A drizzle fell from the overcast sky like countless silver threads. Luxury cars lined the road outside the cemetery, and every face was solemn, marked by grief and mourning.
This was the famous Trinity Church, located at the intersection of Broadway and Wall Street in Manhattan. Norman Osborn, who had enjoyed immense prominence in life, was being laid to rest here.
The successful man who had built a vast business empire now lay quietly in a cold coffin. A solemn priest stood before the gravestone, recounting Norman Osborn's glorious past and illustrious achievements to the gathered mourners. Meanwhile, Harry Osborn, the new heir to Osborn Industries, wore an expression of sorrow. Though his relationship with his father had been distant, he still felt unbearable grief now that his only remaining family member had truly left this world.
"Harry... you need to stay strong. Uncle Norman wouldn't want to see you like this either..." Mary Jane, her red hair vivid even in the rain, gently comforted her boyfriend. Peter, watching from a short distance away, could not help lowering his head with a sigh.
The inexperienced Spider-Man had no idea what had happened that night. The Green Goblin had beaten him unconscious, and when he woke up, all he found was a charred corpse. Peter had never imagined that the man beneath the Green Goblin's mask would be Harry's father—the Uncle Norman he had respected.
In the end, Peter decided to conceal that cruel truth. Harry was already suffering from the loss of his family. If he learned that his father, so respected by outsiders, had actually been the ruthless, bloodthirsty Green Goblin, it was impossible to imagine what the consequences would be.
As for him and Mary Jane...
Peter glanced at the red-haired figure standing beside Harry, then walked forlornly into the curtain of rain. His many battles with the Green Goblin had helped the inexperienced Spider-Man mature greatly. He understood that as long as he still wore Spider-Man's suit, he could never truly be with Mary Jane. Besides, he was not the one who needed her most right now.
"Peter, where are you going?" Sean, holding a black umbrella, called out to Peter as he turned to leave.
Seeing Sean arrive with Gwen, Peter forced a smile. "I have something to take care of. I need to leave for a while."
Watching the lonely figure hurry away, Gwen looked up at Sean and asked, "What exactly is going on with Peter, Mary Jane, and Harry?"
Sean held the black umbrella and shrugged helplessly, indicating that he did not know either. Watching Spider-Man and his best friend get tangled in a complicated love triangle felt strange, like watching a melodramatic soap opera play out in real life.
Gwen did not press further. She walked into the cemetery close beside Sean. She wore a dignified black dress today, with light makeup and her long blonde hair pinned up behind her head. She no longer looked as youthful and pretty as usual; instead, she carried a touch of mature elegance.
By the time the mass and communion gathering after the funeral had ended, it was nearly evening. After seeing off all the guests, Harry entered the living room with a trace of apology on his young, handsome face.
"Sorry, Sean. I didn't expect to be busy until now. I made you wait all afternoon."
Harry apologized to his friend as soon as he spoke. He had been run ragged all day, dealing with the company's shareholders and sorting through the personal connections his father had built while alive. The pile of trivial matters had left Young Master Osborn without even enough time to take a sip of water.
"I'm sorry about your father..." Sean leaned back on the sofa and took a light sip of rich black coffee. "You don't need to apologize to me, Harry. You have a lot waiting to be dealt with, both in the company and in your own life... I understand how it feels. When the family you can rely on suddenly leaves, and you have to face the whole world alone, it hurts..."
Harry's eyes reddened slightly. Of course, he knew about Sean's difficult past. Sean had lost his parents at a young age, and later even his only uncle had passed away, leaving him to live alone.
"Thank you for comforting me. I'm grateful that you can say these things to me at a time like this... It makes me feel a little better. At least I'm not as heartbroken as before." Harry, gradually shedding his former frivolity, patted his friend on the shoulder. He was trying to learn how to become a qualified leader of the company, no longer blindly indulging in pleasure as he had in the past.
"Taking the first step is always the hardest. I've heard about Osborn Industries' current situation. The shareholders don't think highly of you. They all want to jump ship from Osborn Industries, and take a handsome payout with them... They're nothing but vampires. All they care about is making more profit. They couldn't care less whether anyone else lives or dies."
