Chapter 52: Wanda and Pietro's Choice
Back at the Lucky Dragon.
"So you went out for all this time, and the father you found turned out to be Magneto?" Ethan put on a convincing show of surprise.
In reality, he'd known. He even knew about Polaris — Magneto's other daughter. The man was, by any reasonable standard, an absolute deadbeat dad.
Wanda nodded.
Ethan turned a flat look on Magneto and dropped the friendly act. "So you knew Wanda was your daughter. Did you also happen to know that I'm the one who saved her life? Did you think I'd be a pushover? Get out. Why are you still following us into my restaurant?"
Internally, Ethan was genuinely irritated. Is this guy broken? Wanda and Pietro were people Ethan had personally rescued. Magneto had walked up out of nowhere and immediately tried to recruit them while picking a fight with him. Ethan had assumed the gangs had somehow hired Magneto — that was the only explanation that made sense at the time.
By Ethan's own estimation, he was being remarkably patient. Anyone else in his shoes might have just killed Magneto on the spot. And here the man was, following him into his restaurant like nothing had happened.
Magneto's eyes carried their own irritation. "Wanda is my daughter. She refused to come back to the Brotherhood with me. She told me she only wanted to return to Hell's Kitchen — to you. I came here to see whether you actually had the strength to keep her safe."
Magneto had only just learned that he had a daughter and a son out in the world — both of them blessed with powerful mutant abilities. Naturally he wanted them at his side, fighting for the Brotherhood's cause. But his daughter had refused him outright, choosing instead to return to her "savior" in Hell's Kitchen.
So Magneto had come to find out what kind of man this Ethan Cross was — what magic he had that could make Wanda choose this place over her own father.
Ethan made an unsubtle "out you go" gesture toward the door. "You've seen what I can do. You can leave now."
Magneto pretended he hadn't seen the gesture and closed his eyes serenely.
Blink stepped in quickly, sensing Ethan's patience evaporating. "Our leader would like to meet Pietro," she said, voice softening into something almost pleading.
Ethan's eyes shifted to Wanda. They held each other's gaze across the table, communicating without words.
After a long moment, Wanda nodded reluctantly. There was an apology in her eyes.
"Pietro has the right to know who his real father is. Let them meet — just once. If Magneto won't leave after that, you don't have to lift a finger. I'll throw him out myself."
Her tone was firm. A promise.
Ethan looked at the resolve in her eyes and felt some of his irritation ebb. He understood — this wasn't about Wanda wanting Magneto in her life. It was about her brother getting the same chance to choose that she'd had.
Even though Ethan was furious, he could see the logic. You couldn't kill a man's biological father in front of him before he even got to meet him.
Fine. He'd give Pietro a chance to choose. And he'd give Magneto a chance to see exactly where he stood.
He trusted Pietro. Pietro had become Family. He wouldn't be swayed by some absentee father showing up after twenty years.
And as for Magneto — if he had any plans for Pietro that went beyond a single meeting, he'd have to go through Ethan first.
Ethan stood and walked to a couch at the far end of the restaurant, dropping into it. He'd agreed to let Magneto stay, but he had no intention of being a host.
Wanda very pointedly ignored their guests as well, walking past them to brew tea for Ethan.
The atmosphere in the restaurant became deeply, almost painfully awkward.
Pietro and John Wick walked in a few minutes later.
Ethan looked up from the couch. "Where's Wade?"
John Wick shook his head with weary resignation. "He dragged Deadpool Dog off to hunt down more Hand operatives. He wanted to maximize his bounty payout."
He also confirmed that Caine and Marcus had finished their fight in the south and were already upstairs.
Pietro spotted his sister and lit up like a kid on Christmas morning. He ran over to her. "Sis! You're back! What kept you out so long this time?"
Wanda hugged him tightly, then gave him a meaningful look — check the room.
Only then did Pietro notice the three strangers seated nearby. He looked at them, confused, and gave a small shrug.
"Who are these three?"
Blink stood up and offered Pietro her hand. "Hello, Pietro. I'm with the Brotherhood of Mutants."
She gestured to the older man beside her. "This is Magneto. Our leader. And your biological father."
Pietro's pupils dilated. He stared at Magneto in disbelief, then whipped his head around to look at Wanda — searching her face for confirmation.
Wanda nodded slightly.
"No. No. That's not possible." Pietro's voice was shaking with denial. "My parents have been dead for years."
"Son," Magneto finally spoke, his voice gentle, "I am your real father. I'm sorry it took me so long to find you. I'm sorry for everything you've had to go through."
Pietro froze. He looked at Magneto like he was looking at a complete stranger. His heart was pounding, his mind racing. It was all happening too fast. He couldn't process it.
"In my heart, my real parents have been dead for a long time." His voice steadied into something cold. "My family is my sister. And Ethan."
He didn't want anything to do with this man.
"Son — if you'd be willing, you could come with me. Back to our home. The Brotherhood. There are others like you there. People who understand what you are. I'll do everything I can to make up for the time we lost."
Magneto wasn't ready to give up. He was reaching for the only card he had — blood.
"I said, I don't have a biological father! My home is here, in Hell's Kitchen! I'm not going anywhere with you!" Pietro tried to use his super-speed to leave the room.
Ethan caught his arm before he could.
Then Ethan turned his eyes on Magneto, and his voice took on an authority that left no room for argument.
"You've seen what you came to see. Time to go. Pietro just told you very clearly that he doesn't accept you as his father."
"These two are my family. They're not going anywhere. Where were you when they needed someone? Where were you when their adoptive parents were blown to pieces?"
His voice was shaking with controlled fury.
"So don't stand here pretending to be a loving father now. If you don't leave, the next thing I take from you is your life."
"I spared you earlier because Wanda is your daughter. Say one more word, and I'll forget about respecting my elders."
"You don't actually think people who live in Hell's Kitchen are nice, do you?" Ethan's voice dropped. "Get. Out."
Wanda had already slipped into a combat stance beside him, both hands wreathed in the ember-red glow of Chaos Magic. Her position was unmistakable: she was on Ethan's side.
Magneto looked at Ethan and understood that this was not a bluff. He could feel the resolve and the power behind the words. He understood that he had run out of room to maneuver.
He was about to speak when—
Ethan's phone rang.
He picked up. "What — Vanessa and her son were attacked by Madame Gao? They need backup now?"
☆☆☆
-> 20 Advanced chapters Now Available on Patreon!!
-> https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Inkshaper
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to access patreon normally)
If you like this novel please consider leaving a review that's help the story a lot Thank you