DISCLAIMER
Last I checked, I'm not a humongous-ly rich blonde Brit. I'm a broke-ass brunette, student-waitress paying for a room in Canada with an unhealthy obsession with Harry Potter. Thus, I do not own the franchise or the characters, sadly.
I also don't own Marvel. I wish I do though.
WARNING
Mention of a horrific death.
If you don't want to read such, these friends would help you, -(o_O)- -(O_o)-
You're going to see me on breaks, btw -.-zzz
"So let me get this straight." Tony began as he sat down on a white faux fur ottoman and clasped his hands together as if in prayer, perhaps for mental strength. "Centuries' worth of wealth is under one man – who is dead, by the way. And this is LEGAL? No one truly knows about this – but somehow you do – and can do about it. And that huge pot of gold is, somehow, unclaimed – which is quite weird if you think about it. Don't they have other claimants or relatives? Now that I think about it, are you sure this isn't a cult? Pipperellus' Eternal Northern Irish Sect, perhaps?"
Happy sniggered and left the room to check up with the hotel's security, leaving Pepper with Tony's inquisition. The three arrived no longer than five minutes ago and had been stuck with Tony's wonderings the entire ride to the hotel. Happy's fascination quickly left the window when Tony kept on and on about being the lost Pipperellus heir. Pepper sat down on a maroon velvet wingback chair and looked longingly at the door Happy left as Tony continued, "How do you know about this, by the way? I am quite sure that there's no Pipperellus Fortune and How to Claim Them book lying around."
She sighed and answered simply, "Jarvis."
Tony's stared at her, mouth agape for a moment. "JARVIS!" he stood and bellowed, "How dare you! I am your father and yet you failed to tell me important things like this?! You are GROUNDED, young man!"
The blue globe hologram above the Stark tablet placed on the glass surface of the ebony wood-lined tea table flickered in Jarvis' version of a chuckle. "I was under the impression that you refrain from quack talk and children's fairytales, 'father'."
Tony groaned. "I'm never gonna live this down, am I?"
"Nope." Pepper said with a pop as she smirked.
With a sigh, he asked Jarvis, "How did you know this, Jarvis?"
"I knew of it since my conception, sir." By this admission, Tony sat down on a maroon velvet cushioned barstool and thumped his head on the ebony wood bar. "Miss Potts, simply asked me for any information about the reigning British business moguls which led to the Pipperellus Beneficium."
"Pipperellus Beneficium?" Tony asked, his voice muffled as his head is now tucked between his arms.
"The Pipperellus Beneficium is a contract rewarded to Ignatius Pipperellus by the then King Henry III for services to The Crown, sir." Jarvis continued. "I extracted this information from a highly confidential case report. Illicit documentation of the contract spontaneously combusted before completion, leading to the burning of Windsor Castle in 1992. Apparently, one of the lords had stolen the Monarchial copy of the contract to find a loophole around the wording, possibly to gauge whether he and his line could gain the Fortune. He was found in the remains of the chapel, severely burnt but miraculously alive. He lived long enough to tell his crime and to share some information about the contract. The Monarchial copy is believed to have been burnt in the fray and now only the Queen knows the exact wording of the contract. I must let you know, Mr. Stark, that trying to claim heirship over the fortune would lead you to a most unfortunate death"
Tony rolled his head to face Pepper mournfully. "Pep, I've made a monster."
Pepper merely rolled her eyes and asked Jarvis for more information on Tony's benefit. "I have the complete albeit highly classified report on the incident. Would you like me to show it to you, sir?"
"No. Just read it." Tony said as he went to the bar and grabbed a glass to pour himself a finger of whiskey. "The case and the bastard's statement."
Thus, Jarvis related the story.
-(o_O)- WARNING START-(O_o)-
"As you wish, sir." Jarvis complied with a sigh. "The lord's name wasn't specified. He indeed stole the contract to find loopholes to present himself as the heir and gain the Fortune. He tried to take a photograph of the document, but no matter what angle or lighting, the film remained black. The lord resorted to copying the document by hand with the aid of his twelve-year-old son. When it was nearly finished, the copy burst into flames and engulfed the boy, who then was copying the document."
