I stepped out of the elevator onto the top floor. The space was quiet, polished, and modern—clearly meant to impress. A secretary sat behind a sleek desk in the small lobby just outside Emma Frost's office. She looked up as soon as I approached.
"Oh! Mr. Valtheris. You may go in—Miss Frost is expecting you," she said with a courteous smile.
"Thank you," I replied, walking to the large double doors. I pushed them open and stepped inside.
There she was—Emma Frost herself. And she wasn't alone. Her five daughters stood beside her, two on one side of the room, three on the other. The office was elegant and spacious: a large desk, leather chairs, a luxurious couch, and a small bar tucked into one corner.
I walked in confidently and sat down in the chair directly across from Emma.
"Hello, Ms. Frost," I greeted her.
"Mr. Valtheris," she said with a polite smile. "It's finally nice to meet you. I hope you don't mind that my daughters are present."
"Not at all," I said calmly.
"Good," she replied, cutting straight to the point. "Now, let's get down to business. I'd like to purchase a large share of your company."
I raised an eyebrow but kept my tone steady. "Sorry, but that won't be possible. I'm open to you investing—but buying a large stake? No. My company may still be growing, but I don't plan to give up control."
Emma's expression didn't change, but I could tell she wasn't pleased. "Your company may be small now, but I know it's destined to become something far greater. To be honest, I'd prefer to buy it outright and merge it into mine."
I smiled politely, but my answer was firm. "That's not going to happen. My partner and I built our company from the ground up. We didn't do all that just to sell it off."
"I can offer you both a very generous sum. So much you'd never have to work a day in your life again," she said smoothly.
"My answer is still no. I'm fine with investors, but you're not buying a controlling share, and you're definitely not buying us out," I said plainly.
Emma didn't respond right away. Her eyes were locked on mine, and I felt it—she was trying to read my mind.
Her face subtly twisted in confusion when nothing happened.
"Ms. Frost," I said, voice colder now. "Please stop trying to read my mind. It's rude—and frankly, getting annoying."
Her daughters looked surprised. Emma regained her composure quickly.
"You're a mutant," she said simply.
"I am," I replied. "I assume your daughters are too?"
"They are. And it's been a long time since I've met another mutant with mental resistance like yours," she said, intrigued.
"Thanks. But that little stunt just convinced me not to let you invest in my company after all."
Emma's eyes narrowed slightly. "Let's not be hasty. Mutants should stick together. Surely we can come to an understanding."
I leaned forward a bit. "You tried to invade my mind because I refused to sell you my company. That tells me you've done this before."
She didn't deny it. "Only with humans. Can you blame me? They've oppressed our kind for generations."
That was obviously a lie. Her history wasn't as noble as she pretended. I didn't call her out directly, but my tone said enough.
"Human or not, I don't want to work with someone who abuses their power," I said firmly.
One of her daughters finally spoke up.
"Mr. Valtheris, I know this meeting might've started off on the wrong foot… but people have tried to manipulate and exploit our mother before. She only uses her powers to protect us—and the company."
I turned to her. "And you are?"
"Esme," she replied.
"Well, Esme, that's a fair explanation… but my partner isn't a mutant. She's a human. And I'm thinking about her safety, her privacy. She trusted me, even knowing what I am."
Another daughter chimed in, looking surprised. "She knows… and she still works with you?"
"She does," I said. "Not all humans are enemies."
"And I'm Celeste," she added, offering her name.
"Nice to meet you, Celeste."
"We can reach some sort of agreement," another daughter said. "We won't use our powers on her—or you."
I turned toward her, waiting.
"Sophie," she said.
"Sophie," I repeated. "That's nice to hear… but I don't trust you to keep that promise."
They fell quiet again.
"Look," I continued, "this isn't personal. But I built my company with integrity—and I don't want to work with someone who doesn't respect that, mutant or not."
"I see we got off on the wrong foot," Emma said, her tone softening. "But let's compromise. I'm very interested in investing in your company, so how about this—you keep your partner completely separate from our dealings. I'll never meet her, only communicate by phone when necessary. Our meetings will be strictly between you and me."
I raised an eyebrow. "I still don't see why I should want you as an investor. Money isn't exactly a problem for us."
