On the other side-
John Wick drove a Rolls-Royce, carrying Charles and Tsunade, to Tony's seaside villa.
The outside of the villa was already lively, with many invited guests present. However, those without invitations and media reporters were gathered outside, taking photos and conducting interviews with everyone who arrived.
As Charles and Tsunade got out of the car, they immediately attracted the attention of the personnel guarding the entrance.
"Oh, it's Charles Doyle! He's here too!"
"He's Tony's friend, he'll definitely come!"
"Wow, he's handsome!"
"Who's the beautiful woman next to him?"
Hearing the cheers, Charles wore a smile on his face and, with Tsunade, walked towards the villa.
At this moment, a reporter with a microphone approached Charles.
"Mr. Charles, how do you view the Monaco incident that happened recently?"
"With Stark Industries facing such a critical situation, do you think Tony holding a birthday party is a signal from Stark Industries?"
"Do you believe that such actions are in the best interest of Stark Industries?"
Facing the reporter, Charles took the microphone, glanced at him, and then spoke.
"I was in the audience stands during the Monaco incident."
"Tony once again protected the crowd on the scene, didn't he?"
"As for Tony's birthday party, as an adult, he has the right to celebrate his own birthday, right?"
After finishing his words, Charles handed the microphone back to the reporter and walked towards the entrance with Tsunade.
At the entrance, a reporter holding a microphone approached them again.
"Mr. Charles, can I ask..."
Charles interrupted, "Sorry, but I've already answered a question. If you have any inquiries, you can contact my public relations team. Enjoy the party!"
With that, Charles and Tsunade walked into the villa.
Happy, responsible for welcoming guests at the entrance, saw Charles's arrival and quickly took a few steps forward.
"Thank you very much for coming. The party hasn't started yet. Please, come in."
Charles nodded and, with Tsunade, entered the villa.
Outside the villa, the reporter watched Charles's departure, then turned to the crowd and said, "Alright, let's find someone else. We won't get much from them."
...
Meanwhile-
Tony Stark's birthday party was in full swing inside the villa.
Happy had been busy receiving guests at the entrance, and now he approached Tony, who was chatting with a group of people.
"Mr. Stark, Mr. Charles and a lady named Tsunade have arrived."
"Oh, excellent! Show them in."
Happy nodded and went to guide Charles and Tsunade.
As they entered the villa, Charles and Tsunade were greeted by the lively atmosphere. The venue was beautifully decorated, with a variety of dishes and drinks on the table.
While Tsunade followed Charles around, she commented, "How come Tony hasn't shown up yet? It's his birthday."
Charles chuckled, "Maybe he's shy. Perhaps he's still doing his makeup!"
Hearing Charles's teasing, Tsunade burst into laughter.
"We didn't treat his wounds at the time. With his constitution, the superficial injuries on his face might not recover that quickly. Your words might be true; he could indeed be putting on makeup."
Hearing Tsunade's words, Charles was surprised for a moment and then nodded very seriously, "That's actually possible."
At this moment, Pepper Potts, who was in a conversation with someone, noticed Charles and Tsunade's arrival.
"Sorry, an important friend has arrived. I'll go welcome them."
Pepper Potts walked over to Charles and Tsunade.
"Mr. Charles, Ms. Tsunade."
"Hey, Pepper Potts!"
"When is Tony coming out? It's his birthday, and he hasn't shown up yet. Not good!"
Pepper Potts smiled awkwardly, "You two roam around for a bit. I'll go check on Tony."
"Sure!"
Seeing Pepper Potts leave, Charles and Tsunade headed to the dessert area, where various sweets were displayed on the table, accompanied by drinks.
Charles picked up two servings of desserts. "Try this one. It feels pretty good!"
Tsunade took the dessert handed by Charles, tasted it, and squinted her eyes.
"The taste is indeed excellent, not too sweet at all."
While the two were enjoying their desserts, cheers erupted from the crowd. Charles looked toward the source of the excitement and saw Tony Stark, wearing his Iron Man armor, making a flamboyant entrance.
Especially when he reached the DJ's stage area, he performed exaggerated hip-thrusting movements, causing Tsunade, who witnessed this scene, to almost spit out what she had in her mouth.
Tsunade looked at Charles and asked, "Is he always like this?"
Charles couldn't hold back and burst into laughter.
"Hahaha, no, he's usually quite tsundere. This is the first time I've seen him like this."
Watching Tony's extravagant performance, Charles couldn't quite comprehend it for a moment.
Without the looming threat of palladium poisoning, Tony shouldn't behave recklessly, or was it the opposite? Was it that without the fear of poisoning, Tony let himself go even more?
...
On the other side-
Rhodes also arrived at Tony's villa, while talking on the phone.
"Yes, sir, I understand."
"No, there's no need for that. I'll handle it."
"I guarantee that Iron Man will be back on duty within 24 hours."
Rhodes was feeling helpless. Stuck between two parties, he had just managed to appease some high-ranking military officials not to take harsh actions against Charles Doyle.
Now, he needed to persuade Tony to return as Iron Man immediately.
After parking his car, Rhodes entered the villa. Glancing around, he spotted Pepper Potts.
"Hey, Pepper."
Pepper turned around and saw Rhodes, leading him to where Tony was performing.
"I'm leaving. I need some fresh air."
"What happened?"
Pepper took Rhodes to where Tony was entertaining the crowd and said, "I don't know what to do."
Rhodes, seeing Tony in his current state, was astonished. "Are you kidding me?"
At the moment, Tony, in his Iron Man suit, had consumed quite a bit of alcohol, swaying on the stage. Below him, a group of models danced energetically.
Seeing this scene, Rhodes angrily said, "Enough! I'm going to..."
"No, don't call anyone!"
"This is ridiculous. I just made a promise for him."
"I know, let me handle it. I'll find Charles; he should be able to talk some sense into Tony."
Rhodes said angrily, "Get it done quickly, or I'll come myself."
Tony's flamboyant performance continued, holding a microphone, he demonstrated how to urinate inside the armor to the amusement of the audience.
Seeing this, Charles didn't mind too much, finding Tony's carefree side amusing. Tsunade, on the other hand, displayed a face of disdain.
"This guy better not expect me to treat him. It's disgusting, urinating in the armor in front of so many people."
Seeing Tsunade's disgusted expression, Charles laughed, "Don't you think he could be good friends with Jiraiya?"
"He's just as unreliable!"