Tom settled in at the piano, his slender fingers gently stroking the keys as he tested a few notes.
The guests in the restaurant stopped their conversations, anticipating this special performance.
The first note rang out.
It was Debussy’s *Clair de Lune*.
Tom’s technique grew more polished by the day, and every note carried its own distinct emotional color.
“Oh my gosh! Is that really a cat playing?” Aqua’s eyes went wide, completely stunned.
“This is even more beautiful than the harp playing of the angels in the Heavenly Realm!”
Wos made a “shh” gesture, signaling her to keep her voice down.
But to be honest, seeing Aqua so amazed, he felt rather proud too.
Tom’s paws flew over the black and white keys as if telling a beautiful story.
Jerry sat on a little chair beside the piano, quietly enjoying his old partner’s performance.
Although the two were always fighting, at a moment like this, Jerry felt immensely proud of Tom.
“Unbelievable!” a female guest softly marveled.
Just then, a commotion broke out at the restaurant entrance.
“It’s Tony Stark! Oh my God, it’s really him!”
“Mr. Stark is dining here?!”
Wos followed the sound and saw a man with a goatee, wearing an expensive suit, walking into the restaurant with a blonde beauty.
The man had an arrogant air, his chin slightly raised, as if the whole world owed him money.
He was none other than Tony Stark, who had just been mentioned on the news.
Wos’s heart tightened.
“What a coincidence! Tony Stark actually came to this restaurant?”
Tony looked around, clearly satisfied with the restaurant’s decor.
“Mr. Stark, welcome!” Franz hurried over.
“Your private room is ready.”
“No need for a private room, I’ll sit in the main hall.” Tony waved his hand.
Aqua noticed the new guest.
“Wos, is that the rich man from the TV?”
“Yeah, that’s Tony Stark,” Wos answered quietly.
“Remember, don’t draw his attention.”
Tony and the blonde woman beside him were led by a waiter to the best seats.
As they passed the piano, Tony suddenly stopped.
“Pepper, do you see that?” Tony pointed at Tom, who was playing, his tone full of surprise.
“A cat playing the piano? Interesting, really interesting. A cat who can play at this level is one of a kind in the entire world.”
Hearing Tony’s words, Aqua felt secretly pleased.
“Hmph, the mortals finally recognize how amazing Tom is. But if they saw this goddess’s divine miracles, they’d be even more shocked.”
Wos noticed the dangerous glint in Aqua’s eyes and hurriedly whispered a warning in her ear: “Don’t even think about it. You are absolutely not allowed to use magic here.”
“I know, I know.” Aqua pouted in displeasure, but still sat obediently.
The blonde woman called Pepper also stopped, a look of delighted surprise in her eyes.
“Oh my God! He’s so cute! And he plays so well!”
Tom noticed someone watching him, but as a professional performer, he wasn’t distracted and kept playing with complete focus.
“Do you like him?” Tony saw the fondness in Pepper’s eyes and suddenly felt inspired.
“If you like him, I’ll buy him.”
Pepper froze for a moment.
“Tony, you can’t just buy someone else’s pet.”
“In this world, there’s nothing money can’t buy,” Tony said confidently, waving a hand.
“It’s just a matter of price.”
He walked over to the restaurant manager, Franz.
“Are you this cat’s owner?”
“No, no, no, Mr. Stark.” Franz hurriedly waved his hands, looking a bit nervous.
“Mr. Tom’s owner is someone else.”
“Then call his owner over,” Tony said impatiently.
“I want to talk to him.”
Franz had no choice but to walk over to Wos.
“Mr. Wos, a guest would like to speak with you.”
Wos took a deep breath, knowing that what was meant to come had come.
“Hello, I’m Wos Nibaba.” Wos extended his hand.
“Tom’s owner.”
Tony looked Wos up and down, showing no intention of shaking hands.
“How much to buy your pet?”
Looking at Tony’s matter-of-fact expression, Wos felt an unnamed anger rising inside him.
“Sorry, Tom’s not for sale,” Wos said calmly.
Tony froze, clearly not expecting to be turned down.
In his world, as long as you named a high enough price, there was nothing you couldn’t buy.
“You may not have heard me clearly.” Tony took a checkbook out of his inner suit pocket and quickly scribbled down a number.
“How about this, here’s five million dollars, a cashier’s check.”
He tore out the check and held it in front of Wos.
“That’s enough for you to buy an apartment in another city.”
When the guests in the restaurant heard that number, they all gasped.
Five million dollars for a cat?
It was utterly absurd!
“Wow! Five million dollars!” Aqua’s eyes went wide.
“This man really is rich!”
Wos glanced at the check, and the number on it was admittedly tempting.
But when he thought of how hard Tom worked, and of the days the three of them had relied on each other, his resolve only grew firmer.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Stark.” Wos pushed the check back.
“Tom is my family, not a commodity.”
Tony’s face instantly darkened.
As the heir to Stark Industries, he had almost never been turned down in his entire life, especially when it came to money.
