With the Battle of New York finally over, the Avengers agreed to share a meal together.
There was nothing unusual about that.
Superheroes still needed to eat.
Saving the world on an empty stomach sounded like an excellent way to become extremely irritable.
Unfortunately, much of Manhattan was in ruins. After wandering through damaged streets, they eventually settled on a small barbecue restaurant that had miraculously survived the invasion intact.
Everyone was exhausted.
No one had much to say.
The meal passed in weary silence...
Until Tony suddenly frowned.
"...Where did my two barbecue burgers go?"
He searched the table.
He distinctly remembered setting them down only moments ago.
Now they had vanished.
His gaze slowly shifted toward Bruce Banner, who was quietly eating.
Bruce immediately became the prime suspect.
After all, there was another guy living inside him.
And judging by the Hulk’s size...
His appetite had to be legendary.
"Doootttie..."
Peggy’s cool voice interrupted the investigation.
She didn’t even bother looking up.
"Stop teasing my nephew."
"Put the burgers back."
Dottie frowned dramatically.
Clearly reluctant.
Even so, she reached into... somewhere... and produced both burgers before placing them back on the table.
Then she pouted.
"Peggy."
"Why am I always your first suspect?"
Peggy snorted.
"Because I know you."
She turned to the others.
"We used to live in the same apartment building."
"The cafeteria served unlimited food."
"Every single lunch..."
"...she smuggled an entire roast chicken home under her clothes."
Dottie rolled her eyes.
"That was ages ago."
"You really had to bring that up?"
Before she’d even finished speaking...
Tony leaned sideways.
Very slowly.
Very carefully.
Trying to determine exactly where those two hamburgers had been concealed.
Steve Rogers, despite maintaining an impeccably innocent expression, found himself doing exactly the same thing.
Forget the old chicken story.
That wasn’t the important question.
Dottie was currently wearing a skin-tight combat suit.
Where had two full-sized burgers possibly fit?
Smack!
Dottie’s backhand landed squarely across Tony’s face.
He spun sideways in his chair.
After several seconds of stunned silence, he rubbed his cheek.
"...That’s one impressive backhand."
Peggy calmly took another bite of food.
"So my father used to say."
Tony froze.
His expression became increasingly complicated.
He knew exactly what Howard Stark had been like in his younger years.
Let’s just say...
Tony hadn’t inherited his reputation by accident.
Wait.
Does that mean...
She’s one of my father’s exes?
Before he could finish processing the horrifying possibility...
Smack!
Dottie backhanded Steve Rogers too.
The entire table went silent.
Thor burst into laughter.
Everyone stared at Captain America with newfound curiosity.
Steve blinked.
"...What?"
"I honestly have no idea why that happened."
Dottie folded her arms and huffed.
"You heartless man."
Now everyone looked at Steve even more strangely.
The atmosphere instantly transformed into what appeared to be the opening scene of a decades-old romantic scandal.
Except...
That wasn’t where this was going.
Dottie suddenly stood, walked behind Peggy, and wrapped both arms around her shoulders.
Then she glared dramatically at Steve.
"You disappeared for sixty years."
"My little Peggy waited all that time."
Understanding dawned around the table.
"...Ah."
So that’s what she meant.
Several disappointed faces quietly returned to eating.
Apparently the juicy scandal they’d anticipated wasn’t happening after all.
Tony, however, remained deep in thought.
Hold on...
If she’s close enough to Peggy to say something like that...
Then she’s not my potential stepmother...
She’s practically family by marriage.
His family tree had become alarmingly confusing.
Natasha finally looked up from her meal.
"...Where’s Evenson?"
Only then did everyone realize he’d disappeared immediately after using Ritual of Summoning to pull Tony back from space.
Sarah smiled faintly.
"Boss said he was tired."
She reached over with a napkin and gently wiped a smear of barbecue sauce from the corner of Natasha’s mouth.
"So he went home to rest."
Hawkeye snorted without looking up.
"I figured he rushed off to check whether that rundown shop of his was still standing."
This time...
He was wrong.
Evenson hadn’t gone home.
He was sitting quietly inside the nearly deserted Nether Legacy Nightclub.
The invasion had left New York reeling.
Even though the club itself remained untouched, nobody was interested in nightlife today.
Only three people occupied the spacious hall.
Evenson.
And across the table...
The Eredar Twins.
In their true forms.
To be perfectly honest...
Evenson hadn’t wanted to come.
Considering certain things he’d shouted while trapped inside Ulthalesh...
Avoiding them for the next few centuries had seemed like an excellent strategy.
Unfortunately...
The twins hadn’t given him that option.
They had summoned him.
"You seem nervous."
Aurecess smiled sweetly.
For some reason...
That made her infinitely more terrifying.
"Nervous?"
Evenson forced a laugh as he picked up a glass of red wine.
"Not at all."
"I’m perfectly calm."
"Really?"
Aurecess tilted her head.
"Then why are you sweating so much?"
Evenson touched his hair.
It was soaked.
Recognition flashed across his face.
"Right."
"The city’s power grid is still down."
"No air conditioning."
"It’s just... warm."
"Very warm."
"I see..."
Saloras smiled until her eyes became crescents.
"Then why are your hands shaking?"
Evenson slowly raised the wineglass.
His left hand trembled like it had developed a neurological disorder overnight.
"Battle fatigue."
"I overdid it."
"It’ll pass."
Aurecess watched silently as half the wine sloshed onto his clothes before he managed a sip.
Then...
She cleared her throat.
"Ahem."
"Pffft!"
Evenson sprayed wine across the table.
Saloras burst into bright laughter.
"Enough."
"We’ve teased you long enough."
Her expression gradually became serious.
"Overall..."
"We’re very pleased with your performance."
Aurecess nodded.
"This world belongs to us."
"The Chitauri were thieves."
"You successfully protected our property."
Saloras continued.
"Which means..."
"We’re finally ready."
"It’s time to begin the next phase of our plan."
Relief washed over Evenson.
Business.
Business was safe.
Business didn’t involve discussing anything he’d shouted under demonic influence.
"Agreed."
"The door to the new era has opened."
"Now..."
"We need to muddy the waters."
"The more chaotic the world becomes..."
"...the easier it will be for us to achieve our goals."
Aurecess rested her chin on one hand.
"And who’s going to stir things up for us?"
Evenson remembered the nuclear missile that had almost destroyed Manhattan.
A slow smile spread across his face.
"I think..."
"I’ve found someone."
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter