What did Raymond want?
Of course—he wanted to take advantage of the situation. What else?
But obviously, he couldn't say that out loud. So instead, he smiled and said, "From now on, let's just get along and mind our own business, alright?"
"You don't need to worry about me exposing you—I'm not that bored. But if I ever need your help, I hope you won't say no."
"Of course, if I ask for help, I'll offer something in return. You have my word… So, what do you say? Friends?"
"…That's it?" Tessa found it hard to believe Raymond was letting her off this easy.
She had already prepared herself for the worst. If he made unreasonable demands, she had even considered ending her life rather than suffer humiliation.
But Raymond didn't ask for anything—and from what he said, he even intended to form a mutually beneficial alliance.
Honestly, even if he had no leverage on her, it would still be hard to say no to cooperating with someone as powerful as him.
There wasn't really a choice to make.
"Or did you expect something more? Wait… don't tell me—you really did fall for me?" Raymond said with a mock sigh. "Fine, I'll take one for the team. Your place or mine?"
"Ugh! Get over yourself!" Tessa snapped, rolling her eyes.
Tony Stark was relaxing on the balcony with Pepper, feeding each other fruit while enjoying the starry night. It was a peaceful, romantic moment.
Suddenly, Tony noticed a beam of multicolored light streaking across the sky—getting brighter and brighter.
"Hey, honey, look! A shooting st—Shit!!"
He was about to call Pepper to watch the "shooting star" when he realized—it wasn't a star.
And worse—it was headed straight for them.
With a loud crash, someone landed in the rooftop pool, sending a massive splash of water everywhere. The light that had carried him instantly vaporized the water, filling the air with steam.
"Sorry, hope I didn't interrupt anything?" A man stood in the now-dry pool, wearing old-fashioned armor and holding a large hammer, speaking politely to Tony.
"Do I look like someone who hasn't been interrupted?"
Tony pointed at his soaking wet robe and the fruit scattered all over the floor, wearing a face of utter disbelief.
No need to ask—it was none other than their Asgardian teammate, Thor.
Tony wasn't mad enough to start a fight over this… but he wasn't in the mood to play nice either. His romantic evening had just been wrecked.
Thor, seeing Tony's irritated face, quickly apologized, "I am Truly sorry—it's urgent. I didn't think it through and came straight to you…"
"I'll leave you two to talk," Pepper said, sensing the tension. She turned and walked off to change clothes.
"What happened? Don't tell me your unlucky brother escaped again?" Tony asked.
"It's not him—he's still locked up," Thor shook his head. "It's Jane. Something happened to her…"
"Jane Foster? Your scientist girlfriend?" Tony immediately understood who he meant.
After the battle of New York, even though they'd had their differences before, fighting side by side had brought the Avengers closer. They'd talked about Jane before—Thor had even joked about her once or twice.
So when Thor said something happened to her, Tony got it right away.
"Wait, Heimdall? You mean the Norse guardian guy, Heimdall?"
"If you mean the one who calls me the God of Thunder in Norse mythology, then… yes. But that's not the point. Can we stay focused?"
"Right, right—go on." Tony admitted he'd gotten sidetracked.
Thor then quickly explained what had happened.
After hearing the full story, Tony's face grew more serious. It was clear—this wasn't just some ordinary missing person case.
"JARVIS, pull up the latest data on Jane Foster. I want everything, right now."
JARVIS's mechanical voice rang out in the air.
"Earlier today, the Orlando Police Department in Florida received a call reporting Jane Foster missing—filed by one of her friends."
"It's said she disappeared while investigating strange physical phenomena at an abandoned factory."
"Local police conducted an initial investigation and concluded the incident may involve superhuman activity. The case has since been escalated."
"S.H.I.E.L.D.'s local branch has taken over and is currently investigating, but there are no major leads. Miss Foster's whereabouts remain unknown."
JARVIS summarized the report.
Tony turned to Thor. "Give me a second—I'm making a call."
Tony stepped aside and dialed Nick Fury directly. When it came to Thor's people, he was sure Fury would personally get involved.
Sure enough, after a short call, Tony had more details.
"S.H.I.E.L.D. has been to the site, interviewed Jane's friends, and came to a preliminary conclusion…"
"Just as you feared—Jane's probably not on Earth anymore."
Thor's face darkened. "Then… does S.H.I.E.L.D. have any way to trace her?"
Tony shook his head in silence.
"…How could this happen…" Thor looked crushed.
He had made plans—after settling things with Loki, he was going to return, take Jane to Asgard, and introduce her to his parents.
But now she'd mysteriously vanished?
It felt like the universe was mocking him.
Seeing Thor so devastated, Tony suddenly had a thought.
"Hey, don't give up yet. I might know someone who can help find her…"
"Who?" Thor's eyes lit up as he grabbed Tony by the arm.
"OW! Careful!" Tony winced—he was still a regular human, and Thor's grip was like a vice.
Realizing his mistake, Thor quickly let go and apologized.
Tony waved it off. "No big deal. Anyway, I've got a friend—private detective. Best in the business when it comes to finding people. If anyone can locate Jane, it's him."
"…A private detective?" Thor frowned, unsure.
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