บท 61: Chapter 60: She Looks Like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman
Connery admired the fearlessness of the young Chinese man sitting across from him. After a moment of tense silence, Connery stood up, addressing his bodyguard.
"Lucian, kill him," Connery ordered, his voice steady as he turned to walk away. But after a few steps, he realized something was wrong—Lucian hadn't responded, and the sound of gunfire never came.
Lucian stood frozen in place, literally, his body rigid and covered in ice.
"You see, Mr. Connery, that's what happens when you're impulsive," Ethan Hayes said with a calm smile, sipping his coffee, which had now gone cold.
Connery's heart pounded in fear, his fingers trembling. "Mr. Hayes, are you threatening me?" he stammered, his previous confidence shattered.
Ethan smiled, his cold eyes locking onto Connery.
Without waiting for a response, Connery sat back down, his hands clasped together, fidgeting nervously. "If it's money you want, just say so. I can provide anything you need, and I'll do whatever you ask," he offered, trying to keep his composure.
Connery wasn't a fool—he knew he'd crossed paths with someone dangerous, someone with abilities that terrified him. He had lived through the worst of the Mutant-human conflict, witnessing humanity teeter on the brink of extinction more than once.
"If this gets out, Mr. Connery, your future won't be in luxury—it'll be in a federal prison," Ethan said, his tone steady. "You may think your connections will protect you, that you can use your influence to smooth over the media and legal troubles. But what will happen when you're bogged down with legal battles, and Harry Osborn seizes the opportunity to take everything from you?"
Connery swallowed hard. Ethan's words hit him where it hurt—he knew Harry Osborn would be relentless in his pursuit to control the Osborn Group.
"If you're tangled up in the courts, your shares will be worthless. Harry won't hesitate to use every advantage he has to strip you of your power. And once you're out of Osborn, your so-called influence will vanish. The people backing you will switch sides, favoring Harry."
Connery's nerves tightened as the reality of the situation sank in.
"What do you need me to do?" Connery finally asked, his voice resigned.
Ethan tapped his thigh thoughtfully before answering, "I want the Osborn Group."
Connery jumped to his feet. "That's impossible! The Osborn Group can't fall into your hands. The military won't allow it," he protested. "Osborn has a long-standing relationship with the military. They're about to expand even further into the defense sector, capitalizing on Stark Industries stepping away from weapons manufacturing. If you control Osborn, it will only end up being eliminated by the market."
Connery was a seasoned businessman. He knew the rules of the upper class, particularly how wary the U.S. military was of Chinese ownership.
Ethan shook his head dismissively. "I never said I wanted to compete for Stark's discarded market. I'm only interested in Osborn's future ties to the military. An Osborn Group dependent on military contracts won't have independence. It'll always be at risk of being discarded."
Connery almost laughed at Ethan's naivety. Did this young man have any idea how profitable arms contracts were? Yet, he dared not laugh, not after what happened to Lucian.
Wait—ice powers? Wilson?
A sudden realization hit Connery. Was Ethan the notorious Ice Demon? He had heard of the Ice Demon from the last banquet, though he had wisely chosen not to attend. But now, the demon had come for him.
"You're here for my stake in the company, aren't you?" Connery asked, his voice trembling as the fear returned.
Ethan's smile widened, intrigued. "I'm suddenly more interested in you," he said, noting the shift in Connery's demeanor. The man's terror had revealed the truth.
"You've figured out who I am," Ethan continued, his tone playful yet menacing.
Connery nodded quickly, panic rising in his chest. "Sir, I have no ill intentions toward you. Please, don't kill me."
Ethan chuckled softly. "I'm not going to kill you. In fact, I'm going to give you a good deal."
Connery's eyes widened in surprise. "What kind of deal?"
"You're not going to leave Osborn. I'm going to hand it over to you," Ethan said, leaning back in his chair.
Connery stared at Ethan, dumbfounded. "But… why?"
Ethan smirked. "Because the devil always keeps his promises. You've heard that, right? Deals with the devil are never broken."
Connery blinked, unsure of how to respond. Ethan pushed his coffee cup toward him. "Mr. Connery, your coffee's good. Pour me another cup, will you?"
With shaky hands, Connery refilled Ethan's cup, relieved that the tension had eased—if only for the moment.
As he turned back around to hand Ethan the cup, the seat was empty. Ethan had vanished without a trace.
"Get your contracts ready, Connery," Ethan's voice echoed eerily from nowhere. "You're about to become the president of the Osborn Group. I'll be back to finalize things soon."
Connery stood frozen in place, the coffee cup trembling in his hand. A moment later, his bodyguard Luka rushed in with a group of men in black.
"Sir, are you alright?"
Connery took a sip of his coffee to calm his nerves. "He's gone."
Glancing at Lucian's frozen body, Connery spoke calmly. "Luka, take care of Lucian's body."
Luka stared at the ice sculpture that had once been Lucian, horrified.
"Everything that happened here stays between us. Not a word about Dr. Connors," Connery ordered, already thinking of the next steps.
Connery knew he couldn't escape the Ice Demon, but he needed to assess the threat carefully. The military had surely conducted their own research on this powerful figure. Connery needed to figure out how best to navigate his precarious position.
Later, Ethan walked into Wells Fargo, where Mr. Smith, a senior executive, was waiting for him.
"Mr. Hayes, welcome back," Smith greeted him warmly, well aware of the immense wealth Ethan now controlled. He knew that this high school student was not just rich but held significant shares in Stark Industries and sat on billions of dollars in liquid assets.
As Ethan shook Smith's hand, Smith couldn't help but feel a bit flustered. The rumors about Ethan's supernatural abilities were starting to spread, and Smith had his own suspicions.
"Mr. Smith, I'm here because I need your help with a stock purchase," Ethan said, getting straight to the point.
Smith leaned forward attentively. "What do you need?"
"I'm acquiring shares of the Osborn Group. I'll need a loan to buy out some of the Wall Street institutions holding Osborn stock," Ethan explained.
Smith's eyes lit up. The Osborn Group, despite its recent troubles, was still one of New York's most prestigious companies. Ethan taking control of it would change everything.
"Consider it done, Mr. Hayes. We'll arrange the acquisition for you."
"In addition, I've secured shares from Mr. Connery of Osborn. I'll need you to handle the transaction," Ethan added.
Smith smiled widely. "Of course. We'll manage everything, and when your offshore company is established, we'll transfer the shares there."
Ethan nodded. "I trust you to handle this efficiently, Mr. Smith."
As they shook hands again, Smith beamed. "A pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Hayes."
After leaving the bank, Ethan received a call from Julia, the real estate agent.
"Mr. Hayes, I've found several properties for you to view. Do you have time to take a look?" Julia's sultry voice purred over the phone.
Ethan smiled. "I'm in Manhattan. Let's meet."
Soon after, Julia pulled up in her luxury car, ready to show Ethan the latest properties.
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