"Have you been walking around these past two days? - Anita said irritably, sitting across from Augustus, who was dressed in his combat gear.
"In part, I think I'll do it again soon," said the masked August in a muffled voice, watching the girl with a chuckle.
Yesterday afternoon, he'd been walking around the business district and had ended up meeting a girl he'd rescued at the exhibition. He didn't know her name, for apart from her incredible beauty, the white-haired girl hadn't been able to boast of anything else during their first meeting. The only thing the mercenary remembered was her bad temper. Such stale women were not his type, and even her irresistible beauty could not offset that.
To Augustus then, the white-haired girl was just a nasty blank with a pretty shell. He remembered her beautiful appearance surpassing the beauty of all the girls he had seen before. Her exotic appearance, white hair, fair skin and scarlet eyes must have played here. August had never met a girl like her in this world before. Most likely the same impression of his appearance was made by other girls, for them he was also exotic.
In general, then the mercenary did not care about the identity of the rescued. Later, in a calmer atmosphere at the Stark villa, he remembered the business card of the white-haired girl, and after a quick glance at it, without going into details, he crumpled it up and threw it away. The name and surname remained unknown to August.
The meeting in the city was unexpected, a motorcade, a pile of armed guards right in the middle of the city. The bodyguards of the white-haired woman were well-trained, had a military bearing and a murderous look, and the steel muscles visible from under their clothes spoke of their special exclusivity. Such men were not to be trifled with. One glance was enough for August to realise the danger of the bodyguards surrounding the white-haired woman.
The girl he had rescued earlier had not changed in any way, perhaps her character had become even worse than it was before. After scaring away the student he had hired, the businesswoman took her place and forced Augustus to accept a gift from her. Not to say that Augustus minded much. Accepting gifts from someone for nothing was fine. But to accept such expensive gifts... Even the most inept person would have something on his mind.
The only way out of the situation, which had been heated for nothing, was to accept the gift. He was not familiar with the white-haired girl and did not know what could happen in case of his refusal. He didn't feel like testing it out. If nothing had kept him in the United States before, his mistake had now caused him to have a rather ambiguous affair with Norma Osborne. The man was terribly possessive and still had some notion of honour. Having slept with Norma once, he decided to take responsibility for it and continue the relationship. The older Osborne was too "perfect."
She was not lacking in good looks and pleasant character. If you describe the character of Norma, August rolled around only one word - domestic. Perhaps the formation of such a beautiful character of a woman was influenced by pregnancy and the birth of a daughter. Raising alone Hera, Osborne changed her views, the maternal instinct took over and softened the previously sharp edges in relation to the woman.
Comparing Norma's character with that of Anita and the white-haired girl, Norma was an adorable angel against their background.
Let us return, however, to yesterday's events. Having literally forcibly handed August an expensive car, the girl did not forget to give him her card again. This time the mercenary decided to familiarise himself with it and see who was bothering him and whether he should expect further problems. When the mercenary took a closer look at the card, he wanted to cry and laugh at the same time.
The system must have been mocking him, sending him to the strangest places to fulfil unambiguous tasks. Who would have thought that the exotic beauty would be none other than Kingpin herself? Of course, the business card did not bear the underground alias of the most notorious criminal in the United States. It just had two words neatly printed on it - Vanessa Fisk.
But no matter how strange the canon of this Marvel world was, August remembered the last name Fisk perfectly well in the comics. It was the last name that America's biggest crime boss walked around with. Smuggling weapons, drugs, people, illegal businesses, racketeering... The list of crimes was endless. All illegal business in Marvel canon in the United States went through Wilson Fisk, or Kingpin. His influence extended not only to the US, but to Mexico, Canada, Central America, South America, and even western Europe.
The mercenary wasn't about to put it down to chance. How many other obscenely wealthy individuals walked around downtown New York with the last name Fisk?
Cold sweat ran down his spine at the realisation of the asshole he had been lucky enough to get himself into. Only from the outside it would seem that some crime boss would be unable to offer him any resistance. Kingpin in one of the originals was nothing special, he was constantly being abused by all sorts of dodgy characters like Spider-Man, Daredevil and others. But that was in one original, and in the other he was terrifyingly powerful.
