Andrew suddenly thought of his mother; of course, his mother didn't have any assets either.
But if his mother had been wealthy, he would have devoted himself to taking care of her, only for her to leave him nothing but a meager living allowance before her death, leaving everything else to that cold and selfish father who had never cared for the family and had never cared for him..
What would happen to him?
Andrew thought that he would surely go crazy with rage.
He would insist that those things rightfully belonged to him.
He will resort to any means necessary to take everything back in revenge.
At this moment, Andrew could barely help himself from speaking up, wanting to tell Finn—that he understood him, that he could help him.
He has superpowers, even if Finn asks him to use them to do something disgraceful..
—What does that matter?
He was already used to living in the shadows; his life never required any glory.
Just as Andrew was about to impulsively blurt out the secret of his superpowers, Finn suddenly pulled something out of his pocket. "I have an appointment with Anthony at the venue tomorrow. Find some time in the morning to give this to Harry."
"What is this?" Andrew asked instinctively, before realizing a moment later that, given his identity, he shouldn't be asking so many questions.
A video of me conspiring with those shareholders, of course, also the secrets those shareholders don't want anyone to know." Finn gave a cold laugh. "They want to use me to take down Harry, the focus is, of course, on using me. I'm not that stupid. I know that even if the plan is implemented, they will burn their bridges once they've crossed them. They're just a bunch of ungrateful parasites who only know how to gnaw on the corporation.
At least they are diligent, working overtime even on weekends to handle their work.
Finn sighed inwardly.
[Unlike me, a mere parasite.]
The press conference is the day after tomorrow. If I follow their plan, when the scandals regarding the Osborn Group are exposed and the Osborn stock price plummets, it will also damage my own interests." Finn continued to reveal his plans to deal with Harry to Andrew, his tone carrying a hint of deliberate ambition. "I naturally have my own ways of dealing with Harry; I don't need them. If I am to compete with Harry for the Osborn Group, it must be an Osborn Group that brings me the greatest benefits. It is the perfect time to use Harry's own hands to settle these troubles.
Finn had already mastered this state of being [completely incompetent, yet able to speak with such grandiosity], he was becoming even more adept at it. Finn increasingly felt that if he could find an opportunity to increase the contact between Andrew and Harry, Andrew would have a great chance of becoming a little spy for him against Harry.
Then, at the critical moment, he turned toward the light, defying expectations and rising to the pinnacle of his life.
Just then, Noah, Elias, Peter happened to arrive at the same time.
Andrew immediately hid the thing Finn had given him in his pocket.
“What are you discussing?” Noah Hart asked, his eyes immediately landing on the magazine Andrew Damon was still clutching in his hand, recognizing it at a glance. "A magazine about Harry Osborn?"
Finn looked up and replied casually, "What else is there to talk about? Naturally, it's badmouthing him."
"Tell me about it too," Noah said with a smile as he leaned in.
"Why didn't they write about me in this magazine?" Finn pointed at Harry in the magazine with his fingertip, feigning dissatisfaction.
“What's so hard about that? You'll accompany me to a fashion show, I'll arrange for you to make the grand finale." Noah couldn't help but laugh; as the founder of METAL, he naturally had that kind of authority. "When the time comes, I'll have the magazine write about you, the headline will be 'The Beauty of Young Master Osborn, the Exclusive Honor of METAL.'"
Peter also couldn't help but steal a few extra glances at Finn.
Both young masters of the Osborn family possessed exceptionally striking appearances, but within Finn's nobility lay a unique sense of relaxation—he lacked the sharp edge found in Harry, appearing instead to be born with an innate nonchalance. The lines of the young man's features were soft yet flamboyant, especially those green eyes, which were like lake water steeped in sunlight, rippling with vivid and warm vitality.
".. Am I only able to rely on my looks to make a living?" Finn showed a hint of helplessness at this moment.
“You really are a man of detail.” Noah also noticed the name tag on Andrew's chest. “You actually found a secretary.”
Noah had originally wanted to find a more experienced secretary for Finn, rather than someone like Andrew, who looked young, seemed not very good at communicating. But since Finn had previously asked Andrew to be his dog-walking companion, then had him perform magic, now he was a secretary, it could only be said that Finn truly favored this young man. "Have him keep an eye on those investment contracts of yours."
