You Died or Went Missing

With that, Tony asked Peter for his account details and transferred twenty million dollars directly from his personal account.

Before long, Peter received a text from the bank, and an excited flush spread across his face.

At the end of the day, he was still just a young man. His mutation might have made him seem more mature than his peers,

but suddenly receiving an enormous fortune still excited him just as it would anyone else.

"Thank you, Mr. Tony!"

"If there's nothing else, I'll get going."

Peter thanked him and, after getting Tony's permission, left the villa.

One look at him was enough for Tony to know what he intended to do.

He was obviously going to splurge.

Naturally, Tony would not stop him. Nor did he care to bother with it. Instead, he turned and headed to Bucky's room.

As he pushed the door open and entered, Bucky immediately greeted him.

"Boss."

Tony nodded at him, then turned his gaze to Norman.

Tony had clearly invested more effort in Norman than in the other superheroes, not because Norman was more outstanding or stronger, but because Oscorp stood behind him.

Although Oscorp's revenue had been poor in recent years, even a weakened giant was still a giant.

As one of the leading conglomerates, Oscorp remained a force to be reckoned with.

Thus, beyond recruiting Norman into the Dark Alliance, Tony wanted to swallow Oscorp whole.

It was easy to imagine how, once the two conglomerates merged, Stark Industries would become an absolute behemoth.

Unless Tony openly rebelled, no government authority would dare make trouble for him again.

An attack like the previous one would be even more unthinkable!

Even if he skirted the edge of the law, the United States government would have to clean up after him rather than issue a warrant for his arrest.

Of course, all of that depended on his successfully swallowing Oscorp.

Stark Industries alone was still one of the United States' leading corporate powers, but it fell just short of that level.

"Find a way to wake him up."

At Tony's order, Bucky immediately nodded.

Although he had regained his memories, he had still come out of Hydra. Interrogation and investigative techniques were all too familiar to him.

Taking a towel and a bottle of mineral water, Bucky laid the towel over Norman's face, opened the bottle, and let the water pour down.

Soon, the unconscious Norman stirred, his body suddenly thrashing violently. Had his hands and feet not been bound, he would probably have scrambled up from the floor.

Bucky stopped pouring and pulled the towel off Norman's face.

"Hah! Hah! Hah!"

Heavy gasps immediately filled the room. Like a drowning man finally reaching fresh air, Norman desperately gulped for breath.

At the same time, his gaze swept rapidly around the room, finally fixing on Tony the moment he spotted him.

"So it was you!"

Norman's voice was hoarse.

A faint smile immediately curled Tony's lips.

"Mr. Osborn, it's been a while."

"I never expected us to meet under these circumstances. My apologies."

"What exactly do you want?" Norman demanded viciously.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?"

"You were the one who attacked me first, weren't you?"

Tony spread his hands, leaving Norman momentarily speechless.

"All right, I admit I was wrong. Now that I'm in your hands, you might as well tell me what you want."

"Of course, if this is purely revenge for my earlier attack, forget I said anything."

As the head of a conglomerate, Norman was undoubtedly competent, and he did not lack composure.

Even though his situation looked grim, he could still gather his thoughts rather than scream and shout like an ordinary person.

"It's always a pleasure talking to someone smart."

"I did bring you here for a reason today. I hear Oscorp hasn't been doing too well lately, and its major shareholders are preparing to pull out. As it happens, I've got more money than I know what to do with. Why not let me give you a hand?"

Tony spoke with a smile, his white teeth gleaming with a chilling sharpness beneath the light. He looked like a predator opening its bloody maw before a meal.

"Impossible! Don't even think about it!"

Norman instantly grew agitated, his roar echoing through the room.

He could accept investment from anyone, but not from another conglomerate.

As a member of that same corporate elite, he knew their nature all too well. They were ravenous beasts that devoured people without leaving so much as a bone.

Once they held shares in Oscorp, the company would be at risk of being swallowed whole at any moment.

Besides, there was bad blood between him and Tony. He had not forgotten that Tony had given Oscorp a hard shove toward its current predicament.

Tony was not upset by the refusal. Still smiling, he said slowly, "Do you think you have a choice right now?"

"I know you want to keep Oscorp intact, but if you were gone, who do you think could hold it together?"

"That useless son of yours who doesn't know a thing?"

"Or those cold, ruthless investors?"

"Oscorp is already on its last legs."

"As long as you're around, you can keep it limping along while you look for a lifeline."

"But if you died or went missing, this enormous company would fall apart in an instant."

"So letting me buy in isn't such an unacceptable proposition."

"I can even promise not to interfere in Oscorp's day-to-day affairs. You'll still be the one in charge."

"Well? Think it over."

Tony's words were not harsh, yet they stabbed into Norman's heart like a blade.

At that moment, reason and emotion each occupied one side of his mind. Reason told him Tony was right: with an injection of capital from Stark, Oscorp would still have a chance.

Emotion told him Tony was lying. Those corporate titans were demons that devoured people whole. He absolutely could not let Tony in, or Oscorp would inevitably change hands.

The two ideas fought fiercely in his mind, making his expression shift back and forth.

Seeing his reaction, Tony did not stay. He knew Norman would not reach a decision anytime soon, so he instructed Bucky to keep a close watch on him, then turned and left the room.

Returning to his own room, Tony looked at the two sleeping beauties on the bed, took off his pajamas, and walked over.

The night is still young. How could we let such a wonderful time go to waste?

Soon, passion blossomed in the room, filling it once more with the warmth of spring.

Early the next morning, Tony had someone throw out the previous night's trash, then sat in the living room quietly enjoying breakfast.

Just then, Bucky came out of the room and entered the living room. "Boss, that guy wants to see you. He says he wants to talk."