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******
Outside the courthouse
Ethan was waiting near the steps, hands in his pockets, waiting for his car. Tony approached him, slowing to a stop.
"I didn't think you'd help me," Tony admitted.
Ethan glanced at him, expression unreadable.
"I didn't."
Tony raised an eyebrow.
Ethan shrugged.
"Someone tried messing with me last night at my own private event. They thought they could get away with it."
He turned to look Tony in the eye.
"So today wasn't about helping you. It was payback. And I don't do half-measures."
Tony exhaled through his nose, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
"…Still feels like you helped."
Ethan didn't answer.
He simply walked off as his car pulled up, the door opening automatically.
Tony watched Ethan walk away, shaking his head.
"Strange guy."
"You could at least say thank you," Pepper said as she stepped beside him.
Tony shrugged.
"I'll send him a gift."
Pepper raised a brow. "A gift?"
Tony nodded.
"Yeah. Invite him to the Monaco event we're attending. That should count."
Pepper gave a small nod in agreement as they headed toward the exit.
Ethan's car rolled through the city traffic, heading back toward his building. Sharon sat beside him in the backseat, arms crossed, watching him with a tired look.
"It was good we had that video," Sharon said after a moment.
"But… can you please be a little less blunt next time? It could've turned into a total disaster."
Ethan leaned his head back against the seat and exhaled.
"Maybe," he replied.
"But that guy is eventually going behind bars anyway. Why should I show respect to someone who doesn't deserve any?"
Sharon rubbed her forehead.
"Still, subtlety wouldn't hurt. You almost gave half the room a heart attack."
Ethan smirked slightly.
"If they can't handle a projector and some truth, they shouldn't be making national decisions."
Sharon leaned back and narrowed her eyes at him.
"By the way, where did you even get that video from?" she asked, curious.
Ethan didn't hesitate.
"From Justin himself. He kept the recordings stored so he could use them later—either as leverage against senators or as proof if a deal went bad."
He paused, then added,
"When I hacked his company, I found the files along with a lot of his dealings with military officials and other shady contacts."
Sharon let out a low whistle.
"So… what do you plan to do now?"
Ethan looked out the window, calm as ever.
"Eat up Hammer Industries. Take it over."
Sharon nodded slowly.
"With the secrets you're sitting on, that won't be hard."
Ethan gave a small shrug.
"Exactly."
"I will get all things done" Sharon said as Ethan nodded as rest of the journey went by calmly as soon they were back at Ethan's Mansion.
Just as they stepped into the entrance hall of Ethan's mansion, one of the guards walked over and saluted.
"Sir, a delivery came for you while you were out. It's from Stark Industries."
Ethan took the envelope without reacting much. Sharon, standing beside him, instantly recognized the classy gold trim and the Stark seal.
She smirked.
"Let me guess… Tony wants to say thank you."
Ethan tore the envelope open. Inside was a formal invitation to the Monaco Grand Prix, signed by Tony and Pepper.
He let out a tired sigh as they continued walking deeper into the house.
"I'm busy. Machines to finish, systems to test, Hammer Industries to break apart. I don't have time to dress up and watch rich people pretend they like each other."
Sharon rolled her eyes, following close behind.
"Ethan… you can't stay buried in your lab forever. Go outside. Talk to people. Touch grass."
Ethan gave her a blank look.
"…I touch metal. It's better."
Sharon stopped in front of him and crossed her arms.
"You know what I'm saying. You barely sleep, you work nonstop, and I have never seen another woman anywhere near your lab."
Ethan blinked slowly.
"What does that have to do with anything?"
Sharon raised her hands dramatically.
"It means you're becoming more machine than man. Even Tony has a social life. But you? You disappear for days and come back looking like you fought a reactor with your bare hands."
She sighed, then said more seriously,
"You need a girlfriend."
Ethan stared at her as if she'd just spoken another language.
"…And this helps me how?"
Sharon placed a hand on her hip.
"Because a girlfriend would drag you out of that lab at least once in a while and force you to interact with the world. You need a life outside of metal and wires."
Ethan blinked once, then replied dryly,
"You're talking like an Asian mom who wants grandchildren already."
Sharon shrugged without shame.
"You are part Asian… so I thought I'd act like one."
Ethan rolled his eyes and turned away, clearly done with the conversation.
As he started walking, Sharon called after him,
"I'm booking blind dates for you!"
Ethan almost tripped.
"Hey—no. I don't need that."
Sharon ignored him completely.
"Yes, you do. And let's start with Monaco. You've already made enough tech for the company to run itself for a bit. So take a break."
Ethan stopped, looked back at her, then finally shrugged in defeat.
"…Fine."
He let out a small, tired breath.
"I guess I really haven't been enjoying life enough lately, anyway."
Sharon smirked victoriously."Exactly. Welcome to step one of not dying a virgin."
Ethan's lips twitched at her words, but he didn't say anything—experience had taught him that replying only gave her more ammunition.
"Anyway," Sharon continued, flipping through something on her tablet, "we can leave tomorrow. The event isn't until next week, but Monaco has a lot of pretty girls—I mean pretty places—we can visit before then."
Ethan nodded. "A vacation before the headache. Sounds fair."
Sharon shot him a look. "It's called having fun, not a headache."
"Same thing," Ethan replied.
Sharon's grin didn't fade even as she headed toward her room, already pulling out her phone—likely searching "best suits for anti-social inventor attending Monaco" or "luxury events where lonely geniuses accidentally meet women."
Ethan pretended not to notice.