The entire venue fell silent, as if even the air had frozen. No matter who was watching, Finn had never shown this side of himself, nor had he ever spoken in such a tone. It was as if, having shed the shell of the playful, laughing, mischievous Young Master, Finn also possessed the cold, ruthless core of the Osborn family.
Paul opened his mouth, but couldn't say a single word.
Just then, the entrance of a black figure left everyone dumbfounded.
—Harry Osborn.
No one expected that the head of the Osborn family, who only appeared at top-tier business summits and high-end banquets, would actually show up at such a private party.
The atmosphere at the scene instantly became even more tense, no one knew which way the party would go.
Harry's gaze immediately fell upon Finn in the center of the party, his brow furrowing involuntarily. He keenly sensed that Finn's expression was cold, but not because he was unhappy that he had arrived, but because of something that had just happened before he appeared.
"What's wrong?" Harry walked up to Finn and asked in a low voice.
At the same time, Harry's gaze swept across the deathly silent crowd.
Finally, his gaze paused for a moment on Paul's pathetic appearance.
As Paul met those even colder green eyes, he felt an invisible pressure rush toward him, causing him to subconsciously bow his head deeply.
"What are you doing here?" Finn asked Harry in confusion, looking at Harry who had suddenly appeared at the party.
Finn naturally knew that Harry was not the type of person who would ever participate in such a party.
"Can't I come?" Harry asked back, his voice devoid of emotion.
"Then how did you get in? You didn't have an invitation either," Finn said, even more puzzled.
"You can use your face to get into the Osborn Group, I can do the same." Harry's gaze fell on Finn's face; he appeared composed on the surface, but in reality, he was carefully discerning whether Finn was actually rejecting his presence.
So that was it.. Finn nodded in understanding.
Finn thought about how every time Harry came to the infirmary before, he would discuss investment projects with him; wasn't this the perfect opportunity?
This is Malton; he has a project he wants to collaborate on with the Osborn Group. Since you're here, you might as well listen to it." Finn directly introduced Malton, who was still present at the scene, to Harry, handed the brand manual to Harry in the process. "This is their current brand manual; I think it looks quite good.
Malton was caught off guard; he never expected to see the CEO of the Osborn Group in such a setting.
In his panic, he even forgot to introduce himself, subconsciously bowing deeply toward Harry.
The people around them were also stunned, likely because the opportunity to meet with the CEO of the Osborn Group in person was far too precious. Furthermore, Finn's tone toward Harry Osborn was not polite at all; he was even acting as if he were giving orders to the CEO.
"Fine." Harry nodded calmly as before, taking the manual from Finn's hands.
A simple "Okay" sent the entire room into silence once again.
No one expected that Finn would truly have such significant influence in front of Harry Osborn, to the extent that he could make Harry Osborn stay personally to listen to a cooperation proposal from an obscure educational institution.
But no one dared to speak, no one dared to show any unusual expression.
The scene before them was completely different from what they had imagined; they naturally knew a bit more about the rumors circulating in the outside world regarding the disputes between the Osborn brothers. After all, Finn had not hidden his discord with Harry, he had also publicly expressed his dissatisfaction to his friends regarding the division of his father's inheritance.
Even regarding the press conference, Harry had almost canceled it and had never even considered letting his younger brother take the stage. After seizing this opportunity, Finn even uploaded a video revealing everything that had happened behind the scenes; no matter how one looked at it, there were turbulent undercurrents hidden beneath it.
But at this moment, there was no tense confrontation, no sharp-tongued sarcasm, not even a single trace of hostility.
The leader of the Osborn Group actually arrived at Finn's party just like this, standing beside the young man and calmly, even indulgently, accepting his younger brother's proposal.
They were not at all like the brothers they had imagined, who had completely broken ties over an inheritance dispute.
Let's go to the second floor to talk." Finn thought for a moment before asking, "Would you like something to drink? We have everything here, I can also mix cocktails.
"What do you usually drink?" Harry asked calmly.
"I drink soy milk," Finn said candidly.
