At this moment, Missy Kallenback, who had been silent, commented on Flash's view of love.
"What you love should be the Char Siu, not the daughter of the Char Siu shop owner, right?"
Gwen wore a look of pure disgust.
"What a cheap view of love."
Flash muttered, "Love? How many bowls of Char Siu is love worth?"
Felicia didn't care about that and instead asked about the food.
"What does Char Siu taste like? Is it as good as this?"
Flash struggled internally over whether the meat sandwich or Char Siu tasted better.
After hesitating for a moment, he said, "There's no better or worse. The flavors are just different. I like both."
Missy commented coldly, "Classic scumbag logic. Wanting both just means you're greedy."
Gwen glanced at Jack and nodded in deep agreement.
"Exactly. Men are unreliable. They always want everything."
Jack: ╮( •́ω•̀ )╭
"It can't be helped. Strong people naturally want to spread their genes. My two wives even whisper at night about finding me another one. What about you three—any interest?"
The three girls immediately looked at Jack like he was human trash and instinctively took a step back.
However, Missy's eyes flickered with curiosity that the others failed to notice. Jack caught it and silently judged that this girl had potential—dangerous potential.
After that, Jack taught the four of them proper Western-style burger techniques.
After eating, all four praised the food endlessly.
"This is the best beef burger I've ever eaten."
"The chicken leg burger is insane—spicy and addictive."
"Boss, what did you put in the beef patty? It's ridiculously good."
"Boss, your pork chop burger is going to sell like crazy."
Afterward, Jack demonstrated the final simple dishes.
"For the chicken cutlet, fry it first, brush sauce on this side, then sprinkle chili powder and cumin."
Jack deliberately chose dishes that were simple and foolproof. Anything complicated would just end in disaster.
The beef patties and chicken leg burgers were easy to make, but the ingredients had to be prepared in advance.
The buns for the meat sandwiches were delivered daily from a pasta shop in Chinatown. The marinade was replaced every few days by an old master from the same area.
As for the old-style chicken cutlet—completely brainless. Even Flash couldn't screw it up. Probably.
"That's all for now. If you have reliable friends, they're welcome to come help."
Ding-ling.
The bell rang. Someone had arrived—even though the shop wasn't officially open yet.
"Flash, go check. If it's a customer, politely tell them to piss off—I mean, tell them we're not open yet."
Flash walked out, with Gwen following behind, uneasy.
"We're not open yet, get ou—"
Before Flash could finish, Gwen elbowed him.
She bowed politely. "Sorry, he doesn't know how to talk. We haven't officially opened yet."
"It's fine," a woman said calmly. "I'm a friend of your boss. I just came to check on him. Is he here?"
Jack recognized the voice immediately.
"Mei, why are you here?"
"I'm on my lunch break," Mei said. "Ms. Pepper said you were downstairs." She sniffed the air. "What smells so good? Can I order something?"
"Of course."
Jack went into the kitchen and returned a minute later with a beef burger.
"I'm teaching this idiot how to cook. There are a few extras—take them upstairs and give two to Pepper."
Jack patted Flash's shoulder. Flash immediately grimaced like he'd been stabbed.
"You useless bastard. Go practice frying patties in the back."
Flash retreated. The three girls followed, secretly learning so they could flex at home later.
"Sit down. I'll get you some water."
Jack chatted with Mei while burgers kept coming out of the kitchen.
Eventually, Mei returned to Stark Tower carrying more than a dozen burgers.
The next day, Tony stared at the burgers Pepper had brought back.
Smelling the aroma, he opened one.
"It's not even a cheeseburger," Tony complained. "But whatever."
One bite later, all prejudice vanished.
He sprinted toward Pepper's room.
"Pepper! Pepper! Where did you buy th—holy shit, get dressed first, I'll come back!"
Pepper froze mid-change.
"TONY! From now on, you knock or I cut cock—figuratively!"
In the backyard, Ethan paused his plan to destroy the United States, heard Pepper screaming at Tony, and calmly resumed his work.
"It's good to be young," he sighed.
Pepper stormed out, her expression a perfect mix of anger, embarrassment, exhaustion, and a hint of expectation.
Tony, meanwhile, was shoving the burger into his mouth like a rabid raccoon.
"Pepper," he said excitedly, "where did you buy this? I want to buy the entire shop."
Pepper ignored him.
"Pepper, I'm sorry. I swear I'll knock next time."
Her expression softened slightly.
"Tony, all I want is basic respect. We are boss and employee."
"No problem," Tony replied instantly. "Boss and secretary. Strict boundaries. So… where's the burger shop?"
Pepper covered her face.
"It's downstairs. In New York."
Tony: (·•᷄ࡇ•᷅ )
"And I didn't know?! I'm buying it!"
Pepper delivered the final blow.
"Jack opened it."
Tony suddenly felt like the burger tasted like Obadiah Stane's bunker.
Slap.
The devil in his head smacked him.
"Why am I nostalgic about that shit?"
Moments later, Tony appeared at the shop.
"So?" Jack asked calmly. "You flew here just for a burger?"
"Tony Stark is not bound by distance," Tony said proudly.
Jack resisted the urge to punch him.
They talked business.
Jack handed Tony a burnt burger.
"Pay up. Flash, ring him up. Let him be your first customer. Your first man."
Tony: (˵¯͒︵¯͒˵)
Later, Jack called Erik Selvig.
"Boss?" Selvig yawned.
"Still sleeping? Chasing stars again?"
"Stars, not celebrities," Selvig corrected. "Jane found a new anomaly."
Jack only cared about one thing.
"If someone falls from the sky, call me."
He hung up.
A new guest arrived.
"What would you like?" Jack asked warmly.
Dr. Helen Cho smiled.
"Selling burgers won't fund my research."
"Then you'll need about a hundred million burgers," Jack joked.
She ordered a beef burger and licked her lips.
"I'll eat you completely."
Jack shrugged.
"You know nothing of my combat power."
"Then come to my place tonight and let's experiment."
Jack smirked.
"Sleep this afternoon. I don't like doing all the work alone—it feels criminal."
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