Pepper gasped, not having heard of the explicit details of the story. Tony gulped down his drink and poured himself another from the bar and returned with one for Pepper, which she just held, not trusting her guts now.
Jarvis continued, "The boy's screams alerted the guards. However, they could not open the door to the chapel by any means. When the lord was unearthed from the ruins, he was burnt and his skin was taut to his bones, but still alive. There was nothing left of the son."
Pepper placed her glass on the table, being entirely sure that she would vomit it all the same if she drank it. Tony put his own beside hers, not having the stomach for it after the news.
"They tried to rush him out, however, an invisible barrier kept him in the chapel. He admitted to his crime. The witnesses swore to have heard it in his normal voice despite no movement or air from his lips." Jarvis went on, his voice somewhat strained, odd enough for an AI, "Near the end of his explanation, he left a warning, his voice warped into an echoing monotone. By the end of his recount, he let out a scream of terror and ran out of the chapel. The stunned witnesses froze in fright and some fainted. The brave ones who ran after the lord, and those in the charred corridor who didn't faint, saw his body crumble into ash as he kept on running and screaming. There was neither body nor bones left to be salvaged. It is noted in a separate writing made two centuries before this incident that the official copy of the contract was stolen by ambitious and hardy British soldiers, which led to the Great Fire of New York in 1776. Of course, the British blamed the Americans. All who had read and heard of the contents of the contract had died similarly to the boy and a sole person was spared to tell the tale, only to succumb to the same fate as the lord."
-(o_O)- WARNING END-(O_o)-
Tony sat on the arm of the shivering Pepper's chair and held her, not even feeling awkward about it. They remained that way in silence. Pepper was trying to repress her fear and process the truthfulness of the story. Tony's thinking about whether Jarvis is getting possessed or defective.
"Dinner time!"
Pepper shrieked and clung to Tony like a vice, just as Tony darted for his armor case. What resulted was a tangle of limbs and a howl of pain. Unfortunately, as the two tumbled to the floor, little Tony was kneed.
Happy, who announced from the door, started to guffaw. Pepper glared at him, and Tony resorted to a stream of invectives as he held his family jewels. The hilarity led Happy to crash down and roll on the floor in teary laughter, in tune with the thrashing Tony's death threats. Pepper scrambled to close the door in order to preserve their remaining dignity from possible onlookers. Thankfully, there were none. However, nearby tenants were concerned about the loud and muffled noises of laughter, pain, scolding, and groveling.
-.- zzz
After recovering their equilibrium, and in Tony's case, his manliness, the trio left to have dinner at a nearby restaurant. Being the consummate man-child, Tony tried to grab a separate table for himself away from his companions out of spite. However, Pepper threatened to complete the pair if Tony kept it up. He then conceded. Not with the absence of grumbling, of course.
"Hi! I am Andrew. I'll be your server for tonight. Can I interest you for some wine?" a brown-haired man with a few attractive scars and a wolfish smile asked.
Pepper smiled at the man, somewhat strained. "Hi, Andrew. May we please just get a bottle of your best? I don't think my kid is too picky today to mind ." She joked, glancing at Tony with a smirk. Proving how mature he was, Tony stuck out his tongue and crossed his arms.
"No problem, Ms. Potts." He said, handing them some menu cards. "I'll be back with your wine, shortly. In the meantime, please browse our menu for anything you may like." With one last winning smile and a slight flush, he left to do as he said.
"You have a fan" Happy pointed out.
"I'd be insulted if he wasn't" Tony haughtily said with his nose in the air.
"I was referring to Pepper." Happy replied as he browsed his menu card.
"I feel so affronted." Tony drawled lazily as he looked at his as well.
Andrew came back with a bucket of ice where sat a bottle of red wine, and three glasses. Setting and serving each, he asked for their orders.
"May I have a bowl of Greek yogurt parfait to start? And then a lobster frites with garlic bread on the side" Pepper said.
Tony replied next, "I'll have your manager for you blushing at my girlfriend."
"Tony!" Pepper reprimanded, her eyes narrowed and cheeks in a rosy tinge.
Andrew just shook his head and chuckled. "I assure you, my good sir. My intentions are only in providing great customer service and good tips."
