When Karl returned home, he found Aunt May already in the kitchen.
The aroma filling the house was warm and comforting.
Since Karl preferred Chinese cuisine, Aunt May had been practicing authentic recipes over the past few weeks. Their meals now consisted mostly of stir-fried dishes, soups, and steamed rice instead of takeout.
Karl walked up behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist, and rested his chin on her shoulder, inhaling the fragrance drifting from the wok.
"Tony invited me to a charity gala tonight," he murmured softly. "Will you come with me?"
Aunt May turned, surprise filling her eyes.
"Tony Stark invited you? You rescued him yesterday, didn't you? I… I have plenty to do at home."
There was hesitation in her voice — and something deeper.
"Yes, I rescued him," Karl replied gently. "Come with me. Wanda and the kids can manage. Hmm?"
He leaned down and kissed her.
May hesitated only a moment before nodding.
"…Alright."
The truth was, her first instinct had been to refuse because of insecurity. She still struggled with the age difference between herself and Karl. In her mind, he was young, brilliant, and extraordinary — while she was a widowed woman who had already lived half her life.
Yet time had been kind to her.
She no longer looked like a tired widow burdened by hardship. Instead, she carried the quiet allure of maturity — warm, elegant, and radiant.
"Good," Karl said, untying her apron. "No cooking tonight. Let the kids order pizza. I'm taking you to buy a gown."
"But you already bought me one," she replied, puzzled. "Can't I wear that?"
Karl smiled.
"You're my partner. And now I'm a Stark Industries shareholder."
She blinked.
"When Tony held his press conference, I sold my shares at the peak. I made six billion dollars. After the stock crashed, I bought aggressively and acquired scattered shares. I now hold a significant stake."
Aunt May stared at him, stunned.
"A shareholder… of Stark Industries?"
Even after Tony shut down the weapons division, Stark Industries remained one of the most powerful corporations on Earth.
"…Alright," she said slowly. "Let's go."
Karl grinned.
"Let's see how stunning my Aunt May looks tonight."
She rolled her eyes at him, though her lips curved into a smile.
Karl drove them to a haute couture boutique in Manhattan.
The moment they entered, attendants hurried over. Their bearing, confidence, and understated elegance made it obvious they were wealthy clients.
Aunt May tried on multiple gowns while Karl patiently watched, occasionally offering opinions that made her cheeks warm.
Elsewhere — S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters
When Nick Fury learned Tony Stark had returned alive, he immediately tasked Agent Phil Coulson with determining what had happened.
Coulson's progress was… limited.
Every attempt to meet Tony required scheduling through Pepper Potts. Meetings were postponed. Calls were redirected. Stark Industries' legal team enforced privacy barriers with surgical precision.
Tony Stark was not an ordinary civilian.
Had it been someone else, S.H.I.E.L.D. could have leveraged national security authority to compel cooperation. But Stark's influence — political, military, and corporate — made coercion impractical and politically dangerous.
Patience became the only viable option.
Fury had not placed agents directly on Karl, but he monitored information flow carefully.
He knew Karl had acquired a significant position in Stark Industries.
He strongly suspected the untraceable trading account that manipulated Stark stock during Tony's disappearance belonged to him.
Karl's massive purchases during the crash had been precise, deliberate, and timed with impossible foresight.
That alone raised red flags.
Fury even considered the possibility that Karl had prior knowledge of Tony's kidnapping.
But suspicion was not proof.
And Karl was not a man Fury could move against lightly.
Fury had briefly considered detaining Aunt May, Wanda, or Pietro to force leverage.
He dismissed the idea immediately.
It would cross a line from surveillance into open hostility.
And Fury had seen what Karl was capable of.
The shadow warriors.
Endless.
Silent.
Relentless.
They emerged from darkness itself.
Even more troubling was Karl's ability to vanish without warning.
A man who could not be contained could not be threatened.
Fury had also consulted Professor Charles Xavier regarding Karl.
Xavier confirmed Karl was not a mutant.
That complicated matters further.
If Karl had been a mutant, political frameworks and mutant-related containment protocols might have applied. But he was something else entirely.
To act against him would require changing the global mutant policy framework — something neither the World Security Council nor the U.S. government would approve.
The political cost would be catastrophic.
So Fury waited.
Observed.
Prepared.
Karl had no idea Fury had even reached out to Charles Xavier.
If he did, Fury might not remain alive for long.
Karl had already sensed the quantum pager Fury carried — the emergency beacon linked to Captain Marvel.
But Fury was an old strategist.
He never relied on a single contingency.
Even if Karl neutralized him, other failsafes would trigger.
And that made the man dangerous.