~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For 40 advanced chapters, visit my Patreon:
Patreon - Twilight_scribe1
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Katherine Hepburn, however, gave the matter no further thought and simply said:
"In that case, child, why don't you move in with me? I'll take care of you."
"Eh?!"
Several people exclaimed at the same time.
Including Henry himself.
He certainly hadn't expected that turn of events.
Katherine puffed herself up confidently.
"What are you worried about?
"You don't seriously think one extra mouth is going to eat this old lady into bankruptcy, do you?
"And there are plenty of empty rooms here.
"That's still better than letting you sleep under a bridge.
"I can even pay you a salary.
"We'll call it... being my personal assistant.
"Wasn't Audrey's assistant arrangement basically the same?"
Then she narrowed her eyes.
"Or is it because there are two Hepburns?
"You were willing to be Audrey's assistant, but not mine?
"Just like the disappointed look on your face when you first met me.
"Only Audrey is acceptable.
"Katherine isn't."
The old lady pouted dramatically.
Her eyes glistened with tears, as though she were about to cry.
Henry swore this was pure acting.
The expression changed instantly.
She could cry on command.
There wasn't the slightest reason to feel wronged, yet she somehow managed to look as though the entire world had betrayed her.
Only an actress with four Academy Awards for Best Actress could unleash acting skills capable of overwhelming even a Kryptonian.
Why are all these Oscar winners so difficult to deal with?
This one is bad enough, and the previous one wasn't any better.
His eyes darted around as he desperately searched for a way out.
"I do have a pet cat," he said.
"Can people keep pets here?
"What if it runs around causing trouble?"
"No problem."
Katherine waved a dismissive hand.
"This building doesn't prohibit pets.
"Quite a few residents have dogs and cats.
"If it weren't just Maria and me, and our concerns about taking proper care of one, I would've liked a pet myself.
"If you already have one, that's wonderful.
"Bring it with you."
Henry persisted.
"But my pet cat weighs over six hundred pounds.
"Is that still okay?"
Whether she fully grasped the meaning of that number or not, Katherine responded with an obviously exaggerated look of surprise.
"Oh my, that big?
"Even better.
"I've never liked little things like Pomeranians or Chihuahuas.
"I always feel as though I might accidentally sit on them and kill them."
Henry thought to himself:
If the old lady isn't afraid of being shaken apart, Katie could carry her around all day long.
Getting sat on isn't the danger.
And Katherine clearly wasn't speaking out of politeness.
She had already begun planning activities they could do together if Henry moved in.
What they could do together.
What they could do if a giant "kitty" joined them.
Monday through Sunday.
Every day filled with a different schedule.
Every day completely packed.
Her anticipation was obvious.
People often said the elderly eventually became like children again.
There was truth in that.
Many behaviors that annoyed younger people stemmed from the same root as a child's crying for attention.
Fear of loneliness.
Audrey Hepburn had been fortunate.
During the final chapter of her life, she had Robert Wolders by her side.
Katherine Hepburn had no such companion.
Maria Thomson, despite serving as her caregiver, wasn't present twenty-four hours a day.
Maria had her own family and her own life.
That was precisely why Katherine's siblings, nieces, and nephews had repeatedly urged her to return to Connecticut and live with them.
Living alone in New York simply wasn't ideal.
Not for a ninety-two-year-old woman.
---
To be honest, Henry wasn't particularly opposed to taking care of her.
The mere thought that Katherine placed him in the same category as Spencer Tracy, Howard Stark, and John Ford filled him with a strange sense of honor.
Besides, he really didn't have much else to do.
The money he had earned during his years at Stark Pictures was enough to ensure he'd never have to worry about finances again.
At most, he would continue building his battle suit by hand.
Create a global surveillance and early-warning network.
That way, whenever something disastrous happened somewhere in the world, he could immediately learn about it and make sure not to be anywhere nearby.
And if he had spare time?
He could build a spaceship.
Or a submarine.
If Earth became uninhabitable—
Fine.
I'll colonize Mars.
It still orbited beneath a yellow sun.
Such confidence left Henry completely unafraid of danger.
If he couldn't handle something...
Couldn't he at least run away?
But New York...
The infamous cesspool everyone wanted to avoid in the Marvel Universe.
Did he really want to step into that mess?
---
"You don't want to?"
Katherine asked in a pitiful voice.
"It's not that..."
Henry instinctively shrank back into his chair.
Unfortunately, his retreat had the exact opposite effect.
The old lady rose from her seat and advanced.
"Not acceptable?"
Her presence pressed down on him.
"Well, it's not impossible. It's just..."
Henry stammered while desperately searching for an excuse.
"Hmm?"
Katherine bent forward.
From above, she stared directly into his face.
Her large eyes locked onto his.
Henry's gaze immediately began wandering in every direction.
He was just about to flee.
If possible, he'd have rolled off the chair and escaped.
Instead, Katherine grabbed his beard and yanked his face back toward hers.
"Be a man and give me a straight answer!
"Yes means yes.
"No means no.
"My five-year-old grandniece isn't nearly as indecisive as you are.
"And if you dare tell me no—
"Then don't let me catch you standing in line for charity handouts like some homeless drifter.
"If I see you once, I'll hit you once."
Under overwhelming pressure, Henry finally surrendered.
"Alright! Alright!
"I'll move in!
"I'll help!
"I'll be a personal assistant again, okay?"
---
Katherine immediately erupted into celebration.
Like a little girl who had successfully gotten her way, she raised both hands and spun around in circles.
The pressure vanished.
Henry let out a relieved sigh.
Then he suddenly realized something.
One particular person's silence had been highly suspicious.
Turning his head, he found exactly what he expected.
Tony Stark was wearing a smile so pleased and affectionate it practically radiated aunt-like approval.
The expression was infuriating.
Using only his lips, Tony silently mouthed two words:
"Women's friend."
Apparently that title wasn't going away anytime soon.
Deciding not to settle accounts with him just yet, Henry quickly reached out and caught Katherine before she spun herself dizzy and fell over.
He guided her back into her chair.
At the same time, he said:
"Katherine, we need to be clear about something.
"If you're hiring me, your family needs to know about it.
"And we need a formal employment contract.
"Written terms.
"Defined responsibilities.
"Clearly established authority."
Katherine made a face.
"Eh? Does it really have to be that complicated?"
"Absolutely."
Henry nodded firmly.
This wasn't some random elderly woman everyone ignored on the street.
The apartment they were sitting in right now—
The Turtle Bay residence on East 49th Street where Katherine had lived for more than sixty years—
Was worth well over ten million dollars.
A genuine luxury property.
And that was before considering the rest of her assets.
Katherine herself had no children.
But she had brothers and sisters.
And those siblings had families.
Not merely a second generation.
There might already be third and fourth generations running around.
She wasn't like John Brown, the bar owner in Alaska and Henry's benefactor.
That man had truly been alone in the world.
Henry had no desire to spend years caring for Katherine out of kindness only to end up fighting legal battles with her relatives afterward.
The simplest solution was obvious.
Everything needed to be established clearly from the beginning.
Rights.
Responsibilities.
Authority.
All written down in black and white.
That was the best way to prevent future disputes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
🎉 Power Stone Goal Announcement! 🎉
I'll release one bonus chapter for every 500 Power Stones we hit!"
Let me know what should I do
Your support means everything—let's crush these goals together! Keep voting, and let the stones pile up! 🚀
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~