It was late at night. Riding in the car, with the sound system playing *A Catchy Little Tune*, Atreus was in high spirits, gazing out the window at the women on the street, forced to wear less due to poverty, and enjoying the view.
Gwen, however, was a little annoyed.
Her subtle expression resembled someone performing, *Look at me!*
Atreus glanced over at her and brought up the main topic. "The Osborne family is in big trouble recently."
"Huh?" Gwen's ears perked up.
"Norman Osborne is dying. Harry is too young and impulsive. Clearly, he can't hold up the Osborne Group."
The wealthy have their own intelligence channels, and keeping an eye on competitors is standard practice.
Gwen thought back to Harry's behavior today, especially the scene where he tried to show off in front of Tony. It was obviously a misstep. Accidentally running into Tony wasn't the issue; the problem was Harry not recognizing his own status.
Since he didn't know Tony, it wasn't the time to try forcing his way into that circle. And Adrian, as the host, failed to manage the situation properly—or perhaps Adrian just wasn't qualified to manage it.
"Oh god, I'm just a part-time student at Osborne," Gwen expressed concern for the company's future.
"Quit. The Osborne Group is in d4nger."
"d4nger?" Gwen's eyes widened.
"When old Osborne was still around, the company was stable. But once it's in Harry's hands, it'll be like giving a kid a nuclear launch button with no password—completely unreliable." Atreus's comment perfectly matched his identity as a rich playboy. As a 'friend,' he had done his duty by warning her. After all, Gwen wasn't officially involved with him.
Gwen nodded. "I'll think about it carefully."
As they arrived at Gwen's apartment, she was annoyed again.
She wasn't sure if Atreus was doing this on purpose or not, but just as she got out of the car, Harry arrived with Peter in his McLaren. At the same time, Louis, Atreus's head bodyguard, pulled up with the other women who had been hanging out with Peter all night.
"Goodnight, Peter. I had a great time tonight." Michelle gave Peter a big hug after stepping out of the car.
"Peter, me too…" Compared to Michelle, Mary Jane's body was more voluptuous, like a fiery wave enveloping Peter, letting him fully experience what it meant to be embraced by a bombshell.
There were also two other women whose names Atreus couldn't remember. They had failed to get Tony's attention and were now focusing all their energy on Peter.
The four women were perfectly in sync, completely ignoring any interaction Peter had with Liz earlier that night.
A good man is worth fighting for!
In their minds, they were probably calling each other all sorts of names, but on the surface, they were all smiles, as if they were best friends.
At this moment, the lights on the second floors of two houses came on.
Aunt May, still radiating charm, stood by the window, watching Peter being so popular with a proud smile. But when her eyes met Gwen's as she got out of Atreus's car, Aunt May gave an apologetic look.
"Sorry!" Aunt May mouthed.
Gwen responded with an awkward smile.
What made her most uneasy, though, was her dad's gaze from their second-floor window. After becoming the Spider-Woman, Gwen's senses had heightened significantly, and she could feel his disappointment clearly.
His eyes were saying—*Why are you messing around with that playboy, Atreus?*
Atreus ignored the police captain, who had somehow survived the Lizard incident, despite seemingly being marked by fate. Instead, he locked eyes with Harry, who was also looking at him.
Their gazes clashed in the air, almost as if sparks could fly.
Unfortunately, in the end, Harry didn't make any more bold moves. He just nodded slightly as a greeting, then got back into his McLaren, started the engine, and sped away.
Atreus noticed that just before Harry got into the car, his hand trembled slightly, almost unconsciously, and he touched his neck. Only someone with keen eyesight would notice that the skin at his collar seemed to have a strange scar.
After politely bidding farewell to Gwen, Atreus returned to his car and found Louis had returned as well.
"Boss, that Osborne kid has ill intentions toward you."
Atreus waved it off. "No worries, I'm always forgiving toward someone who's about to die."
Louis' face immediately flushed with embarrassment.