"True," she admitted, leaning back in her chair. "But aren't you interested in government contracts? I have quite a bit of influence there. I can help you get what you need—faster than anyone else could."
That actually caught my attention.
"You can help me get a government contract, say... to clean up the oceans, for example?"
She blinked, a little surprised by my angle—maybe expecting me to want weapons contracts, or something flashy. But I could tell she was impressed, even if she tried to hide it.
"Yes," she said. "I can help with that."
"Well then," I said, leaning forward a bit, "it sounds like we're getting somewhere."
The negotiations went on for nearly five hours. Emma, being Emma, was persistent. She pushed for 50% of my company—fifty—and I immediately shut that down. I had no idea why she wanted so much, especially for a company that was still small and hadn't even expanded to other cities yet. But she didn't back down easily.
Eventually, after hours of back-and-forth, we landed on an agreement.
Twenty percent.
In return, she would use her influence to help secure government clearances and contracts for any of my projects—especially those that involved working directly with federal agencies or policies.
It wasn't exactly what either of us had originally wanted, but... it was a fair compromise.
And more importantly, I kept control of my company.
After everything was said and done, I stood up and turned to leave. Just as I reached the door, one of Emma's daughters called out.
"Wait."
I turned around. It was Esme.
"Yes? What is it?" I asked.
"You said your partner knows you're a mutant... but she's human. Why isn't she afraid of you? Why hasn't she outed you?"
I paused for a moment, thinking carefully. I couldn't exactly tell her the full truth.
"You may have had bad experiences with humans—and I have too," I said. "But try to remember: not all humans are the same."
She blinked, clearly not expecting that answer.
"The same thing goes for mutants. Not all mutants are good either. I've met some who were... far worse than any human I've come across. At the end of the day, we're all part of the same race. We just keep separating ourselves by labels. Some humans are good. Some aren't. Some mutants are kind. Others aren't. It's that simple... and that complicated."
"I see," Esme said softly.
"That's just how I see things. Have a good day, Esme."
And with that, I left the building.
Emma Frost's POV
"He's a very interesting man," I said aloud, watching the door close behind him. "Young... but wise."
"Okay, I'll say it. That was kind of hot," Phoebe said casually.
"Are you serious?" Sophie shot back, clearly annoyed.
"What? I'm just saying," Phoebe shrugged.
"We should be more concerned about the fact we couldn't read his mind," Sophie said, frowning.
"And now he knows we're all mutants," Mindee added.
"So what? We know he's a mutant too. If he exposes us, we can expose him right back," Phoebe said.
"But he doesn't seem like the kind of person who'd do that," Esme said thoughtfully. "He was more focused on protecting his human partner. As long as we stay away from her, I think things will be fine."
"I agree," Celeste nodded. "He actually seems to care about the planet. He's not trying to build weapons—he's trying to help."
"Or maybe he's lying," Sophie argued.
"He wasn't," I said. "He was telling the truth the whole time. Maybe he left some things out... but he never lied."
"But how can you tell? We couldn't read his mind," Mindee asked, turning to our mother.
"I don't rely entirely on my powers," I said calmly. "I've developed enough skill to tell when someone's lying. He wasn't."
"That's crazy," Phoebe muttered. "It's rare to meet someone that honest."
"Indeed," I said, folding my hands together. "Try to see if any of you can get closer to him."
"Why do you even want his company?" Esme asked. "It's still small."
"It might be small now," I said with a faint smile. "But I see its potential. That's why I want it."
Ed POV
I'm back at Sanctuary, in the workshop with Ruby. We're just hanging out while I finish up some final touches on supersuits for Kimiko and the Spiders. Ruby had just come back from her first therapy session.
"You're pretty good at making superhero suits," Ruby said, looking over one of the designs.
"Thanks. You want one?" I asked with a smirk.
"No thanks. The whole hero thing's not for me," she replied flatly.
"Hey, don't knock it till you try it."
"Yeah, whatever," she said, rolling her eyes.
Honestly, the reason it took me so long to finish these suits is because I might've gone a bit overboard… but I know they're gonna love it.
Ruby looked up from the bench she was sitting on. "Hey, I have to ask… that blonde woman, the one who kinda like me, she's not exactly someone you leave alone on base duty, right? Who is she?"
"Well first off," I said, setting down a welding tool, "you and her are completely different. You were raised to be something you didn't choose. She, on the other hand, made her choices willingly."
