When Donald Trang woke up, he glanced lazily at the high-end escort lying beside him. At several thousand dollars a night, she was worth every cent—last night had nearly drained him dry.
Still, it had all been worth it.
As a board member of the former Oscorp, now Umbrella Corporation, he held 3.7% of the company's shares. Just yesterday, the value of those shares had doubled—an increase equivalent to nearly half of his total net worth.
In just one week, his wealth had surged so dramatically that it was impossible not to feel exhilarated.
But that joy…
Didn't last long.
After enjoying a luxurious bath, Trang sat down in front of his computer, planning to savor his breakfast while admiring Umbrella's soaring stock chart.
He didn't even get as far as opening the trading interface.
A series of breaking news alerts popped up—
And nearly gave him a heart attack.
"Whether Umbrella Corporation's claims are true remains unconfirmed, but the overwhelming volume of leaked information online has already convinced investors. Since the market opened at 8 a.m., Umbrella's stock—once skyrocketing—has begun collapsing at an alarming rate."
"A genius prodigy's lie? A carefully orchestrated scam? A research project that Oscorp failed to advance for decades—once dismissed as a money-burning biological experiment—has suddenly achieved breakthroughs after nothing more than a name change?"
Each headline.
Each word.
Cut straight into Trang's nerves.
His eyes widened in fury as realization dawned.
He had been played.
…
Umbrella Corporation…
Was just a front.
After Norman Osborn's death, Oscorp had clearly entered a decline. The true financial giants must have seen this coming—and staged an elaborate performance.
They inflated the stock.
Drove up the price.
Then, before anyone could react, they planned to dump their shares—
Cash out.
And walk away with a fortune.
Only—
For some reason…
The entire scheme had been exposed.
"That bastard…"
Trang gritted his teeth, recalling Peter's confident demeanor during the board meetings.
A genius teenager?
A leader personally chosen by Norman Osborn?
A rising star recognized by all?
All lies.
All part of the show.
Peter Parker was nothing more than a puppet—used by the real major shareholders to manipulate people like him… and the countless retail investors who had bought into the illusion.
"Damn it! Damn it! F***!"
Furious, Trang opened the stock market.
The plunging green line representing Umbrella's stock price stabbed into his eyes like a blade.
In just one morning—
He had already lost over three million dollars.
And it wasn't over yet.
The price hadn't even fallen back to last week's level.
But it would.
It was only a matter of time.
Ring—ring—ring.
His phone rang.
Trang glanced at the caller ID, his expression turning even darker as he answered.
"Donald, have you had breakfast yet?"
"I'm enjoying it right now, Mr. Kike," Trang replied coldly. "What's the matter? Busy people like you don't usually call me without a reason."
The caller was another board member—someone whose shareholding was nearly identical to his.
"Oh, nothing major," the man said, feigning calm. "I've run into some issues with a project recently. My cash flow is a bit tight. I was wondering… would you be interested in acquiring some of my shares?"
Trang sneered inwardly.
So this was it.
"F*** you," he snapped. "Kike, do you think I don't know you're close to Mr. Gideon? You people are trying to screw me over—dream on. Bet you didn't expect your little plan to get exposed online, huh? Go to hell!"
He hung up violently, tossing his phone aside.
Then he turned back to the screen—
Watching the stock continue its relentless plunge.
His jaw tightened.
And without hesitation—
He began selling.
-----
Meanwhile—
In an office somewhere in New York—
A stunning woman watched the numbers flashing across her screen, a satisfied smile playing on her lips.
But her voice remained calm as she issued orders to the traders around her.
"Start accumulating—slowly. Don't rush it."
She tapped the screen lightly.
"This is only day one. And that…"
Her eyes gleamed.
"…was just the first big fish."
"Three days from now…"
"That's when we feast."
-----
Back in the laboratory—
Peter stood alongside Dr. Curt Connors, refining the first batch of practical applications for the cross-species genetic transfer technology.
The chaos outside—
The media storm.
The collapsing stock.
The public outrage.
He ignored it all.
Completely.
Why would he care?
With every passing moment—
His ownership of Umbrella Corporation was increasing.
From 15%...
To 16%...
17%...
The company was slowly—
Inevitably—
Falling into his hands.
…
Who could build a corporation worth hundreds of billions from nothing in just six months?
No one.
That was impossible.
But Peter Parker?
He didn't need to build it from scratch.
In half a year—
He could go from having nothing…
To controlling a conglomerate spanning biotechnology, military technology, energy, and healthcare.
…
A man whose wealth—
Could stand shoulder to shoulder with Tony Stark himself.
--------------
T/N:
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