"I mean, the Osborne family has a severe genetic disease. Each generation doesn't live long. Norman is already an exception. I noticed just now, Harry's symptoms have already started."
Louis' expression relaxed: *Oh, that's what he meant… Boss, if everyone who opposed you just dropped dead, my job would be a lot easier!*
When Atreus returned to his own villa, it was still brightly lit, despite the late hour.
In a side room, Dinah and Sara were directing a team of over ten people, all busy at their computers.
Seeing Atreus return, the Lance sisters looked a bit forlorn.
"You're back?"
"We thought you were going to stay out overnight."
The sisters' tone was teasing, but Atreus knew exactly what they meant.
"It was just business. I was there to meet Harry Osborne. And you two know who Gwen is."
At that, the sisters straightened up, their playful attitudes gone, and they began reporting seriously.
They had no choice but to be serious. Hitching themselves to such a wealthy young heir was risky. If they were just pretty girls with no substance, they'd be discarded in no time.
Look at Bruce Wayne and Tony Stark in their younger years—they changed women more often than their clothes.
To stay close to such men, beauty alone wasn't enough.
Sara spoke first. "I've contacted seven banks. Since you're willing to mortgage your Stark shares, they've agreed to lend you their Osborne stock."
Dinah continued, "Atreus, are you really going all-in like this? You didn't even use retail investors as cover. Once you make your move, it's clear you're standing against Osborne Group. If this fails, you'll lose everything you've got in Stark."
"It's fine. For my 'backers,' this is just 'pocket change,'" Atreus said nonchalantly, then changed the subject, inspecting the progress of his 'canaries.'
In truth, the money Atreus had direct control over came from the Bettinelli family, wiped out by Black Mask. That family was second-tier in Gotham at best. By using that money and saving Tony's life, Atreus had doubled its value and laundered it clean.
But there was still a long way to go before he could shake Stark and Wayne Group's shares.
He aimed to grow his wealth in the open.
As the sisters began humming with pleasure, Atreus chuckled. "No worries. The fact that Harry Osborne was called back from school abroad already signals that Norman's dying. I'll short the Osborne Group, and I'll make a nice profit off of it."
Shorting means betting on a stock to fall. Basically, Atreus would borrow stock from the bank and sell it for $100. When the price drops, he'll buy it back for $80, return the shares, and pocket the difference, minus a small interest fee.
Atreus wasn't wrong. Just as Harry was driving back, he got a call saying his father, Norman, was in critical condition. Harry immediately rushed to the Osborne family's extravagant European-style mansion.
After waiting outside his father's room all night while doctors worked, they finally declared Norman beyond saving. Harry was allowed to see him one last time.
Perhaps many wealthy sons share a similar misfortune—a powerful but overbearing father, lacking in affection.
As Harry poured out his frustrations to his bedridden father, even bringing up how, on his sixteenth birthday, all he got was a bottle of wine from his dad's assistant, Norman sneered and revealed a cruel truth.
"You think I obsessed over work just for myself? I did it for you too. Our family has a genetic disorder called 'Reversal Cell Proliferation Syndrome.' Once it starts, it ignores age and health—you'll die. Your symptoms are already beginning. I'll leave everything to you, but whether you survive depends on you."
Not long after, Norman died.
Watching the private doctor and nurses drape a white cloth over his father's body, Harry didn't feel much sorrow. He had only felt resentment for his absent father all his life.
Now, rather than feeling joy over inheriting a vast business empire, Harry was consumed by fear.
With trembling hands, he touched his neck. There, a boil-like growth had recently swollen several times its original size.
Having gained full control of his father's assets, Harry frantically searched through his father's research files and discovered that the only way to cure this disease was through genetic manipulation.
Dr. Connors' lizard gene therapy was clearly a failure—just look at what happened when Connors turned into the Lizard.
But as Harry kept searching, he made a sudden discovery—spider genes have incredible regenerative abilities!
(Chapter End)