There was clearly a secret in all this that he didn't know yet.
Tony's brows furrowed slightly.
He leaned against the car door, his fingers unconsciously tapping on the roof of the car.
Could that person have a very special identity?
This was the most reasonable speculation.
But the problem was, Howard was already one of the few people standing at the very top of this World.
Wealth, status, influence, knowledge... He had almost everything.
On this Earth, what kind of identity could be special enough to make Howard Stark have to treat someone with such caution?
A member of royalty? An heir to some secret family? Or...
"Could it really be the Old man's illegitimate daughter?" An outrageous thought flashed through Tony's mind again.
But the next second, he quickly shook his head, casting this guess to the back of his mind.
The Old man couldn't possibly do such a thing, Tony denied in his heart.
He understood his father's character; perhaps stubborn, perhaps strict, perhaps not good at expressing emotions, but in terms of loyalty and principles, Howard Stark was impeccable.
Toward his mother, Maria, his father had always been affectionate and devoted; this was something Tony had seen since he was a child.
And even if it really was an illegitimate daughter, it was impossible to bring him around so openly, and even have him live with his mother.
Maria's tolerance and generosity had limits; she would absolutely not be able to accept something of this magnitude.
Tony thought for a while, but still didn't come up with any answer.
Mavuika was like a puzzle, a puzzle pieced together from various contradictory fragments.
A young appearance but with composure beyond his age, an easygoing personality that could make his father respectful...
"Interesting," Tony said softly, a glimmer of curiosity flashing in his eyes.
He liked solving puzzles, liked challenges, and liked exploring the unknown.
And Mavuika was clearly a subject worthy of in-depth study.
He turned and returned to his car, closed the door, and the sports car's engine let out a low roar.
Tony glanced at the Villa through the car window; the building in the setting sun appeared quiet and mysterious.
He could see warm light shining from the living room windows, and could vaguely see figures moving inside.
"We will meet again, Ms. Mavuika." Tony's mouth curled into a smile, that smile carrying the confidence and curiosity unique to a young man.
He had a premonition that this mysterious person would bring some... interesting changes to his life.
The sports car slowly drove away from the Villa, the tires making a slight friction sound on the stone road.
Tony watched the building get smaller and smaller in the rearview mirror, finally disappearing into the tree shadows.
On both sides of the road, the scenery flew by outside the window; the sky at dusk presented a gradient from orange-red to deep blue, and a few early-bright stars had already begun to twinkle.
Then he stepped on the accelerator, and the sports car accelerated on the gradually darkening road, like a red meteor streaking across the twilight.
After returning to the Villa, Howard sat on the sofa in the living room for a while.
Maria brought over black tea and snacks, and the three of them chatted briefly about the car race just now; of course, Howard and Mavuika tacitly omitted those dangerous details, only calling it a "joyride."
Although Maria was a bit puzzled as to why they had to drive so fast on a joyride, seeing that her husband and Mavuika didn't want to talk more about it, she didn't press for answers.
After finishing the tea, Howard looked at the clock on the wall.
Although it was already approaching evening, he still decided to make a trip to S.H.I.E.L.D.
"I need to head out," Howard stood up and straightened his suit jacket. "I'm going to the agency to see what new developments there are today."
-------------------------------
I've already uploaded 70 chapters of this story on Patreon!
If you enjoy it, come check out the latest chapters in advance.
Here's the link:
[email protected]/Rexlent
Thank you so much for your support!!!
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"