Harry was clearly stunned for a moment.
Then, the corners of his mouth curled into an almost imperceptible arc.
It was a faint smile, yet one that was undeniably real.
No one paid any more attention to Paul's interlude; everyone at the party pretended to be busy with their own business, but their peripheral vision simultaneously, with a hint of cautious scrutiny, was firmly locked in the same direction.
The Osborn brothers appearing in the same frame together was extremely rare, even epic.
Their styles of dress were completely different, yet those similar handsome features and that nobility and elegance flowing through their very bones created a similar, powerful magnetic field belonging to the Osborn family, tightly enveloping the two of them.
Who hasn't imagined seeing such a scene at a party—
That busy CEO of the Osborn Group, the rumored cold-hearted ruler who was completely devoid of human emotion.
At this moment, he actually walked to the bar himself and slowly poured a glass of soy milk.
Then, he turned and handed it to his brother.
Chapter 52: Stress Reaction and Resistance
When everyone saw the Osborn brothers heading to the second floor with Malton, who was essentially a walking jackpot, the entire party went into a complete frenzy.
Noah and Elias were immediately surrounded by many people, with curious faces crowding close, all chattering and asking what on earth was going on with these Osborn brothers.
After all, friends who knew Finn well also knew that Noah truly doted on Finn like a younger brother, even playing the "Young Master Finn Dress-up Game" tirelessly every single day. Furthermore, what circulated online was the iron triangle combination of Noah, his extremely precious brother, his perfunctory brother-in-law.
Obviously, Noah was also the person who knew the most about the inside story.
Do you guys understand that feeling?
Unable to withstand the relentless questioning from the crowd, Noah finally gave in, his voice tinged with a sense of helpless, wry amusement.
It's like having a sister who repeats the same thing in your ear eight hundred times a day, saying her boyfriend is a complete scumbag. You stand by her in righteous indignation, cursing along with her, sincerely hoping she'll dump that guy and finally live her own life." Noah gave a cold snort, his tone filled with indignant mockery, "And the result? While you've been worrying yourself sick, she's still pouring her heart and soul into that scumbag, without listening to a single word you've said.
"That jerk you're talking about.. it couldn't be Harry Osborn, could it?" Blake asked in surprise.
"I was just using a metaphor." Noah's lips twitched, but he felt this metaphor was incredibly apt to the core. He didn't seem like Finn's brother at all right now; he was clearly a sister who worried himself to death. He poured his heart and soul out to that little liar, while the other person only had that cold, distant older brother in his heart, constantly waiting with longing.
"Noah, it seems Finn has truly hurt you deeply." Lillian smiled meaningfully from the side, her tone full of empathetic teasing.
Anyway, the two brothers are exactly as you see them." Noah raised an eyebrow and scanned the people around him, deliberately emphasizing his tone, "The reason I'm here complaining about Finn to you all isn't because I dislike him or have an issue with him, do you understand?
Finn has always been childish and can't keep a secret. When he talks about his brother's affairs, he's just complaining, but in reality, he admires his brother very much. You can just take it as hearsay," Noah intentionally said these things in public to help maintain the image of the Osborn brothers. The so-called inheritance dispute could be made into something large or kept small, or even simplified to just the two brothers having a casual argument. "The bond between them is very good; there's no need to speculate about such baseless rumors.
Everyone couldn't help but think back to the words Finn said at the press conference, thinking they must have been sincere.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have gone out of his way to praise his brother so highly in such a high-profile setting.
It's normal; family members naturally tend to argue," Lillian said with a smile, following Noah's lead. With a personality like Finn's, he certainly seemed like someone who had been well-protected by his family since childhood. "If I had a younger brother like Finn, I would treasure him too.
Noah let out a heavy sigh, feeling a sense of frustration that others simply could not sense; he had truly poured his heart and soul into these Osborn brothers. It even felt as if he were being completely toyed with by the two of them.
They say long-term illness makes one a doctor.
Noah had seen psychiatrists for so long that he truly possessed a certain level of medical literacy.
