Marvel's Iron Lady

Chapter 36: Meeting with the Ex-Girlfriend



"In fact, there's an accountant in the group's venture capital company who seems to have uncovered some incriminating evidence," Wesley said.

"We sent people to deal with it, but a certain strange person active in Hell's Kitchen interfered."

"A strange person—what kind of person?" Stark asked, her curiosity piqued as she studied the man in front of her.

"Recently, there's been someone dressed in red fighting crime in Hell's Kitchen," Wesley explained. "He's incredibly strong, and believe it or not, he can even dodge bullets! Can you imagine that? Someone who can dodge bullets!"

Wesley's sudden emotional outburst over this bullet-dodging figure startled even the server in the lobby, who now wore a look of disdain.

Osborn's private hotel rarely hosted anyone who wasn't explicitly invited by Norman Osborn himself, and even though there weren't many guests, the server clearly disliked this loud guest. If not for Norman Osborn's prior instructions to accommodate Stark's visitor, he might have asked Wesley to leave.

"This person has prevented many violent crimes, temporarily calming the situation in Hell's Kitchen," Wesley continued, lowering his voice after noticing the server's reaction. "It's actually been beneficial for us, but we still haven't identified him."

"The rumor is, he goes by some name... something like 'Daredevil,'" Wesley added. "Since he always appears at night, dressed in red with horns on his head, he looks like a devil."

Wesley went on, discussing Daredevil for some time, revealing nearly everything he knew. This, of course, had much to do with Stark's skillful conversational tactics, but it was also because Wesley didn't consider Stark an outsider. After all, he was the one who had first introduced her to Wilson Fisk.

"If you want more details, perhaps you should ask the person who got Fisk sent to prison," Wesley suggested.

"Oh, so you've figured out who sent Fisk to prison? Who is it?" Stark asked eagerly, clearly intrigued by the story.

"It's a lawyer—Matthew Michael Murdock. He's a... a damn shyster," Wesley said through gritted teeth, his anger evident as he spoke the name.

After checking his watch, Wesley gathered his briefcase and stood up. "I'm afraid I have some work to attend to, Miss Stark. I must take my leave."

Stark merely nodded, recognizing that Wesley had no desire to continue the conversation.

A few minutes later, with his things packed, Wesley opened his long-handled umbrella and exited Osborn's private hotel.

"How interesting—Matthew Murdock, Daredevil, huh? And you call him a shyster? Fascinating," Stark murmured, noting Wesley's clear animosity toward Murdock.

She glanced at the lobby clock, seeing it was nearing noon, but the clouds outside showed no sign of breaking.

"Now that Daredevil is in the picture, I wonder... will the Punisher make his appearance soon as well?" Stark mused, recalling a certain individual she had once come across in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s database.

Frank Castle, a former Navy SEAL, had been absorbed into S.H.I.E.L.D. for a time due to certain circumstances. His file included a special note from Nick Fury, rating his combat abilities on par with Captain America. However, following some events, Castle had left S.H.I.E.L.D., though he still maintained some loose connections with the organization.

Meanwhile, though Wesley had left the hotel, he didn't immediately drive away. Instead, he sat in the back of his black Lincoln, eyes fixed on the hotel's glass doors, observing the woman inside.

Wesley had spent considerable time speaking with Stark, and he was keenly aware that there was something unnervingly captivating about her. As Fisk's right-hand man and the second-in-command of the gang, Wesley had interacted with many high-society figures on Fisk's behalf.

Yet, he couldn't shake the strange feeling he got from Stark. She wasn't like anyone he had ever encountered before.

Whenever he was near her, he found himself inexplicably lowering his guard, as if she could see right through him. Secrets seemed to spill out of him unconsciously, even things he hadn't intended to share.

Just moments ago, he had divulged far more about the situation than he had planned. If he hadn't left so quickly, who knows what else he might have said...

At that moment, a sleek silver luxury car pulled into the spot behind Wesley's. The hotel's doorman, apparently recognizing the vehicle, rushed over with an umbrella to greet the person in the back seat.

Wesley's attention was drawn to the new arrival, though the umbrella obscured his view of the person. He watched as the individual entered the hotel and made their way over to where Stark was seated.

It wasn't until this person sat down in the very spot Wesley had just vacated that he realized who it was.

"Norman Osborn? What's he doing here? Isn't he busy with his mayoral campaign?" Wesley muttered to himself, suddenly alarmed by the situation.

Meanwhile, across the river in Brooklyn, Spider-Man was busy dealing with a home invasion.

More specifically, it was a group of heavily armed masked robbers attempting to raid a storefront belonging to Fisk International Financial Group.

Spider-Man also encountered his ex-girlfriend, Mary Jane Watson, a professional reporter now working for the Daily Bugle.

If it hadn't been for a heads-up from Yuri Watanabe, an officer with the NYPD, he might never have known about the incident. Worse still, his ex-girlfriend could have been killed by these masked criminals inside the building, leaving him with lifelong regret.

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