Ethan Blake didn't give Norman Osborn a third option.
Faced with the ultimatum, Norman Osborn could only grit his teeth and agree. Reluctance burned in his chest, but in the end, survival mattered more than pride or corporate assets. No matter how valuable the research center was, it meant nothing if he didn't live long enough to use it.
So he nodded.
Ethan left Osborn Industries feeling extremely satisfied with the outcome.
Norman Osborn, however, was left staring at an enormous headache.
Although he was the founder and largest shareholder of Osborn Industries, the company itself was publicly traded. That meant it didn't belong solely to him. Separating the Biological and Life Sciences Research Center from the corporation would require complicated restructuring and significant financial sacrifice.
Norman Osborn would almost certainly have to pay a painful price to make it happen.
But none of that concerned Ethan.
Walking out of the towering Osborn Building, his thoughts shifted to something else entirely—how much his recent actions had already begun to alter the timeline of this world.
First, Wanda and Pietro had been taken in by him, and the Mind Stone had ended up in his possession. That alone meant Tony Stark would never create Ultron.
Which effectively erased the entire Avengers: Age of Ultron storyline.
Then there was Alexander Pierce.
Although Ethan had killed him, plenty of HYDRA agents still remained buried inside S.H.I.E.L.D. Nick Fury clearly had no intention of abandoning the organization and starting over from scratch. Sooner or later, that hidden infestation would erupt into chaos.
Ethan just didn't know whether the original Insight Project would still happen.
After all, that operation had been orchestrated by Pierce himself. Nick Fury wasn't stupid. If he investigated the project thoroughly, he would probably discover the problems buried inside it.
Still, HYDRA's future activities didn't really concern Ethan anymore.
His perspective had already changed.
At his current level of power, only beings like Odin, the Ancient One, or Thanos were worth serious attention. Even Thor, in his current state, didn't quite qualify yet.
Meanwhile, Aldrich Killian had become his loyal subordinate, meaning the entire Iron Man 3 storyline would likely never happen.
Thinking about that movie reminded Ethan of something.
Tony Stark had suffered severe anxiety after the Battle of New York. The experience of facing alien invaders had shaken him deeply, leaving him unable to sleep and constantly afraid that Earth would be attacked again.
Originally, that anxiety had eventually faded after the Killian incident.
But now that Killian was working for Ethan, that chain of events wouldn't happen.
Could Tony still be suffering from those psychological problems?
After thinking about it for a moment, Ethan decided to check on him personally.
If necessary, he could simply cast a few cheering charms to stabilize Tony's emotions. And if magic didn't work…
Well, Ethan had other methods.
A flash of teleportation later, Ethan appeared directly inside Tony Stark's seaside villa in Malibu.
Tony and Pepper Potts were sitting together on the couch, talking quietly. Neither of them noticed Ethan's sudden arrival.
Thanks to his extremely high authorization level within the system, J.A.R.V.I.S didn't issue any warning either.
For a few seconds, Ethan simply stood there watching.
Then he sighed.
"Seriously…"
Tony and Pepper both jumped in surprise and turned toward the voice.
The moment Tony recognized Ethan, he immediately started complaining.
"Damn it, Ethan!" Tony said. "Next time you decide to appear in my house, how about giving me a heads-up first? What if Pepper and I were in the middle of something—"
"Tony!"
Pepper's face turned red as she cut him off sharply.
She stood up quickly and gave Ethan an apologetic smile.
"You two talk first," she said. "I'll go get something for you to eat, Ethan."
"Thanks, Pepper," Ethan replied politely.
"It's no trouble," she said with a warm laugh.
"Can you bring me a cheeseburger?" Tony suddenly called out.
Pepper completely ignored him and walked away.
Tony watched her leave and shrugged helplessly before turning back toward Ethan.
"So," Tony said, leaning against the couch. "What brings you here this late?"
Ethan studied Tony carefully.
The man didn't look anxious at all. His posture was relaxed, his tone casual. Could he be hiding it?
That was possible.
If Ethan asked directly, Tony would almost certainly deny it out of stubborn pride.
After thinking for a moment, Ethan chose a more indirect approach.
"Tony," he said slowly, "have you been troubled by anything lately? If something's bothering you, you can tell me. Maybe I can help."
Tony blinked in surprise.
"How did you know?" he asked suspiciously. "Don't tell me you predicted it again."
That reaction caught Ethan off guard.
Tony Stark admitting a problem so easily didn't match his usual personality.
Tony leaned back on the couch and rubbed his face.
"I honestly don't know what's going on," he said. "I haven't been sleeping well for the past few days. I'm starting to think I might have some kind of anxiety disorder."
Ethan stepped forward and patted him on the shoulder.
"Relax," he said reassuringly. "It's not really your responsibility anyway. If you want, I can cast a cheering charm to help stabilize your mood."
"You can do that kind of spell?" Tony asked immediately. "Do it. Wait—what do you mean it's not my responsibility? And don't tell me this has something to do with Pepper."
Tony suddenly narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
"You like Pepper too, don't you?"
Ethan blinked in confusion.
"What does Pepper have to do with this?"
"If it's not about Pepper, then it must be about you," Tony said. "Look, we're good friends, but I'm not gay. I can't get engaged to you."
"Engaged?" Ethan asked, completely thrown off. "You and Pepper are getting engaged?"
When did that happen?
Tony nodded matter-of-factly.
"Of course," he said. "For the past two years, the only woman I've been with is Pepper."
Then he frowned slightly.
"Actually, now that I think about it… something feels weird about you today."
Ethan decided subtlety wasn't working.
"Tony," he said directly, "how do you feel about the Chitauri invasion?"
Tony thought about it for a moment.
"Honestly?" he said. "The aliens were kind of underwhelming. A little weak, actually."
Ethan stared at him.
Was that really something a human from Earth should say?
Shouldn't Tony be lying awake every night in terror about another alien invasion?
Instead he sounded… confident.
"Aren't you worried they might attack Earth again?" Ethan asked.
Tony shrugged.
"Why would I worry?" he said. "We've got you."
Ethan opened his mouth to respond, then closed it again.
Apparently the problem really was him.
Tony suddenly clapped his hands together.
"Forget the alien stuff," he said. "Help me figure out how I should propose to Pepper."
Ethan stared at him.
So he'd been worrying about Tony's mental health for nothing.
"Why not hold a press conference?" Ethan suggested casually. "Then propose to Pepper in front of the whole world."
Tony's eyes immediately lit up.
"That's perfect!" he said excitedly. "It's dramatic, it's high-profile, it's exactly my style."
He jumped to his feet.
"I'll have Happy start preparing tomorrow," Tony continued, pacing around the room. "And then I'll surprise Pepper. When I propose, I'll say—"
Ethan raised a hand to interrupt him.
"Before you do that," Ethan said, pointing toward Tony's chest, "are you really planning to marry Pepper while still carrying that thing?"
Tony looked down at the arc reactor embedded in his chest.
He sighed helplessly.
"I've consulted a lot of hospitals," he explained. "None of the doctors are confident enough to remove the shrapnel safely. There was one surgeon named Stephen Strange who claimed he had a ninety-nine-point-eight percent success rate, but the guy is way too arrogant. I don't like him."
Then Tony suddenly looked at Ethan with hope.
"Ethan," he said, "do you have some kind of magic that can remove the shrapnel?"
Ethan rolled his eyes.
Why would anyone invent a spell specifically for removing metal fragments from someone's chest?
"Magic won't help," he said. "But I do have another method."
He paused slightly.
"It's going to hurt a little, though."
"Do you want me to treat you first?"
....
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