“Ten million.” Tony said through gritted teeth, a flash of irritation in his eyes.
“That’s my bottom line.”
He wrote out another check, with one more zero after the number.
The restaurant completely erupted.
“Oh my God! Ten million dollars!”
“Is this cat made of gold?”
“Mr. Stark must be crazy!”
The guests whispered among themselves, and everyone’s eyes were fixed on this strange transaction.
Manager Franz stood nervously to the side, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
He had never encountered a situation like this and didn’t know how to handle it.
Tom stopped playing and turned around to watch it all.
He could feel the shock and greed in the gazes of the people around him, but what he cared about more was Wos’s reaction.
Jerry hopped down from his little chair too, ran to Wos’s feet, and lightly patted his shoe with his tiny paw to show his support.
“Mr. Stark.” Wos’s voice was still calm, but his tone was even firmer.
“I said Tom’s not for sale. No matter how much money.”
Tony’s face turned completely black.
He felt his dignity being trampled.
A seemingly ordinary guy actually dared to turn him down repeatedly?
“Tony, forget it.” Pepper sensed that the mood was off and hurriedly held Tony’s arm.
“Let’s go to another restaurant, the atmosphere here is a bit…”
“No!” Tony shook off Pepper’s hand.
By now, Tony was enraged from humiliation.
“No one can refuse Tony Stark!”
He picked up the checkbook again, and this time the number he wrote made everyone gasp.
“Twenty million dollars!” Tony slammed the check down on the table.
“A full twenty million! That’s enough to buy a decent villa in New York!”
The restaurant instantly fell silent, and everyone was stunned by this astronomical figure.
“Tw… twenty million?”
“What exactly is so special about this cat?”
Aqua was stunned by the number too.
“Wos, how many pretty dresses can twenty million dollars buy?”
Wos felt the gazes of the people around him, some envious, some jealous, some baffled.
He knew that if he refused again, he might be seen as insane.
But when he saw the trust in Tom’s eyes, and saw Jerry standing firmly at his side, the answer in his heart still didn’t change.
“No.” Wos shook his head.
“Tom is never for sale.”
Tony finally exploded.
He abruptly stood up and pointed at Wos’s nose.
“You…”
Looking at the furious Tony, Wos felt a protective instinct surge within him.
He stepped forward and shielded Tom and Jerry behind him.
Just as Tony was about to say something even harsher, he suddenly froze.
The way this young man protected his pets, that firm expression, that determination to protect what was important to him at all costs…
An image suddenly flashed through Tony’s mind.
It was many years ago, when he was still a child.
Once, when he had been naughty and climbed a tree to get at a bird’s nest, he slipped and was about to hit the ground.
His father, Howard, had caught him.
Not only did his father not blame him, he held him tightly, as if afraid of losing him.
That feeling of being protected, that sense of security, that warmth of knowing someone would protect you at all costs…
Tony hadn’t felt it in a very, very long time.
Ever since his parents died in a car accident, he had never again felt that kind of unconditional protection and care.
He had packaged himself in wealth, status, and talent, but deep down, the little boy who longed to be protected had never disappeared.
Watching Wos shield Tom, Tony thought of everything he had lost.
His eyes suddenly grew a little moist.
“I…” Tony opened his mouth, wanting to say something threatening, but the words simply wouldn’t come out.
The people around were all waiting to see the show, waiting to see how Tony Stark would teach this ignorant young man a lesson.
But Tony just stood there, silently looking at Wos, the anger in his eyes gradually fading, replaced by a complex emotion.
“Tony?” Pepper looked at him with concern.
“What’s wrong?”
Tony came back to himself and realized he had lost his composure in public.
He hurriedly cleared his throat and forcibly restored that arrogant expression.
“Forget it.” he said awkwardly, his voice a little hoarse.
“If… if you change your mind, you can contact me at this number.”
He signaled Pepper to hand a business card to Wos, then walked toward the restaurant entrance without looking back.
Everyone was bewildered by this sudden turn.
Tony Stark, who had been so aggressive just moments ago, had suddenly backed down?
Wos took the card and watched Tony’s retreating back, his heart full of confusion too.
Pepper looked at Wos apologetically.
“I’m sorry, Tony… he’s not usually like this.”
“It’s fine.” Wos shook his head.
“I understand.”
Pepper looked at Tom and Jerry again, a flash of envy in her eyes.
“They’re very lucky to have an owner like you.”
With that, she hurried out after Tony.
The guests in the restaurant were still discussing what had just happened, but Wos no longer cared.
He crouched down and gently stroked Tom’s head.
“It’s okay now, buddy. No one can take you away from me.”
Tom rubbed his head against Wos’s hand, his eyes full of gratitude.
Jerry climbed onto Wos’s shoulder too and patted his cheek with his tiny paw.
Aqua watched this warm scene, feeling a little moved herself.
“Wos, you were really cool just now.”
“Was I?” Wos smiled.
“I was just protecting my family.”