Tony grinned and clapped his hands together. "A straightforward answer. I like you. What's your real name?"
Andrew's smile became fixed, and he replied, "John Wolf."
Tony scoffed, but let it go. "Still a made-up name. No matter, I'll get seared scallops and garlic butter shrimp. Less garlic if you can and a bit of spice. No vegetables. I want mashed potato with cranberry sauce." His other companions just rolled their eyes, being used to his peculiarity.
Andrew's smile never wavered, nor did his expression change as he wrote on his pad. "We got you, Mr. Stark. No worries." He then turned to Happy.
"I'll get a T-bone steak, mashed potatoes, and lotsa gravy." He said succinctly, noticing midway the grimace and shudder, respectively, from Tony and Pepper. "What?" he said looking at them.
Both just shook their head as they schooled their features.
"Odd." He thought as he noticed Andrew's slight slip of concern.
Quickly back to his customer-service-face, Andrew headed off to ring their orders.
-.- zzz
None of the usual bantering or business talks occupied the silence as they waited for their dinner. Tony steadily swirled his glass as he stared into nothingness. Pepper fiddled on the centerpiece's leaf. It's that of a white Asiatic lily. Happy just hummed and pondered about the two. Before he left them in their room, both had been in an animated discussion about the Pipperellus Fortune. Now, they somewhat act muted. "I wonder what happened? I haven't left for more than an hour.", he mused.
Before the silence got unbearable, Andrew and two other servers, brought over their meals. Andrew brought his plate and placed it in front of him. He noticed how both of his companions tried to hide their instant gagging reaction to something. He looked at Andrew who looked at him, too. They seemed to communicate silently in understanding.
"Is everything all right, so far?" He asked as the two other servers left.
The queasy pair, despite being pale, smiled and voiced their affirmations. He looked at Happy who nodded eagerly. Taking the hint, Andrew nodded subtly back.
"We would leave you to enjoy your meals. I'll be back shortly to check if everything's well." Andrew said as he left.
When none of them started to eat, both started picking on their food, Happy somehow understood that both had an aversion to meat today. Specifically, his meal, as he observed their wary glances at it. He met Andrew's eye across the room and subtly patted his plate. Andrew nodded once more and walked back to the kitchen. Shortly after, he came out with a dish.
"I apologize for the mix-up Mr. Hogan. I believe this is your order." He said as he swiftly switched the plates. His mystery meal made him relieved and happy. It was a salmon fillet and buttered vegetables with a side of breaded shrimp. His original side of mashed potatoes with an overflowing measure of gravy was left, as well. He grinned at Andrew, who winked. "I apologize again and hope that your experience with us is still satisfactory." He then nodded with a smile and left with the dreaded T-bone steak.
"Happy?" Pepper prompted with a shocked look.
"Hmmm?" He answered as he took their table's first bite. He mentally crossed T-bone steak from his top favorite dish.
"Man, you didn't have to." Tony said uneasily.
Inwardly, he cheered over the flavorful salmon as he feigned innocence, "What do you mean?"
Pepper squeezed his left hand and smiled in thanks. Tony merely nodded and smirked as he proceeded to take a bite of his scallop, then melt on his seat. "You guys got to try this!"
The rest of the evening passed with them trying each other's meals and ordering a few more seafood and mushrooms.
-.- zzz
When Remus came back to tell them that Mr. Hogan got the wrong order, Benjamin gave him a lecture that lasted while the meal was being made. Being used to being reprimanded from the time he started working in the muggle world, he just took everything in stride. Delilah, a beautiful petite woman of Puerto Rican descent, looked at Olga, a tall Russian babe and war refugee. Delilah is Remus' work-best friend and Olga's wife. They were the ones with him when he served Stark and co. They gave him one last worried glance before getting back to their tasks. The tables aren't going to wait for themselves, anyway.
That was two hours ago. Now, Benjamin is at it again.
"How can you do this, LUPUS? That is THE Tony Stark!" His blonde-haired supervisor shrieked at him at the back. "How stupid of you to make this mistake!" He was so red in the face that his lipstick matched him and his blush-on became a highlighter. If Remus wasn't the one in trouble, he would've thought that Benjamin looks like an angry elf on the shelf.
