Tony's nonchalant attitude and cynical words caused Howard to instantly knit his brows tightly.
This elderly man, who was usually highly respected in S.H.I.E.L.D. and the scientific community, appeared somewhat helpless when facing his own son—or rather, frustrated by his lack of ambition.
He glared at Tony: "Stop being so glib!"
Howard's voice carried clear reproach: "Instead of properly learning how to manage the company, what are you doing here joining the bustle? The future of Stark Industries will be handed over to you sooner or later, but look at you now—"
Tony curled his lip, a gesture both casual and carrying the unique rebellion of youth.
He shoved both hands into his suit pants pockets, leaning back slightly, facing his father's accusations with an almost provocative posture.
"What is there to learn?" Tony's voice was airy, yet every word pricked Howard's ears like a needle.
"As long as I want to, I can manage it better than you without learning. Those financial reports, market analyses, strategic planning... they're just a bunch of patterned numbers and logic games. Give me a month, and I can make Stark Industries' stock price rise another thirty percent."
He paused, a playful smile hooking the corner of his mouth as his gaze swept between Howard and Mavuika: "In comparison, isn't it much more curious that my rigid Old man would suddenly secretly manufacture a sports motorcycle that only thrill-seeking young people would want?"
Tony took two steps forward, his leather shoes making a crisp sound on the stone path in front of the Villa.
His gaze fell upon Mavuika; in those brown eyes inherited from Howard, a light completely different from his father's flickered.
It was curiosity, a desire for exploration, and a blatant appreciation for beauty.
"I heard..." Tony spread his hands, making an exaggerated gesture.
"Howard Stark, World War II hero, founder of Stark Industries, one of the greatest scientists of the contemporary era..."
"Suddenly, personally designed a sports motorcycle? And even used Stark Industries' best materials and priority production lines? This is practically more incredible than him saying he's retiring to soak up the Sun in Hawaii."
Howard's expression grew increasingly unsightly.
He could feel his blood pressure rising, his temples throbbing.
This son—this son he placed high hopes in yet who always disappointed him—always appeared at the most inappropriate time in the most inappropriate way.
"Tony!" Howard's voice squeezed through his teeth, carrying suppressed anger: "Watch your words. And, who gave you permission to access the production line's surveillance data? That is a company secret—"
"Please, Old man," Tony interrupted him, his tone as relaxed as if discussing the weather.
"Is there any difficulty for me in the entire Stark Industries network security system? Do I still need 'permission' for whatever data I want to see?"
The atmosphere between father and son grew increasingly tense, like two taut strings that could snap at any moment.
Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting dappled shadows on them, yet it did nothing to ease this hostile confrontation.
Mavuika stood to the side, watching this scene with great interest.
As a deity who had lived for thousands of years, she had seen countless father-son relationships—some intimate, some distant and cold, some turned into enemies.
But seeing people like Howard and Tony, who clearly cared for each other yet always used arguments and confrontation to express it, was quite rare.
She could feel Howard's worry and expectations for his son, and she could also feel Tony's complex emotions toward his father.
It was a mixture of respect, rebellion, a longing for recognition, and a need to prove himself.
Seeing the two start clashing as soon as they met, Mavuika stepped forward, interrupting their conversation at just the right moment. Her movements were natural and fluid, like a gentle breeze blowing into air about to erupt in a thunderstorm.
"Alright, Howard," Mavuika's voice was calm and pleasant. "You haven't introduced me yet. Who is this?"
Her intervention was like a bucket of cold water, instantly dousing the impending fire of rage.
Howard took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, and finally let it go. He straightened his slightly disheveled collar and introduced him in as steady a tone as possible: "This is my son, Tony! Tony Stark!"
He paused and added a sentence in a complex tone: "As you can see, smart, gifted with Talents, but also... quite a headache."
Tony didn't care about his father's evaluation at all; instead, his eyes lit up because of Mavuika's inquiry.
He turned to Mavuika, that frivolous yet charming smile hanging on his face again, and extended his hand with movements as elegant as a specially trained noble.
"Hello, beautiful!" Tony said, his voice carrying the vigor and confidence unique to youth. "Pleasure to meet you. How should I address you?"
His gaze looked directly into Mavuika's eyes without any flinching.
Mavuika didn't mind and reached out to shake Tony's hand.
Her palm was warm, and her skin was so fine it didn't seem mortal, yet it didn't feel delicate or weak at all.
On the contrary, Tony could feel that those hands contained some indescribable sense of power, like holding a piece of warm yet indestructible jade.
"Mavuika," she simply stated her name, her amber eyes looking at the sharp-edged young man before her with interest.
"Mavuika, a fine name!" Tony praised, gently shaking Mavuika's hand.
He didn't do anything disrespectful in front of his father, although his words and actions were already disrespectful enough in Howard's eyes.
After shaking hands with Mavuika for two seconds, he let go, his movements proper and natural.
"I thought the Old man had suddenly seen the light and wanted to find some youthful thrills, so I followed him to take a look," Tony started chatting with Mavuika with an air of familiarity, completely ignoring his father's ashen face nearby.
"You know, it's hard to figure that out at his age. A seventy-something-year-Old man suddenly wanting to ride a motorcycle? That's like... like Einstein suddenly announcing he's going skydiving. It's unbelievable."
He walked to Mavuika's side and lowered his voice, yet just loud enough for Howard to hear: "But with me around, I'm very good at this sort of thing and can provide him with a lot of advice and help."
"Fashionable outfits, social skills, even dating advice... although I think the Old man might be past the age for dating."
As Tony spoke, he laughed first, his smile bright and infectious, but Howard couldn't laugh at all.
"But now it seems it's not what I thought..." Tony changed the subject, his gaze falling on that truck and then returning to Mavuika.
"Miss Mavuika, that vehicle was custom-made for you by the Old man, wasn't it?"
His tone was very certain, as if he had already confirmed this guess.
Mavuika smiled and said, "Oh? Why would you think that?"
She neither admitted nor denied it, simply throwing the ball back with a question.
Tony didn't answer directly but instead turned and walked toward the truck's cargo bed.