Chapter 217: Unearned Achievement.

Chapter 217: Chapter 217: Unearned Achievement.

(5 chap before Season 3 Finale. I will be taking next week off for Eid Mubarak. For those who celebrated it, Eid Mubarak everyone! )

[Edward POV]

As I was on my way home, I reminisced about the time I approached RDJ at the party. "Why are you here?" I asked, narrowing my gaze at him.

He gasped dramatically, placing a hand over his chest and opening his mouth in mock offense. After a moment, he decided to drop the act and scoffed as he couldn't trick me. "Did you run away from somewhere?" I questioned again.

RDJ, munching on a piece of green cake, replied with a mischievous grin, "Next time, make sure there's going to be an Iron Man cake too. That Ruffalo sure knows how to 'RUFFle my feathers."

I exclaimed in realization, "Ah. So, is this about the meet and greet? Your first meeting with the cast? Have you already started filming?"

With a proud expression, RDJ casually draped his arm over my shoulder. "Yes, that's right. It was incredibly boring, so I had to escape. The Twin Chris'es kept bonding over their workouts. But still, I had the best arm there."

He smiled and added, "I overheard some staff mentioning they were coming here to buy a software program from you. So I decided to hitch a ride. The idea was to ensure there's someone with a rapport, so you won't overcharge us– the now bankrupt company who is bought out by your nemesis, Disney."

I couldn't resist a playful response. "Well, now I'm going to triple the cost."

Reacting with mock outrage, RDJ rubbed his goatee and exclaimed, "Hey! Marvel still hasn't got the money yet!"

As I reflected on RDJ's true intentions for being at the party, I couldn't help but be grateful.

I had seen him during the press conference earlier, seemingly anxious yet determined. It became clear that he had come with the intention of offering support if I struggled during my interview. It wasn't because he doubted my abilities, but rather because he understood firsthand the challenges that come with such high-pressure situations. He has had his fair share of struggles before.

Being a celebrity meant existing for the public, not for oneself. It didn't matter if you were dealing with personal struggles or inner turmoil; you had to maintain a character facade in front of the camera. And he was worried that I couldn't take it.

Why would he even care about the software or the budget of the studio? He's just an actor, not a part of the company. Then, I guess after the press conference was over, he saw the cakes and decided to invite himself in.

"By the way, how did you fight that guy? Do you want me to teach you a few moves?" RDJ asked playfully.

"I punched him in the balls. You can teach me if you want, but in sparring, you need to know that is my go-to move."

He covered up his crotch area instantly and scoffed. He signed an autograph for Luke before going back to his house. The filming for the first Avengers movie would start in a few days, and he invited me to come watch the first filming session later.

Returning to the present, I immediately went up to my room and laid down on my bed with a tired groan after the day was finally over.

"Damn, I'm still hungry." I said as my stomach gurgled again. 'I kept getting hungry all day today. I wonder if I am in a period of rapid growth right now. Or is it that my now go-to response to stress is binge eating. Ahh, but I don't want to move!!' I thought whiningly as I squirmed on the bed, making a mess out of the sheets.

The door to my room swung open, catching my attention. I lifted my head slightly from the pillow to see Haley casually entering and plopping down at the edge of my bed.

"Hey!" she greeted cheerfully. "I still don't understand what happened this morning."

"Because you were sleeping the entire time," I scolded, but couldn't help but chuckle. Haley giggled and then proceeded to check the wound on my arm before brushing her hand gently against my bruised face. "Hmm. They almost made you ugly."

"It's going to take more than one punch to take away my looks," I replied, rolling my eyes playfully. I reached out and pulled her to my side, causing her to yelp and giggle. As she laid down, facing me, she asked with concern, "Is it scary?"

"Nah, more annoying than scary," I replied honestly.

"Really? You're not lying?" she asked, her worried expression searching my face.

I shook my head and reassured her, "No, I'm not lying."

She stared into my eyes, seeking confirmation of my words, before finally breathing a sigh of relief. "And what about that island?" she asked curiously.

I burst into laughter and said, "Oh yeah, that. I was just messing around. I wanted to see if I could make the media sweep this whole thing under the rug."

"Hmm?" Haley looked thoroughly confused, but I decided not to explain the full context of the matter to her. It was better for her not to know the full extent of the country's degeneracy.

We continued to talk for a while until my stomach growled again. Haley couldn't help but burst into laughter. "Why are you still hungry? We just ate. Oh yeah, you need to go back home early and talk to a lot of people. Poor baby. Do you want me to get you something to eat?"

"I already have my snack right here," I replied, playfully kissing her on the neck. She giggled in response and said, "Wait here. I'll bring you some food."

"Nah, I'll come with you," I insisted.

Together, we made our way to the kitchen and prepared some food. I cooked up some instant noodles, which we shared in a large bowl.

