By then, Lex Luthor, who Soren had pushed earlier, had also disappeared.
Soren kept quietly pleading with Tony, "Mr. Stark, please, Mr. Wayne probably just went into the wrong room. Don't be mad…"
Once Bruce was safely gone, Soren finally let go of Tony.
Tony was speechless, feeling both annoyed and unable to get truly angry.
He turned around, still frustrated, but Soren's careful, apologetic look softened him.
"You have no idea why I'm so mad. Do you even know who Bruce Wayne is?" Tony said through gritted teeth, "He's from Gotham City! Gotham City! The second I saw him, I knew he was trouble. He probably picked the lock to get in!"
Soren, quick to defend Bruce, mumbled, "No, it's my fault. I think I forgot to lock the door when I left."
Tony shot him a sharp look and repeated, "Gotham City!"
—And Bruce Wayne had a reputation.
Every time he went out, he was surrounded by at least four women, partying, paying off restaurants for the best seats, and constantly competing with Tony for the title of America's top playboy in the tabloids.
Of course, Tony wasn't going to mention that in front of a kid.
Soren weakly argued, "You can't judge someone just based on where they're from. That's regional discrimination…"
"You!" Tony was left speechless once again by Soren's response.
Soren lowered his head, knowing his actions had embarrassed Tony.
But with both Batman and Iron Man in his room, two superheroes he'd grown up admiring, he felt torn.
He was a fan of both, and he didn't want either of them to get hurt.
And then there was Lex Luthor, waiting to see what would happen.
Soren had to find a way to smooth things over to prevent the night from turning into chaos.
Despite everything, Soren was touched by how Tony stood up for him.
Tony Stark was Iron Man, and Iron Man was Tony Stark.
Even without his suit on, Tony had a kind and noble heart beneath his rebellious exterior.
He was willing to protect someone like Soren, a mere nobody.
Soren sniffled and sincerely said, "I'm sorry, Mr. Stark, and thank you."
Tony didn't say anything more.
Watching Soren's dejected, apologetic expression was like seeing a sad puppy begging for forgiveness.
Tony's anger melted away instantly.
He couldn't bring himself to scold the kid further or tell him that, in fact, Tony Stark should be the one thanking him tonight.
Fortunately, Tony's assistant, Pepper Potts, arrived at that moment.
She quietly entered the estate through the back door as Tony had instructed and took him back to his private residence.
Soren insisted on seeing Tony off at the back gate.
Just before Tony got in the car, he pulled out a crumpled business card from his pocket.
He handed the card to Soren with an awkward look and said, "Kid, um… happy birthday."
Tony swallowed the "thank you" he'd been about to say and instead pointed to the card, "If you ever need anything, just give me a call."
Soren looked shocked, "Mr. Stark—"
Tony chuckled lightly at Soren's stunned expression and then got into the car.
Later that night, Bruce Wayne returned to Gotham City from New York and entered the Batcave through a secret passage.
"How's the investigation going, Master Wayne?" Alfred asked while working at his desk designing a new suit.
Bruce ripped off his tuxedo bowtie and strode into his lab.
He looked serious, no longer carrying any of the carefree charms of Gotham's Bruce Wayne.
He picked up a pen and quickly jotted something down, "No breakthrough yet, but I smelled something. Alfred, it's the same scent I detected at the Falcone warehouse…"
His speech slowed down suddenly,
"They're using the same kind of fragrance. Soren Hargreaves is definitely connected to that substance."
Batman's voice was low and tense.
…
At the dinner party, the Hargreaves couple announced to their friends and family that they were moving.
Not long after, Renee had the house packed up and ready for the move to Kansas.
This meant Soren's time was running out.
Before leaving New York, he had one important task left to do.
"So, is that why you came to see me with this business card?"
In the development floors of Stark Tower, Tony, dressed casually, strode through the various lab equipment and gadgets.
Soren, with his golden curls, hurriedly followed behind him.
Their high-profile appearance stood out sharply against the sleek, high-tech environment of Stark Tower.
As they walked, curious glances from the staff followed them.
Soren didn't notice the curious looks from others as he followed Tony closely, his palms sweaty and the business card Tony had given him now wrinkled and soft from his grip.
He bit his lip and said a bit shyly, "Yes, Mr. Stark, I know this request is sudden. Please forgive me, but I really, really, really need to make something important!"
Tony stopped in front of a metal door that was completely sealed.
"Tony," he turned around to Soren and said.
Soren tilted his head, looking at Tony with his blue eyes, puzzled.
Tony said, "You can call me Tony. Your dad used to call me that too."
Soren quickly corrected himself, "Okay, Tony."
His golden waves of hair fell neatly, making him look as innocent as a well-behaved puppy.
Tony nodded his head with satisfaction, waved his hand, and signaled for the AI butler in the building to open the metal door behind him.
The metal door slid open with a soft hum, revealing a bright, spacious laboratory decorated with blue and white lines.
Tony Stark lifted his chin and spread his arms, proudly saying, "Welcome to the future."
The day before, Soren had called Tony using the number on the card.
He asked to use Stark Industries' cutting-edge lab to try making a device he had designed, hoping to get Tony's permission.
Without hesitation, Tony had invited him to Stark Tower and granted him access to this high-tech lab representing Stark's top research capabilities.