Chapter 2693: Hollywood Rhapsody (16)

Stark and the others had been partying until midnight, and by the time they returned to Beverly Hills, they were all slightly tipsy. Fortunately, considering Pepper's condition, no one was truly drunk. Since going to bed on an empty stomach after drinking might lead to hangovers and headaches, they gathered around the table in the living room for some snacks.

Jarvis and Wanda came down shortly after, but there was no sign of Doctor Schiller. Stark asked, "Where's the doctor? And what about that sand creature we caught? Where did they go?"

"Doctor Schiller took him back to the hotel," Wanda said with a complicated expression. "The doctor mentioned that it was a bit noisy here, not conducive to his work, so he took Beck to the hotel."

Stark immediately showed an unhappy expression.

However, others interpreted this expression differently.

"Tony Stark is such an egomaniac," Polaris said bluntly during an off-stage interview. She stretched out one hand and opened her palm fully in front of her chest and said, "He thinks all his friends should act according to his wishes, right?"

"Where they go, what they do should all be under his command. If he needs them and they are not there, then it's like they have wronged him." Polaris had an impatient look on her face as she said, "Then he comes up with all sorts of excuses, like 'I pay your salary,' or 'it's your duty,' or 'those conditions you talked about aren't really that important to worry about.'

"He's like a collection of the most annoying bosses, never considering others' feelings. I can't even remember how many times he's ordered me around."

"Yes, I need the job, and I need to make money under him, so I can't badmouth him behind his back, but I can't help it. Just because he pays me, does that mean I can't complain about those unreasonable demands?"

"Take Schiller, for example. We all know that a psychologist needs a quiet environment to treat patients. Stark must think, isn't the villa he spent a fortune on quiet enough?"

"But please, Wanda is a new mother with two little Beasts in her arms that are impossible to reason with. One stops, and the other cries. How is that a quiet environment?"

Polaris couldn't stop shaking her head, almost tossing her hair around, as she continued, "He always dumps the trouble onto others, and when they try their best to handle it, he accuses them of not doing things his way. It's not for their benefit at all, but simply a vent for his control issues. I'm too familiar with this kind of person."

"I have to mention Jarvis," Stark said in his off-stage interview. "I know he's genuinely worried about Wanda, and that's his responsibility as a father, no doubt."

"But he should also consider Doctor Schiller going to the hotel with a mental patient. What's their situation, can the two of them get along, could it cause trouble, and can the hotel's security system compare to here?"

Stark shook his head, clearly disapproving, and said, "I'm also somewhat puzzled by Schiller. Although I know he's trying to solve a problem for me, with such a large villa and good soundproofing system, how could there not be a quiet room? Does the space he needs for treatment have to be as big as an airport hangar?"

Jarvis and Wanda came downstairs and sat at the table. Wanda slumped on the table as if sighing with relief, and started tossing snacks into her mouth.

Her condition was far from good, looking rather haggard. Carter, who got along well with everyone here, sat next to Wanda and asked, "Are you okay? Wanda, you look so tired. Are you sure you don't want to rest?"

"Sorry, but I can't sleep," Wanda shook her head and said, "I've just managed to put Billy and Tommy to bed; my head is killing me."

Then she stood up and said, "I think alcohol might help me sleep. Do you have any unfinished drinks?"

Pepper also looked concerned, but there was a hint of disapproval on her face. In her off-stage interview, she shared her views as well.

"I know that people often need something to numb themselves, to sink into total relaxation, which is good for recovery. I'm not saying that a new mother shouldn't do that."

"Alcohol can relieve fatigue, but can't solve trouble. When she wakes up, the problems are still there. If such pressure is always unending, one should consider changing their approach, or they'll keep numbing themselves with more and more, harming their physical health."

"I'm a bit worried that Wanda may be inclining this way, but perhaps I shouldn't have made my concerns so apparent on my face. I know she's already very tired, and this might add to her pressure."

"Besides, I never thought that Tony would break down before her. I knew I should have trusted Doctor Schiller's judgement; Tony's emotions have been too unstable recently."

Stark suddenly stood up from the table, looked at Wanda, and said, "Are you planning to get completely drunk before facing your children? Is that your plan?"

Wanda turned around and glared at him, saying, "What does my plan have to do with you? Who are you to dictate what I should do?"

"You're not setting a good example for anyone here!" Stark raised his voice and said, "There are many ladies here and an expectant mother. Don't you think you're putting pressure on them?!"

