Chapter 86

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"How's our spider hero?" Beck asked curiously as he returned to the lab to see Richard, who, at Mary's command, carefully examined Peter's blood sampling and compared the results with the previous ones. When he heard Quentin enter, he sighed deeply. He liked to work when there was peace, but where Beck was, there was definitely no peace. And he couldn't make a mistake, because that would mean he would have to face Mary's anger. He was afraid of her, and he had great respect for the woman, but he admired her work immensely.

"He's alive," he replied briefly to the other man, typing something quickly into his computer, then taking off his glasses, which he began to clean. He did so whenever he was distracted. Beck grinned, sat down in his chair, and studied Richard closely.

"Of course, the boy is alive! If he was dead, Mary would fly out of the skin and shoot us all or something like that," he chuckled, and Richard frowned. "Have you seen my devil's diary, Richard? It's all about Mary."

Richard gritted his teeth and put his glasses back on his nose. "I don't want to be rude, Quentin, but I'd rather be here alone. If you haven't noticed, I have a job here."

"I happened to notice that. But the two of us never really talked, did we? Take a break and sit next to me. We can talk about whatever comes to mind. From the boy to Potts, to Mary, to whom you are burning with secret love," Beck grinned, and Richard paled. Quentin was obviously bored, digging into the others when he had nothing to do.

"I have a work to do," Richard growled again, turning his back on him. Beck sighed theatrically.

"Why are you all as cold here as a piece of ice? The only fun here is the torture of Potts and Peter. It reminds me that I wanted to go see him-"

"Don't even think about it, Quentin," Mary said in a warning tone as she suddenly entered the room. Beck muttered something she didn't hear. "Richard, do you have results for me?"

"Wow, it's hot in here," Quentin didn't forgive a remark, noticing Richard's ears flushing. As Beck began to fan his hand, Mary glared at him.

"Stop making fun of it!" she barked at him. "What kind of morale is this? You won't hang out! And you won't get a step closer to that kid if I don't let you. He trusted you infinitely. When he gets tough, of course, he'll find out the truth, and it'll be another thing that gets him on his knees."

"So I'm just going to be bored here—"

"You'll keep an eye on Potts, do simple lab work, and keep going to school. Don't forget that you're teaching and that you're leading a robotic club," she snapped venomously, and Beck rolled his eyes.

"His condition is slightly improving," Richard informed her quickly as she stared at him. "Even so, I'd wait a few more hours before it gets better. But it's starting to look promising."

"Finally some good news," Mary growled to herself and left the lab quickly. She slammed the door behind her and headed for the room where Peter lay.

When she entered, his head was tilted to the other side and his eyes were closed. She walked over to him, checked his pulse, and examined his face. He was breathing weakly, his face pale. She frowned. So it was not a big improvement.

"Will you just keep me here forever?" he asked softly as she began to see if he was hurt somewhere on his body.

"Hmm, yes, probably yes. You're definitely useful to me, and when I don't need you, I'd be stupid to let you out. Although if I were a normal kidnapper, I would probably demand a very fat ransom from your father. And he would give it to me right away because he would sell his soul to the devil for you," Mary grinned and lifted his eyelids. Peter jerked. "Well, I'll have to deal with it. The money would come in handy, but Secretary Ross will certainly provide them. He will want more. People always want more. It's their nature. They don't care about the consequences, mainly to satisfy their needs."

"You said that if I cooperated, you would let my parents be," Peter reminded her quietly, turning his head toward her. Another woman would have been struck by the sight, but Mary remained perfectly cool. What mattered that he was her son.

"Yes, that's what I said."

"So you're not going to hurt them?"

"It depends on how obedient you are, rabbit," she laughed falsely, and Peter closed his eyes.

"Don't you have a shred of mercy? Do you have no conscience? I'm still your son. Although I'd rather not. I can't believe I believed you. Dad and Mom were right."

"Do you know what fascinates me besides science, Peter? Human desires, thinking, their psyche. When you take the work to try to understand how it works, it will give you an incredible advantage. Because you understand this, you will learn to work with people and you will understand them better. You estimate their steps. And thanks to that, you can always be one step ahead. But if one is as weak and foolish as you, my dear Peter, then he will never get such an advantage. You have to arm yourself, create a mask, just filter out all the things that could weaken you. It is love that weakens people the most, Peter. Everyone knows this very well, and yet they still long for it. It's a mystery, isn't it?" she chuckled like a little girl and poked him in the chest with her finger. Peter listened, more and more hatred circulating in his veins.

"Your father knew that, too. Love brought him to his knees, but he still allowed himself to fall in love again. Pepper Potts also found out how love can weaken and paid for it. And now you have gone through it, too, my dear. At such a young age, ah," she stretched sympathetically and slapped him on the cheek. Peter didn't move an eyebrow, just stared at her. He knew she was provoking him. And he also knew that she would not leave his parents alone, as she had told him here. He was not so naive.

It was time to start devising an escape plan.

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