Threat
Richard, inside the car, looked through the window at Peter for a moment before his expression turned serious as he looked at his ringing phone. He hadn't even realized he had accelerated and left Peter behind with the exact same man they were both supposed to be hunting.
But an unknown number was calling. Though from the look on Richard's face, which shifted into a serious stare, it seemed he already had an idea who it might be.
"What do you want?" Richard asked in a completely cold tone as he answered the call.
"Young Richard, your father wishes to meet with you," a calm male voice said from the other side.
"I'm not interested," Richard said dryly before moving his hand to hang up. But before he could, the person on the other end spoke again.
"Your father believes it's time for you to stop playing around outside and return to take charge of your family's business," the man said calmly.
Richard instantly frowned as his expression visibly hardened, stopping his hand right in front of the hang-up button.
"Tell that man that the day I ever step into his company will be the day I'm there only to watch his empire collapse with my own eyes. Don't call me again," he said before pressing the hang-up button without wanting to hear anything else.
Right after that, he blocked the number and pressed a speed dial button, calling someone familiar.
Richard didn't have to wait long before the person on the other side answered.
"Well, if it isn't Mister Ricky. I thought today you were busy having homemade food with a beautiful woman and her nephew," Owen's voice came through the speaker with slight amusement in his tone.
Richard frowned the moment he heard the teasing from his boss.
"How?"
"Kamala sends messages to Wanda all the time. She's pretty noisy even when she's not around. Though maybe she watched too many romantic dramas with her mother again and is talking nonsense… and right now you're actually just at home eating energy bars because you think eating cooked food is a waste of time since those things already have all the proteins and vitamins you need even though they really don't taste good at all. So, where are you?" Owen finished calmly.
Richard stayed silent for a moment.
"I dropped Parker off at his school dance date's house," Richard said after a long silence.
He could hear Owen laughing on the other side. Obviously he already knew; he just wanted to mess with him.
Richard let out a somewhat tired sigh while waiting for Owen to stop entertaining himself at his expense.
"So then…," Owen said, already understanding it was time to stop, since if Richard had called him it was for something more important.
"They called from my house again. They seem pretty nervous. Maybe because of Nicolas's statements on television. Now that VITAE, which only focused on saving civilians and humanitarian aid, transformed into the Hero Association, fully taking control of crime fighting of all kinds and global protection… it probably made them nervous," Richard said with a somewhat mocking tone.
"Mmm," Owen murmured simply. "Honestly, many times I was tempted to just finish it myself once and for all. But since you were so stubborn about doing it on your own, I didn't. Especially because ever since he discovered your work, he seems to be very careful with every step he takes. But that man will never be clean," he added with a slight dangerous edge in his tone.
"Good. Finish the work you already have. And working under the new Hero Association, you'll be able to choose your missions however you want. The association will begin providing support immediately," Owen said calmly.
"Alright," Richard replied with a slight nod.
"By the way… does homemade food taste much better than your tasteless energy bars?" Owen asked, returning to a teasing tone.
"I'm hanging up," Richard said before cutting the call with the man who was supposedly now one of the strongest people on Earth and the creator of the association where supposedly every hero in the world would register in order to work without any government being able to control or bother them.
And with just a couple of the people capable of easily destroying an entire country, it already made the organization one that could shake the entire world.
Luckily, it had been created entirely to protect the world and the people living in it from the evils surrounding them.
Richard let out another sigh while his gaze seemed to relax slightly, calming his emotions.
But before he could fully relax, he noticed he had an alert. The same one Kamala normally used whenever she found something that usually ended up being another strange egg she found lying around somewhere. Since he had been busy with the calls, he hadn't noticed it earlier.
So he pressed the alert to connect to it, thinking it was probably the little girl finding something weird again.
But the voice that came through wasn't Kamala's.
It was a man's.
"I have to admit, I didn't expect the person showing up at my house to take my daughter to her dance to end up being the same one who ruined a lot of my plans. And just a brat who hasn't even finished high school," the man said, his tone carrying a dangerous edge.
"What are you talking about?" Peter's voice came through, trying to stay calm, though it nearly cracked for a moment. Meanwhile, from the metallic sound of something being set down, Richard could make out the familiar sound of a weapon.
"Your voice sounded familiar from the very beginning. That nervous look of yours isn't the expression of a teenager meeting his girlfriend's father for the first time. Liz said you worked as an intern at VITAE alongside the good Spider-Man. But you're not fooling me. Right now I could put a bullet through your forehead… but we're standing in front of your school, and that would bring quite a few problems. Especially because my daughter is waiting for you on the sidewalk," the man said again in an almost contemptuous tone. "So I'm going to give you one chance."
"Walk through that entrance and forget all of this ever happened. And never, ever interfere with my business again, because if you do, I'll kill you… and everyone you love too. I'll leave them all very dead. And all of it to protect my family. I'm willing to do it. Do you understand?" he said while the sound of the weapon lightly hitting something could be heard.
Peter opened his mouth slightly…
but no words came out.
There was complete silence.
"Hey. I just saved your life, what do you say?" the threatening tone said while seeming to hit something again with his gun.
"Good. Now go into the dance and make sure my daughter has a good time. And then disappear from her life. Or better yet… disappear from this city. Is that clear?"
"Yes," Peter said quietly before the sound of the car door opening was heard and Peter stepping out before closing it again.
After the car drove away, complete silence filled the line for a few seconds.
"M-Mr. Richard," Peter said, his voice sounding much smaller than usual. After all, he had just received that kind of direct threat. For someone his age, even if he was a superhero, he was still just a teenager.
"Peter," Richard said, interrupting whatever Peter was about to say while his tone sounded surprisingly gentle. "Don't worry. Go to the dance. Have fun with your friends. Don't let your night get ruined," he said calmly.
"But…," Peter tried to speak again.
"Don't worry. I'll handle it. You just enjoy the party," Richard said with a soft smile.
Which genuinely managed to calm Peter down a little.
"Okay…," Peter replied quietly before ending the call.
The moment the communication ended, Richard's gentle expression broke apart while his eyes seemed to grow colder and colder.
And his face showed a frozen stillness…
but a dangerous one.