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After an intense battle, Mike walked away with a hefty win, while Peggy Carter and Maria gritted their teeth in frustration over their losses.
As for Tony, he didn't care about losing a few thousand dollars. What bothered him more was the feeling that he had wasted his entire afternoon.
However, Pepper Potts, who had been watching from the side, had a glimmer in her eyes.
"You can win that much money?"
She stole a glance at Tony and secretly decided to set aside some time to learn the game properly.
Checking the time, Mike said, "That's it for me. I have to go pick up my kid."
"Wait!" Peggy Carter called out urgently. "One more round! I swear I'm about to win this time!"
"Hm?"
All three of them turned to Mike in confusion. "Kid?"
"I never told you?" Mike blinked before explaining, "I adopted a daughter a while back."
"You never mentioned that!"
The three of them shook their heads in unison.
"I'll introduce you to her when I get back."
Mike stood up and gestured toward Pepper Potts. "Let Pepper play with you guys."
He had already noticed the eager look in Pepper's eyes.
Pepper hesitated.
She wanted to give it a try, but if she lost… her paycheck—
Tony glanced at her and waved his hand dismissively. "If you lose, I'll cover it."
Without hesitation, Pepper sat down and grinned. "Thanks, boss!"
As the four of them began shuffling the cards again, Mike got up and walked out.
The school bus was usually punctual.
As Mike headed toward the bus stop, a familiar car pulled up beside him.
Turning his head, he saw Gwen poking her head out of the window, smiling brightly at him.
"Dad!"
Mike returned her smile warmly and looked at his good neighbor, John.
John smiled back and said, "I was picking up Luke, and when I saw Gwen waiting for the bus, I figured I'd bring her along. You don't mind, do you?"
Mike nodded. "Thanks."
"Dad!"
Gwen opened the car door, grabbed her backpack, and ran over to hug him.
Mike patted her head, then took her backpack from her and looked at Luke. "I made some snacks yesterday. I'll have Gwen bring some over for you later."
Luke tensed up. "N-No, it's okay!"
"Don't be shy!" Gwen puffed out her chest proudly. "They're delicious!"
John chuckled as he watched them. "Come on, Luke. Say thank you."
Still a little embarrassed, Luke smiled and said, "Thank you."
"Bye, Uncle John!" Gwen waved energetically. "Dad and I are walking home!"
"Bye, Gwen."
John nodded at Mike before driving off.
As they walked home, Gwen chirped excitedly like a little bird returning to its nest, eagerly telling Mike about her day.
Listening with a smile, Mike said, "I got you a phone this morning. Since you'll be taking the school bus on your own, you need to have it with you. If anything happens, call me right away."
"A phone?"
Gwen's eyes lit up as she looked at him in surprise.
Mike nodded. "It's just for communication—no playing games on it."
"Mm-hmm! Got it!"
Gwen nodded quickly, then suddenly said, "Oh! Starting tomorrow, Luke and I will be taking the school bus together, so you don't have to worry anymore!"
"Luke?" Mike raised an eyebrow and smirked. "So, what do you think of Luke? Do you think he's handsome?"
"Luke?" Gwen put a finger to her lips, thinking for a moment. "Yeah, he's handsome! But… the other kids at school pick on him. And he gets into fights because of his mom."
"Fights?"
Mike was a little surprised.
Luke seemed a lot like his father—gentle and mild-tempered.
"Yup!" Gwen nodded seriously, then sighed like a little adult. "His mom is in prison, and a lot of kids make fun of him for it. They say mean things about her and call her a murderer. But Luke insists his mom is innocent, so he fights them."
So that's how it is…
Mike murmured to himself. No wonder John always seemed so troubled.
"What do you think?" he asked.
"I don't really know," Gwen admitted with a small sigh. "But Luke is a good person."
Mike smiled and asked, "So, just because the other kids distance themselves from Luke and talk badly about his family, would you stop being his friend too?"
"No way!" Gwen replied firmly. "Luke is my friend! And Uncle John is a good person too!"
Mike patted her head. Seeing the curious and questioning look in her eyes, he reassured her, "You're doing the right thing."
A bright smile spread across Gwen's face.
"Come on, let's go. We have guests at home."
"Guests?"
Gwen's eyes lit up with surprise and excitement. "Is it my brother?"
Mike playfully tapped her head. "Since when did your brother become just a guest?"
"Oh, right!"
Gwen covered her mouth with a giggle, shook her head, and tugged Mike forward as she eagerly ran ahead.
When they arrived home, Peggy Carter and the others were still locked in a fierce battle at the card table.
But judging by their expressions…
Did Peggy Carter win?
Just as the thought crossed Mike's mind, Peggy proudly turned to him and boasted, "See? I told you that spell worked! I won! And Maria won too!"
A spell…?
Whatever, as long as they're happy.
The four at the table turned their attention to Gwen.
Mike introduced her, "This is Gwen, my daughter."
"Oh my gosh! She's adorable!"
Maria exchanged a knowing glance with Peggy, signaling their unspoken agreement to cash out while ahead. Then, she eagerly rushed over and said, "I'm Maria."
Gwen hesitated before calling out, "Maria…"
"Call me Auntie."
Mike quickly reminded her.
"Maria Auntie," Gwen said sweetly with a smile.
Maria was overjoyed. Then, out of nowhere, she sighed dramatically, "I wonder if I'll ever get to be a grandma in this lifetime."
Tony rubbed his forehead. Here we go again.
Maria introduced the others, and Gwen greeted them politely.
"Peggy Auntie, Tony Unc—"
"Stop right there!"
Tony pointed at himself and corrected, "Call me 'Brother'!"
Then, he gestured toward Pepper Potts. "And call her 'Sister'!"
Gwen blinked, called Pepper "Sister" first, then turned to Tony with a skeptical look, silently seeking confirmation from Mike.
Tony's mouth twitched. Ouch.
When Mike nodded at her, Gwen finally obliged. "Brother…"
Tony nodded coolly, but the corners of his lips lifted almost instantly.
This little girl knows what's up!
"All of you, clean up the card table," Mike instructed.
"No problem!"
Tony nodded, then immediately turned to Pepper. "I'll leave it to you."
He plopped himself onto the couch like a lord.
Mike rolled his eyes. "I'm making hot pot tonight. You guys want to stay for dinner?"
Tony nodded. Pepper hesitated for a moment before saying somewhat shyly, "I don't want to impose…"
Mike waved it off. "It's no trouble. They always stay for dinner. I'm used to it."
With that, he headed into the kitchen to prepare the ingredients.
Meanwhile, Gwen found herself surrounded by Maria and Peggy, who bombarded her with all sorts of questions. She only managed to escape when Mike handed her a plate of snacks and sent her off to deliver them to Luke's house.
(End of Chapter)