Indeed, this was indeed Finn's best stage. As long as he followed Marcus's plan and attacked Harry Osborn, who had not yet appeared, in public, he could naturally and completely pull him down from the peak of the Osborn power structure.
It was just that—
Just as Harry said, he had already prepared countermeasures.
Finn, you'd better know exactly what kind of consequences your actions will bring.
Standing to the side, Peter said nothing, merely frowning deeply.
The stage is right there; everything has already been set up for Finn by Marcus long ago." Harry turned to look at Peter, a cold light flashing deep within his icy green eyes. "My inability to attend the press conference was indeed an unexpected turn of events, but that doesn't change the fact that.. Finn must make his choice at this press conference.
Tell me, what will Finn choose?
Peter stared at the paranoia swirling in Harry's green eyes, only realizing something belatedly at this very moment—
You are deliberately testing Finn.
It wasn't that Harry couldn't deal with all those people attempting to seize power before the press conference.
But he did not do so.
“Right, human nature is the thing most unable to withstand testing, isn't it? Especially when the greatest, most long-awaited interests are within reach, as if they were easily attainable.” Harry chuckled softly, “I asked you before, when these people join forces to crush me, which side do you think Finn will take? Will he join them in kicking me while I'm down, or will he turn around and help me instead?”
Just like his previous answer, Peter did not hesitate in the slightest, his tone as steady as ever—
He will stand by your side.
Harry could not understand why Peter was so determined.
"Let's see, then." Harry also wanted to know what kind of choice his brother would make.
Harry stood in the control room, his gaze cold as he stared at the surveillance monitors; every movement at the press conference was exposed under his watchful eyes. Marcus, who thought he had the whole situation under control; the media reporters, who were poised and ready with scandalous stories; Finn, who was bidding crazily to get Daniel on stage.. the actions of every single person were clearly reflected on the screen.
And then—
Harry watched as Finn stepped up onto the stage that he had personally constructed.
He had imagined countless possibilities: he had imagined that Finn would publicly announce the cancellation of the press conference, he had imagined that Finn would directly challenge him in public, he had also imagined that Finn would decisively reveal the evidence against Marcus and his group..
But there was only one thing he had not imagined—
Hello, everyone.
Welcome, everyone, to today's Osborn Group press conference.
[I am Finn Osborn.]
No one expected such a development, not even Harry himself.
Finn had actually taken his place as the keynote speaker for this press conference.
Harry stood stunned on the spot, his gaze locked onto the figure on the screen—
That was his brother, yet he was a version of himself he had never seen before.
Confident, dazzling, without a trace of cowardice, without a hint of awkwardness.
He stood amidst countless focused gazes, wrapped in a layer of light, dressed in formal attire with a calm and generous air.
The young man's posture on the stage was incredibly composed, as if he had rehearsed this press conference thousands of times in his mind, every word flowed without a single stumble. His speaking pace was not as steady and serious as Harry Osborn's; instead, it possessed a unique lightness and vitality, with a sense of appropriate amusement woven into his words. The audience watching the live stream could feel that youthful sense of approachability through the screen; it felt less like a serious corporate press conference and more like a relaxed sharing session.
But within that ease, there lay an undeniable professionalism—
Those obscure technical terms, those dense, intricate core data.
Logical, clear, precise.
There was no sign of the rush of a last-minute replacement.
Finn held the gaze of everyone in the entire Osborn Group steady.
Harry stared blankly through the screen, his heart filled with disbelief, while his hand at his side had tightened into a fist at some unknown moment. Blood from the wound seeped through the bandage, yet he seemed to have lost all sense of pain, completely unaware.
"Harry, you can't use your hand with that much force!" Peter said immediately, his voice urgent and anxious.
"Has he practiced?" Harry stared intently at Peter, unable to help but ask, his voice extremely hoarse.
No.." Peter shook his head, "I always thought it would be you going on stage.
Harry turned his head stiffly, looking toward Finn, who was shining brilliantly on that world-renowned stage.
So dazzling, it was as if this was a party prepared specifically for him. Finn never hated being the center of attention or being surrounded by people; he remained the center of the party, the focus of the party, the protagonist of the party.. He was born to stand here.
A sudden, violent headache struck, making Harry's vision go dark.
Involuntarily, the scene of his argument with Finn in the conference room flashed through Harry's mind.
You, the Chairman of the Osborn Group? Just because you only know how to spend money, throw parties, indulge in pleasure? Based on your talent for squandering trust funds? Or based on your vision, having never even stepped foot inside a university?
You know nothing, yet you dare to demand the position of Chairman with just your mouth?" He remembered how cold his tone had been at the time, carrying an undisguised contempt. "I am not my father; I will not indulge you without limits.
Do you even know how to make money? How much do you actually know about the Osborn Group? Do you know how many industrial chains there are? Those old fogies who follow Norman—which one of them isn't a starving wolf eyeing my position? They are all scheming to swallow the Osborn Group! With your meager abilities, if it were you, what would you do? Take them on a cruise for fun? Or try to make friends with them to see if you can squeeze more money out of the Osborns?
Those harsh words, full of arrogance and contempt, he had once hurled at Finn, word by word, without mercy.
With a blatant sense of humiliation.
And how did Finn answer him back then?
Anger burned in the young man's green eyes, his gaze filled with an unyielding stubbornness, as if he were practically questioning him—
You and your father are the same—neither of you gave me the chance to demonstrate my own abilities!
