"This time, you cost me everything. You even blew up the spaceship that was meant to be reusable according to the plan. So tell me, how do you plan to compensate me for my losses?" The investor sneered as he looked at Reed Richards, whose face had slightly changed.
"Well..." Upon hearing the investor's words, neither Reed Richards nor Ben Grimm knew what to say. After all, they weren't exactly broke, but they only had just enough to get by. Compensating the investor for his losses was out of the question.
This was a space project, after all. Even though Reed Richards had innovated and improved many aspects of the technology, it still required a significant amount of funding. If this debt were placed on Reed Richards and Ben Grimm—let alone including Victor Von Doom—there was no way they could pay it off, even if they worked their entire lives.
"Mr. James, you should be aware of our current situation..." Ben Grimm glanced at Reed Richards, whose face was filled with bitterness and who couldn't utter a word. Ben sighed helplessly, realizing that without Victor's smooth-talking skills, it was up to him to negotiate.
Despite how Ben Grimm had previously brushed off these debts when dealing with Victor, he knew that if negotiations failed and Reed Richards couldn't demonstrate his worth and create wealth with his brilliant mind, they would never be able to repay the debt in their lifetimes.
"What does your situation have to do with the debt you owe me?" James snorted coldly and asked sternly.
"Well, it's quite related! Our situation heavily impacts how we can repay the debt," Ben Grimm quickly put on a flattering smile and stepped forward to explain softly. "The space project has already failed, and we're practically penniless. Even if you sold us, it would only cover a fraction of the losses..."
"As for us working to pay off the debt, that's even less realistic. We wouldn't even be able to pay off the interest with what we earn. So I think we should cooperate and try to recover your losses through the next plan..."
"Hmm..." James frowned at Ben Grimm's words. To be honest, when he first heard that the space project had failed, James was furious. He had stayed out of it, trusting Reed Richards and his team completely. But now, his investment had ended in failure. Especially after hearing that Victor had fled, James was enraged!
Even as an investor, no one likes losing money. It wasn't something that could be easily tolerated. But James also understood that even if he had Reed Richards and Ben Grimm thrown into the sea, it wouldn't make him feel any better, nor would it recover his losses.
Initially, Victor's promises had made James confident in Reed Richards' abilities, but after the failure of the space project, James had lost all confidence in Reed. Seeing Reed's dejected face only made James trust him even less.
"Do you have any new plans?" James asked after a long silence, realizing there was no other way for Reed Richards and his team to repay the debt. He took a deep breath and looked at Reed Richards.
Although Ben Grimm had been the one speaking, James knew that in their team, it was Reed who came up with and implemented the plans, while Ben was merely an assistant.
"Sorry, Mr. James. I just woke up and haven't had time to think of anything yet. Could you give me some time to come up with a plan?" Reed Richards cautiously replied, knowing that his and Ben Grimm's lives were in James' hands. If James was dissatisfied, he had the power to have them quietly disposed of.
"Nothing yet?" James' face darkened upon hearing this. He had hoped Reed Richards would have some idea, but Reed's response left him far from satisfied. He gave Reed and Ben a cold look and said, "Take your time, but you'll do it under my watch. I can't have you running off like Victor."
"Let's go!"
With that, the bodyguards behind James stepped forward, grabbed Reed Richards and Ben Grimm, and began to escort them out.
Normally, Ben Grimm wouldn't have given in so easily. He was strong and capable, and could handle a couple of bodyguards. But this situation was different. With Reed already captured, and facing their creditor, Ben naturally felt weaker and didn't dare resist.
"What are you doing? Why are you taking our patients?" Just as the bodyguards were about to take them away, a chubby nurse appeared, her expression turning cold. She glared at the bodyguards and James, her voice stern. "Do you know where you are? How dare you cause trouble here?!"
"Huh?" James was taken aback by the nurse's boldness. He was momentarily stunned, mumbling, "Uh, I'm their creditor. They owe me money, so I'm taking them back..."
"I don't care if you're their creditor or a bailiff. You can't take them until they're discharged!" The nurse remained unyielding, her tone firm.
"Aren't you overstepping, nurse? This is none of your business," James said, his patience wearing thin as he signaled his bodyguards to push the nurse aside.
