Before anyone could react, Tony snapped his fingers, and Iron Man, controlled by the AI Jarvis, immediately strode forward. This humanoid metal figure was the best pathfinder, causing several people to hurriedly step aside.
Coming in with a bang and then rushing off just as quickly—Tony does things on a whim like this.
As a universally recognized true genius, he does things his way.
His sudden departure caught everyone off guard. Atreus noticed that Peter was holding a notepad, likely wanting Tony's autograph.
"Hey! Tony," Atreus called out.
"Hmm?"
"Could you please give Peter an autograph? He's your biggest fan… a very special kind," Atreus said, surprising everyone, especially Peter. A second ago, Peter's face showed undeniable disappointment, but the next moment, he was looking at Atreus with grateful eyes.
"Okay!" Tony responded briskly, snatching the notepad from Peter's hands. "Your name's Peter, right?"
"Peter Parker."
"Alright then—To—Peter Parker!" Tony scribbled his signature with a flourish and handed it back to a satisfied Peter.
At that moment, Peter was no superhero—just a starry-eyed superfan.
Casually, Tony's gaze shifted and landed on Gwen, who had already moved to Atreus's side. Tony smiled, "Beautiful lady, go for it! If you hook up with my buddy, you'll hit the jackpot."
This guy didn't even know Gwen's name.
Gwen immediately gave an awkward but polite smile.
At this point, Harry couldn't hold back any longer.
As the heir to a financial empire, Harry had always seen himself as superior, used to looking down on others. He had never been treated like this before. He stepped forward, somewhat rudely, and said loudly, "Mr. Stark, I'm Harry Osborn. Perhaps we can collaborate in the future."
The talk of collaboration was just a formality; what Harry really wanted was some respect.
"Collaboration?" Tony raised an eyebrow. "If it's over a billion, talk to your dad. If it's less, go find Atreus."
The fact is, in this world, strength matters. Look at the US President—when a small country's leader visits, they only get a small stool to sit on, and if they visit an actor's home, it's the President sitting while the actor stands.
In other words, Harry, who isn't yet the head of the Osborn family, isn't qualified to talk to Tony.
That's the position Harry is in.
Harry was so furious he almost want die by shame.
But there was nothing he could do!
In the world of tycoons, the one who deals in arms is the one with the bigger fist.
Tony can move billions of dollars at the drop of a hat; he doesn't have time to play house with you.
And just like that, Harry was completely ignored.
Atreus laughed, "Hey! You just had a drink; you won't make headlines with Iron Man crashing, will you?"
"Relax, it's got autopilot," Tony, a bit unsteady on his feet, said as he entered the Iron Man suit.
"Pfft—" The Iron Man helmet closed, the suit's rear thrusters emitted dazzling flames, and Tony flew off just like that.
The 'main character' had left, but the party continued.
The girls who couldn't catch Tony, the big fish, weren't about to give up on the next best thing.
You, Atreus, don't have a steel suit to escape with, right?
Feeling the approaching wave of enthusiasm and the increasingly heated gazes, Atreus grabbed a shield named "Gwen" and smiled at everyone, politely declining all advances.
At this, who knows how many girls secretly stomped their feet.
Atreus politely said goodbye to Toomes and Harry, accepted Peter's thanks, and then took Gwen up to the second-floor balcony. His bodyguard Louis even helped close the door and stood guard outside.
With Atreus and Tony gone, the party finally returned to a normal atmosphere. The pressure those two brought to ordinary people was too much. This wasn't just fishing in a barrel; it was like a whale jumping around in a standard swimming pool, leaving no room for other fish (people).
Feeling the breeze outside, Gwen smoothed her slightly tousled blonde hair. "Atreus, it's a good thing you didn't fall out completely with Harry Osborn. Otherwise, I'd be in trouble."
"Trouble?"
"Of course. I'm still working and studying part-time at Oscorp. After Dr. Connors' incident, I've been transferred to a new department."
Atreus shrugged, "If he dares to give you a hard time, I'll invest in a new company and make you the manager."
Even though they were speaking in a joking tone, Gwen felt a little dizzy, overwhelmed by the sheer financial power at play.
With Tony Stark backing him up and saying Atreus handles anything under a billion, it really meant this guy could casually throw out tens of millions of dollars!
She couldn't keep up with these money monsters in this kind of conversation!
At that moment, Gwen's expression changed slightly.
They were on the second floor, and through the large floor-to-ceiling windows of the first-floor ballroom, Gwen clearly saw Peter dancing with Liz to the music.
For some reason, she suddenly felt that the two of them looked perfectly harmonious together, a match made in heaven.
Gwen was a bit confused.
Just then, Atreus leaned in close to Gwen's ear, and the breath of a man made Gwen very uncomfortable.
But the content of Atreus's words was even more shocking: "This villa is built on black quicksand."
Gwen's eyes widened as countless thoughts flooded her mind.
She wasn't some clueless girl. In America, whether in finance or industry, "today's billionaire, tomorrow's homeless" isn't uncommon. People often describe a billionaire's glory as a castle built on sand. And black sand means the Toomes family's money isn't clean.
Peter dating Liz could lead to trouble!
For a moment, Gwen didn't know what expression to use when facing Atreus or what to say in response.
At that moment, the song in the ballroom below ended.
Soon, Harry Osborn was dancing with Liz, while Peter was now with Mary Jane.
Gwen let out a slow breath, "Peter and I have been childhood friends, that's true. But whether it's him or me, we're both free."
She paused for a moment and then smiled, "After all, I'm your date! At least for today!"
Gwen's pointed words actually made Atreus feel relieved.
Spider-Man has had over twenty girlfriends throughout his 'history,' enough to form a small platoon: besides the ones who have already appeared, there are Silk, Silver Sable, Black Cat, Betty, even Black Widow, and others.
Peter is quite the player.
This is a perfect reflection of American culture.
In contrast, Atreus, being a Outsider , felt a bit restrained.
Suddenly, Atreus mocked himself in his heart: What's the point of holding back so much? Why did I reincarnate in the first place?
Since Gwen is "wealthy and generous," Atreus decided not to overthink it. He flashed a charming smile, "Alright! My date, let's go dance."
When they got to the dance floor, Gwen suddenly realized that this 'gentleman' Atreus had actually touched her ass, and she instantly regretted it, wanting to punch him...
The party ended with lots of excitement.
This was a special party, destined to be remembered. Before this, New York had never seen more than five superheroes in one place, let alone with the Green Goblin and Vulture, two major villains mixed in.
In fact, it wasn't until the Avengers assembled that this record was broken.
(End of Chapter)