Manhattan, Lower East Side.
In a high-rise building adjacent to the original Aurantius Company headquarters.
It had been purchased by Luca and renamed the Aurantius Tower.
Don't let the name "Lower East Side" fool you. In Manhattan, no district is truly "poor." Even Hell's Kitchen is just chaotic, not economically destitute.
In the hyper-capitalist jungle of New York, poverty is a personal failing, not a regional one.
In fact, recently, property prices in the Lower East Side had spiked. Why? Because the Upper East Side and Midtown—where Stark Tower stood—had been invaded by aliens twice. People were moving south to avoid the next Chitauri raid.
Luca bought this building for a song because it was originally a Stark Industries asset. Tony, having already invested heavily in the Aurantius Group, sold it to Luca at cost.
Sure, Aurantius Group was now saddled with a massive loan. But given their projected growth, banks were practically begging Luca to borrow more.
Today was the ribbon-cutting ceremony for Aurantius Materials Technology.
The ceremony was over, and the guests were now mingling at the cocktail party, networking and drinking.
Luca, the star of the show and host of the party, should have been surrounded by sycophants.
Instead, he was leaning casually against the bar, swirling a glass, watching the crowd with bored amusement.
"Hey, brat. Aren't you a little young to be drinking? School night and all that."
Luca didn't need to turn around. The arrogant, punchable voice could only belong to one person.
"It's Sprite. I have no interest in alcohol," Luca replied, downing the soda in one gulp.
He turned to look at Tony Stark with a teasing glint in his eye.
"So? I saw you chatting up that blonde beauty earlier. Thought things were going well. Why are you bothering me?"
Hearing this, Tony looked like he had swallowed a lemon.
"You knew, didn't you? You knew that was Hammer's daughter! You just wanted to see me make a fool of myself!"
Yes. The woman Tony had been flirting with was Justine Hammer, the current CEO of Hammer Industries.
Hammer Industries was a shareholder in Aurantius Industries (a legacy from Luca's father), so Luca had to invite her.
Tony, who hadn't paid attention to industry news in months, had unknowingly hit on his rival's daughter. Justine had apparently toyed with him before revealing her identity, sending Tony fleeing in embarrassment.
"Don't blame me," Luca laughed. "You're the one who walked into the trap."
Most guests here didn't truly understand the value of Aurantius Materials. They just saw Stark's investment and followed the money.
Tony, however, wasn't here for business. He switched back to his playboy persona, nodding toward the center of the room.
There, a woman in a floral dress was effortlessly charming a circle of investors. She was handling the room like a pro.
"Forget about me. Where did you find that secretary? She's gorgeous and sharp. I've never heard of her before."
Luca glanced at the woman. His expression became unreadable for a split second.
"Just a hire. Unlike you, I don't have a Pepper Potts to run my life. I needed someone to handle the admin work so I can focus on research."
Luca had asked Shamila to find him a capable secretary. The company was expanding too fast, and he needed help.
This woman, Raina Peterson, was the best candidate from the pile.
She was incredibly efficient. Everything Luca threw at her, she handled perfectly.
But there was something about her... something familiar about that floral dress.
Luca couldn't place it, and since he needed the help, he didn't dwell on it.
Just as Luca and Tony were debating the finer points of clean energy vs. dinosaur extinction, they were interrupted.
Norman Osborn, who had been staring at Luca all night, finally made his move.
"Mr. Aurantius. I believe we have unfinished business to discuss. Regarding your previous proposal."
Norman glanced pointedly at Tony, clearly wanting privacy.
Tony, annoyed at being ignored, rolled his eyes. But he knew this was business, so he didn't make a scene. He just stubbornly stayed put on his barstool, sipping his drink.
Luca smiled at Tony's childishness, then stood up.
"Let's talk in my office, Mr. Osborn."
---
Luca's Office.
They had barely sat down when Norman Osborn dropped his pretense.
"Name your price. I want the formula and your preliminary research data. I'll let you keep the patent rights and future profits. Once the drug is developed, I promise to supply your mother, Gina, with the medication for free, prioritizing her treatment."
"You must realize," Norman continued, his voice tight, "With your makeshift lab, developing this drug will take years. We don't have that kind of time."
He was desperate. And he assumed Luca was stuck in development hell.
Luca sat behind his desk, unhurried. He opened a drawer and rummaged through it.
"Mr. Osborn, you seem to know a lot about my situation. Coincidentally, I've looked into yours as well."
"Your wife's genetic condition mimics Synaptic Cocooning Syndrome. The base proteins are synthesizing and encasing her nervous system."
"There are two paths: gene therapy to cure the root cause, or targeted drug therapy to dissolve the protein buildup periodically. Correct?"
Norman frowned. He had prepared for Luca to haggle, but not for this level of detailed knowledge about his wife's private medical file.
Luca finally pulled a file folder from the drawer and tossed it onto the desk.
It slid across the mahogany surface and stopped right in front of Norman.
Luca leaned back, a mysterious smile playing on his lips.
"However, Mr. Osborn, your intel is outdated."
"The targeted drug you want? I've already finished developing it."
"So... I think we should discuss a different kind of partnership."