Osborn Mansion

Henry was being driven to the Osborn Mansion in a dark green Bentley Turbo R.

His request to meet with Norman Osborn was quickly answered positively. A man claiming to be the butler contacted Henry by phone, specifying the time, place, and method of the meeting.

Henry had no choice but to cooperate or refuse; he couldn't even verify whether the other party was truly Norman Osborn's butler. The other party's arrogant attitude was evident.

An ordinary person would probably be intimidated by such a display. But Henry, a Kryptonian, was least afraid of people breaking the rules. So he got into the luxury car and was taken to his destination.

Perhaps the other party was also wary of Henry's strange habit of recording things, so the driver sent to pick them up only answered where the destination was, without saying a word about anything else.

Osborn Mansion is not located in the affluent Long Island neighborhood on the east side of Manhattan, but near the United Nations Headquarters. In New York, where land is incredibly expensive, it is quite unusual to have a private residence with a yard in such a location.

It can only be said that this level of wealth has crossed into another dimension. It was something that ignorant people like us could never have imagined.

However, one advantage of meeting at this mansion is that it's very close to Catherine Hepburn's house, only a few minutes' drive away.

Honestly, given New York's traffic congestion and the time spent getting on and off vehicles, walking here would probably save more time.

Upon arriving at the main entrance, Henry was naturally greeted by other staff.

An elderly man with white hair, dressed in a meticulously tailored tailcoat, exuding the air of a seasoned English butler, greeted him, "Mr. Henry Brown, I hope you have a comfortable journey."

"Oh, the Bentley's seating experience is really great. At least I was mentally prepared to be hooded, but thankfully that didn't happen."

Henry subtly retorted to the other man's attitude, but to no avail. The old butler, still with a stern face, said, "Please come with me. The master's free time is short; he has another banquet to attend later."

It seems that the other party's arrogance is ingrained in their bones. It means that if someone as insignificant as myself can break down the defenses of people like them, it's not a matter of insufficient self-cultivation, but rather a matter of having the wrong mindset.

It's like a Chihuahua barking hysterically; a normal person wouldn't care or get angry. At most, they'd kick the dog away if it tried to pounce and bite. Nobody's going to crouch down and lie on the ground to see who can bark louder.

Taking the elevator in the mansion, we went all the way to the top floor. When we opened the door, we found ourselves in a space that resembled a library. As far as the eye could see, there were bookshelves reaching the ceiling, filled with all sorts of hardcover books.

Henry seriously doubted whether the owner of this mansion had ever read any of the books here, or even just one, let alone read them all carefully. It seems that the richer people are, the more they like to display books to show off and make a spectacle of themselves.

Since it was his own home, the host wasn't clinging to his suit jacket, but rather dressed casually in a shirt and trousers. However, he still wore a tie, not to the point of making a fool of himself.

Norman Osborn leaned against his desk, reading paper documents. Even as Henry approached with his butler, he didn't put down the papers.

After walking a certain distance, the butler stopped and said, "Sir, Mr. Henry Brown has arrived."

"Hmm." Although he responded with a sound of agreement, Norman Osborn did not immediately put down what he was holding.

After watching for a while, Norman Osborn finally lifted his eyelids, glanced at the newcomer, and said, "Your annual salary at Stark Studios is ten million dollars, right? I can give you the same salary, plus accommodation and a private car."

"The pharmaceutical data and patents you have are ultimately in a different field from cinematic digital photography technology, so I can't offer you the same revenue share. 5% is my quote. What If...? your terms are different, you can bring them up now."

Henry smiled and said, "I only want one hundred coins."

Norman Osborn paused, put down the file, stared intently at Henry, and asked, "One hundred... one thousand? One million?"

"No, no, no, it's just a dollar." He took an MD from his pocket, walked to the desk, and placed it on the table.

In the era before USB flash drives and recordable CDs became widespread, the MD was a storage disc that replaced ordinary floppy disks and had a large storage capacity.

Although the Zip floppy disk drive challenged this high-capacity market in the previous two years (1998), both were eventually phased out. However, in the current era, this is the best choice.

Henry added, "I can accept a hundred-dollar bill, or two fifty-dollar bills, or even five twenty-dollar bills. Be careful with checks or bank transfers unless you want to leave too much of a footprint."

Norman Osborn, with a serious expression, asked, "Are you serious?"

Revealing two rows of large front teeth, Henry grinned exaggeratedly and said, "I think someone told you what I really want. So if a hundred dollars is too expensive, I can accept a transfer price of one dollar."

"Don't worry about the patent issue, because I haven't applied for one at all. As long as you get this information and apply for a patent in the name of Oscorp, I don't think anyone will dare to challenge your patent rights."

As he spoke, Henry pushed the MD forward slightly.

Realizing the other party's true intentions, Norman Osborn changed his tune, saying, "The treatment I just mentioned will all be doubled. Don't think about anything else."

Henry shook his head regretfully, took back the MD from the table, and said, "What a pity, it seems there's no point in talking." As soon as he finished speaking, he broke the disc, still covered in its plastic casing, in half again and again. He repeated this several times until the disc was completely shattered.

As the fragments scattered across the desk, Henry, without considering retrieving them or helping the other person tidy up, turned to leave. He casually asked, "Should I just go back the way I came?"

The butler blocked Henry's way out, his hand behind his back pressing on the alarm. At the slightest command from his boss, a group of burly men would rush in and subdue the man.

However, Norman Osborn simply waved his hand and ordered, "Show them out."

"Yes, sir."

Norman Osborn didn't pick up the document he was looking at; instead, he stared blankly at the MD file folded into pieces.

Just then, a young man emerged from the bookshelf area. "Father."

Norman Osborn's stern face relaxed slightly. "Harry, when did you get there?"

Holding the book, the young man said, "For my next extracurricular activity report, I'm planning a book-themed travelogue; I'm just looking for suitable materials." He walked over to his father and asked, "Did that man threaten you just now?"

"A threat? No, not really. It's just setting a condition that's not easy to meet."

"Make the most advantageous choice, isn't that what you've always told me?"

"That's right. But if there's uncertainty involved, how should we choose?" The father took the opportunity to test his child, and in fact, he also wanted to find a direction among the many options.

Although Henry Brown brought over an MD tablet, he couldn't be sure if its contents would be helpful to him. Norman Osborn valued more than just dementia medication.

"What If...? with a 50% chance of winning, it's worth the gamble. Playing it safe isn't like the Osborn family. Besides, if we lose this bet, will it shake our family?"

"Haha, good boy. I do lack that youthful vigor you have."

The young man frowned and asked, "Did I say something wrong?"

"No, you're right. We are Osborn. Following the rules is not our family motto."