CHAPTER 17

"Good evening, Pietro!"

As soon as he opened the door and walked into the living room, Carl saw the silver-haired man moving quickly around the kitchen, helping out. If one paid close attention, it was clear his walking speed was much faster than normal.

"Good evening, Carl, hope you don't mind me having dinner at your place!"

Seeing Carl return, Pietro waved enthusiastically.

Carl smiled and replied:

"Of course, you're welcome anytime!"

"Honey, go change your clothes first—dinner's almost ready!"

Noticing Carl had come home, Wanda ran over with a spoon in hand, gave him a quick kiss, and then hurried back into the kitchen.

Seeing that, Pietro, who was chopping onions, wore a complex expression of sadness and relief.

Sad—because the two lovebirds were showing affection in front of him, a proud single man.

Relieved—because his beloved sister had truly found happiness.

When Pietro first learned that his sister was dating Carl, he had been firmly against it. Carl had a notorious reputation back then, and Pietro was afraid his sister would be hurt or taken advantage of.

But after interacting with him, Pietro realized many rumors were exaggerated or outright false.

"I'll help out too!"

After changing into home clothes, Carl naturally joined the kitchen crew.

After all, he wasn't some pampered second-generation rich kid who indulged in luxury. Carl had grown up poor, joined a martial arts teacher's school, and even risked his life overseas to repay a mentor's kindness.

His life in his past world had never been easy.

Maybe to subordinates and enemies, he was cold and ruthless—a man who wouldn't even flinch when taking a life. That made people fear him.

But deep down, Carl wasn't bloodthirsty. He never killed innocents needlessly.

Outside of danger, he was still that same guy from his past life—someone who practiced martial arts with friends, shared food, cleaned the house, and bathed in the river while fishing for fun.

That's why Wanda, Pietro, and even the regular employees of the Li Group found President Carl easy to approach and a good-natured boss.

In this warm and lively kitchen, the table was soon filled with a spread of delicious food.

"Wait! Something's missing!"

Just as the three sat down to eat, Wanda suddenly stood up again.

Carl and Pietro looked at each other and said in unison:

"The Dick Van Dyke Show!"

It was Wanda's favorite sitcom.

Before their parents passed, Pietro and Wanda lived in poverty. Their father supported the family by selling CDs. Each evening, their family would eat together and watch "The Dick Van Dyke Show" on a precious CD their father kept hidden away and never sold.

"Correct! Each of you gets a grilled sausage!"

Wanda happily forked a sausage for both Carl and Pietro. Then she picked up the remote, turned on the TV, and began playing the familiar old sitcom.

In most upper-class homes, watching TV during meals would be seen as improper—an act without table manners.

But Carl didn't care about that.

In his past life, he loved sitting in the yard with siblings, eating while watching TV. Even later, when living abroad alone, sitcoms were his go-to dinner companions.

Maybe it was exactly these down-to-earth habits of Carl's that helped Wanda drop her guard and fall in love.

After all, wealth and politeness might attract vain gold diggers—but not a woman like Wanda, filled with past pain and resentment. It took genuine affection and shared values to reach her heart.

And to truly complete the main mission of the system, it wasn't just about completing tasks—it was about real emotional bonds.

You don't reach marriage by faking love.

"By the way, Wanda, there's something I want to discuss with you."

Halfway through dinner, Carl suddenly spoke.

"What's the matter, honey?"

Wanda chuckled, glancing away from the TV to look at Carl.

Carl pretended to cough lightly and said slowly:

"It's like this, Wanda. Right now, the company's business has pretty much peaked here in Sokovia. There's no more room for growth. I want to take things further—expand into the United States.

So… we might need to settle in New York for a while."

"Do we have to go to America?"

Wanda, who had been laughing at the sitcom just seconds ago, now frowned slightly, looking conflicted.

'I knew it wouldn't be that simple.'

Carl sighed inwardly as he observed Wanda's expression.

The system panel always tied task difficulty to the value of the rewards. Being granted six months in a small world wasn't some random bonus—there was definitely a challenge tied to it.

Honestly, Carl preferred missions like taking down Hydra. Tasks like those were his specialty—direct, action-driven, and straightforward.

He understood why Wanda didn't want to move to the U.S.—because deep down, she resented that country, especially New York. It was the home of Stark Industries, whose missile killed her parents.

That tragedy, made worse by the fact that her latent magical powers had unknowingly altered the probability of a detonation, spared her and Pietro from the second missile—but left an unhealed scar.

"If you don't want to go, then we won't."

Carl smiled gently. "There's always the private jet. I can just fly back and forth, like commuting to work."

Originally, Carl had planned to leverage Wanda and Pietro's hatred for the Stark Group to persuade her to go with him. He'd even rehearsed his whole pitch before walking through the front door.

But seeing her troubled face made him change course mid-sentence.

Sure, he wanted to grow stronger and gain enough power to protect Wanda from anything—but if he had to manipulate her to do so, wouldn't that already betray his purpose?

There would always be side missions. There would always be more ways to earn small world rewards.

And with his current resources, flying between Sokovia and New York wasn't such a big deal.

If he forced Wanda to New York today just for the sake of power… what if one day the panel offered him a reward for sacrificing Wanda?

Would he still accept it?

If everything was just a means to get stronger, then what was the point of becoming the strongest?

That moment, Carl suddenly felt at peace.

"Alright then. That's settled. Let's eat!"

"No, let's go to New York. I think… maybe it's not as bad as I imagined."

But just as Carl mentally let go of the side mission and smiled at the decision he'd made, Wanda looked up at him and smiled.

"Wanda… you?"

Carl was caught off guard. He looked genuinely confused, unable to figure out why Wanda had suddenly changed her mind.