I looked at him and realized he was just tired of his job. Either way, I decided to focus on what I came here to do.
I grabbed my order and ate in peace. Someone came and sat at my table. I looked around the restaurant and realized it was full, so I didn't mind. Besides, she didn't try to start a conversation; she just looked elsewhere.
I finished eating and left McDonald's. I passed a car dealership and decided to check it out. I saw a Dodge Challenger and decided to buy it in cash. I told them I'd collect it within seven days since I couldn't drive two cars at once, and I didn't want it delivered either.
They gave me the paperwork and keys and stored it in one of their employee parking spaces, which I paid for. Then I left and headed home.
While driving, I realized I needed to create something that could detect the supernatural, or maybe energy in people.
When I got home, I passed a restaurant and saw someone familiar. It was my mother with a man. I looked closer, and she was kissing him. I realized she must have been seeing him for a while.
I didn't bother them. I just drove off.
The next day, I took a cab to the dealership in Manhattan. By the time I got there, they were about to close, but they let me take my car. I decided to stay at a nearby motel since the drive back would be long.
The next morning, while driving back, I realized I needed to upgrade the car, make it more durable. I could use Vibranium or Adamantium, but Adamantium would probably make the car too heavy and reduce its speed. So Vibranium made more sense, but I didn't have enough.
I'd have to find the guys who sold it to me in the first place.
That night, I went to ask them for more. They said they didn't have any, but they'd ask someone who might and give me a call. I used a different phone, and besides, SPACE blocks anything that could be traced back to me.
The factory construction was finished by the end of March. On April 4th, we celebrated Maria's 16th birthday. We went to the beach, just the two of us, because it was Saturday.
That night, we celebrated again with the whole family. The next day, my mother introduced her boyfriend to me. Apparently, everyone already knew about him except me. Which means SPACE obviously knew.
«It wasn't my business to tell you, sir. Besides, your mother said she'd tell you herself when she was ready, and she did.»
Why do I feel betrayed?
The guy seemed fine, normal. So I didn't mind him.
On Monday after school, I decided to visit Lauren and Riley. They were surprised to see me since I hadn't visited in a while. Riley was especially happy.
Lauren was in even more debt than before. I came up with a plan: to start a law firm and let Lauren run it, since she's qualified.
Rick got home and saw me talking to Lauren. He told me to leave. I made him a deal instead: if he divorces Lauren, I'll give him up to $10 million in cash.
He didn't believe me and told me to put it in writing. I told him to wait until tomorrow. Lauren agreed to my idea about the firm.
When I got home, I drafted a contract for Rick and Lauren with SPACE's help. I structured the divorce agreement based on what we discussed.
The next day, I skipped school and went to court to make it legally binding. They processed it and made two copies. I asked for an extra one for myself.
After that, I drove to Rick's place to give him the contract. He read it and was happy. He didn't even question it; he was just glad.
Lauren seemed to notice a loophole in the contract but didn't warn him. She just signed it.
Rick said we should go to court to finalize everything legally and that I didn't have to run.
I told them to give me a call once everything was set, then I left. Before the weekend came, I got a text saying my stuff was ready. They sent me the coordinates for pickup. It was in Michigan, which isn't far.
They also sent the date and time.
My mom decided to move in with her boyfriend, so it was just me and my grandmother. She likes to cook and stay busy around the house. We talked about Maria possibly moving in with us, but I rejected the idea.
Not because I didn't want her there, but because Maria lives with her mother, and her dad died in the army when she was 11. If she moved in with us, her mom would be left alone.
I spent most of my time with Maria, training, fighting, and shooting. She's good with a gun and can fight well. I can keep up with her, but I can still overpower her. She started practicing with rifles some time ago.
The weekend came, and I drove to Michigan in the afternoon to meet the goons. The guys who sold me the material last time were there, along with a man I didn't recognize.
He introduced himself as the one supplying the goons and their boss. His name was Ulysses Klaue.
He's been sneaking into Wakanda and stealing their Vibranium. That's when I realized Vibranium didn't come from where I thought. It came from Wakanda, along with the Heart-Shaped Herb. I used to think it came from somewhere near Namor's territory.
He brought the Vibranium in a Luton van. The entire van was filled with it.
I paid the agreed price and added an extra $2 million on top.
Klaue was pleased with the deal. He even told me to call him if I ever needed more. It's funny, when he first saw me, he dismissed me as just a kid. Now his attitude's completely changed.
