Become a Homelander and a Marvel superstar

The warm scent of high-end perfume mixed with the woman's natural fragrance filled Azu's nostrils, making him take two deep breaths.

Hope instinctively wanted to find the troublemaker. (The scene of the disturbance has been reviewed and cannot be shown.)

But Darren Cross had already strode into the room with two bodyguards in suits, so she had no choice but to give up.

Darren walked to the center of the room, his gaze sweeping quickly across the spacious private room like that of a hawk.

Although Garrido's private room was large, the furnishings were very transparent, and you could see right through it. There was simply no place to hide an adult.

"I heard you were meeting with guests here." Seeing no one else was around, Darren strolled over to Hope and asked bluntly, "Is it over?"

"It just ended."

Hope clenched her teeth, trying her best to suppress the instinctive reaction caused by the strange feeling in her body, and tried to make her voice sound as steady as usual.

"Darren, when did you start working part-time as my schedule secretary?"

"I don't recall any company policy that requires the chairman to report his private meetings to the CEO."

Darren smiled dismissively and said, "Anyone who can get our chairman to personally receive them in Garrido must be quite extraordinary, right?"

"Is it some kind of big order? Or some secret collaboration that I'm unaware of?"

Darren took a step closer, his smile becoming increasingly insincere.

"Of course, if you're just having a romantic private date here... then consider me an unromantic jerk, and I take back what I just said."

He was testing... Hope knew Darren well; he was naturally suspicious and neurotic.

If we deny everything at this point, it will only deepen his suspicions.

"You don't need to test me, Darren." Hope said coldly as she walked to the French windows, turning her back to him to conceal her subtle facial expressions as much as possible.

"It's someone from the Starr Group. Their vice president of global strategic investments just left."

"They are very interested in our patents in the field of quantum communication. As the chairman of Pym Technologies, it is only natural for me to find the strongest financial backer for the company. You should know the financial strength of the Starr Group better than I do."

Darren's smile faded slightly after hearing Hope's explanation.

"Starr Group..." he repeated the name under his breath, his gaze sweeping around the private room once more.

Hope's words make perfect sense logically. It's perfectly normal for a financial giant like Stahl Group to extend an olive branch to a high-tech company.

"I understand," Darren said calmly, his expression leaving it unclear whether he truly believed the explanation.

"Hope, you know. I've always believed we're in this together." Darren's tone softened. "We share a common goal: to take this company to where it deserves to be, instead of like Hank, clinging to the technology and waiting to die."

"Of course, Darren. We've always been on the same side," Hope affirmed, echoing his sentiment.

"So, you went to all that trouble, barging into my private room with two bodyguards, because you have something urgent to discuss with me?"

"Yes! Hope!" Darren's eyes flashed with fervor as he rubbed his hands together excitedly.

"The technology behind the Hornet suit has made a breakthrough! I've decided not to wait any longer and to achieve full-scale mass production ahead of schedule!"

"If everything goes smoothly, the first batch of suits can be delivered within a month after the official start of production."

Hope's heart sank.

"Premature production?" she demanded. "Darren, are you crazy? The Cross particles are currently in a completely unstable state! You haven't even solved the problem of protein collapse during the miniaturization process of organisms!"

Darren waved it off nonchalantly and said, "That's a minor issue! We've upgraded the life support system of the suits, significantly improving the margin for error. Once production officially begins, the first batch of suits can be delivered within a month!"

He leaned closer to Hope, lowering his voice as if sharing a trivial secret. "Although... there's still an 8% mortality rate with each shrinkage."

"An 8% mortality rate? You call that a breakthrough?" Hope could barely contain her anger.

"So what?" Darren retorted coldly, his words revealing utter indifference to life. "People always die in war, don't they? As long as they achieve their objectives. This eight percent loss is perfectly acceptable to the buyer."

Hope looked at this once gentle and refined scientist, now transformed into a cold-blooded arms dealer. She wanted nothing more than to slap him across the face right then and there.

But she couldn't. She had to suppress her anger and continue to feign compliance.

However, a sudden disaster struck her.

"ah--!"

Hope shuddered suddenly and couldn't help but let out a short gasp.

She raised one hand to cover her chest, staggered half a step, and leaned against the glass of the floor-to-ceiling window.

Darren was startled by Hope's sudden reaction.

"Hope? What's wrong?" Darren reached out to help her up.

"Don't touch me!" Hope said, her face flushing crimson.

"I'm fine...it's just that these past two days...it's my period, and I've been feeling a bit uncomfortable."

This is absolutely the most invincible and irrefutable excuse for women in the workplace and in life.

Sure enough, upon hearing this reason, Darren's outstretched hand froze in mid-air for a moment before he awkwardly withdrew it.

Even someone as cold-blooded as him showed a hint of helplessness when faced with this physiological problem unique to women.

"So..." Hope just wanted to get rid of this bastard as soon as possible and drag that tormenting little thing out.

"Just tell me, Darren. What do you want me to do? Right now... I want to rest for a while."

Darren saw that she didn't seem to be faking it, and his doubts lessened somewhat.

He took the briefcase from his subordinate, pulled out a document, and handed it to Hope.

"The mass production of the first batch of Wasp suits involved large-scale production line modifications and the procurement of special materials."

"This requires allocating the largest amount of liquid funds on Pym Technologies' books." Darren handed over a pen. "The allocation of these funds requires your signature as chairman."

"My assistant contacted you a few times before, but you always postponed it because something came up. But you weren't in a hurry at the time."

"But the situation has changed now, and the production line needs to be started immediately. So I had no choice but to come here in person."

Darren leaned forward slightly, his gaze fixed intently on Hope.

"Perhaps... I've been too presumptuous?"

Hope looked at the document handed to her and cursed Darren's cunning inwardly.

She knew that if she continued to make excuses under these circumstances, even if it was just because she wasn't feeling well, it would definitely arouse Darren's serious suspicion.