c22: Friends Who Can Understand
"You've been refusing to listen, what can I do?"
Tony Stark, though somewhat guilty, still stubbornly insisted.
"Fine, what do you want?"
Harvey, seeing Tony still being defiant, didn't bother arguing and asked directly.
"It's rare to get through to you, how about you come over and we talk?"
"I have something I want to show you."
Tony Stark immediately perked up and extended an invitation.
He obviously wanted to demonstrate his technological achievements to Harvey Ambellaca.
He primarily used the Mark II armor, but over the past month, he had already upgraded and refined multiple iterations of his Iron Man suits, drawing closer to the modular concepts seen in later designs like the Mark V in Marvel canon.
However, only he knew this.
Tony Stark thought of Harvey Ambellaca and imagined the look on his face when seeing the armory—rows of suits similar to what would later become his Hall of Armor which brought a faint, confident smile to his face.
"Is there any food?"
Harvey, seeing Tony Stark's invitation, considered for a moment and asked in return.
"Food?"
"Harvey Ambellaca, I rarely invite people to my house."
"I invited you over, and you're asking me if I have anything to eat?"
Tony Stark, who had been lost in his own thoughts, was taken aback by the question and said somewhat irritably.
However, Tony Stark quickly remembered the rumors circulating among New York's upper class after the Stark Industries charity gala.
Harvey Ambellaca's appetite was described as inhuman, almost comparable to enhanced individuals or mutants with abnormal metabolism seen in Marvel lore.
He had personally witnessed Harvey consuming massive amounts of food without any visible physical change.
"Wait... I can have it prepared."
So Tony Stark quickly adjusted and responded.
"Have someone prepare a dinner for a hundred people, I'll be there soon."
Harvey immediately agreed.
After speaking, Harvey hung up the phone, changed his clothes, and drove off.
"What did Jarvis just say?"
Tony Stark thought he had misheard and asked his AI.
"Sir, you heard correctly."
"Mr. Harvey Ambellaca requested a dinner sufficient for one hundred people."
J.A.R.V.I.S., Tony Stark's advanced artificial intelligence system modeled after the comic counterpart, replied immediately.
"Jarvis, contact a Michelin-level chef or a five-star hotel kitchen and have them prepare and deliver it as quickly as possible."
"In addition to covering the full cost, I'll give each of them five thousand dollars as a rush fee."
Tony Stark said.
He had no intention of letting Harvey Ambellaca find fault with his hospitality after personally extending the invitation.
"Yes, sir."
J.A.R.V.I.S. immediately initiated the arrangements, efficiently coordinating with multiple high-end kitchens across New York.
In fact, Tony Stark didn't just want to show off to Harvey Ambellaca.
He also wanted to confirm something whether Harvey Ambellaca, this mysterious man who seemed to know far more than he should, could truly understand the significance of the technology he had created, something even organizations like S.H.I.E.L.D., led by Nick Fury, were already beginning to take seriously.
He had some things he wanted to discuss with Harvey Ambellaca, such as his views on the Avengers Initiative that Nick Fury had begun preparing in secret.
If possible, he could even talk about extraterrestrial civilizations and threats beyond Earth.
Perhaps Harvey Ambellaca already knew about aliens in the universe?
Tony Stark couldn't be sure, but he left the laboratory where multiple Iron Man prototypes were being refined and sat down on the first floor.
"What happened?"
Pepper Potts asked worriedly, seeing Tony Stark come up from the lab shortly after and sit on the sofa on the first floor, looking somewhat uneasy.
"Nothing, just sitting here for a bit,"
Tony Stark said after a pause.
"Jarvis?"
Pepper asked J.A.R.V.I.S. directly upon hearing this.
"The gentleman is preparing to entertain a guest,"
J.A.R.V.I.S.'s calm, refined voice rang out in response to Pepper's question.
"What friend? Just a guest,"
Tony Stark retorted immediately.
"What friend?"
"I don't know?"
Pepper's curiosity was piqued when Tony ignored her reaction, and she continued to ask J.A.R.V.I.S.
"It's Mr. Harvey Ambellaca, he is currently on his way,"
J.A.R.V.I.S. answered honestly.
"When did they become friends?"
Pepper looked at Tony with some surprise upon hearing the name.
She wasn't deeply familiar with Harvey Ambellaca, but she had heard of him especially after the Stark Industries charity gala where his unusual behavior drew attention among New York's elite.
