"Tony, it's too late. You still have work tomorrow, so hurry and get some sleep."
Hearing Pepper's soft, melodious voice, Aetheris felt as if his heart were being scratched by a cat—an unbearable itch. He glanced at the towel draped over her body and, still unwilling to give up, said,"After bathing, it's impossible to wash your back properly by yourself. Let me help you scrub it."
Pepper pouted. Who would believe that nonsense? Help me wash my back? More like you want me to polish your gun, and then you'll suddenly fire it off, only to say afterward, "Sorry, I didn't mean it."
Her eyes shifted as she said,"If you want to help me wash my back, fine. But first, tell me who you went on a date with tonight."
At this moment, Aetheris was only thinking of one thing and blurted out,"No one else, just Agent Hill from S.H.I.E.L.D. She asked me to join them. It was all business."
"Agent Hill?" Pepper thought for a moment but had no recollection of her.
Speaking of S.H.I.E.L.D., there were indeed many female agents, each one prettier than the last. Pepper considered herself no less attractive than any of them, but when standing next to Black Widow, she had to admit her charm seemed slightly inferior.
"Pepper, open the door quickly. I'm standing outside, and I'm about to catch a cold," Aetheris urged anxiously. Inwardly, he thought, once this door opens, I'll have to give Pepper's backside a good spanking. How dare she leave her man waiting outside for so long? It was time to reassert my authority as a husband.
"Tony, I feel like eating some grapes. Go wash some for me from the fridge," her voice came from inside.
Aetheris was instantly delighted. Grapes? Could it be that he had accidentally taken them with him when he left in a hurry? Or maybe the wind had blown them shut?
Wait, no the windows were clearly closed.
Unwilling to give up, he knocked again and said,"Pepper, I don't know how this door got stuck. I've washed the grapes already, so come out and eat them."
"Eat your grapes yourself, you big fool," Pepper's voice came from behind the door, followed by the sound of slippers tapping across the floor as she walked away.
Later, seeing her sleepy and drowsy appearance, she looked so adorable."Tony, why are you standing here in the middle of the night holding a bowl of grapes?"
At her words, Aetheris irritably shoved the grapes into Victor's hands and said,"They're for you!"
Then he slammed his bedroom door shut with a bang, leaving Victor standing at the doorway, holding the grapes in confusion.
The next morning, Aetheris stumbled out of his room with dark circles under his eyes. Spotting Pepper in the bathroom, brushing her teeth in a silk off-shoulder nightgown, he walked straight over, pulled a water pistol out of his pocket, and started spraying water.
"Sir, Madam, breakfast is ready. Would you like strawberry jam or blueberry jam?" Victor appeared in an apron, wearing a white blouse with wide-legged blue jeans underneath, looking both spirited and elegant.
In this world, if a man remained faithful to only one woman for life, people would scorn him. They might even suspect something was wrong with his abilities in that regard.
"Tony, yesterday the Energy Department couldn't reach you, so they called me instead. You should decide what to do about it."
Aetheris paused to think. The energy industry was a sunrise sector, especially new energy. Traditional resources like oil and coal were nearly obsolete. Because of America's hegemonic stance, many countries around the world were now focusing on researching and developing new energy sources.
As the world's foremost superpower, America would never allow itself to fall behind. It had invested massive manpower and resources into new energy development.
But as everyone knew, the hardest part of science was taking the first step. Without that spark of inspiration, no matter how much effort was poured in, it all amounted to nothing.
Yet Stark Industries, under Aetheris, had just taken that first step. Not only that, it was the step the entire world had been waiting for: controlled nuclear fusion. The equivalent of creating a miniature sun.
Anyone who had studied science knew that nearly all energy on Earth originated from the sun. Without it, Earth would be nothing but a dead planet.
Thus, this technology was without question revolutionary, a true epoch-making breakthrough. If mastered completely, it would usher in an epic transformation across industries: manufacturing, construction, material science, and more.
Just imagine, within a city itself, an energy system could provide as much power as a hydroelectric plant the size of the Three Gorges Dam. Long-distance power transmission could become a thing of the past.
(End of Chapter)
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