Chapter Thirty-Three: Does He Dislike Me?

"Come on, let's go upstairs and eat," Harvey said casually, seeing that Tony Stark had caught on.

"Alright," Tony replied with a nod.

This time, the two of them went straight to the dining area on the second floor.

Since it was almost the New Year, Tony had already prepared an abundance of delicious food. And because he planned to invite Harvey Amberlaka for the celebration, he'd prepared even more than usual.

After meeting Harvey Amberlaka, he had his staff prepare two whole-beef feasts as well, so the tables were packed to the brim, making the spread resemble a lavish buffet.

"Mr. Amberlaka, the beef feast will take another half hour or so. For now, please enjoy these dishes; the plates are over there," Pepper said with a smile when she saw Tony and Harvey come upstairs.

Although Pepper had been shocked the first time she met Harvey, that changed when she saw him polish off a meal prepared for a hundred people as if it were nothing. She had gained a new understanding of Harvey Amberlaka's appetite.

So, this time, when she heard Tony had specially ordered two whole-beef feasts for Harvey, she wasn't surprised at all.

"Thank you, Miss Pepper," Harvey said with a smile, nodding in her direction.

"Let's eat; we have another guest arriving soon," Tony said offhandedly, grabbing a plate and beginning to select his favorite dishes.

He then sat down at a nearby table.

"Another guest? Male or female?" Pepper, not one to stand on ceremony, began helping herself to her preferred dishes and joined them at the table. Hearing Tony's words, curiosity got the better of her.

Harvey simply took two plates, loaded them with food, and sat down as well.

"It's Coulson. He'll be dropping something off for me later," Tony replied casually.

"What do you two always talk about down there?" Pepper pressed, still curious. "And why does this have to do with Coulson again? Isn't he an agent specializing in weird cases? Are you discussing something strange? Can I hear about it?"

Feeling completely out of the loop, Pepper was insatiably curious. Like Tony, she was never short on words.

"Aren't there a lot of things you want to ask Harvey Amberlaka anyway?" Tony redirected the conversation toward Harvey.

"Mr. Amberlaka, you work in stocks and real estate, right?" Pepper, catching Tony's reluctance to talk about the previous topic, let it drop and turned to Harvey instead.

"Strictly speaking, I deal in stocks. Real estate is just a side business," Harvey replied, swallowing his food. "Because I don't have close ties with the military, I can't get direct permits to develop certain lands. All I can do is buy properties here and there and wait for them to appreciate."

Pepper was momentarily speechless at his casual tone.

"His values and logic are sometimes beyond even my understanding," Tony said, glancing at Harvey, "so don't get too caught up in it, Pepper."

Harvey Amberlaka owned over a hundred properties worth more than ten million dollars each, spread across every state in America. The estate where he spent most of his time, though Tony had never actually been inside, was worth at least a hundred million based on the land, décor, and facilities alone.

Harvey owned the most property in New York—fifty-seven villas and estates. Tony could understand buying homes in other states or cities; having a place of your own wherever you go makes sense. But to own so many in New York alone—that he couldn't quite wrap his head around.

America was still developing, especially New York, where property values kept rising. Buying homes as investments was reasonable, but with Harvey's sharp eye for stocks, the money tied up in real estate could have made even more in the market.

Still, thanks to Harvey's extensive property holdings, nearly everyone believed he was in both stocks and real estate.

Tony could only convince himself that Harvey Amberlaka simply wanted to keep a low profile and avoid drawing too much attention.

"Alright then, Mr. Amberlaka," Pepper said, "I've been asked by several people to find out: what would it take for you to attend one of their parties?"

"I've been swamped with invitations lately," Harvey replied seriously. "Please let them know for me, Pepper: I have plenty to keep me busy, so I'd appreciate it if they didn't send meaningless invitations."

"I'll pass that on as delicately as I can," Pepper promised with a smile, a little taken aback by his clear refusal.

There were rumors in New York that Harvey Amberlaka was a playboy, but seeing him now, she realized that wasn't entirely true. At least, he clearly had no interest in certain wealthy young ladies of New York.

"Thank you for your trouble, Miss Pepper," Harvey replied politely, carrying his empty plate to another food-laden table.

"Tony, does Mr. Amberlaka actually dislike me?" Pepper asked in a whisper, her voice barely audible. Luckily, Tony’s hearing had improved since his enhancements, or he might have missed it.

"Not at all. If he really didn't like you, he'd show it outright. He wouldn't bother with polite conversation—he'd just make his displeasure clear. He only went to get more food; it's not as bad as you think," Tony assured her.

With a few meetings under his belt, Tony knew Harvey Amberlaka was extremely proud. He’d called Obadiah Stane trash to his face and had shown Nick Fury, the director of S.H.I.E.L.D., not a shred of respect. If Harvey truly disliked Pepper, he wouldn’t say a word to her, much less speak to her politely.

Pepper, seeing Harvey helping himself to more food, felt reassured.

"Miss Pepper, how does it feel to be running Stark Industries?" Harvey asked casually as he sat back down, though he'd clearly overheard her.

"Mr. Amberlaka, I know you’re a shareholder in Stark Industries," Pepper replied, rubbing her brow with a weary smile. "But it’s the first day of the new year, so let’s not talk about work. Let me clear my mind and enjoy a day of rest."

Now that she was in charge of Stark Industries, with Tony busy with research and preparing the company's transformation, she was constantly running around. It was nothing like the ideal she'd imagined.

"I have no authority over the direction Stark Industries takes," Harvey said, shaking his head, "so I wasn’t prying, just making conversation. If you’d rather not talk about it, that’s fine."

Looking at Pepper’s weary expression, Harvey continued eating. Throughout her life, whether people liked her or not, Pepper had devoted herself to Tony Stark, handling matters big and small, always professional.

Faced with Tony’s arrogance and sometimes willful nature, Pepper might vent and complain, but in the end, she always chose to trust and support him. The deep bond they’d formed over the years made Tony reliant on her—a key reason he eventually gave up his playboy ways and considered marriage.

Earlier, Tony had faced an opportunity to completely change himself, but he hadn’t jumped at the chance, likely out of concern for Pepper’s feelings.

Harvey understood all of this, so it was no surprise to him when Tony had asked if Pepper could also gain extended longevity.

As far as Harvey was concerned, the more people and things that believed in and joined the Void, the better. He’d gain Void energy, and they’d gain long life and extraordinary power—a win-win.

So he never worried about attracting more followers; the promise of a long life alone was enough to drive people mad with desire.

"I want to create an arc reactor that no one else can replicate," Tony said. "I already have some ideas—maybe I'll succeed. Just give me a bit more time."

He knew Pepper’s stress came from managing Stark Industries during its transition, with no new energy sources announced yet. Other shareholders were growing restless, putting pressure on Pepper.

But his current arc reactor, if leaked, could eventually be reverse-engineered by other companies. That’s why he couldn’t announce it publicly.

"Tony, don’t stress too much," Pepper said gently. "We’re shifting to a new industry—no need to follow the old path. Take your time."

Turning to Harvey, she added a little sheepishly, "Sorry about before, Mr. Amberlaka. I just didn’t want my rare day off disturbed, so I overreacted. I didn’t mean to blame you."

"I understand," Harvey replied with a small shake of his head. "Running a company as big as Stark Industries isn’t easy."