"Heh."
"If the Space Stone or Mind Stone dares to appear, and thinks it can leave Earth? Dream on."
"If Thanos dares to come to Earth, he'll never leave."
That's how confident Vex was.
As he thought about it, Vex gradually fell asleep.
Thankfully, Alpha was intelligent enough to wake Vex before sunrise.
As he opened his eyes, he found Jean lying beside him, watching him with a sweet gaze.
After a few seconds of eye contact, Jean suddenly realized what she was doing. Her face flushed red all the way to her ears, and she quickly turned her back to Vex.
At that moment, the dawn's rays spread over them, painting the sky with colors as vibrant as rose petals. The sunrise reflected over the ocean, creating a sparkling, dazzling scene.
The beauty of it made Jean forget her embarrassment, staring at the sky without blinking.
She only closed her eyes when the breathtaking view disappeared, as if she wanted to etch that moment into her mind forever.
"Is it really that worth remembering?" Vex teased. "If you want to see it, we can come here every day."
"Really?" Jean asked with surprise, her eyes lighting up. "I mean... you're willing to watch the sunrise with me every day?"
"Why not? Isn't watching the sunrise with you a wonderful thing?" Vex smiled. "Though, it might not always be just the two of us—after all, I have many wives to take care of."
That one sentence shattered Jean's dreamy fantasy in an instant.
Right... Vex wouldn't only marry one person...
But Jean soon understood.
For a man as powerful as Vex, how could he only have one spouse?
Besides...
"I have the duty to expand the Star Clan," Vex said with a tone of regret. "The chances of us producing offspring are really low. If I only marry one person, there's a big chance that..."
Jean immediately understood further.
He wasn't doing it for selfish reasons; he was trying to grow the Star Clan.
Seeing Jean's expression, Vex knew he had her completely convinced.
Jean was almost an emotional novice, with a bit of a romantic mindset. She was even easier to sway than the Dark Phoenix...
No, wait!
He loved each of his wives deeply. It wasn't manipulation; it was love!
Vex chuckled at the thought but said nothing more.
"Let's go have some breakfast," Vex suggested.
"Sure!" Jean replied.
They asked Alpha to search for a famous breakfast spot in Los Angeles and enjoyed a lovely meal together.
As they considered where to go next...
"Master, there's a call from 'Gwen,'" Alpha informed.
Gwen? Looks like her powers are awakening.
"Give me a second, I need to take this call," Vex said to Jean.
"Go ahead," Jean smiled.
Vex didn't leave; he answered the call right there, communicating telepathically so Jean wouldn't overhear the conversation.
"Hello, who's this?" Vex asked.
"It's me, Gwen Stacy!" she nervously replied. "The blonde girl you gave your card to at the Oscorp Tower elevator!"
"Oh! I remember you," Vex said with a smile. "How was your band's performance?"
"Thanks for remembering, but something's wrong with my body now... You mentioned something about a radioactive spider bite before—what kind of symptoms should I expect?"
Vex thought for a moment.
"Well, you might experience enhanced strength, the ability to stick to walls, and a strange kind of heightened awareness."
The line went silent.
Great. She has all the symptoms.
"So... I've been bitten for real, haven't I?" Gwen's voice was on the verge of tears. "How long do I have left? Am I going to lose my hair? Is there any cure?"
Clearly, Gwen had misunderstood the word "radioactive."
"Don't worry. Give me your location, and I'll come find you."
"I'm at Central Park, by the East Gate."
"Alright, I'll be there."
Vex ended the call and turned to Jean.
"There's a little problem I need to deal with. Someone got bitten by one of the radioactive spiders from the company I just acquired. I need to go check on them."
"Radioactive spiders? That sounds serious!" Jean said with concern.
"It's no big deal," Vex said reassuringly.
He embraced Jean once more, then vanished, flashing across the sky until he appeared atop Dawn Tower.
He scanned the area—Lewis and the others weren't around; they were probably busy.
"You can wait here. If you need anything, just use the phone over there, and someone will take care of it."
"Huh? You're not taking me with you?" Jean asked, surprised.
Vex was going to meet another girl—of course he wasn't taking Jean along.
"Traveling across dimensions can be a bit disruptive. If something really happens, I'll be back right away," Vex assured her.
Jean nodded, finally feeling at ease.
"Alright, I'll practice using the Phoenix Force while you're gone."
"Okay, I'll be off."
With a casual wave, Vex vanished and reappeared in the sky above Central Park, activating "Absolute Stealth" so no one could notice him.
His gaze swept across the park until he spotted Gwen, heading toward the East Gate, her young face filled with worry.
He flew down, canceling "Absolute Stealth" just as he approached, landing three meters away from her.
Gwen, lost in her thoughts, didn't notice him and walked straight into Vex's chest.
"Ah—"
"Sorry!" she quickly apologized. "I wasn't paying attention, are you—"
"Ah!" she gasped.
"You're... the alien savior?!"
Her expression went from panic to apology to surprise, and finally, to pure excitement.
So, she was a fan after all.
"You seem to be a big fan of mine. Want an autograph?" Vex teased.
"Yes, please!" Gwen said without hesitation. "My father's the NYPD Commissioner. During the civilian evacuation, a Kryptonian targeted him. All of his colleagues were killed, and just as it was his turn... that Kryptonian suddenly stopped! It was you who saved my dad! My whole family is a fan of yours!"
There's a story like that, huh?
Well, winning Gwen over just became a whole lot easier.
"My pleasure. Where do you want me to sign?"
Vex raised a hand, using his power to conjure a pen from thin air.
Gwen looked around but realized she hadn't brought anything to sign.
Not wanting to waste such a rare opportunity, she quickly turned around, pointing to her white dress.
"Right here!" she said.
Vex smiled and signed his name in an elegant, artistic flourish.
The pen touched only the fabric, with no physical contact, which surprised Gwen. She hadn't expected him to be so respectful.
"Alright, now let's talk about that radioactive spider," Vex said with a smile.
"Huh? The spider? How did you know?"
Vex didn't answer directly. Instead, he gestured, and Alpha adjusted the light, reverting Vex to the appearance of the handsome young man Gwen had met before.
Gwen's jaw dropped in shock.
"You—"
"He—"
"I—"
Vex chuckled, raising his hand to calm her before explaining...
°°°
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