"Understood," Finn replied casually.
"This is.. drawn by Finn, isn't it?" Peter looked at the name tag; naturally, he recognized the art style at a glance.
"Yes." Andrew also found out later that Finn actually had a dedicated art account.
"Finn also drew a set of hand cards for me," Peter said uncontrollably; he had a total of ten.
Confused Andrew: ".." So?
The party began soon. Finn also took the opportunity to meet a few more people who could enrich the Halloween activities, he forcefully shoved the newly finalized programs onto Montgomery to arrange. Finn also dragged Elias, Noah, Peter to the activity area to play a relay race of "catching colored powder with cards in their mouths," with the difficulty upgraded to hopping on one leg. Elias was the first runner, Peter was the last.
Two teams competed simultaneously, of course, there was a time limit; the final winner would be determined by which team's cards held a higher weight of colored powder.
The gaming area had long been surrounded by crowds, with jeers and cheers rising one after another.
Finn's sense of humor was already very low, the colored powder scattered even more easily while he was hopping on one leg.
A crowd of friends around them kept finding ways to tease Finn. Before he even jumped over to Peter, he had already lost control of himself and burst into laughter several times, causing colorful powders to blow all over his face until his once-fair, noble features were no longer visible.
After barely managing to take two sets, the competition became even more intense, the atmosphere at the scene grew even more heated.
Finn, hurry up! The other group has already overtaken you!
The atmosphere at the scene was so heated it felt like it was about to catch fire. Even the usually taciturn Andrew held up his camera and moved closer to film, unable to help but let out a low chuckle as he looked at Finn's face, which was covered in colored powder.
"Finn, hurry!" Peter, who was biting his playing card for the final relay, looked on with growing anxiety.
"Help! They're teasing me on purpose! I really can't hold it in!" Finn shouted helplessly in his heart as he tried his best to keep dancing.
Finn is truly easy to make laugh, the people surrounding him were all very close friends of his.
The young man's eyelashes were dusted with tiny specks of colored powder, his green eyes shimmered with moisture, making him exceptionally eye-catching.
"Only ten seconds left!" the referee said, holding the microphone.
As time ran out, Peter's competitive spirit flared up, he stepped forward to grab Finn's wrist. Before Finn could react, Peter's other arm slid around his waist, lifting him upward—Finn's body rose horizontally in an instant, the floating colorful powder drifted down, most of it landing precisely on the cards he was holding in his mouth.
The gasps from the crowd suddenly rose in volume.
Peter gripped Finn's waist tightly, his gaze falling on the face of the young man just inches away. The flying colored powder, mixed with the brilliant lights, made him feel as though Finn was wrapped in a kaleidoscope of colorful halos.
A surge of heat rushed to his cheeks, but fortunately, the colored powder on his face was enough to conceal it.
"Peter, hurry up!" When he was steadily set back down on the ground by Peter, Finn was still laughing, wiping away the tears from his eyes while urging him on urgently.
Finally, the event came to an end. Finn, who had been holding in his laughter the entire way, became the most "eye-catching" presence in the room, his face covered in a messy layer of colored powder, looking exactly like a colorful little kitten.
"Go wash it off quickly." Peter was the first to weave through the crowd with his agile movements, approaching him with wet wipes. He carefully helped Finn wipe the colored powder from around his eyes, fearing that the powder might fall into his eyes.
Finn nodded, still unable to shake off the excitement from moments ago. His eyes were sparkling, his mouth moved incessantly as he went over the recent activities with Peter. Peter listened patiently, occasionally responding with a smile. He didn't pay any mind to his own face, which was also covered in colored powder, instead led Finn away to wash his face.
Use the makeup remover; it'll clean it more thoroughly.
Noah brought the cleansing balm and was just about to start when Peter took it from him, not forgetting to politely thank him.
“……” Noah stood to the side with a complicated expression, watching Peter carefully help wash Finn's face and hands. Finn was over there talking excitedly about the party, going on and on without end.
"Were they like this before?" Noah asked Andrew in a low voice, feeling as if he had missed something.
"More or less," Andrew said after thinking for a moment. Last time, Peter had also just rushed into Finn's room and left with him on his back.
