In an instant, Richard's telepathic awareness enveloped the entirety of Silver Manor.
His brow furrowed in confusion.
Where is everyone?
Neither Emma Frost and Clarice, nor Natasha, Sharon Carter and Susan—the latter rescued from the zombie universe—were present in the manor.
He could sense only the staff—maids, gardeners, and other service personnel.
Where could they have gone?
I wasn't away that long.
Though he had spent over two months in The Boys universe, only half a day had elapsed in this reality due to differential temporal flow.
Even if Emma Frost and Clarice had ventured into the city for shopping or to inspect Richard's various properties, that wouldn't explain the absence of Natasha, Sharon and Susan.
More perplexing—it was early morning.
Unlike Emma and Clarice, Natasha, Sharon and Susan rarely left the manor, given their extradimensional origins.
This self-imposed isolation served dual purposes: avoiding being mistaken for their native counterparts and adjusting to their new reality.
Though their pre-apocalyptic world had closely resembled this universe, years spent in a zombie-ravaged environment had inevitably affected their psychological equilibrium.
Concluding his telepathic scan, Richard retrieved his phone from dimensional storage and dialed Emma Frost directly.
The connection established quickly, Emma's voice emerging from the other end.
"You've returned?" Though he couldn't see her expression, Richard detected genuine surprise in her tone.
"Yes, just now," he confirmed. "Where are you all currently?"
"We're at the Baxter Building," Emma responded promptly. "The Fantastic Four are hosting a charity dinner and specifically invited our attendance."
A charity dinner? Hosted by the Fantastic Four?
Richard's frown deepened upon hearing this explanation.
While the Fantastic Four weren't financially constrained, and charity functions represented standard practice among New York's elite, something seemed incongruous.
The Fantastic Four weren't technically part of high society's traditional echelon.
They were superheroes, not aristocrats or business magnates.
The name "Johnny Storm" immediately materialized in Richard's thoughts.
With the exception of the Human Torch, none of the team seemed inclined toward organizing charity galas.
Particularly not Reed Richards.
Reed epitomized the quintessential scientific archetype—a genius whose interests centered entirely on research and discovery.
The notion of Reed prioritizing a social function over his latest project—like the interdimensional transportation device Richard had commissioned months earlier—seemed absurd.
Neither Ben Grimm nor Sue Storm exhibited personalities suggesting enthusiasm for elaborate social gatherings.
Process of elimination left only Johnny Storm as the likely catalyst.
"I understand," Richard stated, terminating the call.
He teleported to his bedroom, selected a bespoke black suit from his wardrobe, and dressed with practiced efficiency.
Another teleportation focused on the Baxter Building—headquarters of the Fantastic Four.
In an instant, he materialized on the building's uppermost level.
Unlike conventional skyscrapers, the Baxter Building's summit housed not a traditional rooftop but an elaborate rooftop garden.
Currently, this space accommodated hundreds of elegantly attired individuals—guests for tonight's function.
Though Richard's arrival hadn't been officially anticipated, his presence immediately captured attention.
Several attendees—acquaintances with whom he maintained cordial if distant relationships—approached with greetings.
After briefly acknowledging these perfunctory social exchanges, Richard navigated toward Emma Frost, Clarice, and the others.
All four women were adorned in elegant evening gowns of varied styles and colors. Despite these differences, they uniformly projected radiance and sophistication.
This wasn't surprising, considering each possessed exceptional physical attributes.
When Richard caught up to them, he asked, "So what made you all decide to come tonight?"
Clarice answered right away, "The manor gets boring after a while. We figured a change of pace would do us good."
She hesitated for a second, then added, "Now I get why you were always so excited about these events."
Richard chuckled. "Oh yeah? Why's that?"
"The attention," Clarice said honestly. "It's kind of addictive. Plus, there are plenty of handsome suitors more than happy to show off a little."
Hmm...
Clarice's comment might've been a little blunt, but she wasn't wrong.
Still, Richard wasn't exactly thrilled with her answer.
They are his Women — every single one of them.
The idea of anyone else trying to move in on them? Not happening. Not on his watch.
If some idiot thought he could make a move, Richard would have no problem making sure he never tried anything like that again.
"Sharp observation," Richard said, putting on a mock-serious face. "Which clearly means you shouldn't come to these parties anymore."
Clarice rolled her eyes. "If it bothers you that much, you can stay home. I'm not the one sneaking around chasing after every pretty face."
Even though Clarice wasn't even twenty yet, she had a way about her — something that went way beyond just looks.
Give her a few more years, and she'd be the kind of woman who could stop conversations just by walking into a room.
"Relax, Clarice — he's just messing with you," Emma said with a smirk.
"No guy here's stupid enough to test their luck against Richard," she added.
Richard gave a half-smile. "They're not brave enough, that's for sure. Still doesn't mean I have to like the way they stare."
He shrugged. "Trust me, I know exactly what's going through their heads."
Even so, he wasn't actually planning on stopping people from admiring Emma or Clarice. A little attention was harmless — mostly.
Before Emma could fire back with a witty remark, Johnny Storm strolled over, a pretty blonde clinging to his arm.
"What took you guys so long?" Johnny asked, grinning like he was genuinely happy to see them.