Anyway, I left my Challenger there and drove the van back home because I was told I could keep it. The next morning, I took a cab back to Michigan to pick up my car.
I created a 3D model of the car and started planning upgrades. Before doing that, I built a dedicated AI just for the car and named it D.R.I.V.E.
Dynamic Response & Intelligent Vehicle Engine.
It's not like SPACE. It's limited, not sentient. More like KITT.
Vibranium is difficult to shape, so I need to upgrade my tech first.
I got a call from Lauren, and court was set for next Wednesday.
While I wait, I might as well buy parts for the car: suspension, engine, seats, and so on. I wanted everything high-quality, so I bought top-performance parts.
The basement was already full of Vibranium, the two radiation chambers, and other equipment. So I left the new parts in the van.
I managed to upgrade my tech at home.
[A/N: The contract is below]
After finishing the upgrades to my tech, I decided to start a new project: figuring out how to see the energy of any being.
I studied Walter J. Kilner's work. It was easy since I'd already gone through other scientists' research. Kilner was a medical electrician who developed Kilner's screen.
I managed to create Dycanian Glass and considered integrating it into my Smart Glasses.
At first, I thought the glass might break, which would force me to build another pair, or at least have backups.
So I made the frame out of Vibranium and incorporated AM-III into the lenses since it's the strongest glass available.
I ended up creating the strongest smart glasses in the world, at least on Earth. I don't know about other planets.
Two days before the court date, I started studying Hank Pym's work on Pym Particles. Some information was missing, and I'm pretty sure he left it out on purpose.
There was no data on temperature, material ratios, or certain components. I'd have to figure that out myself.
I also studied nanotech while trying to fill in the gaps on Pym Particles.
Then it was time for court. I skipped school that day. The proceedings went smoothly as they discussed the divorce.
"Felix Cole Vale, proceed to the stand," they called. As I walked up, I heard the judge mutter, "This is the weirdest case, but it's still just another divorce."
They had me take the oath, which I did.
"Mr. Vale, what is your relationship with Mrs. Lauren Blaine?" Rick's lawyer asked.
"I don't know. There's no label," I said truthfully.
"Let me rephrase... are you having an affair with my client's wife?" he asked with a smug look.
"No. Was I supposed to?" I replied.
"Answer only the question, or I'll hold you in contempt, Mr. Vale," the judge warned.
"No, Your Honor," I said.
"Is it true you'll give my client $10 million if the divorce proceeds? And where will you get that money?" the lawyer asked.
"I'm the CEO and founder of Oseong Corporation, and yes, I said I'd give him up to $10 million," I answered.
Someone verified my claim for the judge.
"No further questions, Your Honor," the lawyer said, sitting down.
Lauren's lawyer stood. "Can we proceed with the divorce, Your Honor? I have no questions for Mr. Vale."
They signed the papers and handed them to the judge. He reviewed them, then said, "The divorce is finalized. All that remains is payment to Mr. Blaine."
"I didn't forget."
I stood, walked over to Rick, and handed him a $1 bill. He stared at it, confused.
"What's this? Where's my $10 million?" he demanded.
"That's your money," I said.
"You said you'd give my client $10 million. Where's the rest?" his lawyer pressed.
"I never said I'd give him $10 million. I said up to $10 million. I never set a minimum. So yes, I can give him $1. And I did."
The judge accepted the payment and explained Rick's obligations. I was about to leave when the judge called me back.
"Mr. Vale, may I ask you a question? You don't have to answer."
"Okay."
"What is your relationship with Mr. Blaine?"
"He's my biological father, who tried to kill me and my mother," I said calmly.
Rick finally understood.
I left the court with Lauren.
I still hadn't upgraded my car.
We went to an estate agent to look for a building for the firm. We found one, and I bought it.
I named the company OSEONG LAWFIRM LLP.
We'd have to wait 7–14 days for the signage. I dropped Lauren off and transferred $200,000 to her before leaving.
By the end of Friday, I'd finished studying Pym Particles and nanotech. Over the weekend, I worked on combining nanotech with Pym Particles, and by Sunday, I succeeded.
On Monday morning, I went to the factory to check on things and started setting up phone production. During the week, I contacted companies to supply parts in bulk and secured deals.
The shipments arrived by Friday.
On Saturday, I decided to spend the whole day with Maria.
No training. No practice. Just the day.
It was perfect.
