As The Only Mutant in Marvel

After helping Gwen clear her doubts, she stayed to chat for a while before finally swinging off into the night.

Before leaving, Gwen made sure to exchange social media accounts with Lance.

"If anything comes up, you can reach me here."

Of course, it wasn't her real account.

It was a secondary, anonymous profile she used to keep her superhero identity hidden.

She wasn't ready to reveal her true identity just yet—even if Lance felt like a close friend now.

Everyone needed their secrets, and Gwen was no exception.

Monday.

Lance's phone rang.

It was Harry.

"There's a company meeting this afternoon. You're the new shareholder and vice president—you need to be there."

Lance didn't have any plans, so he agreed.

In the past week, his sign-ins had been disappointing.

Seven straight days of low-level powers, all broken down to boost his Energy Absorption ability.

"I better get lucky soon," Lance muttered.

He was starting to miss the days when Delta-level powers felt like jackpots.

Now, it seemed like everything he got was junk.

2 PM.

Lance arrived at the Osborn Group headquarters in his blue-and-white Koenigsegg.

He parked in the VIP lot and walked into the building, badge in hand.

The badge was Harry's gift—without it, even shareholders couldn't get through the front door.

As Lance stepped inside, the first thing that caught his eye was a massive 3D projection of Norman Osborn.

The image of the late founder greeted every visitor.

Lance smirked.

"Guess Harry didn't bother replacing it with his own face."

It seemed their father-son relationship had improved—at least a little—since Norman's death.

Meanwhile, on the third floor, Gwen had just finished delivering a stack of files when she noticed a familiar figure walking through the lobby.

"Lance?!"

She peeked over the railing to make sure.

Sure enough, it was him.

"What's he doing here?"

Gwen's mind raced.

Was Lance an Osborn employee?

His car and penthouse apartment suggested otherwise—there was no way he was just some regular worker.

"Maybe he's some kind of executive?"

Then a mischievous thought hit her.

What if she "met" him again—but this time as Gwen Stacy?

Lance only knew her as Spider-Woman.

She couldn't wait to see his reaction when he eventually put two and two together.

Gwen bit her lip to keep from laughing.

"This could be fun."

She watched Lance step into the elevator and disappear from sight.

In the elevator.

Lance smiled to himself.

He had seen Gwen too.

"She thinks I didn't notice her."

He shook his head.

Lance had known her real identity from the start.

"Guess I'll play along for now."

He was already looking forward to her reaction later.

Ding!

The elevator doors opened, and Harry was waiting.

"You're late!"

Harry grabbed Lance's arm and dragged him toward the conference room.

Lance smirked.

"Relax. The meeting doesn't start for another minute."

"Exactly," Harry shot back. "You really planned to cut it that close?"

They reached the conference room.

Everyone else was already seated.

"You weren't kidding," Lance muttered. "These people must really love meetings."

He took a seat at the table as Harry introduced him.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is Lance."

A man with glasses sitting nearby leaned over and offered a handshake.

"Mr. Lance, it's great to finally meet you."

Lance shook his hand.

"Likewise. Let's make this quick—I skipped lunch for this."

A few people chuckled, and the atmosphere lightened.

Meanwhile…

Gwen finished her work and glanced at the clock.

"Still plenty of time."

She smirked.

"I wonder if Lance has figured it out yet?"

She couldn't wait to "introduce" herself.

Little did she know, Lance was already a step ahead.

This game of cat-and-mouse was just beginning.

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