"I'm very sorry, Benjamin. It will not happen again." Remus apologized, trying to keep the image out of his mind while mentally sniggering.
Benjamin snorted. "I placed you for Mr. Stark because despite of your monthly alibis, you're the most decent floorman among those other idiots!"
"I assure you, I will never deign to do this mistake again, Benjamin." Lupin pacified. If only he could get another job, he would. But his circumstances as it is, he had to make do.
The kitchen staff members are looking at them now. Most with pity and indignation, some remained neutral as they completed their tasks, and two were blatantly smirking maliciously. The restaurant closed 15 minutes ago, but Tony Stark rented the space for an hour more for his Grub Test.
"Don't worry. You never will." A woman of Asian descent suddenly came up to him from behind. It was Anita, this shift's manager. "You're fired."
Stunned, Remus took a moment to compose himself. "Fired?" he asked as he faced her.
"Yep!" Benjamin cheered as he stressed the 'p'.
'You can't be serious!" Delilah exclaimed on his behalf as she came forward. The majority of the staff agreed with her and voiced their own objections.
"Please," he begged, "Let me try to fix this." He dreaded going through the job-hunting process, charity, and the lack of wolfsbane, especially now that winter is just a few months away.
"Nope!" Benjamin said, stressing the 'p' again. "You had your chance. At the end of your shift tonight, never come back. Now go and finish your task, or else you won't get this week's paycheck."
"That's illegal!" Olga protested as she stood beside Delilah, towering over Benjamin.
"We almost cost a high-grade customer, honey. He's lucky he's getting anything at all!" Benjamin persisted, tossing his non-existent long hair.
"But you never lost me."
The entire kitchen looked toward the doors to see none other than Tony Stark himself. Everyone stood at attention, like a culinary parody of the military. Expressions varied from surprise, awe, guilt, and wariness.
"As cheesy as that line was, I'm still here." Tony strode into the kitchen exuding power, making Benjamin cower. "So. Remus? Is Andrew a pseudonym or is it your middle name? Or is it John?"
"Mr. S-Stark!" Benjamin floundered as he found his courage. "How may I help you today?"
If it weren't so tense, Olga and Remus would've rolled their eyes. Although Delilah did it for them. Remus wouldn't be surprised if either of them had already betted on Tony Stark's interference, as he could sense no fear from them. Or maybe they're just as brave as a Gryffindor, or stupid.
"Oh you would help me greatly if you would not fire Mr. John Wolf for keeping my awesomeness in your vicinity." Tony said as he stared down at Benjamin.
Anita came forward saying, "Mr. Stark, I apologize. I'm Anita Nam. I manage this restaurant. I'm afraid, due to Mr. Lupin's repetitive absences and errors, we've decided to terminate his employment."
"Errors? What happened to 'no one's as perfect as Remus'? Haven't you been demeaning us to be as perfect as him two nights ago?" Franz, the quiet one whom no one but Remus befriended spoke up. He is a tall young man with black hair and glasses, which sometimes makes Remus think of Harry. A Harry with blue eyes, a scrawny and small build, and a broken and abusive home life. Definitely not his Harry, so young and healthy with green eyes, messy Potter hair, a warm home, caring relatives, and probably a pet, or two.
Benjamin looked at him and hissed, then looked at Mr. Stark with his patented charming smile which is actually a grimace.
"Tsk tsk. How shallow." Tony started. "What you don't know is that Happy had indeed ordered a steak. What he didn't know is that Pepper and I were in a situation where the smell of meat would temporarily make us sick. Happy, noticing something is off, and being the good friend he was, collaborated with Mr. Wolf. Mr. Wolf, being the smart and observant man he is, noticed what Happy noticed and waited for his cue from a distance. After determining which food gave us discomfort, Happy gave the bat signal. Lo and behold, Batman arrived with a plate of salmon goodness and took the tentatively-delicious-but-we-still-can't-eat-yet meal away. If Mr. Wolf haven't done that, I wouldn't have had a great time tonight. I might have gotten back to my hotel room and sleepless because of the issue that made my and Pepper's stomach turn, which Mr. Wolf had actually remedied."
