"Felicia!" Seeing her walk in, Harry stood up from his chair, his voice slightly breaking.
"Yes, Mr. Osborn." Felicia smiled as she handed him a document. It was the first time she had called him by his surname so gently.
"Ahem, why are you here?" Harry coughed lightly, taking the papers before sitting back down.
"Of course I'm here to work," Felicia said, raising an eyebrow.
"Then..." Harry hesitated. He knew he couldn't keep avoiding this—he did have feelings for Felicia. Gathering his courage, he raised his head and asked, "Are you still planning to leave?"
"Of course not. Getting into a major company like Oscorp isn't easy—and besides, I've got such a great boss now," Felicia said with a teasing smile.
Hearing that, Harry looked back at her and smiled as well. The mood between them grew warm, perhaps too warm—enough to make Max feel awkward.
"Harry, I'll get back to work first," Max said, turning to leave.
"Stop! You can't go in there! Stop!" Suddenly, the sound of hurried footsteps and a panicked shout came from outside.
Harry frowned, glancing toward the door. Three people in military uniforms—two men and a woman—were pushing past security, followed by a nervous guard who was supposed to be manning the monitoring room.
"What's going on?" Harry asked the guard, not even looking at the soldiers.
"Mr. Osborn, I—" the security guard started to explain, but before he could finish, the white-haired man in the lead spoke up.
"I'm General Ross. We're with the military," the old soldier said sharply, cutting the guard off. His eyes flicked briefly toward Max.
"Military?" Harry's frown deepened. He turned his gaze toward the general. "I don't recall Oscorp having any ongoing dealings with the military, General."
"Of course." The gray-haired Ross met his eyes, his tone firm. "Norman may be gone, but our cooperation is a matter of record."
His expression hardened, voice rising with frustration. "The Super Soldier project has always been my dream. Your father succeeded—but then he betrayed me! He broke our agreement! He was a disgraceful scientist!"
"So?" Harry said flatly.
"What?" General Ross froze, not expecting such a cold reaction.
"I said, so what? You never came after him before, which tells me you had no legal claim to what you wanted. Now that Norman's dead, I'm in charge. If you're not here to bully a young successor, then clearly you need something. Let's talk." Harry leaned back into his chair, a faint smile curling his lips. "So, General—what category do you fall into?"
Ross's expression shifted; then he let out a short, amused laugh. Behind his back, his fists tightened. He had underestimated the boy—Harry wasn't naive; he was cunning.
"I'm in the second category," Ross said finally. "Your father and I were partners for years. We only parted ways because of... disagreements." He took off his cap, sat across from Harry, and added, "I'm here today to borrow something."
"What?" Harry asked, though he already had a good guess.
"Armor suits and flying gliders," Ross said bluntly.
"Impossible!" Harry snapped, playing his part convincingly. "Those are proprietary Oscorp technologies—top secrets. They won't be handed over to anyone, under any circumstances."
Ross studied him for a moment, then exhaled. He had expected as much.
"In that case," he said calmly, "perhaps we can cooperate instead—on developing new armor. And I'll make sure you're well compensated."
He gestured behind him. The female officer immediately stepped forward and handed him a document.
"Take a look. I'm sure you'll find it... satisfactory," Ross said, smiling confidently as he passed the file to Harry.
Harry flipped it open, his expression shifting slightly as he looked at the contents.
"You want to give him to me?" Harry said in disbelief. He didn't think Ross would be so generous.
Ross chuckled. "Oh, no. Not him. The reward I'm offering is just... a little bit of his blood."
"All right," Harry said after a pause. Though slightly disappointed, he was still more than satisfied with the deal.
"Then we'll be in touch," Ross said, putting his cap back on and rising to his feet.
Harry didn't respond, his eyes fixed on the image in the document—the massive green figure known as the Hulk.
...
Inside a military Humvee.
"General, I don't understand why you backed down. Why didn't you seize the armor and the gliders when you had the chance?" the shorter officer, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up.
"Watch your tone, Major," Ross snapped, his brow furrowing.
"Oscorp focuses on pharmaceuticals," Ross continued after a pause, "and its public influence is massive. Even after the Lizard incident damaged its reputation, Harry Osborn's corrective actions restored the company's image. Listen to what people are saying now—Harry's seen as a capable leader. Oscorp's influence is stronger than ever. And a company worth over two hundred billion dollars? Even government agencies have to think twice before making a move against that kind of power."
He shot the short officer a cold glance. "So, Emil, drop those foolish ideas."
"Yes, General," the man—Emil Blonsky—answered quickly.
...
"Take a look," Harry said, placing the documents on his desk in front of Felicia and Max.
"This is—" Felicia picked it up, flipping through it.
"Unbelievable," Max muttered.
"Indeed," Felicia nodded, eyes narrowing. "They want you to deal with this giant?"
"Yes," Harry said simply.
"This will be... quite an experience," he added with a small smile.
Felicia gave him a sharp look. "Don't get cocky. Promise me you'll be careful."
"I'll be fine," Harry reassured her, smiling softly.
"I hope so," Felicia said, folding her arms.
"Oh, Harry, I've got some things to take care of. I'll get back to work," Max said, quickly turning away as he noticed the tension between the two.
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