Influence, advanced technology, supers working on his side, and of course various serums. In some comics, Kingpin's power went to the point of absurdity. Spider-Man, Daredevil, even Iron Man, for some variations of the Kingpin they were just nuisances that Wilson could deal with in no time at all.
Considering the realism and darkness of the world August managed to get to, you couldn't count on a regular Kingpin. It was in the comics that he was restricted in various ways, but in reality.... What would it take for him to make connections in the police, army, and government? Declare any superheroes that get in his way as enemies of the people, and then slowly suppress and eventually catch them by slamming his trap shut? After all, without the support of the people, most heroes would be deflated at the earliest stages.
And connections in the country's power structures are just the tip of the iceberg. There are plenty of other organisations that will certainly want to build good relations with the local crime king, or rather queen. The same Hydra with its sick Nazi ideas or the Ten Rings with their mania and radical attitudes. Although Ten Rings is still questionable.
"You didn't tell me yesterday who gave you the $1.5 million Bugatti," Anita folded her hands on her large chest, making a serious expression.
"I bought it for myself.
"Don't lie to me. The money from your wallet did not disappear anywhere. Admit it, do you have a woman on the side? Maybe a wife? - Anita leaned forward, showing a deep cut on her chest. From the mercenary's angle, the large breasts of the scarlet-haired woman were fully visible. Was Anita consciously leaning forward like that? August didn't know the exact answer.
"Are you following my money transactions? - The mercenary asked unkindly.
The woman turned away and fell silent, pretending she had said nothing before. The mercenary's right fist clenched involuntarily, and he wanted to put his palm over his face at Stark's absurdity. To tell a man in plain text that you were watching him and then not take advantage of it in any way. Only a person like Anita, for whom spying on someone close to you was the norm, could afford such a thing.
It was good that August had foreseen this outcome and prepared for it in advance. His personal account contained only the money that the updated system refused to accept. The rest was either already in the system or was waiting for him as cash in some inconspicuous place.
During his stay in America, August had already managed to make several hiding places for himself. The stash usually included a large wad of money, clean clothes, a weapon, and a passport for his new identity. What could happen to him? In case of danger, such hiding places could save his life.
The conversation with Stark broke off. She didn't say anything more to the mercenary, only throwing embittered and jealous glances at him.Why didn't this man pay any attention to her? She had worked so hard for him, humiliated herself, and he paid no attention to her. Anita realised that when she was with August, something was wrong with her, her rationality was disappearing and she was behaving like a silly girl. Was it really because she was in love with him?
When he returned to the villa yesterday in an unfamiliar car, jealousy and suspicion gripped Stark's heart. She had never felt jealous of anyone. All the men around her always did everything on her first word, they were easy to manipulate. Anita enjoyed her ego every time she watched another boy play innocent in front of her and then jump into bed with her at her first call. Their naivety amused the girl.
Once in her bed, the guys expected action from her, but Stark rudely broke them with a chuckle, saying that she was no longer interested in them. What a look would appear on the guys' faces then. They felt used and insulted, said a lot of insults to Anita, and then ran away. Many then tried to somehow restore relations with her, but for Stark they no longer had any attraction.
A trip to Afghanistan completely changed her thinking. She met August, a rough and stale mercenary who didn't care about her. At first she tried to act the same way with him as she did with the other guys. But it didn't work, and only turned him more against her.
Then Anita tried to act in a different way, through a softer stance. Seduction and warmth, but even here the mercenary didn't fall for her. Stark didn't even notice when the little game of seducing another man turned into love for him. She had lost that little battle, and she herself had been defeated by falling in love with him.
Sometimes the girl wondered, when had her first feelings for Augustus started? In Afghanistan or much later.
Now, sitting in front of the object of her crush, Anita gradually began to understand how the guys she had abandoned and deceived felt. An unpleasant feeling was eating her from the inside, and she could do nothing about it, nothing she could do about herself.
She had already instructed her artificial intelligence to inquire about the car that had appeared at August's place. Where it had come from, whether he had bought it himself or whether someone had given it to him. If the car was given to him by a woman...