Tony eyed everyone.
Pepper came up beside him with a rotund dark-skinned man in his mid-50s, Norman, the restaurant owner.
"What you know is that I'm intending to sell this restaurant for retirement. What you don't know is if Mr. Lupin hasn't gone above and beyond, I wouldn't have sold this restaurant." This announcement garnered shocked gasps from the staff, Benjamin's the loudest. "Yes, I no longer own Manse by the Thames." Norman gruffly stated. Looking closely, despite his current gruffness, he had a twinkle in his eyes. "Meet the new owner of Manse by the Thames, Mr. Tony Stark.
"What?" Benjamin cried, first.
"I gave you a lot of chances to perform better, Benjamin. It seems that those chances are wasted. As my last act as owner, you're fired." Norman continued, which elicited a louder gasp from Benjamin and a collective cheer from the staff.
"You can't do that! You already sold the company." Benjamin protested.
"Technically, the legal process would take a while but upon verbal agreement between Mr. Stark and Mr. Folger as witnessed by myself, Mr. Hogan, and Mrs. Folger, the transfer would be commenced tomorrow. So until twelve midnight today, Norman still has administrative powers to settle any issues needed, and still can operate the floor and be paid as an employee until the deed of sale has passed, as per the verbal agreement as well." Pepper supplied.
Benjamin gaped like a fish out of water, then recovered quickly. He bee-lined towards Mr. Stark and simpered, "Mr. Stark, as a supervisor for the Manse for 6 months, I assure you I am the best at what I can do. I would appreciate it greatly if you would accept me as your employee, and retract Norman's decision."
Tony rose an eyebrow. "Are you ordering me?" He asked, which made Benjamin cower.
"N-n-no Mr. S-Stark. I-I'm simply asking to be returned to the position I worked hard for." Benjamin reasoned.
"No need. I have a better candidate." Turning to Delilah, Tony continued, "You up to being a supervisor?"
Delilah gaped, the same way Benjamin did, but if one tells her about it, it's their funeral. "It would be an honor, Mr. Stark." She said and attempted to curtsy in gratitude.
Tony smiled. "Good." Turning to her wife Tony smirked, "You, on the other hand, would be the manager."
More graceful than Delilah, Olga curtseyed low with a smile, "Thank you, Mr. Stark."
Pepper then looked at Anita. "You're fired. Bullying and blackmailing your employees does not what a manager make. I want you both," she indicated to Benjamin and Anita towards the exit. "to leave now. Rest assured, the promotion of your former colleagues was blessed by Norman and Patty. Good luck with your future endeavors."
Anita was not expecting that and was standing frozen for a while until one of the to-be-fired-in-the-next-few-days led her to the locker room to get her settled. Benjamin, on the other hand, shrieked and stomped his foot like a toddler, "You can't do this! You can never find someone who does my job better than me! I'm suing you in court for unjust dismissal!"
Tony just smirked. "See you, then." He never did get to see Benjamin in court. Benjamin ended up working in a canning factory until the factory shut down due to COVID-19. His vlogs regarding his unjust dismissal were met with criticisms from logical people, Stark supporters, Karens, trolls, bored and incognito Tony, and Jarvis. He never made a video again, until the introduction of reels where he started doing dance trends and make-up routines. Since then, he found his passion and forgot about the past and grudges.
"As for you," Tony faced Remus. "What is your real name?"
Remus sighed and said, "Remus John Lupin."
Tony grinned. "Nice to meet you Remus John Lupin, I'm Anthony Edward 'Tony' Stark. Since my secretary became the CEO of my company, I want you to be my new secretary."
AUTHOR'S NOTE
What's this? An update in under a week? Oh gosh. Be flattered. Anyway, don't get used to it. I'm just hyper-fixated now. I wonder what happens when I'm not? I also don't know how this chapter flowed; it just did. I didn't expect Remus to pop by, but here we are.
Unbeta-ed, thus errors are errors. I will not be having regular updates as I also have a life and writing fanfiction is not a paid job. Do check out some of my library readings for other AWESOME stories. I will update my bio accordingly for any reasons that would impede or progress my writing magic.
Til we meet again in the next chapter.
TragicErato