Chapter 78 78: Sweet Water at the Stark Expo
New York – Flushing Meadows–Corona Park
The Stark Expo opening ceremony was pure chaos. Floodlights blazed, music thundered, and the crowd roared as the massive Stark Industries logo glowed like a second moon in the night sky. After nearly forty years, the legendary event had returned, and the audience chanted Tony Stark's name until their voices cracked.
In the ultra-exclusive VIP box with the best view of the stage, Mira Vale slouched in a plush leather seat, nursing a large plastic cup of iced sweet water. The drink was her guilty pleasure—a hyper-sweet mix of Sprite and Coca-Cola that fizzed pleasantly on her cybernetic tongue.
She took another sip, her digital eyes drifting across the frantic stage crew. Her expression said it all: Who am I? Where am I? And why did I agree to this?
Even the sugary rush couldn't fully dull the secondhand embarrassment from Tony Stark's antics.
"It's been thirty-five minutes past schedule," Mira muttered, setting her cup down. She shot Colonel James Rhodes a pointed look. "Only a man like Tony could turn an international industrial expo into his personal rock concert. The ego on that guy is something else."
Rhodes, sitting ramrod straight in his dress uniform, turned to her with a mix of helplessness and amusement. The girl beside him looked like a delicate high-schooler—oversized hoodie, silver hair in a messy ponytail—but her sharp tongue kept catching him off guard.
"You roast him harder than the tabloids," he chuckled, lowering his voice. "I figured you were maybe sixteen. Didn't expect you to be so blunt about his flaws. Got guts, kid."
"I'm nineteen!" Mira's cheeks puffed out in indignation. "Nineteen! My face just looks young, okay? I'm a senior at Midtown High and I'll be taking college entrance exams in a year."
Rhodes raised his hands in surrender, laughing. "Alright, alright—nineteen. My bad." He tilted his head. "Still, how does a normal high schooler get on Tony's personal guest list? He's arrogant and reclusive. Most senators don't get this kind of treatment."
Mira's bratty expression collapsed into pure misery. She slumped deeper into her seat.
Earlier that week…
The morning after returning from Asgard, Mira had been sitting in AP Calculus, pretending to follow a lecture on derivatives she'd solved in microseconds.
The classroom door burst open. Two sharply dressed Stark Industries executives marched straight to her desk under the stunned silence of the entire class. They bowed slightly and presented a gold-embossed envelope.
Inside was a VIP ticket to the Stark Expo and a handwritten note from Tony himself, dripping with arrogant charm. The executives then loudly announced that if "Ms. Mira Vale" had any issues with her school accommodations, she should contact Stark Industries for immediate VIP assistance.
By the end of the period, the entire school knew. Overnight, quiet top-student Mira became the center of wild rumors about her "special connection" to the billionaire playboy. Paparazzi blocked the gates after class. Even Peter and Gwen got caught in the chaos.
Mira still remembered the betrayed look on Peter's face when she shoved him toward the cameras and escaped through a spatial rift. (She did make up for it by finishing all his missed homework for the next four days.)
Back at the Expo…
"Ugh. Don't remind me," Mira groaned. "I'm just an unpaid intern. But genius billionaire had to send his dramatic invitation straight to my calculus class. Now everyone thinks I'm his secret protégé or something. I can't even nap in peace anymore."
Rhodes doubled over laughing, slapping his thigh. "Classic Tony. He never thinks about the collateral damage to other people's lives."
Mira was about to launch into another roast when the bass dropped and every floodlight in the stadium cut out at once.
A single spotlight pierced the darkness, centering on the stage. The crowd erupted. Then the massive digital screen exploded with light, pyrotechnics, and fireworks as Tony Stark—wearing the gleaming red-and-gold Mark IV—burst through in a perfect superhero landing.
He flipped up his faceplate, flashing that trademark arrogant grin, and waved to the screaming fans.
Mira facepalmed. "Of course. He's terrified people might forget he's Iron Man. What a show-off."
Rhodes blinked at her. "Kid, use normal English. I didn't study Shakespeare in the Air Force."
Mira grinned. "Translation: Being filthy rich lets you do whatever you want."
Rhodes barked a laugh. "Yeah. That's Tony in a nutshell."
As Tony strutted across the stage delivering his flamboyant speech, Mira's optical sensors quietly scanned him. Her processors delivered a detailed analysis in milliseconds.
Palladium poisoning. The dark, spreading corruption in his veins. The subtle tremor in his fingers. The pain he was hiding behind that billion-dollar smile.
Stubborn idiot, she thought, taking another sip of her drink. She knew the canon—Tony had the New Element solution hidden in his father's old Expo diorama. He wouldn't die. Not yet, anyway.
Still, watching the political circus of the upcoming Congressional hearing would be entertaining. Unless he offered something truly valuable in trade, she had no reason to get involved.
Tony finished his speech with a flourish, stepped back into the armor, and launched dramatically into the night sky amid thunderous cheers.
The music swelled again. Rhodes took a secure call from his superiors, looking stressed.
Mira stretched lazily in her seat, a sly, mischievous smile curving her lips.
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