I'd be happy to rephrase that fanfic dialogue to make it less sophisticated and more natural. Here's a simplified version:
Johnny seemed to have gotten over any bad feelings toward Richard. Now he actually looked eager to be friends, probably hoping to gain something from Richard's social status.
"Had some personal stuff to deal with," Richard said simply.
"Personal stuff?" Johnny asked right away. "Anything serious? Need any help?"
Even though Richard hadn't called it "personal," Johnny took it that way. He figured anything making Richard leave suddenly for half a day must be pretty serious.
"Thanks for asking," Richard said politely, "but it's all taken care of."
"By the way, where are Reed and your sister? I don't see them around."
"Reed's in Africa," Johnny explained. "He's looking for special metals for that device you ordered."
"And my sister finds these events boring. She's probably busy with something in her room."
Africa, looking for special metals?
Though Johnny didn't name the exact material, Richard immediately thought of two things: vibranium and Wakanda.
Is Reed actually trying to get vibranium from Wakanda?
Richard couldn't hide his surprise.
As he was about to ask more, Johnny suddenly changed the subject.
"Let's talk about something more interesting—you," Johnny said. "Congrats on becoming co-president of the Wesley and Storm Charitable Foundation!"
What?
Richard looked at Johnny in confusion, not understanding what he meant.
Before Richard could ask, Emma Frost stepped in to explain.
"This is the first charity dinner hosted by the Foundation," she said.
"I bid on some art pieces using your authorization during the auction."
"Then Mr. Storm came up with a plan to rename it the 'Wesley and Storm Charitable Foundation' and shared his vision."
"It seemed like a good idea, so I gave temporary approval."
"About half an hour before you got here, the 'Wesley and Storm Charitable Foundation' was officially created."
While rich Americans often had charitable foundations, Richard was surprised that Johnny Storm had convinced Emma Frost to agree to this.
Had the Human Torch grown beyond his usual impulsive self?
If Richard hadn't sensed Johnny's thoughts were genuine, he might have suspected Mystique was pretending to be him.
Though Richard wasn't sure exactly why Johnny was doing this, he trusted Emma's judgment about his finances.
If Emma agreed, Johnny's charity idea must have real value; otherwise, she would have said no.
"If it's called the 'Wesley and Storm Charitable Foundation,' I'm guessing you're the other co-president?" Richard asked Johnny.
"Or is your sister in that position?"
"You got it," Johnny said seriously. "My sister is the other co-president."
"I'm just the foundation's vice president."
"Ben, Clarice, and my second sister are also vice presidents."
Second sister?
Could it be...
Richard looked over at the Susan wearing a dark blue evening gown—the one rescued from the zombie universe.
Noticing his attention, she nodded slightly.
Did I really leave this world for just half a day?
Richard wondered if time between universes might actually flow at a 1:100 ratio instead of what he had calculated.
Only half a day had passed!
After staying on the rooftop garden for about thirty more minutes, Richard teleported Emma Frost, Clarice, and everyone else back to Silver Manor.
In the main building's first-floor reception room, Richard looked at the women seated across from him.
"Tell me everything that happened while I was gone," he said calmly. "I don't want to find out tomorrow that you've gotten new siblings."
After exchanging quick glances, Emma Frost spoke for the group.
"During your half-day absence, we held a Wesley family meeting," she explained. "Since you weren't available, we assumed you'd be neutral about what we discussed." "After talking it over, everyone—well, Natasha and the others—unanimously decided to start new lives in this reality with different identities..."
"Just get to the point," Richard cut in impatiently.
"They've chosen new names," Emma said directly.
New names?
Richard looked at the three Natashas with surprise. "What names did you pick?"
Natasha listed their chosen names.
When she finished, Richard looked genuinely shocked.
Instead of completely new identities, they had basically kept their original names as middle names within expanded identities.
"Black Widow" Natasha Romanoff had become Scarlett Natasha Romanoff.
"Agent 13" Sharon Carter had become Emily Sharon Carter.
"Invisible Woman" had chosen Jessica Susan Storm.
These choices directly connected to suggestions Richard had made earlier.
When he first brought them to this universe, he'd asked if they wanted completely new identities.
As interdimensional refugees, they were basically undocumented immigrants in this reality's United States.
Being undocumented wasn't a huge problem, but not having legal ID would seriously limit how well they could fit into society.
Richard had initially suggested the names Scarlett, Emily, and Jessica during that conversation.
At the time, they hadn't seemed very interested, and the matter was left unresolved.
Richard hadn't expected them to change their minds today.
After thinking silently for a few moments, he said, "If this is what you all want, we'll make it happen." "I'll get proper identification..."
Before he could finish speaking, all three women pulled driver's licenses from their designer handbags.
The United States had never created a national ID card system throughout its history.
For most Americans, a driver's license was their main everyday ID.
Besides driver's licenses, other valid IDs included: passports, passport cards, green cards, DHS-approved "enhanced" driver's licenses, "trusted traveler" cards, border crossing cards, and military IDs.
Showing any one of these documents was enough for most official purposes.
"I've already taken care of it," Emma explained with a satisfied smile.
As Richard's most trusted household manager, Emma was always more attentive and competent with these matters than Clarice and the others.
With her around, Richard didn't need to worry about everyday administrative details.
...