When Clara opened her eyes again, she felt much better. The dizziness had faded considerably.
"Hey, Clara—feeling better?" Pepper said warmly, gently cupping Clara's face and patting her own chest in exaggerated relief. "You scared me half to death when Tony brought you back yesterday!"
"…Tony brought me back?" Clara blinked. "How did he know?"
Only then did she remember—JARVIS had mentioned it earlier, but she'd been so distracted by the idea of an AI butler that she'd ignored that part.
"It was JARVIS," Pepper explained. "He hacked into the surveillance around your school, saw something was wrong, and immediately told Tony."
It was Pepper's guess—but she wasn't far off.
"Thank you, JARVIS," Clara said softly, knowing he could hear her.
"You're welcome. That was Mr. Stark's instruction."
…Well. JARVIS sold Tony out in one sentence flat.
….
When Clara and Pepper reached the dining room, Tony had already set the table and was waiting.
"Tony… thank you," Clara said sincerely, referring to what had happened the day before.
"No need," Tony replied casually—then immediately realized what she was thanking him for.
Which meant the whole hacking the surveillance thing—
"Ahem! Sit down and eat. The food's getting cold."
During dinner, Pepper kept piling food into Clara's bowl, as if afraid she might starve. Tony watched in silence as all his favorite dishes migrated into Clara's bowl. A strange sense of neglect crept over him—Pepper had never treated him this well.
"Ahem. Cough—cough."
Tony put down his fork and clutched his head dramatically.
"What's wrong, Tony? Catching a cold?" Pepper asked, concerned.
"No! I'm fine! Eat!" Tony waved it off and picked his fork back up.
Pepper glanced at him suspiciously, then went right back to feeding Clara. Tony stabbed at his food, glaring at Clara's now-mountainous bowl.
Clara hesitated, then picked up the serving tongs and placed a piece of broccoli onto Tony's plate.
He looked like someone who really wanted food put on his plate.
"Broccoli…" Pepper immediately reached over. "Tony doesn't eat that."
Tony was faster—he shoved it straight into his mouth.
"Every once in a while… changing flavors isn't bad."
Watching Tony struggle to swallow the broccoli, Clara nearly said, You can spit it out, you know.
She ended the meal stuffed to the brim. Pepper had built her bowl into a small hill, and Clara stubbornly forced herself to finish it all.
By the time dinner ended, night had fully fallen. Clara thought she wouldn't be sleepy after sleeping all day—but it didn't take long before drowsiness crept back in. Her brain clearly hadn't fully recovered yet.
"JARVIS," Pepper said as she escorted Clara upstairs, "don't turn off the lights. Once Clara falls asleep, switch to sleep mode."
Downstairs, Tony added, "Yeah—do that."
….
The room Clara was staying in had been personally designed by Howard Stark himself. It was next to the master bedroom, with a wide window overlooking the open sea. The lighting system had multiple modes.
Originally, the room had been meant to be a nursery—for Tony's future child. Later, Tony remodeled it and connected it to the AI network, and Pepper occasionally used it.
Tony Stark, once upon a time, had also been a victim of relentless marriage pressure.
After Tony's twentieth birthday, Howard Stark began introducing him to heiresses, political families—acting like he was terrified his son would never find a wife.
Rebellious Tony had done everything possible to scare those women away, which only worsened his already strained relationship with Howard.
Maria Stark had tried to mediate, but Tony had dug his heels in, past caring about the consequences, vowing to oppose his father at every turn.
"Understood, sir," JARVIS replied.
Pepper tucked Clara in and closed the door—turning off the lights as she did.
The sudden darkness startled Clara—then the lights came back on, soft and gentle, completely non-intrusive.
Clara glanced at the lamp, wondering if it had flickered due to unstable voltage.
Never mind.
She shook her head, rolled over, and fell asleep. Not long after, the lights dimmed into sleep mode—dark, but still clear enough to see.
-----
In the neighboring room, Pepper and Tony sat down for a serious conversation.
The topic was, inevitably, Clara.
"Tony," Pepper said, "what are you planning to do about the people who hurt Clara?"
"Handle it legally," Tony shrugged easily. "Let the courts take care of it."
"Really? You're not going to interfere?"
Pepper eyed him skeptically.
"Of course not! I'm a law-abiding citizen!" Tony said without the slightest hint of guilt. "Why would I meddle with the justice system?"
That only made Pepper more suspicious—but she didn't object to… unconventional methods.
"I don't care how you do it," she said calmly. "Just don't make it public. You know how reporters are—especially entertainment journalists. If nothing's happening, they'll invent something. Peace is the last thing they want."
She was reminding Tony: he could make people pay—but he couldn't let it explode into a scandal.
"I'm not three years old!" Tony snapped. "I know what I'm doing!"
-----
Late at night, Clara woke up again, parched. She'd eaten too much and now desperately needed water.
As she sat up, the lights automatically brightened.
"JARVIS? Is that you?"
"Yes. I control the electrical systems of the entire villa."
A half-human-sized Garfield projection appeared by her bed, speaking in a dull, cheerful voice.
"JARVIS, if you don't like this form, you don't have to humor me."
"No, no. I quite enjoy it. Changing forms occasionally brings novelty. Machines benefit from it as well."
"If you like it, that's good," Clara said, rubbing her throat. "Where can I get some water? I'm really thirsty."
After filling a cup at the living room dispenser, Clara gulped it down, finally sighing in relief.
In one corner of the living room, a staircase descended underground, glowing with bright light.
Curious, Clara followed it down.
At the bottom lay Tony Stark's workshop.
Through the glass doors, the sight inside made Clara's eyes widen in astonishment.
--------------
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