Morning sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, scattering patches of light and shadow across the carpet.
Lynn opened his eyes. The first thing to fill his nose was a distinctive fragrance of roses mixed with a faint trace of ozone. A slender, fair arm lay across his chest. Like an insecure cat, Wanda had curled up in his arms, her cheek pressed tightly into the hollow of his neck.
Even in her sleep, her fingers still clutched the hem of Lynn's clothes.
Lynn did not move. He narrowed his eyes slightly, sensing the almost viscous magical fluctuations in the air.
The entire Eden estate had been completely transformed. The heavy blastproof alloy door from last night was now enveloped in swirling scarlet particles; not even a fly could get inside. Hydra's cold, hard metal walls had been forcibly warped and reshaped by Chaos Magic into warm beige paneling.
This woman had actually used Skyfather-level destructive magic for interior decorating.
"You're awake."
The woman in his arms murmured languidly. Wanda raised her head. Those eyes, once full of violence and madness, now shimmered with an unshakable, obsessive love. She leaned forward and gently pecked Lynn's chin with her warm lips.
"Good morning, darling." Lynn slipped an arm around her waist, slowly trailing his fingertips down her back and feeling the shivers running through her delicate body.
"Are you hungry? I'll make you breakfast." Wanda's eyes were astonishingly bright. She grabbed one of Lynn's oversized white shirts and slipped it on, not even bothering to button it all the way, then stepped barefoot onto the hardwood floor.
As she moved, wisps of dark red magical energy automatically drew the curtains and made the bed like obedient servants.
Lynn leaned against the headboard, watching her graceful figure bustle about in the morning light, the faintest hint of a smile curling his lips.
If one ignored the magical defensive array surrounding the estate, powerful enough to grind an armored division into pulp, the scene would have made the perfect family drama.
He threw back the covers, got out of bed, and shuffled toward the open kitchen in his slippers.
Butter sizzled as it melted in the frying pan, and the browned aroma of fried eggs filled the air. Wanda even hummed an old Sokovian tune, visibly delighted. Three chef's knives floated in midair, controlled by scarlet particles as they sliced tomatoes into thin pieces of precisely equal thickness.
Lynn sat down at the counter, habitually tapping his fingers against the marble surface.
Just then, a lost gray sparrow fluttered down from an oak tree outside the window and landed on the kitchen's outer windowsill. It tilted its head, peering curiously inside.
Almost at that same instant, the singing in the kitchen cut off.
Wanda's chopping stopped abruptly. She did not turn around, but the tenderness in her eyes was instantly replaced by an extreme chill. A wisp of scarlet mist slipped silently through the gap in the window.
Pfft.
An extremely faint, muffled sound.
Before the sparrow could even cry out, it was crushed into a cloud of scarlet blood mist on the windowsill. Then magic erased every last scrap and feather, leaving not even a drop of blood on the glass.
"Too noisy." Wanda turned around and slid the sunny-side-up eggs onto a porcelain plate. The sweetness of her smile sent a chill through the heart. "I don't like anything disturbing our mornings. Not even a bird."
Lynn's eyelid twitched slightly.
This woman's territorial instincts and possessiveness had become utterly pathological. She did not merely want to shut out S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra. She even wanted to clear out every living thing for several kilometers around, just to ensure she would forever be the only one in Lynn's sight.
"Well done. I hate noise too." Lynn's expression did not change. He even reached out to accept the plate she offered, cut off a piece of fried egg with his fork, and put it in his mouth. "It tastes perfect."
Wanda immediately broke into a radiant smile at his praise. Instead of taking a chair, she went straight around the counter and straddled Lynn's lap, wrapping her arms around his neck and resting her chin on his shoulder.
"Lynn." Her voice was so soft it sounded as though she were whispering some kind of curse. "Let's live here forever, all right? No missions, none of those disgusting agents. Just us."
"Of course." Lynn put down his knife and fork and wrapped an arm around her slender waist, gently stroking the skin at her side with his thumb. "This is our world."
The first rule of a master at keeping everyone happy: never try to reason with an obsessive lover when she asks for emotional reassurance. Go along with her. Give her all she needs.
Sure enough, Wanda's body went completely limp, melting like water in Lynn's arms. She closed her eyes and greedily breathed in his scent, as though she wanted to engrave this man into her soul.
