Chapter 41

A/N: Thanks for wishing me well! I'm not totally well but I found it easier to work so I'm going to upload 2 chapters.

I can't translate more at the moment, so I'm going to sleep for a few hours and then give you a bonus chapter or two as a thanks.

Continue reading~

...

The sun shone brightly over the manor, its warm rays bathing everything in golden light. By the outdoor pool, Leon lay back on a sun lounger, dressed casually in a plaid shirt and shorts, soaking in the sun while browsing something on his laptop. Nearby, the cheerful sounds of the four kids splashing around in the pool filled the air.

Pietro, off in the distance, was enjoying himself at the horse track, while Wanda and Natasha, both in swimsuits, approached with plates of food. Wanda placed the plates on a nearby table, and Natasha settled into the lounge chair beside Leon, teasing him.

"Hey, rich man, why aren't you swimming?"

Leon smiled, glancing at her. "Because I found something interesting."

Natasha raised an eyebrow, curious. "Oh? What could possibly grab your attention?"

Leon turned his laptop towards Natasha and Wanda. On the screen was a breaking news headline:

[Tony Stark, CEO of Stark Industries, the genius, billionaire, playboy, and philanthropist, has been kidnapped.]

"That playboy? You're actually paying attention to someone like him?" Natasha asked, clearly curious. Tony Stark was well-known, more for his flamboyant style and public image than for just being wealthy. It didn't seem like someone like Leon, with his practical mindset, would care about Stark at all.

Leon shrugged. "Maybe it's just boredom."

Natasha seemed skeptical, but Wanda, with a cold tone, chimed in. "That bastard deserves to be kidnapped. He should be killed."

In the years since Leon had taken them in, both Wanda and Pietro had found a sense of belonging, and their deep hatred had eased. But that didn't mean it had disappeared entirely. Their bitterness toward Tony Stark still lingered.

Tony's arms had devastated their homeland, and now, as they settled into New York, Wanda had been thinking about revenge. Finding out her enemy had been kidnapped right as she arrived felt like some sort of twisted irony, leaving her more frustrated than satisfied.

Leon didn't try to stop Wanda or Pietro from harboring their grudge. After all, while Tony Stark would eventually become Iron Man and redeem himself as a hero, he was far from innocent. As the chief beneficiary and inventor of countless weapons, Stark had directly and indirectly caused untold suffering. Families had been torn apart, and children, like the Maximoff twins, were left orphaned and displaced.

Redemption may come in the future for the prodigal son, but as far as Wanda and Pietro were concerned, it hadn't arrived yet. Their desire for revenge was only natural.

Leon had no reason to stop it. Honestly, he thought Tony was lucky. If he had not been kidnapped and crossed paths with the current versions of Wanda and Pietro, Tony's chances of survival would have been slim. The twins were now super-enhanced, far beyond what they'd once been.

Their physical prowess alone could promote the rapid growth of their abilities. Pietro could move at the speed of sound—or faster—and Wanda, with chaos magic in one hand and powerful Haki in the other, was far stronger. Together, they were an unstoppable force.

Leon couldn't imagine how Tony would survive an encounter with them, he didn't think even Tony's advanced Mark II armor would stand a chance against the twins. They had become something like natural disaster, one that a normal human could do nothing about.

But Leon didn't dwell too long on Tony's situation. It wasn't something he or Natasha talked about much. As they lay sunbathing by the pool, a comfortable silence settled between them.

After a while, Natasha suddenly spoke up. "Leon, I want to find my sister."

"It's about time," Leon replied lazily, barely looking up.

"I just don't know how to face her," Natasha admitted, her voice tinged with bitterness. The past between her and her sister was complicated. She had run away from that family, from Yelena. But now, with Dreykov gone and her past behind her, Natasha felt ready to face the unresolved tension between them. There was a knot in her heart she needed to untangle.

Leon glanced at her, noting the mix of emotions on her delicate face. He spoke gently, "You can't run from this forever, Natasha."

"I know," Natasha nodded, lying back on the recliner as she gazed up at the clear blue sky, her eyes distant and unfocused. She seemed lost in thought, her mind wandering to places unknown.

The sound of the four kids laughing and splashing in the pool filled the air, mingling with the faint neighing of horses from the nearby pasture. Birds chirped in the forest, their calls crisp and melodic. The peacefulness of it all made everything feel dreamlike, almost lulling her into sleep.

After what felt like an eternity of silence, Natasha suddenly stood up. With graceful steps, she began walking away, her figure slowly disappearing into the distance. Just as she was about to be out of sight, she called back, her voice floating through the air, "I've requisitioned the plane. I'll be gone a few days."

"Enjoy yourself, Natasha," Leon called after her.

"Maybe," she replied, her voice fading as she disappeared into the manor house. Minutes later, the sound of an aircraft engine roared in the distance. A black jet lifted off, its engines glowing with fiery intensity before it slowly ascended into the sky, vanishing from sight.

"I actually wish I could see how that plays out," Wanda said quietly as she lay on the recliner beside Leon.

"Then why didn't you go with her?" Leon asked.

"Natasha wouldn't want us tagging along," Wanda responded with a hint of frustration.

"Or maybe you're just waiting for news that Tony's dead," Leon suggested, challenging her.

Wanda didn't deny it. Instead, she nodded slightly, her voice cold. "Yeah, I'm waiting for that damn arms dealer to go to hell."

"If he comes back alive, I'll kill him myself," Wanda muttered darkly.

"Then you'll have to wait," Leon replied with a tone that carried a deeper meaning.

Wanda felt something off in his words, but she didn't push it. Instead, she let out a couple of frustrated sighs and then, feeling the warmth of the sun and the peacefulness of the moment, drifted off to sleep.