As he walked up to the second floor, the sounds of sizzling and chopping drifted from the kitchen.
Rushing over, he found Scarlett in a maid outfit, carefully slicing ham.
Seeing Andrew enter, she quickly said,"Boss, it's smoky in here. Go watch some TV, I'll be done soon."
Andrew looked at her simple, homely charm making it hard to look away. He stepped closer and said playfully,"Scarlett, look over there!"
Just as she turned her head in the direction he pointed, her lips brushed against his cheek, leaving behind a faint lip print.
"Scarlett, are you serious right now?" Andrew said, pretending to be shocked.
"Oh, Boss, you're such a tease!" Scarlett lowered her head bashfully. Though she had lived a little and wasn't naïve, she had liked Andrew for quite some time.
But since he never made a move, she couldn't be too forward there were limits to what a woman could do without losing face.
Clap clap clap.
Suddenly, the sound of slow clapping snapped them out of the moment.
Andrew turned and saw Pepper standing at the entrance, her expression a blend of amusement and sarcasm. His heart instantly sank.
Scarlett's heart did too. A stunning blonde had just walked in, radiating chilliness.
No need to ask judging by the look on the boss's face, it was clear his official girlfriend had returned. And Scarlett? She wasn't even a proper mistress. How could she not feel like a bug about to be squashed?
Would she be dumped into the Hudson River by midnight?
Would she mysteriously vanish without a trace?
Would she be handed a debit card with the password "111111" and told to leave forever?
In just a few seconds, Scarlett envisioned over 14 million possible endings and nearly all of them were tragic. Only one was passable.
Andrew leaned close and whispered, "Just keep cooking."
Then, without another word, he grabbed Pepper's hand and led her away.
Scarlett had completely lost the mood to cook. She pressed her ear to the wall, trying to hear what was happening outside but the villa's soundproofing was too good. No matter how hard she strained, not a word came through.
Inside Pepper's room, her face remained unreadable.
She'd flown back intending to surprise her scoundrel of a boyfriend only to be surprised herself. Life really knew how to twist the knife sometimes.
"Ahem, there's nothing going on between me and Scarlett. What just happened was totally accidental!" Andrew tried to defend himself.
"Oh? Accidental?" Pepper eyed the lip print on his cheek and raised an eyebrow.
"For real! If you don't believe me, I'll call her over to explain. We're completely innocent!"
"My, my. Already calling her Scarlett, so sweet and familiar?"
"I swear, there's nothing between us!" Andrew looked like the most wronged man on Earth. He hadn't even held her hand before. Today, on a whim, he'd thought of teasing her a bit… and now he was caught red-handed.
Maybe he needed to see a fortune teller, his luck had been awful lately.
"Pepper, no matter how it looked, there's really nothing going on. Scarlett and I stay in separate rooms, we barely see each other. That's totally—hey, if you want to talk, talk. Don't pinch"
He was trying desperately to salvage his image. He couldn't let his reputation take a nosedive like this!
But then, the usually composed Pepper's expression changed. She reached out and started pressing her fingernails into his waist.
She wasn't holding back.
Even with a physique rivaling Captain America's, Andrew winced from the sharp sting.
"Ow..hey...easy!"
Pepper didn't blink, her gaze locked on him. Her lips pressed tight.
Andrew tried dodging a few times, but when he saw her eyes glisten, his heart softened.
He gently held her hands, they were a bit cold.
"Alright, alright. Don't be mad. Fine, I'll fire Scarlett tomorrow. Let her roam the streets."
"You mean it?" she sniffled, wiping her tears on his shirt.
"Of course I mean it," Andrew declared solemnly. "She may be pitiful her husband left behind a mountain of debt, she's been hounded by loan sharks, homeless, and probably dodging enemies day and night but if it makes you happy, I'll fire her on the spot!"
"Huh? That serious?"
Pepper's eyes widened in disbelief.
"You're not making this up, are you?"
"Come on, would I lie about something like this? Ask her yourself. Even Happy knows, he's the one who brought her in."
He didn't hesitate to throw Happy under the bus to save his own skin.
"If I'm lying, may I be struck by lightning right now!" Andrew swore, glancing nervously at the clear sky outside.
Boom! Rumble rumble
A sudden clap of thunder tore through the night, lightning flashing in the distance.
"??"
Pepper stared at him, suspicious.
"??" Andrew was just as dumbfounded. What the hell? I haven't done anything that bad… why did the heavens strike so fast?
Then, far off in the sky, a swirling vortex began to form.
"What is that?"
Andrew squinted toward the disturbance, but Pepper assumed it was a distraction tactic.
"Fine, I forgive you. Just stop swearing or the next bolt might actually hit you. Also, didn't you use this exact act on that maid? Don't you know you can't use the same move twice on a Saint Seiya?"
"No, Pepper, seriously. I'm not lying, there really is something going on out there!" Andrew said helplessly, grabbing her face and turning it toward the window.
"Oh. My. God."
Beyond New York's outskirts, a radiant, rainbow-colored halo spun wildly in the night sky!
Then came a massive cyclone descending from above, like it was going to rip the heavens apart!
"What is that…"
Andrew's eyes narrowed. The scene looked eerily familiar.
Knock knock knock.
Someone knocked on the door. Pepper opened it only to find Scarlett again?
"Boss, Madam, there's a tornado outside. Should I close the windows"
But upon seeing Pepper, Scarlett immediately lowered her voice, terrified of offending the official girlfriend.
"Wife, come quick. We've got gods outside!" Andrew called from behind, a grin on his face.
"Gods?" Pepper repeated, confused.
"Yeah. Want to see? I guarantee you they're the real deal, certified gods!" Andrew nodded seriously.
Pepper just gave him a look. Do I look like an idiot to you?
"Must be my lucky day… Free chicken dinner courtesy of Old Wolf. You don't answer my calls, but the moment she rings what happens?"
He glanced at his phone, it was Black Widow calling!
(End of Chapter)
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