For the entire day that followed, Lynn played the perfect "kept captive."
When he sat on the sofa reading, Wanda leaned against his knees and browsed recipes; when he picked out a drink at the liquor cabinet, Wanda's magic prepared the ice before he could. A life of having everything done for him, with a stunning beauty throwing herself into his arms besides, was enough to destroy any man's willpower.
But Lynn's mind was clearer than ever.
Because his back had been aching faintly all day.
It was the [Top-tier Spider-Sense] rewarded by the system, continuously issuing low-frequency warnings.
Holding a glass of bourbon, Lynn swept a seemingly casual gaze over the dense pine woods beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows. He knew that, in a tree two kilometers away, Ghost-Spider in her white suit had been crouching like a statue for over a dozen hours.
Gwen Stacy.
The girl who had fallen completely into darkness in the simulated timeline after he cut the web and fell to his death was staring fixedly at the estate, driven by an obsession that spanned universes.
Lynn could even imagine those bloodshot eyes beneath her mask.
This romantic battlefield is going to kill me. Lynn sighed silently to himself, tipped his head back, and drained the whiskey in his glass. The fiery liquid slid down his throat, leaving his nerves even more taut.
He could not let Wanda discover Gwen's presence, or last night's bare-handed dismantling of a Helicarrier would play out again today on the outskirts of New York. If these two top-tier fighters, both fallen into darkness, fought here without restraint, the whole of New York State would be wiped off the map.
Night fell.
The estate's lawn lights came on one after another, bathing the surroundings in a warm yellow glow.
Dinner was beef braised in red wine, carefully prepared by Wanda. Candlelight flickered, and silver cutlery clinked crisply against bone china plates.
"You looked out the window three more times today than yesterday."
Wanda suddenly stopped cutting her meat. Propping her cheek on one hand, she looked at Lynn across the candlelight, a dangerous dark glint flickering in her scarlet eyes. "Is there something interesting outside? Or... do you think it's too boring here?"
The temperature abruptly dropped several degrees. The wineglasses on the table began to tremble slightly, fine ripples spreading across the wine.
Lynn's hand remained rock-steady as he cut his steak.
He raised his head, his gaze not evasive in the slightest. Instead, it held just the right touch of helpless affection. He speared a piece of beef coated in rich sauce and brought it straight to Wanda's lips.
"I was just looking at those walls you reinforced with magic." Lynn's voice was low and resonant. "I was wondering how much thought my girl put into protecting our home."
Wanda froze for a moment. Those words instantly shattered the violence about to surge in her eyes.
She opened her mouth and bit down on the beef. As she chewed, she kept her eyes fixed on Lynn, an unnatural flush rising in her cheeks.
"As long as it keeps you by my side, I'd be willing to kill everyone outside." Her words were muffled, but her tone was utterly serious.
"I know." Lynn picked up a napkin and gently wiped the sauce from the corner of her mouth. "But tonight, I just want to taste this bottle of red wine you picked."
Dinner ended in a strange atmosphere that mingled horror with tenderness.
Wanda went to the kitchen to clear away the dishes, the running water masking the silence indoors. Holding a cup of coffee, Lynn walked over to the floor-to-ceiling windows.
At that very moment.
The Spider-Sense at the back of his head suddenly erupted in a violent stabbing pain, as though struck by high-voltage electricity!
Lynn's pupils contracted sharply.
The hand holding his coffee cup paused slightly. His gaze passed through the glass, locking onto a particular direction in the darkness.
By the faint glow of the lawn lights, he could clearly see a strand of pure white, incredibly resilient spider silk silently clinging to the ornate railing of the estate's second-floor balcony.
At the other end of the strand, the shadows of the night faintly outlined a slender figure hanging upside down, brimming with murderous intent.
Gwen's patience had run out.
"Darling, would you like sugar in your coffee?" Wanda's cheerful voice came from the kitchen.
Looking at the taut strand of spider silk outside the window, Lynn slowly curled his lips into a dangerous smile.
"No need." He turned around and set his coffee cup on the coffee table, his voice utterly calm. "I think it tastes just right as it is. I'm going out for a smoke."
Before you continue