"Looks like I came at a bad time?" Natasha pointed toward the two people staring at her.
"Natasha! You! You brought Superman here! You damn—"
Bang!
Dreykov's furious curse was cut short as Leon slapped him across the back of the head, slamming his face into the table. His skull cracked open, splattering blood and brain matter everywhere.
"This guy talks too much. He looks like a beast in human clothing, and I couldn't help myself." Leon wiped his hand on Dreykov's clothes.
He turned to Natasha. "You don't mind, do you?"
Natasha shrugged. "I've wanted to do that for a long time."
"But how did you do it?" she asked, stepping closer. "That pheromone he mentioned—it prevents people from attacking him. We all experienced it. Why weren't you affected?"
Leon grabbed Dreykov's lifeless body and tossed it to the ground. His eyes flashed red, releasing heat vision that reduced the corpse to ashes.
"Foreign substances don't last a second in my body. How could they possibly affect me?" He brushed nonexistent dust off his hands. "That guy had some crazy ideas."
Unless it was psychic or magical control, nothing could influence a Kryptonian who had been absorbing sunlight for over six months.
Natasha stared at the pile of ashes that was once her former boss. Her lips parted slightly in surprise.
"Heat vision, huh? Another one of your magic tricks."
She chuckled. "Honestly, I've gotten used to being shocked by the things you do."
Her gaze lingered on him. "So, how do you want me to repay you? I'll agree to anything."
Leon smirked. "Natasha, you sound like a thirty-year-old office worker at a bar trying to pick up a male model to blow off steam."
He turned his attention to the massive screen in the room. The control panel was built into the desk opposite it.
He walked over and started fiddling with the controls. "If you really want to repay me, have the Widows come work for me. But first, we need to free them from their conditioning."
"Glad to help." Natasha moved beside him, watching his actions. "I'll check on the Widows aboard the carrier. You crack the system and pull up a list of Widows worldwide. Deal?"
"Easy." As soon as Leon spoke, a red interface appeared on the screen, requesting palm print verification.
"Palm print lock?"
Leon tried a few methods but couldn't bypass it.
"...Maybe I was a little hasty. Should've let Dreykov live a little longer."
He pulled out his phone. "Good thing I still have J.A.R.V.I.S. He can handle this."
Connecting his phone to the panel, J.A.R.V.I.S.'s voice soon filled the room.
"Master Leon, Mr. Stark asked if you'll be coming home tonight."
Leon rolled his eyes. "No. Tell him if he messes around while I'm gone, I'll have Pepper force him back to work tomorrow."
"Understood. I shall relay the message." J.A.R.V.I.S. paused. "Additionally, Mr. Stark requests that if you do not return home tonight, you take necessary precautions and avoid being deceived by unsavory individuals."
Leon smacked his forehead. "Tell him to worry about himself first. He acts like I'm a kid. I was more mature than him when I was three!"
Natasha suppressed a laugh but ended up coughing.
Leon shot her a glare, but she simply tucked her red hair behind her ear and looked away.
"If you ever meet Tony, you'll see just how ridiculous he is," Leon muttered, turning back to J.A.R.V.I.S.
Before he could proceed, Natasha suddenly poked his cheek with her fingertip, then swiftly withdrew her hand.
She smirked, backing toward the door. "To be honest, one childish Stark is enough for me."
With that, she spun around and disappeared down the hallway.
Leon blinked. "Another childish one?"
J.A.R.V.I.S., silent until now, suddenly spoke. "Congratulations, Master Leon."
"On what?" Leon asked, puzzled.
"On finding your fourth girlfriend."
Leon frowned. "What?"
"Your first three relationships lasted less than a month. They ended when Mr. Stark issued checks to your partners."
"I hope this one lasts longer."
Leon groaned, memories flooding back. "Tony thinks I'll be scammed out of my love and money! He says emotions should only be physical!"
He clenched his fists. "Every time I start dating someone, he hands them a million-dollar check! He's ruining my youth!"
"To be fair, those women were after your money," J.A.R.V.I.S. reasoned. "Mr. Stark merely did what Miss Potts would do for him."
Leon scoffed. "One million each time? No wonder they all left."
"Will you stop Mr. Stark from interfering this time?"
"No need. Natasha and I will never be together."
Leon glanced toward the corner where Natasha had been moments ago.
"But your interactions suggest otherwise," J.A.R.V.I.S. noted.
Leon shook his head. "This is different."
He exhaled. "I've known from the start—Natasha doesn't need a lover. What she truly needs is a place where she belongs."
"Her life has been tragic from the beginning. Her adoptive parents were spies posing as a family, a façade that eventually crumbled. She was sent to the Red Room, trained, and molded into something inhuman."
"She's like a leaf drifting on the ocean, with no anchor."
"And what she needs most isn't romance—it's a home. A place where she can plant roots, surrounded by others who share her struggles."
"That place is family—a true one, not just a person."
"That's why Natasha and I won't be together."
Leon, knowing both Natasha's past and her eventual future, was certain.
She had people she cared about, but she always kept her distance, a habit formed for self-preservation.
Thud!
A noise echoed from outside, followed by the sound of hurried footsteps fading into the distance.
Clearly, Natasha had overheard his words and left in a rush.
"Master Leon, Miss Romanoff was just outside," J.A.R.V.I.S. noted.
"I know," Leon replied.
"You understand her deeply. Do you like her but fear getting close?"
"My dear J.A.R.V.I.S., that sounds like something only Tony would do. I simply admire Natasha."
"So, you won't pursue a relationship?"
Leon smirked. "Our connection is simpler than that. We can just... talk about our feelings late at night."
"Based on Mr. Stark's behavioral logic, late-night talks about feelings tend to escalate into noisy activities."
Leon chuckled. "That's about right."
…
💎 Support this novel with Reviews & Power Stones! 💎
…
✅ Check out my Patreon for +40 Advanced Chapters 📚 on all my fanfics! 🎉
🔗 [p@treon.com/LordMerlin]
🙏 Thank you for your support! ❤️