Anita was at a loss to guess what she would do if she found out that the car was a gift from a woman. The rational part hidden inside her told her that she shouldn't do anything, she should just leave everything in its place. The other part, which only appeared in August's presence, told her that she should eliminate her rival. Not literally, but just to demonstrate her influence in front of her and get her to back down from Augustus.
In terms of economic power and influence, almost no one in the United States could handle Anita. There was only a small circle of people that Stark didn't even consider. A million and a half dollar car? If August liked cars so much, Anita could build him his own on her own and it would be far better than any other cars.
"Don't forget your role, now you are still a multi-billionaire paralysed from an accident," August said when the car stopped in front of the new Stark Industries building. After the last attack, the company's main headquarters had been relocated, with additional security and new staff. The changes had made a difference and the Stark Industries building was much more imposing than it had been before.
Strong armour-clad hands picked up Anita's body, causing the woman to bite her lips involuntarily. She couldn't stay angry with her mercenary for long, as soon as he came into close contact with her, all the woman's anger was gone.
The chauffeur took a wheelchair out of the boot of the car and August carefully placed the "paralysed" woman in it. Standing behind, the mercenary took the handles and rolled the wheelchair to the main entrance, where they were already waiting.
Bodyguards and a number of high-ranking personnel lined up in front of the entrance, greeting their mistress. The sight of the armoured mercenary did not frighten them, the internet had already spread information about him everywhere. Many women still admire his perfect facial features without the mask. Some ladies from the more or less affluent class have already inquired more than once about the prices for his services. Even if he doesn't perform "extra" bed services, just having such a handsome man around gave a huge status boost.
A recovered Pepper Potts met them at the lift. She was dressed in a perfectly tailored office suit, her long hair was tucked back, and there were some traces of make-up on her face. The make-up still couldn't hide the huge tired circles under her eyes. While someone was thinking how to seduce a stale mercenary, someone else was busy all day long with the business of a huge company.
"Hello, Miss Stark," Pepper bowed slightly. The girl tried to keep a balance between work and personal relationships. Now Potts met Anita not as an old friend, but as a CEO with the president of the company.
Stark didn't say anything, but only let out a smile and waved her hand. She was still immersed in her thoughts.
Using the lift, the company of people went up to the fifteenth floor of the high-rise building. Here was the office of the company's CEO. An entire floor was dedicated to Potts' office, an assembly hall and a conference room. There were also several living rooms, where all the amenities were recreated.
In the office, Potts placed a pile of papers right under Stark's nose. All of it was the personnel files of the people hired for the job. Stark was only required to sign the end of the paperwork to officially end the hiring ceremony.
Anita did what was required of her. She trusted Pepper completely, so she didn't have to vet the people she hired. When the paperwork was done, Potts pressed a button and a trim, slightly muscular red-haired girl with a pretty face entered the office.
One look at her and the mercenary paled. It was simply impossible not to recognise such a remarkable person, especially with his perfect memory. Black Widow is the main operative of the Shield. According to the film's canon, she infiltrates Stark Industries to gather information about the company and its owner. This woman has excellent acting skills, she is ruthless and cold-blooded. It is unknown what she was promised by the United States, since she didn't think twice about betraying her homeland and working against it.
August didn't really believe the canon story. It was as delusional as possible and was mostly told from third parties who could inherently lie. To train an experienced operative, every country spends a huge amount of time and money. For such training, people with patriotic attitudes, whose patriotism does not need to be doubted, are mostly chosen. Ideally, some kind of attachment is also created for them. For example, if the selected person has a family, the state tries to provide his family with some kind of support.
In general, ideal conditions were created for high-class specialists, as long as you served for the good of your country. Betrayal was impossible there, no one was chosen for training. So why did the Widow switch sides? Was it because of the promise of a good life? Nonsense, but if it was true, then the red-haired woman standing in front of him was just a mercenary, with the principle of whoever offers the most, I work for. Except that unlike her, mercenaries at least had some unspoken rules.
"Take the personnel files to the place, please," Pepper asked the girl who had come in.
She silently took the documents and left the office without attracting any attention. Only out of the corner of his eye did the mercenary notice how the disguised Shield operative scanned him with her gaze. If August hadn't known her identity beforehand, he wouldn't have noticed anything.
***
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