"I just need to rest," Wanda still maintained her composure and said, "I never planned to get myself drunk!"

"But you always display an attitude of evasion," Stark said with evident anger, "You want people to see how hard it is for you, but that does nothing other than making ladies anxious!"

Wanda looked at him as if he were insane. She said, "I've always had the habit of drinking a little before bed. Why are you making such a big deal out of it? My husband is Jarvis, what does it have to do with you?!"

"Like I said, you make people anxious."

"Are you saying I shouldn't be here? Indeed, this is your house, and neither I nor my children should rest here, is that right?"

"I never said that, but you..."

"Tony." Jarvis interrupted him, walked over, and put his hand on Wanda's shoulder, whispering a few words in her ear. Wanda pursed her lips, glanced back at Stark, and went upstairs.

Stark's thumb and forefinger continuously rubbed together, and his lips pressed tightly together, also moving continuously. Then he suddenly sat down, not saying a word.

"I knew it! What did I say? What did I say? Without the doctor, they're bound to mess up!"

The documentary's frame gradually shrank until it reached the bottom right corner of the screen. The screen showed three young people, two white girls and a Black girl, all dressed in the latest fashion, with two of them wearing a bunch of earrings.

"I think Stark is totally being unreasonable," the girl on the left said, "He can't treat a mother who's already tried her best like this. Wanda has been great with the kids. She's just a bit tired and needs to relax. She shouldn't be blamed so harshly."

"Right, but I think Wanda might not have understood what he meant. I feel like Tony might be saying, 'you shouldn't show in front of another expectant mother that you seem so stressed you need to numb yourself with alcohol.' That really can be pressuring, can't it?" the girl in the middle turned to her companions.

"Of course, no matter what, his attitude was indeed too bad, a total jerk," the girl added.

"Something doesn't feel right to me," the Black girl on the side commented while touching her chin, "They started off the first season by saying the other was unstable. Of course, it seems now they are indeed each more unstable than the other, but I still think Stark was a bit too much."

"Why not listen to what the doctor has to say? I bet they'll arrange for him to come out and explain, right? He always deals with this stuff," the middle girl pointed at the screen.

"You must be missing your Doctor, haha, you little b*tch—" The girls burst into laughter together.

When Doctor Schiller appeared in the backstage interview scene, they quieted down and listened intently to the theories they would never pay attention to in school.

"Tony Stark has anxiety disorder. He does not just experience anxious emotions; he truly has anxiety disorder. Under such circumstances, many things are out of his control, making him appear very much like a mentally ill person."

"We all know he shouldn't have spoken like that in this situation. He should empathize with Wanda. In fact, he can manage this because he's a sound adult. Any person with normal logical thinking would realize that taking care of children is an extremely difficult task."

"And having a drink before bed to get some good rest does not at all qualify as degradation or unhealthy behavior. She is not abusing alcohol; it's just a long-standing habit. Following a habit can provide mental relaxation, and Tony's reason knows this."

"But why can't he manage it? This brings us to the compulsive behaviors of anxiety disorder, what people commonly refer to as OCD."

"You do something you don't want to do; there's always a reason. Most people do reluctant things due to external reasons, such as having no choice, choosing the lesser of two evils."

"But sufferers of OCD do reluctant things due to internal reasons, specifically, their mental drive."

"Some internal thought compels them to do something inappropriate at the time. This thought does not stem from any rational thinking but is more like a mental code gone awry."

"The simplest compulsive behavior is repeatedly checking whether the door is really locked or the stove is turned off. Your reason tells you that you've checked it a dozen times, that the door is certainly locked, the stove is certainly off, and the circuitry is all normal."

"But no, you must go check. You need to go one more time. No matter what, you have to go, even if everyone else is looking at you strangely, even if the neighbors can't stand your odd behavior, even if it makes the most important people in your life very worried about you."

"Compared to the chaotic behavior caused by mental illnesses like schizophrenia, the most distinctive feature of OCD is that the sufferers are conscious. They don't have memory confusion; they can think clearly and they fully understand they shouldn't do it, but they still do."

"To go deeper, compulsive behavior is about gaining a sense of security. When you check again and find the door locked, you feel a very slight sense of security, thinking that, yes, the door is locked, nothing will threaten me now, that's good."

"And the underlying reason is that there are no other sources of security available, so you must rely on this most basic, shallow means of acquiring a sense of security."