Chapter 81: Attending the Banquet

Following Tony Stark, who wore a hand-tailored suit with no tie or bowtie and the top button undone, Henry was glad he had abandoned the water-damaged suit he had bought and instead rented another.

Although with his current sense of fashion he could not tell the difference between a hand-tailored suit and a cheap one, at least he could maintain a state where he would not be rude.

In his hands, he held a bouquet of yellow roses mixed with lilies. This was the etiquette for a first visit to the United States; one could also bring a small gift or a bottle of wine.

Considering the other party's wealth, Henry estimated he could not offer a gift or wine that would catch their eye, so he brought a bouquet of flowers.

In fact, from the moment Henry appeared holding a bouquet, Tony Stark had been smiling all the way, smiling in a very lewd manner. He made the Kryptonian's fists itch again, wanting to punch the future Iron Man's face hard.

Henry used great willpower to suppress his impulse, then used one hundred and twenty percent of his Best Actor-level acting ability to control his facial muscles, putting on a kind and friendly smile. The smile made Mr. Stark's spine chill.

The location for the family banquet was a villa belonging to the Stark family in Beverly Hills. However, Tony did not live here, so they had come together from elsewhere.

On the way, Henry nervously asked Tony: "You said, why is Lady He Ben staying at your villa?"

"Didn't I say? After retiring from the screen, she lives in Connecticut. When she comes to Los Angeles, she mostly stays in hotels. But gatherings of old friends need a venue, so she borrows my villa. Sometimes she even stays there directly."

"So, your family has a very good relationship with Lady He Ben?" Henry looked thoughtful, then suddenly realized. "Oh, oh~ Don't tell me."

"Shut up. I think you are thinking of something very rude. If you want to say something you shouldn't, just get back."

Tony Stark did not want to talk about the romantic affairs of the older generation at all.

As for Henry, he was doubting: Did Howard Stark of this world live so wildly? Did any girl of the Golden Age escape his hand?

This villa of the Stark family in Beverly Hills was in no way inferior to the place Henry had seen before, which had been rented by an event company.

It was just that the style of the house was more old-fashioned, like a manor left over from the last century. This vulgar style, who on earth has such a personality?

When passing through the main iron gate, Tony Stark, who had rolled down his window, only said one sentence to the intercom: "It's me."

This let Henry witness what it meant to pass by showing one's face; the large iron gate in front of the courtyard opened directly.

That flashy red Ferrari was driven into the courtyard with a stomp on the accelerator, Boom—

To be honest, Henry seriously felt that so-called sports cars were things that did not consider comfort. Sitting in this ghost thing, we great Kryptonians would rather sit in that second-hand antique Cadillac bought in Alaska.

But at the moment, Henry had no time to think about whether his butt would get bruised. His whole mind was filled with the nervousness of meeting his idol; he simply could not think of anything else.

Just after getting out of the car, Henry immediately used the hand not holding the bouquet to smooth out the wrinkles on his cheap suit.

"You're here."

A clearly female voice came from behind the villa's main door, making Henry's heart rise to his throat, his heart beating bang-bang-bang at an unknown multiple of speed.

As soon as the door opened, Henry immediately lowered his head and extended the bouquet in his hand. At the same time, he said: "Hello, Lady He Ben, I am your biggest fan!"

"Oh, really?"

The female voice's tone was quite different from the imagination; it was sharper and more crisp, somewhat different from the slightly deeper, gentle voice imagined.

After the big star in front of him took the flowers, Henry finally raised his head to look at the person. Unexpectedly, what came into view was the face of an aging beauty with deep contours and sharp eyes.

"Oh, it's this Lady He Ben..."

The disappointment in the voice was obvious.

Katharine Hepburn immediately shot a glare, saying in a serious tone: "You can make your disappointed expression even more exaggerated; I promise not to twist your nose."

Belatedly, Henry hurriedly made amends, saying: "Oh, Lady He Ben, please forgive my rude behavior. I am indeed your fan."

"Whether it is 'Morning Glory' for which you won the Academy Award for Best Actress, or the two masterpieces 'The Philadelphia Story' and 'Adam's Rib', they are also my favorites."

"Even later works like 'The African Queen', 'Suddenly, Last Summer', and 'Guess Who's Coming to Dinner' are all impressive and endlessly memorable. Your performances in films all prove that you are not only beautiful, but also an excellent actor."

Katharine poked her head out from behind the bouquet, looking at the son of an acquaintance standing behind Henry, and said: "Little Tony, tell me about this friend of yours who speaks so quickly."

"Katharine, this guy is just a small actor in Hollywood."

"Hmm-hmm." This voice clearly did not believe it was only that.

"Has some cleverness."

"Hmm-hmm!" The voice rose slightly. If a man of the Stark family could praise someone for having some cleverness, then that person was not ordinary in intelligence.

"Do you remember the shooting case that caused quite a stir a while ago? The person who fought off those killers with me was him."

"Hmm!" Katharine raised an eyebrow and looked at that strange young man again.

Henry placed a hand on his chest and nodded in greeting, saying: "Henry Brown, it is an honor to meet you, Lady He Ben."

"Call me Katharine, kid. Otherwise, it will easily remind you of another Lady He Ben." This aging big star teased. She added: "Come in. Little Tony, this is your house."

"No." Tony Stark said: "This is the house the old man bought; it has nothing to do with me."

"Hmph, men of the Stark family." Katharine moved aside from the doorway and mocked.

Henry was not so pretentious; he entered the house and blocked the door that would automatically close, standing in for Katharine.

This aging big star moved aside from the door-blocking position and said: "If Little Tony doesn't want to come in, let him stand outside in punishment. Kid, come with me."

"Coming." Henry followed eagerly, leaving that proud young master behind.

"Damn it, Katharine, I am your friend, not you."

"Have you ever seen a friend's duty include coaxing children?" Katharine Hepburn mercilessly delivered a finishing blow, treating the young master of the Stark family like a grandson.

Tony pulled open the half-closed door himself, entered, and continued: "Even the chef for today was called by me."

"You can call them back; just in time, I can show off my cooking skills." Katharine did not spoil the child and continued to poke with her knife.

Henry chimed in from the side: "I also have some experience in cooking; I can help with the prep work."

"Oh, that's great. It seems it is already clear who is the most useless person among us."

(End of Chapter)