MARVEL: BUYING GODHOOD

Helen POV

For a few seconds, I wasn’t sure what Chris meant by the world’s secrets. I already knew mutants existed. I knew White and Diablo weren’t normal, and after everything I’d seen recently, I had accepted that there were probably plenty of things in the world I knew nothing about. But the way Chris had asked the question made it sound much bigger than that.

“What are you talking about?” I finally asked. Chris walked toward one of the sofas instead of answering immediately and sat down. “We’re going to meet someone connected to one of the largest secret intelligence organizations in the world.” I stared at him for a moment, trying to decide whether I’d understood correctly. “There’s an organization like that?”

Chris nodded. “More than one.” He leaned back against the sofa before continuing, “Who do you think helps keep things like mutants, Inhumans and everything else supernatural away from normal people? Governments know much more than they publicly admit, and there are organizations working behind them that know even more.”

That made the question he’d asked me earlier make more sense. I already knew mutants existed because Chris had told me, but until now I hadn’t really thought about what keeping something that large secret would require. Mutants couldn’t simply exist all over the world without governments eventually finding out. If ordinary people didn’t know about them, someone had to be making sure things stayed that way.

“So we’re meeting someone from one of those organizations?” I asked. Chris nodded. “Someone connected to one of them. He’s interested in me.” That immediately made me more concerned. “Do they know about your powers?”

“No.” Chris answered without hesitation. “At least, they shouldn’t. They became interested because of everything I’ve been doing recently. Buying almost an entire section of one of the most expensive neighborhoods in New York got attention, and then I bought the Arc Reactor designs from Stark Industries. After that, they started looking more closely.”

I frowned. When he put it that way, I couldn’t exactly blame them for becoming interested. A seventeen-year-old had suddenly taken control of one of the largest mining companies in the country, started borrowing billions, bought enormous amounts of property and then acquired one of the most advanced energy technologies in the world. Even without knowing anything about Chris’s powers, that was enough to make anyone wonder what he was planning.

“Then they just want to talk to you?” I asked. Chris looked at me for a few seconds before saying, “Probably. But I should warn you now that this meeting might become bloody.”

That made me sit straighter. “Why? You just said they don’t know about your powers. If they’re only coming here because they’re interested in you, why would anything happen?” Chris stayed completely calm as he answered, “Because there’s a good chance you’ll see me use my abilities during the meeting, and maybe in a way you won’t like.”

I stared at him for a moment before letting out a breath. “Chris, how many times do I have to tell you this?” His eyebrows rose slightly, and I continued, “I already know you’re not going to handle everything the way I would. I know you’ve killed people. I know there are things you’ve done that I probably wouldn’t agree with if you explained every detail. None of that suddenly means I’m going to walk away from you.”

Chris watched me quietly, so I added, “If I think you’re doing something wrong, I’ll tell you. That doesn’t mean I’m going to stop caring about you every time I disagree with you.” After a few seconds, he gave a small nod. “Okay.”

I looked toward the large chair behind the desk and then back toward him. “Then at least sit in your chair before they arrive.” Chris followed my gaze before shaking his head. “I’m fine here.” I frowned. “You’re the CEO. They’re coming to your office to meet you.”

“And?” he asked. I stared at him, and he continued before I could answer. “It’s a chair, Helen. Sitting behind the desk isn’t going to make me more important, and sitting on a sofa isn’t going to make me less important. If someone needs a chair to understand my position, that’s their problem.”

I thought about arguing before deciding there wasn’t much point. Chris had never cared much about showing authority through titles or appearances unless doing so was useful. Apparently, today wasn’t one of those times. I nodded and returned to the documents I’d been working on while we waited.

For a while, the office became quiet. I tried reading through the papers in front of me, but after several minutes my thoughts went back to what I’d said earlier about him spending his time with Gwen, Sara and Emily. More specifically, they went back to Gwen.

Something had clearly changed between them recently. I looked toward Chris. He was sitting comfortably on the sofa, looking through something on his phone. “Did something happen between you and Gwen?”

His eyes moved away from the screen. “She asked me out.” I stopped. I had known Gwen liked him for a long time. She hadn’t exactly been subtle about it, especially lately, but hearing that she’d actually asked him directly still caught me off guard. “She finally asked?” Chris nodded. “Yeah.” I placed the document in my hand down. “And what did you tell her?” He looked back at his phone for a second before putting it away. “I haven’t given her an answer yet.”

That surprised me more. “Why not?” Chris was quiet for a moment before I asked another question. “Is she actually okay with everything about you?” He thought about it before answering, “I don’t think she ever will be completely okay with everything.” His voice remained calm, but he wasn’t joking anymore. “Right now, her feelings for me are stronger than the parts of me she disagrees with. That doesn’t mean those disagreements disappeared.”

I understood what he meant. Gwen could accept that Chris had killed someone because she cared about him, but accepting him emotionally wasn’t the same as agreeing with the things he did. Eventually, those two things could clash in a way they hadn’t yet.

“So you’re not sure about her?” I asked. Chris shook his head slightly. “For now, I don’t think I need to decide.” He paused before continuing, “She’s young. So am I. There’s no reason to rush into anything just because she wants an answer right now. I think giving her more time is better. Let her understand me properly instead of deciding while everything is still new.”

I nodded slowly. That actually sounded more mature than I expected from either of them. Chris continued, “If she still feels the same later, after she understands more about me and knows what being close to me actually means, then maybe I’ll give her an answer.”

“That’s probably better,” I admitted. Gwen wouldn’t like hearing that, but giving her time wasn’t the same as rejecting her. If anything, I preferred Chris taking her feelings seriously instead of saying yes simply because she was attached to him. The room became quiet again. I picked the document back up, but before I could start reading, Chris said, “Helen.”

I looked toward him. “What?” He was still sitting on the sofa, watching me with an expression I couldn’t immediately read. Then he asked, “After knowing all of this, if I asked you out, would you say yes?” My mind stopped. For a moment, I genuinely thought I’d misheard him. I stared at Chris, waiting for the smile that would tell me he was teasing me again, but it didn’t come. He simply continued looking at me as if he’d asked a completely normal question. “You—”

A knock suddenly came from the office door before I could finish. One of the attendants stepped inside and looked toward me before saying, “Ma’am, two gentlemen are here to meet Mr. Sterling.” I stayed frozen for another second before forcing my attention away from Chris. Apparently, I wasn’t getting the chance to ask what the hell he’d just meant.