"What's that supposed to mean? What kind of person is she?"
"Let's start from the top—she's not human. She's a goddess, from a place called Asgard. She fell in love with a blonde prince, but he didn't return the feelings. So what did she do? Mind-controlled a bunch of guards, including him, and tried to take over Asgard."
Ruby raised a brow. "Let me guess. Didn't go well?"
"Not at all. She got her ass handed to her by the All-Father himself. So she ran. Ended up trying to make a deal with a god of evil—someone who's known for enslaving and destroying entire races. Safe to say, it didn't go well."
"How'd she escape?"
"That would be my sister. She helped break Amora out."
"You have a sister?"
"I have a sister. And a mother. And a bunch of other siblings I haven't even met yet."
Ruby looked at me like I just started speaking a different language. "Wait, what do you mean you haven't met them?"
"Here's where things get hard to believe," I said with a grin. "My mom and sister are goddesses. Like, big time goddesses. I'm a demigod by birth, still figuring out how many siblings I actually have."
Ruby was quiet for a long second.
"If I hadn't already seen that giant alien lion you keep around, I probably wouldn't believe a word you're saying. But… you don't seem like you're lying."
"I'm not," I said simply. "That's just the truth."
Church appeared out of nowhere, like usual.
"Hey Ed, Angela wants to talk to you. Nora's awake," he said.
I stopped what I was doing and stood up immediately. "Okay. On my way."
I turned to Ruby. "You want to come?"
She shook her head. "Nah. Think I'll hit the gym for a bit."
I nodded and teleported to my room to change into my hero outfit. Once suited up, I made my way to the medical wing—it didn't take long. That's when I saw her: Nora Fries. She was sitting up in her bed, alert and healthy. It was strange seeing her awake after all this time. She looked at me curiously as I approached.
"Hello, Nora. How are you feeling?" I asked gently.
She furrowed her brow. "Who are you? And where am I?"
"I'm Arsenal. You're at my base—Sanctuary. I'm a hero," I said.
"A hero?" she repeated. "I've never heard of you."
"That's fair. You've been frozen for a long time, and I'm… a bit new. What matters is that you're cured. You're no longer dying."
Her eyes widened. "How long was I frozen? Where's Victor? Where's my husband?"
I took a breath. "I'm not sure exactly how long you were frozen… but Victor is here. He's alive—but he's being held in one of our cells. He's not the same man you remember."
Her expression twisted in disbelief. "No. Victor would never hurt anyone. I want to see him—please."
I gave a small nod. "I can arrange that. Just let me check with the doctor first."
I walked over to Angela, who was seated at a desk, reviewing something on her computer.
"Hey, is she okay to walk? She wants to see Victor," I said.
Angela looked up. "Physically? She's fine. I'd like to run a few more tests later, but there's no harm in letting her walk for a bit."
"Thanks," I nodded.
I returned to Nora and gently helped her up. We made our way to the prison wing—mostly empty these days. Killer Croc had been cleared after therapy. Now Croc spent most of his time sparring with Battle Beast and Koro Sensei. The only ones still in holding were Parasite and Victor.
Victor's cell was unlike the others—cold, with a thin layer of frost and snow coating the floor. He no longer wore his armored suit, just simple clothing. He looked… tired.
"Victor," Nora called softly.
Victor turned. His eyes went wide when he saw her—shocked, disbelieving. But then his expression changed—twisting into rage as he turned to me.
"You fool. What have you done?" His voice dripped with fury.
"I cured her," I said calmly. "Like I promised. And now, I'm going to try and cure you too."
His anger vanished, replaced by stunned silence.
"Nora…" he whispered.
She stepped closer, resting her hand on the energy barrier between them.
"Victor," she said, her voice trembling. "You're not the man you once were—I know that. But I don't care. I love you. No matter what you've done, no matter what you've become. You're my husband. I will always love you."
Victor's face twisted with emotion. I could tell—he wanted to cry, but couldn't. Not with what he'd become. Not with what he'd done.
I quietly teleported away for a moment, grabbed a chair, and came back.
"Take all the time you need," I said, placing the chair behind Nora. "When you're ready, Church will escort you back to the medical wing."
I turned to leave. They needed this moment—no interruptions.