Still, she had never heard that Tony and Harvey Ambellaca had any meaningful relationship.
"In the past month,"
J.A.R.V.I.S. replied again.
"?"
Pepper was confused by J.A.R.V.I.S.'s somewhat vague but precise answer.
"No need to ask, basically Harvey Ambellaca is coming to visit."
"A lot of food will be delivered later, you can help receive it,"
Tony Stark interrupted Pepper's further curiosity, giving instructions directly.
This only confused Pepper more; they had just finished dinner not long ago.
"That food is for Mr. Harvey Ambellaca."
"He appears to possess an abnormally high metabolic rate, far exceeding normal human limits, so we need to prepare more food,"
J.A.R.V.I.S. explained, using a tone similar to how it would analyze enhanced physiology.
"The rumors are true?"
Pepper asked in surprise.
"Although I cannot fully explain how a human body can process that quantity of intake without visible side effects, the rumors are indeed accurate."
"Even competitive eaters wouldn't be capable of consuming that much, correct?"
"Yes, based on available global data, no competitive eater currently matches Mr. Harvey Ambellaca's consumption capacity."
Pepper and J.A.R.V.I.S. began exchanging observations, the AI calmly presenting facts while Pepper reacted with disbelief.
Twenty minutes passed quickly.
"Sir, Mr. Harvey Ambellaca has arrived at the manor gate."
"The gate has been opened for him,"
J.A.R.V.I.S. reported.
Soon, the automated gate of Stark's estate opened smoothly, reflecting the advanced smart-home systems Tony had integrated long ago.
Harvey wasn't surprised by any of this.
Pepper was momentarily dazzled by Harvey Ambellaca's appearance, impeccably dressed in a tailored white suit that accentuated his physique.
She was accustomed to seeing wealthy and confident men in New York, but Harvey's calm, almost detached presence carried a different kind of appeal.
Although it wasn't the first time she'd seen him, she had previously only observed him from a distance at formal events, never expecting direct interaction.
But this time, his presence was undeniable.
"Ahem."
A light cough came from the side, bringing Pepper back to her senses.
"Hello, Mr. Harvey Ambellaca,"
Pepper said, briefly lowering her head before raising it again with a professional and composed smile.
"Hello, Miss Pepper Potts,"
Harvey replied politely, his tone calm and measured.
"Come on, let's talk downstairs."
Tony Stark stood up immediately upon seeing Harvey Ambellaca arrive, gesturing toward the basement laboratory where his Iron Man armory and research equipment were located.
Harvey glanced briefly at Pepper, as if noting her curiosity, then nodded.
"Pepper, don't bother bringing us anything unless I ask. We'll come back up after we're done,"
Tony Stark specifically instructed as he led Harvey Ambellaca toward the elevator leading underground.
Pepper, seeing Tony's unusually guarded attitude, became even more curious but ultimately agreed.
"Don't let her know. It seems you wanted to talk to me about more than just your latest technology,"
Harvey said calmly as they moved toward the lower level.
"Looks like I can't hide anything from you."
"Since you already guessed, you should also understand those things aren't something she can easily accept,"
Tony Stark said with a hint of helplessness, realizing his intentions had been seen through effortlessly.
"It's not that she can't understand, but rather that even if she understands, she wouldn't be able to stand on the same level as you to interpret it,"
Harvey replied, glancing back once more at Pepper, who was still watching with restrained curiosity.
"It's not just her. Most people wouldn't understand, which is exactly why I asked you to come,"
Tony Stark admitted, his tone more serious now.
Ever since encountering the mysterious "Death" in Afghanistan, his worldview had begun shifting beyond Earth.
"Then let me hear everything."
Harvey paused slightly, a faint smile forming, before continuing.
"J.A.R.V.I.S., those two really do seem like friends."
Although Pepper couldn't follow them downstairs or hear clearly, she noticed that Tony and Harvey had already begun an intense conversation before even reaching the underground lab.
"Sir is not particularly skilled at expressing personal connections, but my analysis indicates a growing mutual understanding between them."
J.A.R.V.I.S.'s tone carried a subtle trace of pride.
Although it did not possess emotions in the human sense, its long-term observation of Tony Stark's behavior patterns made the conclusion quite clear.
The fact that Tony Stark had persistently attempted to contact Harvey Ambellaca every day for an entire month, despite repeated rejection already proved that their connection was far from ordinary.
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