her fear.
"What pants are worth twenty thousand dollars? Never heard of it. You must be insane, trying to scam money! Let me tell you, I only have twenty dollars. Not a cent more. Take it or leave it!"
She pulled a crumpled twenty-dollar bill from a knockoff LV bag and tossed it toward Tony Stark. He didn't catch it.
He just stared at her coldly. She had wanted to throw it on the ground, but after thinking twice, she didn't dare. Living at the bottom of society for so long, the highest-ranking person she had ever met was her company's general manager.
But compared to the man standing in front of her, even that manager wasn't fit to polish his shoes.
People at the bottom knew when to bow their heads. They might treat locals with arrogance, but with someone like Tony Stark, they dared not go too far.
"Twenty dollars? Are you sure? If I take this money today, I promise you'll pay much more than twenty thousand tomorrow."
Tony Stark knew he could decide this family's fate with a single choice. But he didn't act rashly. As the saying goes, always leave some leeway, for you may meet again. Though he doubted he'd ever cross paths with them again, pushing them to a dead end over a pair of trousers seemed excessively cruel.
Wilson, however, was losing patience. Today was supposed to be his big day, celebrating his promotion as a trainee officer. To have this trivial matter about his nephew escalate like this infuriated him.
"Hey, I'm telling you, let it go. My sister and brother-in-law already apologized, my nephew knows he was wrong. Judging from your appearance, you're not some poor man. Is it really necessary to fuss with ordinary folks like them?"
As he spoke, Wilson pulled out his phone, pointed it at Tony Stark, and began recording.
"Listen, I've never heard of trousers worth twenty thousand dollars. If you keep this up, I'll expose you to the media. In fact, I suspect you're guilty of extortion. Turn back before it's too late. Leave now and I won't press charges. But if you insist on being stubborn, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
Tony Stark grinned.
"Oh? The guilty accusing the innocent? Come on then, bring that phone closer, film my face. Should I take off my sunglasses for you?"
He removed his sunglasses, revealing an exceptionally handsome face.
Unfortunately, in this backwater, no one recognized him. People here cared more about which stripper was performing tonight, which young idol cut his finger and had to be rushed to the hospital, which celebrity cheated, or which politician got caught taking bribes.
(End of Chapter)
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