By the next week, I got a call saying everything was ready at the law firm. I went to Lauren after school and took her to the building.
She saw that she already had an office under her name: CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER: LAUREN WHITMORE.
Lauren was the CEO, and I was the owner.
Technically, I was the founder of Oseong Corporation, Oseong Lawfirm, and Oseong Factory.
I realized I needed to hire employees for both the factory and headquarters. I posted a job announcement online for the factory because I needed workers immediately.
By the end of the week, I had received a lot of applications. I sent a post informing everyone who applied, or anyone looking for a job, to come for interviews on Monday, along with the location, which would be at the factory.
I decided to find another use for the Smart Ring beyond monitoring my health. I developed an optical cloaking feature: anyone wearing the ring would be invisible to cameras within a 20-meter radius.
The limitation was that cameras beyond 20 meters could still see the person, and within 30 meters, the face wouldn't be visible.
I made five rings just in case.
Monday came, and I skipped school to conduct the interviews. I went straight to the factory and noticed a long line of applicants.
I opened the gates but stopped my car near the line to address them.
"Hello, you can enter the building. The interview will start at 08:00," I said, driving inside and opening the garage doors where the interviews would take place.
I went inside the building to wait with them. Some didn't recognize me and assumed I was applying with them.
I stayed close to them. I noticed some mutants among the applicants, but I didn't care. When it was time, I shouted:
"IT'S 08:00. THE INTERVIEW IS ABOUT TO START!"
People nearby were surprised by my voice. I stepped in front to begin.
I told everyone who had applied to stand on one side and those who came directly to stand on the other.
Then I asked an important question:
"Those who hate mutants need to leave. They might become your colleagues, and I don't want tension."
To my surprise, some protested, but I just stared silently. About 50 people left, and the mutants stayed. I counted; there were about 213 applicants remaining. I asked anyone who had prior factory experience to stand on another side.
I told everyone they were hired but that they needed to attend a medical exam the next day.
By the end of the day, I had scheduled everyone's medical check-ups. The job would have been impossible for one person without SPACE.
I sent messages to coordinate the schedule: 50 people per day, and so on. By the end of the week, everyone had completed their medical exams, and the contracts were prepared.
The minimum wage for all workers was $6.53/hour, which was higher than other factories.
Those over 40 with prior factory experience became supervisors. There were nine of them.
The oldest, at 51, became Senior Supervisor/Manager.
Wages were as follows:
• Workers: $6.53/hour
• Supervisors: $9.16/hour
• Senior Supervisor: $13.21/hour
• Overtime was 1.5× the wage, and holidays were 2× the wage.
I made it clear that any workplace discrimination or disputes would result in immediate dismissal. I demonstrated how everything worked before letting them start.
For three days, everyone learned the machinery, earned their qualifications, and the project officially began the following week: the first batch of phones.
[A/N: This was more about employment and the structure of the workplace. The MC just figured it out he needed employees and that everything could not be run by SPACE. SPACE can't handle manual jobs and manual paperwork.]
_____________________________
DIVORCE SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT
This Agreement is made between:
Husband: Derrick J. Blaine
Wife: Lauren Blaine
Married on: May 12th, 1987
Separated on: April 6th, 1998
1. Divorce
Both parties agree to legally dissolve the marriage and proceed with divorce under applicable law.
2. Division of Property
Husband forfeit the division of property because he has an agreement with Felix Cole Vale that Felix Cole Vale will give him up to $10 million if he accepts the divorce. If he doesn't sign the papers, the husband's not entitled to receive the money from Felix Cole Vale.
3. Debts
Joint credit card debt of R87 500 shall be paid by the husband.
Husband is responsible for the personal loan under his name and wife's name.
Wife is responsible for her student loan only.
4. Spousal Support (Alimony)
Husband shall not pay alimony because he forfeit every marriage assets.
5. Child Custody
Children:
Riley Blaine (born 1985)
Primary residence: Wife
Husband shall have visitation every second weekend and alternating holidays.
Wife has all the decision making for the child till she's an adult
6. Child Support
Husband's not liable to pay child support for his child.
7. Insurance
Husband will maintain medical aid coverage for the children.
Both parties agree to maintain life insurance naming the children as beneficiaries.
8. Full and Final Agreement
Both parties confirm this agreement is fair and entered voluntarily.
This agreement becomes legally binding once approved by the court.
Signed:
Derrick J. Blaine
Lauren Blaine
Date: ___________________