Hearing Maguire's words, Gwen stared at him in shock.
What he had just said struck her deeply.
It was true—her current life wasn't the one she wanted.
Because of her father's special status, many kids had been afraid of her since childhood.
She grew up without friends.
On top of that, her father's expectations weighed on her—pushing her into lessons in etiquette, instruments, academics, all under her parents' arrangements.
But Gwen loathed it all.
As she grew older, George Stacy became an overprotective father, warning off every boy who tried to get close to her.
That constant feeling of her life being controlled filled Gwen with resentment.
And now Maguire felt like someone who truly understood her.
With that thought, any irritation she'd felt toward him completely vanished.
…
Gwen looked at him with soft eyes.
"You really think that way, Maguire?"
Maguire smiled.
"Dinner's just an excuse. I just want to do the things you want to do."
Hearing this, a sweet smile spread across Gwen's face. She replied,
"Then let's go already. I want to ride a rollercoaster. I want to go to a bar…"
The two of them immediately drove off.
At the window, Helen watched her daughter's glowing smile and couldn't help but smile warmly herself.
…
While Maguire was out having fun with Gwen, what were our two Spider-Men—Holland and Garfield—up to?
In a city as chaotic as this one, the police force alone couldn't handle it all.
So our two Spider-Men spent their days either catching criminals, or on their way to catch them.
…
Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.
By now, the entire city knew of the two Spiders.
The people hailed Garfield and Holland as the city's heroes.
Newspapers about Spider-Man spread everywhere.
Of course, the publisher was none other than the *Daily Bugle.*
But most of the articles it ran criticized the actions of the Spider-Men.
…
Inside the Bugle office, a white-haired man puffed on a cigar, glaring at photos of the two masked heroes. His brow was furrowed.
"WTF. Why are these masked freaks adored by so many? A bunch of cowards hiding in masks, thinking they're above the law. Just wait—one day, I'll rip off those ridiculous clown masks."
This man was the head of the *Daily Bugle*—J. Jonah Jameson.
The reason the Bugle constantly published negative articles about the Spiders was simple: Jameson hated them.
His hatred stemmed from tragedy. His wife had died in a terrorist attack—killed by a masked man.
To him, masked vigilantes like the Spiders were nothing but outlaws above the law.
…
Just then, a tall man stepped into the office.
Jameson turned his head, his voice cold.
"You've been briefed on the job, right?"
The man nodded.
"Find out the true identities of the two Spiders."
This man was Mac Gargan, a former private investigator.
Because of Jameson's hatred for the Spiders, he had hired Gargan to uncover who they really were.
…
Jameson nodded at Gargan's answer.
"Good. Since you know the job, get moving. I want their identities within a month."
Gargan nodded again and left.
…
Meanwhile, Bully Maguire was at his villa.
It had been half a month since his day out with Gwen.
Since then, George had grounded her. Thanks to Kingpin, George already had a negative view of Maguire.
Maguire, however, had been busy with his own affairs.
With Dr. Connors nowhere to be found, he had gone into the sewers, finding only traces that someone had lived there—now abandoned.
This puzzled him.
"Could Connors have already left the city? That shouldn't be possible…"
Losing Connors' trail, Maguire turned his eyes toward Harry's father, Norman Osborn.
After all, the Green Goblin was supposed to be a key villain in the story.
But from Harry's words, his father was healthier than ever, everything back to normal.
That left Maguire baffled.
Maybe the timeline hadn't reached the point where Norman became the Goblin yet.
So, Maguire contented himself with beating up small fry on the streets at night.
Every little bit of "Bully Points" added up.
And finally, today, Maguire's Bully Points had once again reached 100.
…
PS: Readers, I'm sure you already know exactly who Gargan is, right?
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