"Oh, I forgot to ask. Did you sneak out?" I inquired, slurping my noodles.

Haley, in the midst of chewing, tried to reply with her mouth still open but ended up choking slightly. After swallowing, she finally responded, "I was sneaking out, but then I realized my mom hadn't come inside yet. I met her at the door."

"And then?" I asked, intrigued.

"She guessed I was coming here, and she just let me," Haley replied, a touch of surprise in her voice.

"The state-of-the-art ventilation and air filtration systems maintain a fresh and healthy environment, even in extended periods of isolation–"

"Wait. Stop." I interjected quickly. I looked at both guys in disbelief and asked, "Why are you showing me a nuclear bunker?"

"I don't know if it can survive a nuke, but I guess if any house could, it would be this house." Phil said casually.

"Phil!" I called him. My dad replied, "I did tell Phil that security is my main concern. Nothing is too much in terms of safety. This house looks nice. We should take it–"

"HELL'S NO!" I vetoed the house immediately.

Then, we went to the next house still located in West Hollywood. We didn't even get out of the car when I saw it was shaped like the pentagram, and was built as a bunker too.

"NEXT!"

The third house was inspired by French designs, but still maintained the structure of an American house.

"It has 3 stories, plus the attic. You can see that it is inside a guarded area. And most importantly, there's a bunker in the basement." Phil said.

"Good, we will take this one–"

"No. I need the basement for my lab. Besides, this house has no pool. And very, very isolated. I need to walk 20 minutes just to get to another house in the neighborhood." I rejected the house with a tired voice.

"That's why there are transport services to get around." Phil said.

"Nein!" I stressed out.

The next house we went to see intrigued me. It was a picturesque retreat with a stunning pool area. Inside the main house, there were seven spacious bedrooms and six well-appointed bathrooms. The guest room was also in a different wing of the house.

"However, it is an hour away from our place right now." I sighed.

"What's wrong with that?" My dad asked.

"Then, how can I go to Phil's house in the morning? How can my friends come by and hang out?" I said.

Phil, a bit touched, almost teared up, "Alright. It's fine. Ed has his preferences. We will go to take a look at the last house, and if that doesn't satisfy you, then we can try again another day."

My phone rang before we could get to the car. I checked the id and it was from Pepper. I picked up the call immediately and greeted, "What's up Peps?"

"Edward. Where are you? You better not run around by yourself and get into trouble again. My poor heart couldn't take it." Pepper said.

"Your heart is in poor condition. You should run on the treadmill sometime." I said.

Pepper scoffed and scolded, "Are you fat-shaming me?!"

"Rather than fat-shaming, I don't want to lose you so early at the prime of your life." I said with a slight chuckle.

Pepper was speechless and then he spoke about why he was calling. He needed confirmation about where to receive the medal, in California or in NYC.

I grimaced and said, "Can't I not go?"

"I wish I could say yes. But from the information I got, it seems that the president wants to give you the medal himself. So you have to go."

"Damn it. Seriously! Let me fucking move on from this shit–" I was cursing to myself then I realized it could be misconstrued as I was cursing Pepper. , "Sorry Peps. That wasn't aimed at you."

Even Phil and my dad were startled when they saw me blowing up.

"Well I know." Pepper scoffed. After a while, he said placatingly "I wish I could let time move faster for you Ed. But I really can't do anything without it being damaging to you."

I sighed and said, "It's fine. I don't blame you."

Then, I changed the subject, "Oh, by the way, where is Max staying?"

"She's in a hotel somewhere. Why?" Pepper replied.

"I'm bored looking at houses with my dad all day." I replied. But honestly, I wanted Max for another reason. 420 reasons to be exact. My mood was irreparably damaged by the call that we had to stop looking at houses today and went back to our old house.

Paparazzi and fans were staying in front of the house as the car pulled in. They almost swarmed to the car if not for the security I had hired to protect me around the house area. Even Taylor couldn't get to the house she bought next to mine because of all the craziness.

5 days passed by in a hurry. The impact from the incident finally eased up while I was at my house, hiding from the crowd of fans. In the 5 days, I had opened a few of Taylor's tour concerts, took a picture with the president– in which I channeled the humorous spirit of Michael Scott from "The Office". I couldn't resist recreating the iconic expression of "I don't know how I got here" alongside the president in the picture, which made a lot of memes come out.

Simultaneously, I also launched my image editing software, which proved to be even more versatile. With versions available for both PC and mobile devices, users could effortlessly enhance and transform their photos on various platforms. The software's affordability and user-friendly nature made it accessible to a wide audience, resulting in a surge of sales that revitalized my once-depleted finances.

'It's basically a mixture of Canva, Picart, plus photoshop. And my fans just bought it because they wanted to get my how-to video on getting started.'

After a week, the attention died down as the world would move with or without my involvement. I could finally live my life back to normal again.