Regarding Herman hiring two women into the company, Skye's reaction was one of disdain.
"Just as I expected," she muttered.
Herman felt completely wronged.
"Aunt May raising a child on her own must be incredibly tough. Hiring her is just my way of helping a family in need," Herman said with practiced sincerity. Running background checks on employees was standard practice in the U.S.
He wasn't worried about being questioned on the source of his information either. "I looked into it. That child is the orphan of her late sister. He's frail and often bullied at school. I'd guess it's because he doesn't get enough to eat."
Spinning stories with a straight face was one of Herman's specialties.
Not that it was all false.
Peter Parker was indeed scrawny and bullied often in school. The only catch was that this "frail kid" could punch hard enough to kill a bull. Herman had even checked—Spider-Man had already been active in the city for a whole year.
"Aunt May? You're already calling her that?" Skye eyed him suspiciously. The Herman she knew was never this kind or considerate.
"Well, she's much older. I can't just call her by her first name. I'm from China—respecting elders and caring for the young is tradition for us."
Herman explained his casual choice of address with a straight face.
Skye believed him.
People from China did take generational respect seriously.
"Alright, Aunt May it is. No wonder she works so hard—she's supporting her whole family on her own. That can't be easy."
Skye's sympathy started to overflow. But then she thought of their other new colleague—the one so beautiful even she felt her heart stir.
"That Carrie… you definitely just hired her for her looks!"
Her tone was firm, as if stating a fact.
"But isn't she skilled too? She has a CMA certification, you know." Herman patiently lectured. "Besides, she's from a small town. The world's ruthless these days. If she ended up with some sleazy, overweight boss, that'd be tragic."
Skye thought about it.
That gorgeous new hire—though she snacked endlessly at work—really did seem absurdly competent.
Most importantly, she looked genuinely naive… the kind of girl who'd be easy to deceive. If she ran into someone with bad intentions, she'd probably fall for it immediately.
If Carrie had one real flaw, it was her impossibly slim figure. Skye secretly suspected it was some kind of superpower.
How else could a girl with a body like that eat three whole tubs of Häagen-Dazs a day? Skye was so envious she felt like her cells were splitting apart.
"Well, you're the boss. Whatever you say goes. I just suspect you're kind of a perv—but I'm not actually objecting to your decisions," she muttered under her breath. 'Perv' was a term she'd picked up from Herman himself.
Luckily, Skye didn't know her designer labels. Otherwise, she'd be questioning how a so-called small-town girl like Carrie could walk around looking like she was "wearing a Rolls-Royce."
Herman had wondered about that too. But after some thought, he reminded himself—small towns could produce rich kids as well.
Maybe Carrie's dad was some local tycoon or farm baron. That sort of thing was still common enough in America.
...
After several days of preparation, the TV series was set to start filming that afternoon.
S.H.I.E.L.D. agents naturally didn't need to worry about transportation—they might even have flown in on fighter jets. The only group with actual transport issues were the mutant students from Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters.
Herman planned to charter a bus to bring them over—and he already knew the person leading the group to Stellar Tower.
Fiery red hair.
A figure like a model.
And that distinct aura tinged with danger.
Jean Grey.
The famed Phoenix among mutants, one of the exceedingly rare Omega-levels, her Phoenix Force powerful enough to rival Chaos Magic itself. She had, in fact, been the one to escort the students to their earlier audition, though she hadn't come upstairs at the time.
"Are you their teacher?"
Though Herman understood the situation perfectly, he still pretended to know nothing about Jean Grey. He wouldn't dare intrude on the mind of someone like her.
Who knew if that might accidentally trigger the Phoenix Force?
"The Professor said we can trust you."
Jean's demeanor was cool and distant. She didn't offer a handshake, only stood at the doorway with her arms crossed.
Such blunt words caught Herman off guard.
That direct? Not even going to pretend?
"Director, you're the same as us… right?" Kitty, the Shadowcat he'd met before, asked hesitantly.
Beside her, the other mutant students also looked on with curiosity.
The atmosphere instantly turned strange.
What the hell?
Jean being blunt was one thing, but why were these kids acting like everyone had just decided to drop the act?
For a moment, Herman was completely baffled. He didn't dare probe Jean's thoughts, but the students were another matter.
He didn't even need to look into their deeper memories.
Just skimming their present thoughts was enough for him to figure out what was going on.
...
(50 Chapters Ahead)
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