Chapter 96: Casual Gathering

Chapter 96: Chapter 96: Casual Gathering

The next morning, by the time Daniel and Carol woke up, breakfast was already waiting for them on the table. After eating a few slices of bread and drinking a glass of milk, Daniel walked out into the yard to bask in the warm morning sunlight.

Sunbathing was good for your health. Daniel firmly believed that the reason he was so outstanding was because he faithfully soaked up the sun every single day.

After saying goodbye to John and Mary, he and Carol headed out. Mary had originally been a little unhappy that Carol had only just come home and was already leaving again. But when the two of them promised they’d be back for dinner that evening, her mood immediately brightened, and she smiled warmly.

"Then I’ll make something delicious tonight."

Honestly, Daniel wasn’t too thrilled about coming back for dinner. He had planned to spend the evening with Susan because he had an important business to take care of.

But Carol had answered too quickly and happily promised Mary they’d be home for dinner before Daniel could object.

Sigh, Daniel silently sighed to himself. Then, in his heart, he comforted his little brother. Hang in there for one more day, tomorrow we’ll finally have a proper feast.

Stepping outside, Daniel turned to Carol.

"I’m heading back to the house on Long Island."

"Coming?"

Carol shook her head.

"I want to go see Maria."

"I wonder how she’s been and her daughter must have grown up a lot by now."

The two parted ways above the skies of Smallville, agreeing to meet at Daniel’s spaceship around noon. Then they each flew off in different directions.

...

When Daniel returned to the Long Island house, Susan was sitting on the balcony with a cup of coffee, quietly reading a book. The morning sunlight fell gently across her body. The sight alone was enough to make Daniel’s imagination run wild.

Ever since realizing he was finally ready for action, he’d been distracted almost every day. After all, he’d been holding back for twenty-two years. Walking up behind her, he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Miss me, sweetheart?"

"Mhm."

Susan calmly took another sip of coffee.

"Why are you drinking coffee this early?" Daniel asked.

She turned around, leaned forward, and kissed him on the lips before giving him an annoyed look.

"Whose fault do you think that is?"

"Huh?"

Daniel looked completely confused.

"You called yesterday and said everyone was coming over today."

"I took the whole day off."

"So, I’m catching up on some reading while I have time. Also, I just woke up, so I’m still a little sleepy and this really helps."

She raised her coffee cup.

"Then you’ve worked hard."

Ever since dating Susan, Daniel’s emotional intelligence had noticeably improved. He immediately began gently massaging her shoulders.

"Mmm..."

Susan closed her eyes in satisfaction. Then she looked at him curiously.

"How did you suddenly get so good at this?"

Daniel grinned.

"Guess what?"

He hadn’t been massaging for long before the doorbell rang.

Ding-dong!

Ding-dong!

Ding-dong! Ding-dong! Ding-dong!

That unmistakably flashy rhythm, without even looking, Daniel knew Tony had arrived. Opening the door, he found Tony standing there in an expensive suit, casually eating a hamburger. Even though it was early morning, he was already wearing sunglasses.

"Morning."

Tony removed his sunglasses and greeted Susan. Just as Daniel was about to close the door, another person stepped inside. A young woman stood at the door with a folder tucked under one arm and a polite smile.

"Hello. My name is Pepper Potts."

"I’m Mr. Stark’s new assistant."

Pepper generously extended her hand. Daniel shook it, momentarily stunned. He hadn’t expected Pepper to already be working for Tony this early.

Tony really is unbelievable. He made her wait for more than ten years? Daniel remembered that in Avengers: Infinity War, Pepper had been pregnant.

Thinking about it, Tony had really dragged things out, what a scumbag. Daniel silently cursed him. Knowing Tony’s personality, there was no telling how many women he’d dated over those years.

Hundreds? Probably.

Now that Pepper had become his assistant, who knew how many awkward situations she’d have to clean up for him in the future?

Just imagining it made Daniel’s heart ache a little, out of envy. Wouldn’t it be nice if Susan were that accommodating?

Of course, that thought was as far as it would ever go. Daniel didn’t have the courage to actually try anything. With Susan’s personality, she’d never tolerate it. Leaning back against the sofa, Tony looked at Daniel.

"So, where’s your spaceship?"

"Let’s take a look."

He was genuinely interested, so he couldn’t wait to study alien technology.

"What’s the rush?"