Sean set down his cup and looked at Harry with bright eyes. It was as though a flame burned in his deep gaze. This was the first step he was formally taking—using Osborn Industries as a vast stage to accomplish his goals!
"I never knew you understood Osborn Industries too..." Harry seemed startled by his friend's sudden change.
He suddenly found Sean, sitting across from him, somewhat unfamiliar. Sean sat upright, still wearing a faint smile, yet he possessed a powerful aura similar to his father's. For a moment, Harry almost doubted his own eyes.
"These kinds of stories are in the newspapers every day. Everyone is predicting the downfall of Osborn Industries, believing that this massive business empire will collapse with your father's departure."
Sean tried to slowly stir Harry's emotions. He understood Young Master Osborn very well. Unlike his father, who was sinister, cunning, and highly capable, Harry was merely a rather kind-hearted rich kid. He had all the strengths and flaws of youth: passionate toward friends, fond of chasing beautiful girls, enjoying a comfortable life, and lacking the drive to work hard and improve himself.
Compared to Norman, who had built Osborn Industries from scratch, Harry was undoubtedly the more suitable partner.
"I'll convince those shareholders. Osborn Industries won't go bankrupt! I'll definitely make it through this crisis!" The young man's blood surged as Harry spoke boldly, but inwardly, he had no confidence at all.
Of course, he understood how dire Osborn Industries' situation had become. They had failed to obtain Department of Defense procurement qualifications, and the massive early investment had all gone down the drain. On top of that, the fallout from the Green Goblin incident had ruined the company's reputation. With its cash flow broken and internal divisions widening, Osborn Industries had reached the edge of a cliff and could be shattered at any moment.
Meeting Sean's deep eyes, which seemed to see through everything, made Harry feel increasingly guilty. He was only a young man who had hastily taken over the family business. He had not received even the slightest systematic training or business education, yet he was suddenly expected to take over a massive commercial empire spanning military manufacturing, medicine, energy, and other fields. It was inevitable that he would feel lost—and there was not a single person inside the company he could truly trust.
"If you want to overcome this crisis, the most important thing is to make up for Osborn Industries' enormous losses in military manufacturing and let those shareholders see hope and prospects again. Put simply, you need a powerful new product—the kind that can bring enormous profits as soon as it hits the market!"
Sean held the bargaining chip he had prepared. Perhaps Harry would initially doubt his motives, but if he wanted to save Osborn Industries, he had no choice but to cooperate with Sean.
Besides, he was not deceiving this pitiful child who had just lost his father. Sean needed a stage on which to display his abilities, while Harry needed to stabilize Osborn Industries' crisis. Both sides would benefit from their partnership.
It was a win-win situation. Why not?
"What exactly are you trying to say?" Harry looked at Sean, who had controlled the conversation from the beginning. Could his friend really help Osborn Industries overcome this crisis?
"Harry, Dr. Connors and I recently made a new research breakthrough for treating Alzheimer's disease. We conducted the most preliminary live-subject experiments, and the results proved to be very good." Sean sat on the sofa and cast out the bait he had prepared long ago. "If you're interested, you can visit the laboratory. I injected a chimpanzee named 'Caesar' with ALZ-112—it quickly completed the Tower of Hanoi in only twenty moves. The perfect solution takes fifteen."
"Harry, it's time for Osborn Industries to abandon military manufacturing. You're not Tony Stark. You can't make Department of Defense officials obediently hand you endless orders. The medical industry offers far greater profits, with immense potential and prospects. Once the new drug passes the FDA review—Osborn Industries should certainly be able to speed up that process—money will come pouring into our pockets."
Hearing the future Sean described, Harry was undoubtedly tempted. In truth, apart from trusting his friend, he had no other choice. Osborn Industries was on the verge of collapse. If they could not come up with a solution, his father's life's work might be reduced to nothing.
Harry could never tolerate that. He had to save Osborn Industries!
"I need the research data and results..." Harry let out a heavy breath and slumped onto the sofa as though all his strength had drained away.
"You'll see them tomorrow!" Sean stood up and gazed at the conflicted Harry with a smile. "You won't regret this decision, Harry. The future belongs to you and me!"
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