Early the next morning, Ben changed into his best casual clothes and caught a bus into Manhattan for what promised to be one of the most important business meetings of his young life.
"Ben! Over here!"
The moment he stepped off the bus, he spotted Felicia waving enthusiastically from across the street. She looked stunning in a flowing white dress that complemented her platinum blonde hair perfectly, though Ben couldn't help but notice the faint dark circles under her expertly applied makeup.
"You're here early," Ben observed with surprise as he approached her.
Felicia stuck out her tongue playfully and offered a mischievous smile without providing an explanation.
The truth was that she had her own plan for the day. By arriving early and helping Ben complete his business quickly, she hoped to create more time for them to spend together afterward—time that wouldn't be consumed by negotiations and technical discussions.
"But I have to ask," Felicia continued, "why the sudden interest in purchasing scientific equipment?"
While Felicia didn't have extensive knowledge of laboratory instruments, she had spent most of the previous night researching the topic to better assist Ben. After returning home from their phone conversation, she had reached out to Dr. Otto Octavius, a brilliant scientist whose research was funded by the Hardy Foundation.
Otto had grown up in poverty, which had made him exceptionally skilled at finding bargains and maximizing research budgets. When Felicia contacted him for advice, he had generously provided detailed information about equipment suppliers, fair market prices, and strategies for negotiating favorable deals.
She had studied his recommendations until nearly dawn, determined to be as helpful as possible.
"Actually," Felicia said, "the most cost-effective approach would be purchasing directly from Oscorp."
Her research had revealed some interesting market conditions that could work in their favor.
"The recent monster attacks have devastated Oscorp's stock price," she explained. "To raise capital and maintain operations, I'm confident they'll be willing to sell their remaining laboratory equipment at significantly reduced prices."
Oscorp's stock had indeed collapsed to the point where it should have presented an attractive investment opportunity for bargain hunters. However, most investors were staying away because they believed the company was beyond recovery.
"That's an excellent suggestion," Ben agreed readily.
He felt no particular loyalty to Norman Osborn, and the business logic was sound. If he didn't purchase the equipment, Oscorp's shareholders would inevitably sell it to someone else at distressed prices anyway. Better for him to benefit from the situation.
Moreover, when Oscorp began liquidating physical assets, it would further depress the company's market value, which would actually make it easier for Norman to eventually buy back control of his own company. In a strange way, Ben's purchases might actually help his friend's father in the long run.
Therefore, Ben planned to make substantial acquisitions. The more dramatic Oscorp's asset sales appeared, the more convinced the market would become that the company was approaching bankruptcy.
Let the stock price fall further—it would only make Norman's eventual recovery more achievable.
Ben and Felicia arranged a meeting with Dr. Mendel Stormm, one of Oscorp's major shareholders and a co-founder of the company along with Norman Osborn.
Stormm naturally recognized the daughter of the Hardy Foundation and initially assumed that Felicia was representing her family's interests in a potential acquisition of Oscorp assets.
This misconception worked heavily in their favor, as Stormm was extremely eager to find buyers for his rapidly depreciating investment.
"Please don't worry, Dr. Stormm," Ben said with carefully measured politeness. "We're not here to discuss purchasing Oscorp stock."
Ben was impressed by Felicia's performance during the negotiation. Despite facing a man who had accumulated wealth and influence over decades, she showed no signs of intimidation. Instead, she projected confidence and authority that clearly commanded Storm's respect.
Her upbringing as the daughter of a major foundation had taught her to navigate high-stakes business conversations with remarkable skill.
"We're interested in acquiring some of Oscorp's laboratory equipment," Felicia continued smoothly.
Dr. Stormm's expression showed brief disappointment—he had hoped for a much larger transaction—but he quickly recognized the opportunity to recover at least some value from the company's physical assets.
"What kind of budget are we discussing?" Storm asked, unable to completely hide his desperation.
"Dr. Stormm," Ben replied with a slight smile, "you seem rather anxious."
Stormm's discomfort was obvious. Could he not be anxious? Every day that passed without liquidating assets represented massive financial losses. Given Oscorp's current situation, time was definitely not on his side.
This urgency was exactly the leverage Ben and Felicia needed to control the negotiation.
