One hour later.
Peter stood beneath the towering Stark Tower, head tilted back, mouth agape.
My God, this building is absolutely magnificent.
The exterior walls gleamed with technological brilliance in the sunlight, and the people coming and going through the main gate were all elites.
Peter looked down at his shirt and jeans and immediately felt out of place.
But he had no choice but to bite the bullet and walk into the hall.
The sheer luxury inside the hall dazzled him.
Holographic projections displayed Stark Industries ' latest technology in mid-air, while the ground was so smooth that one could see their reflection in it.
Peter looked around like a country bumpkin.
" Mr. Parker, this way. Your elevator is ready."
Just then, a sweet-looking receptionist walked up to him with a smile and gestured for him to enter.
Peter was flattered and thanked him repeatedly before quickly stepping into the elevator.
The elevator ascended at an astonishing speed, taking us directly to the top floor of the building.
"Bite."
The elevator doors opened.
Peter had just stepped outside when he was stunned by what he saw.
In the hallway outside the office, there were several piles of paper documents as high as small mountains.
Amidst these piles of documents stood two women who instantly made Peter blush and his heart race.
Jessica is on the left.
Today she was still wearing a black lace-trimmed bodycon skirt.
At that moment, she angrily packed the documents into different boxes.
On the right is Natasha, a new employee, who is currently scanning yellowed documents with a scanner.
Are these two beautiful women just used for these tedious administrative tasks?
Peter swallowed hard, too embarrassed to even glance at them, and could only lower his head and walk quickly toward the office door.
At this moment.
Jessica and Natasha are engaged in a silent battle.
" Miss Natalie, could you scan any faster? The boss wants us to find all the expense reports for coffee and donuts from 2001 to 2005 by noon."
Jessica slammed a stack of documents on the table and spoke sarcastically.
"Didn't you say you had extensive administrative experience? Why are you so slow?"
Natasha smiled, but her eyes were cold.
" Assistant Jones, slow and steady wins the race. After all, this is a core secret of Stark Industries. If even one invoice is missed, the boss will be furious."
Natasha deliberately emphasized the words "core secret," as if she were testing the waters.
"But honestly, don't you think it's strange that the boss would assign two senior assistants to sort through this meaningless scrap of paper?"
Jessica sneered inwardly.
Strange? What's so strange about that?
She knew perfectly well that Luca, that scumbag, was deliberately tormenting them.
"The boss has his reasons for making those arrangements."
"If you feel this job is unfair to you, you're free to quit at any time. After all, Stark Industries doesn't tolerate complaining employees."
The two female agents, each with their own ulterior motives, probed each other, neither willing to yield in terms of momentum.
But they all knew very well that they absolutely could not leave at this time.
Inside the office.
Luca and Tony sat leisurely on the sofa, each holding a glass of red wine.
On the screen in front of them, footage of Jessica and Natasha competing against each other was playing.
After watching for a while, Tony pursed his lips.
"Having two secret agents sort through coffee expense reports from ten years ago. You can't even see something like this if you pay for a movie ticket."
"That's called making the most of resources, Tony. Since they want to see classified information, I'll show them the most crucial secrets."
Tony rolled his eyes, speechless at Luca's perverse sense of humor.
"You're a capitalist with no bottom line. I'm starting to feel sorry for them."
Just as the two brothers were arguing with each other...
"Sir, Peter Parker is outside the door," JARVIS's voice rang out.
"Let him in," Luca said.
The office door opened, Peter walked in awkwardly.
"Good morning, Mr. Stark, Mr. Luca."
Peter gripped his backpack strap tightly, so nervous he didn't know where to look.
"Please sit wherever you like, Peter."
Luca pointed to the sofa opposite him and looked Peter up and down with a smile.
"Look at your expression, what's wrong? Didn't you get a kiss from a beauty after saving the world?"
Peter's face turned red to the roots of his neck after being hit where it hurt.
He sat dejectedly on the sofa and sighed deeply.
"Don't even mention it, Mr. Luca. I messed it up."
Peter recounted his encounter with the Green Goblin the previous night, as well as how he managed to get Mary Jane home for dinner.
"Then this morning I went to apologize, but she wouldn't even open the door for me and just told me to get out."
Peter scratched his head in distress.
"Following Pietro's instructions, I tried to rush in and give her a domineering hug, telling her that I was there for her and she had nothing to fear. Instead, she called me a complete idiot through the door."
Upon hearing this...
Luca and Tony exchanged a glance.
Then, the two brothers covered their faces simultaneously and let out a merciless laugh.
"Ha ha ha ha!"
Tony laughed so hard he almost spilled his red wine.
"Go home for dinner? My God, Peter, is your brain filled with spider webs? Even an eighty-year-old wouldn't say something like that!"
Luca just shook his head and laughed.
" Pietro teaches you how to give a domineering hug? Please, that guy's a virgin who's never even held a girl's hand. You actually ask a virgin for advice on dating? You're something else."
Peter blushed deeply at the laughter and lowered his head in embarrassment.
"What should I do? I really don't want to lose her. But I can't tell her I'm Spider-Man, that's too dangerous."
Seeing Peter's pitiful appearance...
Luca was also somewhat speechless.
So he stopped smiling and sat up straight.
"Listen, Peter. This is a technique passed down through the Stark Family, and I'll only teach it to you once."
Luca held up one finger, his tone becoming very serious.
Girls don't need to be reasoned with, much less told that it's for their own good. What they need is emotional support!
"Letting her run home alone when there's danger is called shirking responsibility."
"What you should do is take her hand and run with her, lead her to a safe corner, then look deeply into her eyes and tell her: As long as I'm here, I won't let anyone hurt you."
Luca spread his hands, looking completely at ease.
"Even if you're about to change into your battle suit to fight the villain, you still need to make her feel safe and secure first, understand?"
Tony nodded solemnly to the side and added.
"That's right, kid."
"Then you need to learn to play hard to get. Since she doesn't want to talk to you now, don't pester her. Create some mystery."
"For example, occasionally appear outside her balcony, leave a flower, but never let her see your face. Women are powerless against mystery."
Peter was stunned. He quickly took out a small notebook from his bag and carefully wrote it down.
"Emotional value... playing hard to get... creating mystery."
Peter nodded as he wrote, as if a new world had opened up for him.
"I see! Thank you! I'll go back and try it right away!"