The Devil With The Face of an Angel | Irondad, pepperony

Chapter 51

"Tommy, be blessed!" Pepper breathed with a smile, looking at perhaps the most beautiful penthouse she had ever seen.

"Everyone says so," he grinned, leaving her some room to absorb every corner of the property.

"I knew you could do it."

"I'm like your husband, Pepper. I can do the impossible, only in the world of real estate," he said and she tried not to let her smile disappear at the mention of Tony.

"Again? You know very well that we are not married!" she reprimanded him, as she did whenever he was talking about Tony as her husband. With the difference that it always lit up her smile and now it only brought her pain. But Pepper had felt so much pain in recent weeks that she was slowly getting along with it.

"Oh, honey, don't get me wrong, you're beautiful as a spring flower, but still at your age, dating isn't okay anymore," he criticized her, but it didn't affect her. He always teased her like that.

"You are the one to talk! You're not much younger than me," she chuckled. If anyone was sensitive to their age, it was Tommy.

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that. Plus, I have a husband, so shut up, lady."

"Since when is it free?" she asked, getting to the heart of the matter. She had always liked to talk to Tommy, but now she didn't have much time and needed an apartment if she wanted to return to her position as the CEO on Monday.

"The moment you sign the papers, it's available to you. As always," he replied, waving with the papers in his hand.

"Amazing."

"You don't have to sound so surprised, Pep, you're hurting my feelings," he said dramatically. "So, how did you decide? Do you want it? Tony won't come to see it?"

"Tony won't come, this is purely for my purposes. You know what guys can be like sometimes," she lied without blinking. Not that she didn't trust him, but she didn't want to discuss her life situation with anyone again. She was tired.

"You are a rebel. I like the way you are thinking! Let's get to it, so we have the boring paperwork out of our backs," he said and laid the papers on the table.

"You know the process, the contracts are still the same, so just sign."

"Thank God I trust you so much, Tommy. I have so much paperwork waiting for me at work that I will skip this reading with pleasure," she sighed and immediately started signing. Tommy was like a family friend to them, and he never cheated on them, so she knew she could trust him.

"I must say that I was starting to think that you had found someone else. You haven't been looking for a new property for a long time."

"There was no need, but don't worry, we're fully loyal to you," she assured him, folding the signed papers into a neat pile.

"Glad to hear that. How's your little bat?" he asked, and Pepper's heart pounded again. It might have occurred to her that Tommy would ask questions — he was always interested. But she needed him, so she could handle a few questions.

"Well, he's not that little anymore. He will be fifteen soon. Rather, tell me what about you and Brian? For a while, I heard some rumors that you were about to adopted," she said, completely changing the subject without suspicion because it was true and she sincerely wanted to know his answer.

"Pepper! That's a joke. You know us, we like to borrow those little munchkins from our friends, but have them permanently? God protect us," he almost shouted in shock and hid the papers in his bag.

"I'm not even surprised," she said with a smile.

"Honey, I'd like to talk to you longer, but we have to go to Brian's parents for lunch, and you know what they're like if we don't arrive on time. But definitely call me, we have to meet over a glass of wine sometimes. All four of us! I'll send the documents and invoices, as always, okay?" he spat at her and kissed her on the cheek.

"Actually, Tommy, send it to my email, okay?" she asked, and he paused for a moment, glancing at her. "Tony doesn't have to know everything. And now go, or you'll be late for lunch with your father-in-law and mother-in-law," she urged him.

After Tommy left, Pepper was alone in her new apartment. She still couldn't get used to the silence and peace around her, but she would get to that in time. She had nothing else to do. There was only her and her beautiful view of the city.

She wondered what they were doing now, and if Friday had already told Tony about her departure from Malibu. She will not hide the return to the company from him for too long, and she was sincerely terrified that she should face him in two days. Just at the thought, her stomach turned several times, as if training a gymnastics performance. Another thing she knew was that she had her head in the toilet, where all her today's food ended. Which wasn't much, because her stomach had been constantly clenched since Mary's visit.

•••

"I can't believe it really worked out for you. It's ridiculous!" said Quentin in disbelief.

"Who are you with, again?" she asked in a dangerously icy voice.

"With you, that's without debate, but the boy is a genius, so how could he trust you like that? I just don't get it."

"I'll tell you a secret, Quentin. The smarter people are, the stupider they are in emotional matters. It was no different with Tony. It took him so long to learn to express his feelings, and even then he rarely did emotions. You need to understand, it's a balance. They were gifted with IQ, so something had to be taken from them," she explained with a smirk on her face. The more scientists she worked with, the more she was sure of this theory.

"And you?"

"Quentin, I'd have to have some feelings at first," she replied with a sweetened smile.

"Have you always been like that?"

"Why does every conversation with you seem like an interrogation to me? Go bother others," she growled, and Quentin grinned.

"That's an idea! I'll go see Richard and test your theory. He's a pretty smart guy, so when I ask him about his feelings for you, I'll have fun with his reaction," he said, getting up from his chair.

Mary rolled her eyes in annoyance and reached for her phone, which was announcing the incoming message. She was surprised to see Peter's name on the screen. "He wants his real mommy," she said with a triumphant grin before Quentin left her office.