"We’ll all go together after T’Challa gets here."

The moment Daniel mentioned his spaceship, his enthusiasm immediately exploded. He grabbed Tony by the arm, ready to explain every single performance specification all over again.

Before he could say a word, Tony suddenly turned towards Pepper with a perfectly serious expression and began discussing Stark Industries business. The conversation continued nonstop, right up until T’Challa arrived. Poor Daniel never found an opening.

As soon as T’Challa walked through the door, before he even had a chance to sit down, Daniel dragged everyone toward his spaceship. He simply couldn’t hold back his urge to show it off anymore.

The four of them boarded T’Challa’s aircraft and flew to where Daniel had left the cruiser. The moment they stepped outside, Daniel proudly spread his arms.

"Well?"

"Impressive, isn’t it?"

"It’s way bigger than your little aircraft."

T’Challa hadn’t been expecting that greeting. Daniel’s smugness hit him square in the face.

Meanwhile, Tony had already ignored everyone else and walked straight toward the cruiser, completely absorbed in examining its exterior. Once inside the bridge, Daniel walked over to Tony.

"Help me install an Artificial Intelligence."

"I want one of those one-button systems."

Tony waved a hand without even looking up, indicating he’d heard him. Then he immediately returned to poking around the control panels. Seeing Tony completely engrossed in his work, Daniel had no choice but to redirect his attention.

Tony was busy, Susan was off doing her own thing, that left only T’Challa.

"Come on."

"I’ll show you around."

"This ship is way bigger than your little aircraft. So, if you’re not careful, you’ll get lost."

T’Challa instinctively wanted to escape. He was already reaching his limit. Unfortunately, Daniel wrapped an arm around his shoulders before he could get away and enthusiastically began introducing or rather showing off every part of his spaceship.

By the time the grand tour finally ended, Carol had arrived. The instant T’Challa saw her, he practically broke free from Daniel’s grasp and immediately walked over to give her a hug.

Susan stepped forward as well and warmly embraced Carol. Daniel wrapped an arm around Susan’s waist and proudly announced.

"Carol, she is my girlfriend, Susan."

Susan smiled awkwardly and Carol stared at the two of them in complete disbelief.

"You two are actually together?"

She looked back and forth between them several times.

"Susan..."

"How did you end up falling for him?"

"I honestly thought Daniel was joking when he told me he had a girlfriend. Does someone like him even deserve a girlfriend?"

Susan nodded seriously.

"Maybe I was blind."

Carol sighed sympathetically.

"You really have terrible luck."

After chatting for a moment, Tony walked over and extended his hand towards Carol.

"I assume you were the red streak I saw yesterday?"

Stark Industries’ satellites were among the most advanced in the world. Tony had recognized Carol from the footage. Carol gave a small nod to that.

Seeing everyone had arrived, Susan headed towards the kitchen to check on lunch. Carol immediately followed, as she had a lot of questions for Susan. No matter how she thought about it, she simply couldn’t understand what Susan saw in Daniel.

...

Back in the main room, Tony finally stopped studying the ship and joined the conversation. Halfway through chatting, Daniel suddenly remembered something.

"Oh, right."

"When you redesign the ship, paint something new on the outside and rename it the Invictus!"

Tony thought the name wasn’t that good. Still, he nodded anyway. It wasn’t his ship, so Daniel could call it whatever ridiculous name he wanted.

"I’ll just slap it on there somehow later," Tony muttered.

"Once you’ve finished upgrading the system, I’m flying it over to Wakanda for a visit."

Daniel looked at T’Challa with a grin.

"Thank you."

T’Challa nodded sincerely. He knew Daniel was offering Wakanda access to alien technology.

"No problem." Daniel’s smile immediately turned mischievous.

"My suit’s damaged too."

T’Challa instantly regretted thanking him.

Back in the kitchen, Carol was helping Susan learn how to operate the spaceship’s automated cooking equipment. As they chatted, the conversation eventually turned to Daniel.

"So, when exactly did you start liking him?"

Susan’s cheeks flushed slightly.

"The first time I saw him."

Carol couldn’t help sighing.

"My idiot brother..."

"But I’ll admit he does have a face that’s pretty easy to fall for."

Then she looked at Susan with a teasing smile.

"So basically, I thought we were becoming friends..."

"And all along, you were planning to sleep with my brother?"