That day in the car, he didn't dare to be cold to Harry anymore; instead, he had no choice but to use kind words to persuade Harry.
Back when they were arguing most fiercely, Noah had almost beaten Harry senseless right then and there. He hadn't even considered that, not long after, he would have to encourage Harry—whom he viewed as his nemesis—to go to Finn's party to see things and have a good, proper talk.
—Otherwise what?
—He couldn't just stand by and watch both of the Osborn brothers end up in the hospital again, could he?
—His own illness is also an illness!
Mentally Exhausted Noah: ".." My heart is so tired.
Then what do you plan to do about this 'wild brother' in the future?" Blake, never one to miss out on the drama, teased Noah with a wink and a grin, "Does that kid Finn still intend to keep you?
"Just you wait, I'm going to drag Finn to my studio to work tomorrow." Noah naturally wasn't going to let himself take the loss.
"What are you talking about? Finn's brother is his boss, he's right now on the second floor. If you want to poach his younger brother from the Osborn Group, go talk to Harry directly!" Blake immediately undercut him, his tone full of provocation.
The people around them joined in the heckling, their laughter blending into a chaotic roar.
No one noticed that Paul was standing there all alone, his face pale with anger in the corner.
Once the commotion had passed, absolutely no one cared about him.
He stood there looking wretched, as if everyone was intentionally ignoring him.
After the Osborn brothers left, everyone naturally swarmed around Noah, teasing him about whether he would openly compete with Harry Osborn for his brother in the future.
Paul's face grew darker as he listened to the conversation, his eyes churning with humiliation and resentment. He had clearly maintained a friendship with Finn for so long and had been deliberately catering to Young Master Osborn, yet Finn had refused such a simple, minor request. Furthermore, he had intentionally made him lose face in front of so many people.
Elias gestured to Noah, indicating Paul's position.
"Ignore him," Noah said indifferently. He would always run into a few of these hyperactive weirdos from time to time.
Peter arrived at the party at this time. He had been very busy lately, with many tasks he had been putting off, he also needed to find time to play hamster with Finn later, as well as handle many other matters in advance. Peter also felt that he had truly become a master of time management, scheduling his daily timetable with extreme precision.
"I heard Harry is here?" Peter first approached Noah.
"He's upstairs with Finn." Noah nodded.
"Are they.. doing okay?" Peter was naturally worried that the Osborn brothers would start arguing again at the slightest disagreement.
They're doing fine." Elias nodded, "Harry even took the initiative to pour a glass of soy milk for Finn.
Spider-Man showed an expression of excitement, as if to say, "I've finally made it through."
Seeing that there were finally signs of the Osborn brothers reconciling, Peter was deeply moved.
What's a cup of soy milk going to do?" Noah began to feel dissatisfied, the more he thought about it, the angrier he became. "I've poured countless cups! The clothes Finn wears every day are still designed and coordinated by me! And I've attended almost every single party! What does he think he is? Did he trick me away with just a cup of milk? What, is the soy milk Harry Osborn pours exceptionally precious?
Peter & Elias: ".." You're too jealous.
"I'll take Young Master Finn to my studio to work tomorrow," Noah said once again with a look of firm determination.
Peter: →.→
Elias: ←. ←
Peter felt that Finn probably wouldn't have any particular thoughts, after all, Finn always seemed willing to go along with whatever others arranged. Besides, Finn didn't hold any position in the Osborn Group to begin with; as long as he was given a tablet to draw on, it would be fine.
"Can I have a drink too?" For Peter, Harry taking the initiative to come to Finn's party was already significant progress. Moreover, with so many people witnessing these brothers appearing together in the same frame, Peter felt a surge of excitement and wanted a drink as well.
"Of course." Noah had Elias go and get a glass of wine for Peter.
Elias deliberately brought over a glass of low-alcohol fruit wine,
As Peter took the glass, Noah spoke up again nonchalantly—
Guests under the age of twenty-one who drink at parties will be put on Finn's blacklist.