"Then what about this DNA report—and all these things?" Pepper asked, holding up the test results as she looked at Tony. "Why would someone go through the trouble of forging a report?"
Inside Clara's envelope was also a detailed list of projected expenses for the next eight years. Pepper didn't believe any scammer would bother being that meticulous.
"Obviously a scam!" Tony declared confidently. "Trying to con Tony Stark? Impossible."
Leaning back in his chair, Tony pushed off the floor with his foot, spinning the chair around again and again, clearly enjoying himself.
"A scam?" Pepper raised an eyebrow. "All this effort for fifty thousand dollars? The kid even asked you to appoint a legal guardian. Do you really think a con artist would voluntarily ask for someone to supervise her?" She shook the DNA report lightly, amused.
Tony pressed his foot down, stopping the chair. His sharp black-and-white eyes rolled thoughtfully.
He was the chairman of Stark Industries. A billionaire. A superhero.
Was his worth really just fifty thousand dollars?
Ridiculous.
Investigate. He had to investigate. Just for that laughably low price tag alone, he was going to dig all the way to the bottom of this. If someone wanted to scam Tony Stark, they should at least ask for a few billion—that would be more appropriate.
"JARVIS," Tony said decisively, "pull up information on Clara's parents."
"Right away, sir."
Laura Johnson (1976–2012).
Between 1996 and 1997, she participated in multiple Broadway theater productions.
Married Will Smith in 1998.
Filed a lawsuit in 2000 accusing her husband of domestic abuse and infidelity.
Divorced in 2003.
Became addicted to drugs afterward, entered rehabilitation multiple times without success.
Died in 2012 from a drug overdose.
On the screen, photos of Laura from her youth appeared—radiant, captivating, every gesture brimming with charm and sensuality.
"Oh," Tony blurted out, staring at the image. "Marilyn Monroe."
"You know this 'Marilyn Monroe'?" Pepper asked, already certain this was one of Tony's many glorious youthful escapades.
Tony hesitated. "Well… sort of… vaguely… maybe?" He finished with an awkward yet polite smile.
"Care to explain, Mr. Stark?" Pepper folded her arms and leaned against the table, clearly prepared to listen.
"You know," Tony began, rubbing his neck, "I was pretty charming when I was young. Okay, fine—I was reckless. It was during a Broadway show. I saw this girl who looked just like Marilyn Monroe, and I decided to pursue her."
"And she agreed?" Pepper asked.
"No. And that was rare. Very few people could resist my charm—it kind of triggered my competitive instincts."
"So you won her over?"
"Yes."
"And then?" Pepper pressed. "What happened after?"
Tony fell silent. His gaze drifted away, visibly uncomfortable.
"You abandoned her," Pepper said flatly.
Judging by his expression, she was certain. She rubbed her forehead, already knowing the answer.
"How can you be sure she wasn't pregnant when you left her?"
"Because," Tony said quietly, "she was one of the few women I didn't sleep with."
"What?" Pepper froze. "You… didn't touch her?"
For a moment, Pepper felt like the sun had risen in the west.
Tony Stark was notorious for his playboy lifestyle. He'd been involved with many women, but those relationships were usually transactional—fame, money, mutual benefit. Clean breaks. No strings attached.
But Tony still remembered the way that girl had looked at him—like a startled fawn. In her eyes, he was her entire world. If he had let her fall any deeper, then the moment he left, her world would have collapsed completely.
Tony had always prided himself on walking through a field of flowers without carrying a single leaf away.
So he left—cleanly, decisively—and never appeared again.
"Let's take a look at Clara's father," Tony said, changing the subject. "I'm curious how someone could abandon a 'Marilyn Monroe.'"
At his command, JARVIS pulled up Will Smith's file.
"Oh my God," Pepper gasped. "He looks exactly like you!"
She stared at the screen, then glanced back at Tony. The resemblance was uncanny.
To be precise, Will looked almost identical to a younger Tony Stark. The photo was taken ten years ago.
"Is this… emotional transference, sir?" JARVIS asked, using what it believed to be an appropriate psychological term.
"No, JARVIS," Pepper corrected gently. "That's not emotional transference. Laura's feelings never changed. This is called… loving too deeply."
Because she loved too deeply, Laura chose a man who looked like Tony—despite being trash in every other way.
Will Smith's life was a complete disaster.
Repeatedly sent to juvenile detention for theft before adulthood.
Later became a worthless thug—fighting, gambling, drugs, nothing left untouched.
With Laura's talent and beauty, there must have been countless suitors. Yet she chose the one man she never should have. It was hard to say whether Will's revenge had played a role in Laura's sudden descent into addiction after their divorce.
Five years ago, Will Smith died during a gang brawl—killed by a stray bullet.
Poetic justice, perhaps.
Tony stared at the screen in silence.
"Don't beat yourself up, Tony," Pepper said softly. "Laura just… never met the man you are now."
The Tony Stark of today was slowly growing up—shedding the reckless, irresponsible shell of an overgrown boy.
Unfortunately, Laura had fallen in love with the Tony Stark before that growth—and never crossed paths with him again afterward.
"I never should have approached her in the first place," Tony muttered, running a hand roughly through his hair. "If I hadn't, she might have chosen a good man instead of a complete piece of trash."
"Don't do this to yourself," Pepper said gently, stopping his hand and smoothing his messy hair. "No one can predict how love will unfold. And if you owe Laura anything, now you finally have a chance to make it right. Leave Clara to me."
"How are you planning to handle it?" Tony asked.
"For now, we'll follow the requests in Clara's letter," Pepper replied. "After that… I want to find her suitable foster parents. Of course, only if Clara agrees."
"Then let's do it that way," Tony said sincerely. "I know you'll handle everything perfectly, Pepper. You're the best."
"Oh, don't praise me like that," Pepper said lightly. "I'll get arrogant."
"No," Tony said seriously, gazing at her with rare intensity. "You deserve it."
They moved closer.
Closer.
"Sir," JARVIS interrupted suddenly, "would you like to know who falsified the DNA report?"
Tony blinked. "Oh—right. Clara's just a kid. She couldn't have forged a report herself. So who helped her?"
"I believe JARVIS has already discovered something," Pepper said calmly.
"JARVIS," Tony snapped, pointing at the screen, "if you interrupt the mood one more time without reading the room, I'm donating you to a university."
Pepper laughed quietly as she watched Tony argue with his AI assistant.
For someone so brilliant—
He was still, undeniably, a child at heart.
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