High above the city, Henry shot through the skies at incredible speed, heading straight for Stark Industries.
A few minutes later—Los Angeles, in front of Stark Tower.
Pedestrians were chatting idly when suddenly, an ear-piercing sonic boom ripped through the air!
Everyone instinctively looked up—only to see a dark figure plummeting from the sky like a meteor.
It was Henry. Who deliberately caused the sonic boom to show off.
He landed steadily on the plaza before the tower. His bio-force field absorbed all the impact, not leaving so much as a crack on the ground.
The crowd froze for a second before erupting into deafening cheers!
"It's Superman! It's Henry Stark!"
Henry flashed a faint smile at the crowd, greeting fans who screamed "Superman, I love you!" as if he were used to it, then casually strolled into the lobby of Stark Industries.
At the front desk, the blonde receptionist's eyes instantly lit up like stars. She jumped to her feet, calling out in a honey-sweet voice:
"Good afternoon, boss!"
All along his path, employees stopped working to greet him, their eyes filled with awe and admiration.
Henry nodded back with a smile until he reached the elevator.
The staff-only elevator was occupied, so he pressed the button for the public one.
Just then, footsteps echoed from the entrance.
Henry turned his head and saw several lab researchers in white coats, surrounding a tall Asian woman as they walked over.
He recognized her immediately.
Helen Cho.
The biologist Pepper had mentioned—already hired.
The genius scientist from Avengers: Age of Ultron, whose "Cradle of Life" technology later became a crucial piece in Ultron's creation.
Henry's expression didn't change, but his eyes followed her calmly.
Soon Helen Cho and her group also arrived at the elevator.
They quickly bowed their heads respectfully to greet the boss. Helen nodded politely as well.
But then, she couldn't help stealing a closer look at the man before her.
Tall, broad-shouldered, his tailored suit still couldn't hide the exaggerated definition of his muscles.
And that face—so absurdly handsome it looked like it had been drawn straight out of a comic book superhero panel.
No wonder people outside called him Superman.
It was no exaggeration.
Her breath quickened slightly.
"Mr. Henry, thank you for the opportunity." She composed herself, smiling. "Miss Pepper told me that it was you who strongly recommended me to join here."
Henry smiled faintly, his deep eyes meeting hers.
"I'm very interested in your biological research. You know, I'm not too bad in the field of biology myself."
"Of course, everyone knows about your academic degrees." Helen replied smoothly.
They exchanged a few words as the elevator arrived.
Because there were so many people, it felt cramped inside.
Helen Cho ended up standing right in front of Henry, their distance a little too close for comfort.
At 1.78 meters tall, she was statuesque among women—but even so, she seemed almost petite compared to Henry.
The elevator began to ascend.
Silence settled over the group.
Helen could hear Henry's breathing—steady, powerful.
Her cheeks burned slightly. Maybe it was just the heat. Yes, the weather was definitely too hot.
Suddenly, inertia from the elevator's movement caused the crowd to sway.
Helen Cho stumbled with a gasp—straight into Henry's chest!
Her hands instinctively pressed against his solid pectorals.
She quickly straightened, her face flushing crimson.
No one said a word.
Henry lowered his head, glanced at her, and smiled faintly. But he didn't speak.
Well, you touched me on your own. Not my fault.
The elevator remained quiet, the atmosphere growing subtly awkward.
Before long, the doors slid open and people filed out.
Helen inhaled deeply, gave Henry a quick goodbye, and hurried off.
Her retreating figure looked suspiciously like someone fleeing the scene.
Henry watched her back, chuckling softly, then turned toward the executive elevator that had just arrived one floor above.
When it came down, he stepped in and pressed the button for the top floor—his office.
The polished steel walls reflected his face, curved into a playful grin.
"I've gotta say, the shock absorption system in these elevators is top-notch," he told Jarvis.
"Even when packed full, it's as steady as a five-star hotel bed. Though, of course, that's mainly thanks to me—my force field stabilized the energy fluctuations in the space."
He straightened his suit, making sure not a single crease was out of place.
"But really, wasn't that whole scene just now a bit too cliché? Elevator meet-cute, accidental chest bump, girl runs away blushing? Tsk tsk. That's straight out of some sappy romance novel. Jarvis, did you secretly rewrite the elevator program and add a 'romantic encounter module'?"
"Sir, I've made no modifications to the elevator program," Jarvis replied in his calm, polite tone through the micro-comm in Henry's ear.
"My analysis suggests the incident was simply a physical accident, with a 37.8% probability."
"Oh? Is that so?" Henry arched a brow.
"Then it must mean my charm is strong enough to bend the laws of physics. Not bad. I like that setting."
With a soft ding, the elevator reached the top floor.
The doors slid open to reveal the grand, luxurious office of the chairman.
Pepper stood before the massive floor-to-ceiling window, coffee cup in hand, gazing out at the New York skyline. Her brow, however, was drawn tight with fatigue.
Hearing the elevator, she turned instinctively. Seeing Henry step out, her expression shifted first to surprise, then to weary resignation.
"Well, look who finally decided to show up." Her voice was calm, but edged with sarcasm.
"Our great Superman, after saving the world, remembered he also has a company to run? Or did you just happen to pass by and come upstairs to mooch a cup of coffee?"
"Hey, Pepper, relax." Henry strolled in, hands in his pockets, every step leisurely.
"I was out conducting research on how billionaires can live even better lives. By the way, your taste in coffee is still terrible—smells like expired beans mixed with foot wash."
"Sorry about that, boss." Pepper rolled her eyes, slamming a stack of files thick enough to use as a pillow onto the desk.
"Maybe if you actually showed up at the company once in a while to handle these damn documents instead of flying around like a headless fly, I'd have time to pick out coffee that meets your oh-so-noble tastes."
"Oh, come on." Henry took the cup from her hand.
"Seriously, Pepper, you should think about hiring yourself an assistant. Just look at you—those dark circles could pass for a black eye, and your complexion's paler than a vampire who just crawled out of a grave. Keep this up, and I'll bet you'll die from overwork long before Tony croaks from that glowing lightbulb in his chest."
Pepper had only seen him a few hours ago, but hearing these familiar jabs somehow eased the resentment she'd been bottling up from days of exhaustion.
She sighed helplessly.
"Funny you mention that—I actually did hire an assistant. And you came just in time. Today's her first day."
***
we're at 65 stones 4 stones off but I'm just gonna post this
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