By the time Norris and Rowan returned to Yangzhou City, it was already past 10 PM.

After saying goodbye to Norris, Rowan made his way back to the apartment, activated the temporal vortex, and returned to the Marvel world.

But as soon as he stepped outside his S.H.I.E.L.D. apartment, Rowan froze, a faint look of surprise flashing across his face.

Since his physical transformation, his hearing had become extraordinarily sharp.

Even with the soundproof security door between them, he could pick up faint sounds from inside.

Two women... laughing?

Rowan narrowed his eyes as he identified the voices.

Could Sharon be spending the night again with Hill?

But the laughter didn't sound like Sharon's.

Curious, Rowan inserted his key and turned the lock.

As the door swung open, the laughter inside immediately stopped.

Stepping inside, Rowan was greeted by an unexpected scene: Hill and a striking red-haired woman, both in thin sleepwear, sitting on the couch and staring directly at him.

The redhead had porcelain skin, elegant features, and a curvaceous figure that her loungewear did little to conceal. Most captivating were her smoldering eyes and full, seductive lips.

"…Natasha?"

"You're back?" the redhead replied with a grin.

Indeed, the sultry beauty in front of him was none other than Natasha Romanoff the infamous Black Widow herself.

She'd been away on an undercover assignment, and Rowan hadn't expected her to return so soon.

"That's right, Rowan. Miss me?" Natasha said with a teasing smile, eyes narrowed playfully.

Rowan let out a dry chuckle, rolled his eyes, and changed into slippers.

"If you took any longer, I'd have assumed your mission failed," he quipped as he sat down beside them.

"Hmph, as if! There's no mission in this world I can't handle," Natasha said smugly, propping her delicate feet onto Rowan's lap.

Rowan glanced down at her smooth, shapely legs, then looked at her teasing expression and sighed. To be fair, with that figure and face, it was almost too easy for Natasha to manipulate people.

But the real danger wasn't her beauty it was how well she played the game.

Against gangsters or politicians, she could outplay them or outfight them. And if things ever went south, there was always a S.H.I.E.L.D. strike team ready to extract her. Total cheat code.

"You should be more careful. Your next assignment might not be so easy," Rowan said, gently gripping her ankle and moving her foot off his lap.

"Oh? And what makes you say that?" Natasha leaned in, pouting, exhaling softly against his cheek.

But before Rowan could react, her face was pushed back by a palm.

"Natasha, I'm still here, you know! Rowan's still young, stop teasing him," Hill said flatly, flicking Natasha's thigh with her foot.

"You two always gang up on me," Natasha protested in mock indignation.

Rowan sighed and slouched back into the couch, rolling his eyes again. It was odd how both Hill and Natasha, so serious and competent at work, became complete goofballs at home.

"I spent two months undercover, risking my life, and not even a warm meal when I got back. Instead, you two team up to bully me how tragic," Natasha said, flopping onto the couch and fake-sobbing like a drama queen.

Hill, unfazed, swatted her again.

Rowan caught the ripple under Natasha's thin sleepwear as she squirmed too much information.

"Alright, Rowan," Hill said with a chuckle. "Natasha's been whining about your cooking since she got back. She insisted on waiting for you. If you don't feed her, she's not going to sleep tonight."

"You two haven't eaten dinner?" Rowan asked, surprised. It was nearly 10:30 PM.

"Nope. I tried to cook, but Natasha refused. Said we had to wait for you. We've already prepped the ingredients," Hill said with a helpless shrug.

Rowan laughed and shook his head. Natasha must've been craving his cooking hard after two months in the field.

"Alright then. Give me a few minutes," he said, standing up.

Despite having spent the day running around, his transformed body was bursting with energy. He wasn't even a little tired and he hadn't eaten either. A late-night cooking session sounded just fine.

"Hehe!" Natasha grinned like a cat who got the cream.

Two months of mission rations in the Middle East had nearly driven her mad. Her tongue still hadn't recovered from the strange spices and overwhelming lamb flavors.

"Rowan! I want the garlic clams you made before and braised pork ribs!" she called toward the kitchen.

"Got it," Rowan replied without looking back.

Natasha's smile deepened.

"Want me to help?" she asked, feeling a little guilty now that Rowan was cooking for both of them after such a long day.

But as soon as she stepped into the kitchen, her expression froze.

Mouth slightly agape, eyes wide, she stood rooted to the spot.

Rowan glanced over and grinned at her stunned expression but said nothing, continuing to work.

"What's wrong, Natasha?" Hill asked as she walked over and then she too stopped, eyes widening in disbelief.

"Ro... Rowan... what is this?" Hill stammered, covering her mouth.

In the kitchen, Rowan stood at the sink, washing clams. But beside him, knives were floating mid-air, slicing vegetables with precision. Bowls and plates danced gracefully through the air, catching the chopped ingredients and arranging them neatly.

The kitchen looked like something out of a fantasy film an orchestra of invisible hands conducting a culinary ballet.

Rowan turned his head slightly, smiling.

"Just a little psychic ability," he said.

He raised one hand and snapped his fingers.

Instantly, a stream of water arced from the faucet, splitting into several thin rivulets that swirled in the air.

The streams formed into seven or eight shimmering water spheres, each the size of a fist. They floated before Hill and Natasha, gently bobbing in place.

Under the kitchen lights, the water balls refracted light like glass shimmering, beautiful, and almost surreal.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————

Already hooked? Tell me what reeled you in leave a review, spark the fire with a comment, and if we hit every 250 Power Stones, a bonus chapter drops!

The evolution's just begun. Dive deeper into Unbound Evolution and stay leagues ahead!

[email protected]/_tey

Change @ to a.