Why do you say I don't have the ability to do this?
At that time, Harry was dismissive, but at this moment, he felt a sense of absurdity; he felt that he himself was ridiculous.
It turns out.. everything Finn said was true.
He truly possessed such ability; he had always thought his younger brother was nothing more than a fool who only knew how to play. With arrogance and prejudice, he had almost deliberately suppressed and belittled him time and time again. Treating him as a mere wealthy second-generation heir who only knew how to squander fortune, he had simply tossed him into a corner, never giving him a single chance.
Finn's anger during their confrontations and those indignant rebuttals were clearly well-founded.
Just as Peter said, it was he who had never truly faced Finn.
Harry felt a sense of self-doubt at this moment.
—Why is he so arrogant?
Having grown up amidst the constant praise of others, he truly believed he was a unique genius, the rightful heir to the Osborn Group. Yet, he seemed to have forgotten that the same Osborn blood flowed through Finn's veins as well.
"Now Finn has proven that he indeed has the ability to replace me," Harry said with a dry, self-deprecating laugh.
Why not prove it.. why did he choose to stand on your side, Harry?" Peter was also shocked by Finn's performance, but he wasn't entirely surprised. Peter could certainly see that Harry was being struck by a blow at this moment. "Finn could have easily canceled the press conference, but he chose to take the stage in your place. He did it for the Osborn Group, but he also did it so that your hard work all this time wouldn't go to waste.
—For me?
Harry's gaze fell back onto that dazzling young man on the screen; to be honest, he didn't believe it.
But Harry's Adam's apple bobbed, yet in the end, he said nothing.
Only silence remained.
Finally, the press conference moved into the Q&A session—the moment Harry had been waiting for.
As expected, as soon as the Q&A session opened, a reporter in the audience couldn't hold back. He suddenly stood up, holding a microphone that had been passed to him from somewhere, shouted, "Mr. Finn Osborn! Is it true that rumors are circulating that Max Dillon, a senior engineer at Osborn Group, died unexpectedly in the laboratory, that Harry, acting as CEO, forcibly suppressed the news of his death and secretly sent employees to the morgue to pretend nothing happened? There are reports that Harry Osborn is being investigated for covering up this accident, which is why he is absent from today's press conference. Can you respond to this?"
The question was like a bomb, detonating instantly across the venue.
In the control room, Harry's gaze suddenly turned cold as he stared fixedly at Marcus on the screen.
Marcus leaned back in his chair, a triumphant smile hidden in his eyes.
The shareholders who stood on his side also exchanged glances, their lips curling into subtle arcs.
They clearly hadn't expected Finn to be so brilliant on stage, but in their eyes, this was nothing more than an insignificant interlude. The true theme of this press conference was to crush Harry Osborn; the main event was only just beginning.
The next second after Finn nodded in acknowledgment and launched his attack against Harry, photos of the poor, ordinary employee's gruesome, unrecognizable corpse would spread wildly across the internet.
As the chaos at the scene intensified, Finn raised his hand, the young man's voice carried through the microphone across the venue: "Please be quiet."
His tone wasn't serious; instead, it carried a hint of a smile.
The noisy venue actually grew quiet bit by bit, all eyes refocused on him.
“Regarding the news of Mr. Max Dillon's death—” Finn paused, his gaze sweeping over the reporters below who were staring at him, as well as those eager [partners] of his, a faint smile curling at the corners of his mouth.
Harry's heart tightened suddenly, his eyes staring fixedly at the screen.
Just as he told Peter, this was a test of humanity that he had set for Finn.
He watched his younger brother standing so brilliantly on the stage, having already demonstrated and proven his abilities before everyone's eyes. Now, Finn held all the chips; as long as he followed the reporter's lead to launch an attack, or simply acknowledged the rumors, he could fall into the vortex of public opinion according to Marcus and the others' plan. He was only one step away from what Finn wanted.. Harry had indeed prepared countermeasures, but he hoped Finn would not—that he would not let their relationship descend completely into that of mortal enemies.
On the screen, the eyes of the shareholders who were in league with Marcus were already burning with excitement and urgency, waiting to see Finn deliver the fatal blow.
At this moment, Harry could not hear any other sound amidst his taut nerves.
Only a stern voice echoed repeatedly in his mind—it was the words his father had warned him with back then:
[Never test human nature, for human nature can never withstand the test.]
In the next second, he saw his younger brother smiling with eyes curved in a grin on the screen, speaking in a tone that showed he didn't care at all:
“I don't know where such absurd rumors are coming from.”
Chapter 36: A Perfect Score Answer Sheet
“Regarding the news of Mr. Max Dillon's death—"
Finn smiled lightly, meeting Marcus's expectant gaze from below the stage.
Since everyone is hiding their own malicious intentions, then no one can blame anyone else for being black-hearted.
I don't know where such absurd rumors came from.
The faces of Marcus and the other shareholders, who had originally been waiting to watch the show, changed instantly.
The smile of everything being under control completely vanished from his eyes, replaced by disbelief and shock.
As professional media personnel, shouldn't you all verify the authenticity of your sources before raising doubts on a public platform like a press conference?" Finn continued to smile, his counterquestion carrying a well-timed sharpness. Although he wasn't being intentionally aggressive, he candidly pointed out the reporter's negligence. "I am quite concerned for this gentleman reporter's future career.
“Since everyone is so concerned about Mr. Max's condition, why don't we—”
Finn casually snapped his fingers.