Andrew had also heard Mr. Wilson say that when Finn had sprained his ankle before, Peter had also taken the initiative to go to Finn's house to help look after him.
"By the way, take that porcelain prize and give it to Aunt May; I'm sure she'll love it." The prizes for the party were all sponsored in advance by the participants; they weren't particularly expensive grand prizes, but they were exquisite and thoughtful. This time, the prize was a set of ceramics handcrafted by the pottery blogger Lillian. Noah and Elias had always just played along with Finn and didn't want any prizes.
Sure." Peter didn't refuse either. Seeing that Finn had finally returned to his clean and tidy appearance, he casually splashed his face under the faucet. When he looked up again, Peter said with a light, cheerful smile, "I brought you a birthday present.
"Didn't you say you were going to wait until the night of my birthday?" Finn asked in surprise.
"Spider-Man's gift, my gift." At the mention of Spider-Man, Peter leaned in slightly, lowering his voice as he moved close to Finn's ear.
".. Oh." Finn blinked, finally remembering that Peter was still wearing two shells.
"You're actually giving gifts, you're even splitting them into two separate deliveries?" Finn muttered to himself.
"What are you two whispering about?" Noah finally couldn't help but interrupt the hushed conversation between Finn and Peter.
Peter said he brought me a birthday gift in advance," Finn replied immediately, then asked expectantly, "Where is it?
"I've already sent it to your house in advance," Peter said with a smile.
Finn: "?"
Upon hearing that the birthday gift had already arrived at home, Finn could no longer stay at the party. After a hasty goodbye to his friends, he rushed home in high spirits. Noah and Andrew were equally curious, so they followed along as well.
Left to perform at the party, Elias: ".." Excuse me? Who am I performing for?
Chapter 34: Atmosphere Release
When Finn pushed open the door and saw the little thing in Catherine's arms, he was completely stunned.
The gift Peter spoke of—
It was actually a cat!
"Why on earth would you think of giving me a cat?" Finn carefully took it from Catherine's arms, his fingertips touching the fuzzy warmth, his voice filled with unexpected delight.
"It's a bit like you," Peter said truthfully.
It was a white long-haired cat, its fur fluffy and soft all over; holding it in one's arms felt like cradling a soft, fluffy ball of cotton candy. Peter had truly fallen in love at first sight back then. Most special of all was that it had a pair of emerald green eyes, clear and bright, looking exactly like Finn's eyes.
It feels so good to hold.." Finn gently stroked the cat's soft fur. He could tell at a glance that this was a high-bred cat, he couldn't help but think of Peter's financial situation. He asked hesitantly, "It must be very expensive, right?
"It's fine." Peter smiled. He had saved up a sum of money previously, which he had originally intended to use to upgrade his Spider-Man equipment, but later S. H. I. E. L. D. helped him design a new model of the Spider-Man suit, so the money was saved.
Peter had indeed never bought such an expensive gift.
But he still couldn't help himself; he wanted to give Finn the best gift within his means.
Peter also thought about whether to buy a dog; he knew Finn had boundless energy and was lively and bouncing around most of the time. But Finn also had plenty of quiet time, during which Finn would settle down and focus intently on a single task, such as painting.
If there were a kitten that could stay quietly by his side at a time like this.
At night, it could even curl up by his pillow and sleep beside him.
Peter thought this was a very beautiful and heartwarming scene.
Especially, Peter felt that Finn was a little bit like a cat—
He had come across a video before, where a cat clearly knew it wasn't supposed to touch the cup on the table, yet it insisted on reaching out its paw to push it, only satisfied once it had caused some trouble. That sneaky, yet somewhat guilty-looking manner was exactly like Finn.
But when the cup actually fell to the floor with a loud clatter, he would still end up startling himself.
When Peter watched the video at that time, he felt the sense of déjà vu was simply too strong.
And besides, isn't there a railing on the second floor?" Peter said, holding back a laugh. He was, of course, referring to the railing that had been specially installed because of the fear that Finn might sleepwalk and fall down the stairs again. "Wouldn't it be such a shame not to keep a cat?
Hearing this, Noah couldn't help but burst out laughing, Andrew also stifled his laughter behind the camera.
".." Finn could certainly tell that Peter was teasing him on purpose.
"I haven't even prepared anything for a cat yet," Finn thought suddenly.