She seemed lost in thought.
"I met him in college. I knew loving him wouldn't be easy. He studied science, I majored in English literature. He tried to explain relativity to me, and I tried to explain Eliot's poetry to him. I still don't understand half of what he said."
Octavius's wife chuckled as well.
"Are all science guys like this? Mine's the samenkeeps rambling about Schrödinger's cat. How am I supposed to wrap my head around that?"
"He used to tell me that Eliot's poems were even harder to understand than relativity. He said if you want a woman to fall for you, you should recite poetry to her."
Young Spider quietly made a note of that. He thought the Gwen he met today wasn't bad. If he ever got the chance, he'd definitely give it a try.
Once everyone had taken their seats, Aetheris naturally took the head of the table, flanked by Octavius and Ethan. The others sat where they pleased.
"Tonight, it's all about family, no business talk. Anyone who breaks that rule has to drink!"
Aetheris raised his glass.
"To friendship, to family, and to love—cheers!"
Everyone lifted their glasses and echoed back,"Cheers!"
After a few rounds, the atmosphere grew increasingly lively.
"Brother Ethan, thank you for everything you've done lately. I, Tony, drink to you!"
With a physique on par with Captain America, Aetheris couldn't get drunk no matter how much he drank. So he took the lead in offering toasts.
The two scientists weren't heavy drinkers, but since the boss was personally playing host, they had no choice but to keep up.
"Tony, I might sound like an old man here, but Pepper is a wonderful woman. You should treasure her. Settle down, start a family," Ethan said, glancing toward the composed and graceful Pepper.
"No rush. Pepper and I plan to get married in a few years, right, Pepper?"
Aetheris hadn't expected Americans to be so into marriage pressure either. He turned to Pepper, hoping for backup.
Pepper gave him a calming look, then raised her glass and said,
"As the saying goes, behind every successful man stands a strong woman. On behalf of my Tony, I toast all the ladies here."
Seeing the hostess take the initiative, Octavius's quick-witted wife stood up and said,
"Well said! As the eldest sister here, I accept this toast. I've always heard that Miss Pepper runs things behind the scenes at your company. Now that I've met you, I can see you're every bit the equal of any man."
With that, she downed her wine in one go so fast that she started choking, tears welling in her eyes.
Octavius quickly patted her back and scolded her gently,
"If you can't hold your liquor, drink slower. There's no need to rush, we're among friends here."
She dabbed her eyes with a napkin, waved off the concern, and smiled.
"I'm just happy. After all these years of ups and downs, we finally met someone like Mr. Stark, willing to invest in you. And today, your experiment was a huge success. I'm genuinely thrilled."
She refilled her glass, grabbed Octavius's hand, and walked up to Aetheris.
"Mr. Stark, thank you truly. Without you, who knows how many more years Old Oct would've had to keep struggling. This glass is from both of us drink at your own pace."
She tilted her head back and finished her wine in one gulp. Octavius gently patted her back, his nose tingling with emotion.
Over the years, she had stuck by him through thick and thin, smiling for investors, enduring humiliation, and weathering all sorts of hardships.
He loved her deeply. A woman who stays by your side through the worst days, always encouraging, never leaving that kind of woman is one in a million.
"Sis-in-law, you're too kind. I've said it before this is a family dinner. Everyone at this table is one of us. No need to call me Mr. Stark. Just call me Tony. I'll drink this one too."
Aetheris was genuinely happy. With these strong women behind their men, all sharing a common goal, he had no worries about Octavius or Ethan betraying him.
"It's snowing! Look, it's snowing!"
Annie's voice rang out from the window.
Everyone turned to look. Outside, snowflakes as big as goose feathers drifted down gently, like floating willow seeds dancing in the night air.
Aetheris stepped over to the window and gazed out with a trace of emotion. This was the first snowfall since he arrived in this world and it came later than expected.
Octavius, Ethan, and their wives joined him. The two graceful women leaned gently into their husbands' arms. Pepper stood beside Aetheris. He was tempted to wrap an arm around her, but she dodged playfully and whispered in his ear,
"Everyone else here is married. If you marry me, then I'll let you hold me."
Heh. Women.
A few minutes ago, she said there was no rush. Now she was the most eager one of all!
Young Spider stood off to the side, watching all the couples with a hint of envy. He glanced at the pretty girl beside him "Annie" but didn't know what to say.
Not that it mattered. Annie wasn't even looking at him. Her gaze was locked on Aetheris, cheeks flushed as she recalled the kiss they shared the night they met.
Dinner lasted just over an hour. When the group stepped out of the hotel, the world outside was still blanketed in snow. The cold wind hit them hard, making everyone but Aetheris and Young Spider shiver.
Nova walked over to Aetheris.
"Boss, the cars are ready."
Aetheris nodded and said his goodbyes, watching as Octavius, Ethan, and the others climbed into their vehicles and drove off. Only Young Spider remained behind.
He stood alone, reluctant to take a car just for himself.
"What's wrong, Parker? You were all smiles when you came in today. What's with the long face now?"
Aetheris noticed and raised a brow.
Young Spider muttered glumly,
"Mr. Stark, I failed the mission you gave me. I couldn't win over Mary Jane."
Aetheris burst into laughter, nearly tearing up. He had told the kid to win Mary Jane's heart in a week but that felt like forever ago. He hadn't expected Young Spider to still take it so seriously.
Seeing Aetheris laugh only made Young Spider more miserable. He turned to leave, but Aetheris realized he might've gone too far. He called out,
"Peter, want to take a walk with me?"
Then he turned to Nova and said,
"Take Pepper home first, then come back for me."
Nova nodded and confidently strutted over to the car, her curvy figure swaying as she climbed in.
"Let's go. What are you standing there for?"
Aetheris patted Young Spider's shoulder and muttered,
"Who would've thought the first time I'd walk in the snow after coming to this world, I'd be stuck with you, kid. What a waste."
Young Spider didn't quite understand what he meant, but obediently followed.
(End of Chapter)
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