"You dare lay a hand on me? Help! We have a situation here!" the nurse shouted as she was pushed back a few steps.
*Swish!* *Swish!* *Swish!*
Immediately after her shout, a group of heavily armed operatives stormed in, surrounding James and his bodyguards. They were so well-equipped and professional that they scared the living daylights out of James and his men.
Seeing the clear disparity in weaponry and numbers, James knew they stood no chance if a fight broke out.
"This is a misunderstanding..." James said with a forced smile, signaling his men to release Reed Richards and Ben Grimm. "Really, it's just a misunderstanding..."
"It sure is..." Ben Grimm, quick on his feet, saw an opportunity. "We do owe him money, but if we're discharged, we can leave, right?"
Ben Grimm realized that the hospital's conflict with James wasn't to protect them but because James had violated hospital rules. And even if they were discharged, it wouldn't erase the debt. It would be better to clear things up and perhaps earn some goodwill from James, allowing Reed to make new plans and investments. After all, they couldn't hide in the hospital forever.
"Go get checked. If you're cleared, you can leave." The nurse nodded, glancing at James with a stern look. "That's the hospital's rule, and no one can break it. You should know who's behind this hospital..."
"Yes, yes..." James responded meekly, realizing the nurse was even more formidable than he, a wealthy investor. But he had no choice. He couldn't afford to cross the hospital, knowing full well who its backers were.
"We'll get checked right away. Please wait a moment, Mr. James," Ben Grimm said, gently pulling Reed Richards along.
"Alright, go ahead," James replied, his tone softening. Though he'd been put in his place by the nurse, Ben Grimm's attitude was at least polite. Further confrontation would only complicate things, so he had no choice but to wait.
The examination was quick, and Ben Grimm and Reed Richards were cleared to leave. The discharge process went smoothly, with no further questions about Victor.
"We can go now, Mr. James. They shouldn't stop us anymore," Ben Grimm said, returning to James after getting the discharge papers.
"Then let's get out of here!" James nodded. This time, he didn't have his bodyguards seize them again. Seeing that the nurse wasn't intervening, they quickly made their way to the hospital exit.
But just as they were about to leave, a group of men in black suits blocked their path. The leader, a chubby man, stared at them, making James feel a strange sense of familiarity, though he couldn't quite place where he'd seen him before.
"You can go, but these two must stay," the chubby man said, eyeing Reed Richards and Ben Grimm.
"What? But they've already been discharged. Did they owe someone else money too?" James, wary of the man who seemed even more intimidating than the nurse, hesitated before speaking.
"Oh, they owe you money, do they? How much? I'll pay it. Now, get out of here," the chubby man said dismissively, waving James off.
"What?!" James, Reed Richards, and Ben Grimm were all stunned, staring at the man in disbelief. After a moment, Ben Grimm was the first to recover and cautiously asked, "Sir, do you even know how much we owe?"
"How much? It's just a failed space project, right? How much could it be? Send the bill to Stark Industries, and they'll wire the money over!" The chubby man scoffed, clearly not concerned about the money.
But if one looked closely, they could see the excitement in his eyes—not the thrill of spending money, but the excitement of showing off.
"You're with Stark Industries?" James' eyes lit up. Although he was a wealthy man, he was still nowhere near the level of Stark Industries. Hearing this, he grew eager to establish a connection, especially now that he had remembered who the man was. "Ah! I remember now. You're Iron Man's bodyguard! Mr. Happy!"
"..." Happy's face darkened at the mention of this title. It was an awkward identity, one that had even made him a viral sensation online for a time.
After all, how could a superhero need a bodyguard? Especially one like Happy, who didn't seem particularly capable, with his chubby frame that suggested he couldn't run fast. Apart from his bulk possibly stopping a bullet, he seemed useless.
And thus, the internet had dubbed him the "most useless bodyguard," a title that had prompted Happy to shift his focus more to Stark Industries to showcase his limited value
...
_________________________
[Check out my Patreon for +200 additional chapters in all my fanfics! $5 for all!!]
[w w w . p a t r e o n .com / INNIT]
[+50 PowerStones = +1 Chapter] [+5 Reviews = +1 Chapter]