Several hours later, they emerged from the meeting with agreements that exceeded their most optimistic expectations.
"Thank you, Felicia," Ben said with genuine gratitude. "Your help today was invaluable."
With Felicia's skilled assistance, he had acquired equipment worth millions of dollars at prices several levels below fair market value. Stormm had even thrown in several damaged instruments—items he considered worthless scrap but that Ben knew he could repair and restore to full functionality.
"It was nothing," Felicia replied modestly, though she clearly felt pleased with their success.
She glanced up at the afternoon sky, noting that the day was still young and the weather was pleasantly warm.
"But are you really planning to start your own company?" she asked with obvious concern. "Do you have sufficient startup capital?"
Felicia was well aware of Ben's family's modest financial circumstances. While she never doubted his capabilities, she worried about the practical challenges of launching a technology business.
Even with the discounted prices they had negotiated, the total cost of their equipment purchases would still reach several hundred million dollars.
"Don't worry about funding," Ben assured her. "I've actually partnered with Harry Osborn."
Felicia blinked in surprise—she hadn't expected Ben to have connections with the Osborn family heir.
"Using Osborn money to buy Osborn equipment..." she mused with a slightly bewildered expression.
While she found the arrangement somewhat ironic, she didn't dwell on the details. Instead, she felt an unexpected pang of jealousy.
"Actually, you don't need Harry Osborn's help," she said earnestly, her cheeks puffing out slightly in an adorable display of indignation. "I could provide financial support instead!"
She looked directly at Ben with complete seriousness.
"Even if I can't contribute huge amounts personally, I could convince my mother to invest in your venture through the Hardy Foundation."
"Thank you, Felicia, but that won't be necessary," Ben replied quickly.
He had originally chosen to work with Harry specifically to avoid involving the Hardy Foundation in his plans. Allowing Felicia's family to become stakeholders would create complications he preferred to avoid.
But Felicia's sincere offer did touch him deeply.
He reached out and gently ruffled her blonde hair, marveling at how soft and silky it felt beneath his fingers.
Felicia shivered slightly at the unexpected contact, her cheeks flushing pink as she instinctively leaned into his touch rather than pulling away.
"I helped you save a fortune today," she said with mock seriousness, though her blush betrayed her real emotions. "How exactly do you plan to thank me?"
"What kind of thank-you did you have in mind?"
Felicia tapped her finger against her lips thoughtfully, then brightened with sudden inspiration.
"Ice cream!" she declared. "You can buy me ice cream."
Ben looked at her in amazement. Felicia had just helped him save tens of millions of dollars in equipment costs, and her requested reward was frozen dessert?
"That's really all you want?"
"That's all for now," Felicia said with a playful grin, already bounding toward a nearby ice cream vendor like an excited cat who had spotted something interesting. "Come on!"
A few minutes later, they were walking side by side down the Manhattan sidewalk, each enjoying their chosen flavors.
That evening, Ben escorted Felicia home, mindful of her parents' strict curfew policies. The Hardy family maintained traditional rules about their daughter's social activities, and Ben respected their rules.
After seeing Felicia safely to her door, Ben didn't return to Queens immediately. Instead, he made his way to the laboratory space he had been preparing for his new venture.
Earlier that afternoon, he had arranged for Stormm to deliver some of the most essential equipment, particularly an advanced supercomputer that would serve as the foundation for his next project.
The sophisticated machine looked completely out of place in the modest laboratory space, its sleek design and obvious value contrasting sharply with the simple surroundings.
Ben's first priority was creating an artificial intelligence assistant. He didn't need anything as sophisticated as Tony Stark's JARVIS or as powerful as Ultron—just a functional AI capable of helping with routine tasks and data analysis.
Transforming into Grey Matter to maximize his intellectual capabilities, Ben began inputting modified code based on JARVIS's underlying architecture. His enhanced Galvan intelligence allowed him to understand and adapt the complex programming far beyond what would have been possible in his human form.
After several hours of intensive work, the program began responding to his commands.
"Hello, Mr. Parker," a clear, feminine voice announced from the laboratory's speakers.
"Hello, Eunice," Ben replied with satisfaction.
His artificial intelligence assistant was now online and ready to help him build the future.
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