“I hope you can go home,” Damon said, his brow furrowed.
We have our own home!" Andrew roared irritably, unable to bear it. At this moment, he could not stand the man's sudden change into a face so unfamiliar to him, acting as if all the previous mistreatment and indifference had never existed. "My mother has recovered and been discharged from the hospital; she is in good health. We are living together peacefully, she has her own life now. I don't want you to bother her anymore, I certainly don't want you to disrupt the peaceful life we have now.
Andrew, there is no need to treat me as an enemy." Damon was also incensed by Andrew's sharp attitude, his voice dropping low, "I am your father.
“Father?” Andrew reacted as if he had heard something absurd and ridiculous. Bitterness, humiliation, disgust surged in the young man's eyes as those deeply buried, embarrassing memories resurfaced in their entirety. “Do you even remember how you humiliated me the last time you said that to me? You said I was fooling around outside, said I lived like a disgraceful clown, said I was like a dog wagging its tail for scraps.”
Those heart-piercing, bone-chilling words replayed in his mind, word by word, incredibly clearly.
Shame, embarrassment, nausea, anger..
Do you think I don't know what you're thinking right now?" Andrew's cold gaze stared directly at Damon. "In the past, you only felt that my mother and I were burdens you couldn't shake, dragging down your life. Now that we are no longer your burden and you feel your life is going well, you've come back, thinking you can extract the benefits you want from us, is that right?
"Andrew, I.. I don't think that way," Damon spoke hurriedly, desperate to defend himself.
If I were living poorly out there, would you come to see me like this now?" Andrew asked himself. "You wouldn't.
“You would only mock me condescendingly, scolding me for not listening to you, calling me ungrateful, saying I should just hide at home and scrape by, cursing me, saying that a loser like me could never make a decent life for myself without you.” Andrew pressed closer, questioning him with fury, “Is it only because you see that I'm doing well now, that you see I am no longer that cowardly person you could manipulate, that you see I live with dignity now and can provide a stable life for my mother, that you also want to come and reap the benefits by using Father's identity?”
"This is human nature, I understand." Andrew spoke slowly, the fury in his eyes gradually settling, replaced by a sense of detached clarity. Having been by Finn Osborn's side for so long, he naturally understood all too well what it meant to be driven by human nature.
“I have never thought like that,” Damon said weakly. “Andrew, I am not here to ask you for money.”
Then shouldn't your life be very easy now?" Andrew said with a voice full of bone-chilling sarcasm. "Without a freakish son like me who looks down on everything and is constantly rejected by you, without a wife burdened by serious illness who requires constant care, without any more burdens weighing you down.
Damon stared at his son in silence; no, it wasn't like that.
The empty, lonely house was devoid of any sound.
Even as he walked through the house, he could only hear the dull thud of wine bottles clinking together.
The "residence" was completely lightless, dark and damp.
He seemed to be trapped in the shadows, rotting and molding bit by bit.
Damon watched Andrew with a complex expression in his eyes; the timid, inferior, sensitive, introverted, cautious, head-bowed youth who never dared to meet anyone's gaze had long since vanished without a trace.
Andrew still wore that name tag around his neck, the one he had previously called "stupid."
It was undeniable that Damon knew that Young Master Finn.. had pulled Andrew out of the mud and raised him so well.
These days, Damon had even silently followed all the videos posted on Finn Osborn's social media platforms, watching every single one of them carefully. Because he knew that the editing, layout, posting of those videos were all done by Andrew Damon. Andrew had his own talents and gifts; it was just that as a father, he had never been able to see them. He had also finally seen clearly what the most brilliant person in Andrew's heart was truly like—not only possessing a genius mind, but also being kind, enthusiastic, radiant, diligent.. full of the "vibrant life force" that his son craved.
It was that kind of person who led his son toward a world filled with brilliance and excitement, so different from anything he had known before.
Damon had even collected many videos of Andrew. His son, who usually hated moving, appeared on the competitive stage of "Rat Rise," but every time he rushed in lifelessly, was eliminated without any fighting spirit, was resurrected, then became cannon fodder again. Damon wanted to laugh every time he watched, especially when his son was finally forced to wear a Hamster Mascot suit and dance, looking both clumsy and earnest.
But.. he is trying, he is working hard, he is learning, he is experiencing, he is living a life full of motivation.
And he was very happy.
Damon's throat tightened as he suppressed the surging emotions in his heart, he spoke in a low voice, "I've renovated your old room."
That small, dark, cramped, damp little room from before could never have accommodated an eighteen-year-old young man.
No need." Andrew froze for a moment, then a dry, mocking smile curled at the corners of his mouth. "I already have a home of my own.
Damon thought back to the last time he had a heated argument with Andrew, the words Andrew had said to him so firmly—
[This is the path I have chosen for myself. I will not regret it, I will certainly live a great life.]
[I will never become a cowardly man like you.]
I will give my mother a better life. I will do everything in my power to learn things that are truly valuable to me.
[As long as Finn Osborn still needs me, no matter what my role is, I will follow in his footsteps.]
Damon knew his son had done it, had even done it exceptionally well, exceeding everyone's expectations of him.
In order not to be left behind by Young Master Finn, whom he admired, he always pushed himself to the limit to keep chasing after him.
Damon wanted to ask Andrew.. if intruding into such a life was exhausting.
But he opened his mouth, yet in the end, he could not utter a single word of concern. He had never given this son sincere care before, now that he was speaking, it only seemed exceptionally pale and ridiculous; even he himself felt hypocritical.
It's for you." Damon took out a gift box. "Consider it a coming-of-age gift.
Andrew froze, his gaze fixed intently on the box.
"You've grown up." There was a hint of emotion in Damon's low voice.
"Yeah, no longer that useless waste you could just hit and yell at." Andrew gave a cold laugh and reached out to take the gift box.
The box was opened, to his surprise, it contained a necktie.
Even now, Andrew rarely wore ties, unless he was attending a very important occasion with Young Master Finn.
Andrew thought it was ridiculous to receive this gift, yet his fingertips tightened uncontrollably, his knuckles turning white.
He would loathe himself for the momentary lapse of resolve he felt upon receiving this gift.
Life has improved, too," Andrew Damon continued mockingly. "You actually have money for ties now, instead of just buying alcohol.
"I joined Alcoholics Anonymous," Damon replied calmly, perhaps because sobriety had also mellowed his emotions.
Andrew's hand froze.
Damon met Andrew's incredulous gaze.
He also found it difficult to explain his change; perhaps it was simply driven by human nature?
Back then, he felt that life was dim and devoid of light, feeling that he was being held back by his wife and son, feeling that he alone was shouldering the burden of the entire family, providing them with a home, food, a livelihood, most importantly, not abandoning them. But now, he feared being completely abandoned by his wife and son, who were stepping further and further away from him as they moved toward a better future.
I'm going back, Andrew, take good care of your mother," Damon said with a weary expression. He also knew the resentment and anger Andrew had been accumulating toward him for a long time, a resentment that wanted to completely excise him from his life. "I won't stand in your way anymore.
The man turned around, his steps heavy, walked away in loneliness.
Andrew just stared fixedly, his hands tightly clutching the gift box in his hands.
Damon took a few steps forward, then suddenly stopped, slowly turning back to look at Andrew, said softly:
“At least.. when you get married in the future, I hope you can bring her back to meet your father.”
Andrew gripped the box in his hands tightly, but he remained silent for a long time.
Only after Damon's figure had completely disappeared did Peter cautiously step forward, calling out to him in a low, worried voice, "Andrew."
You don't need to comfort me, you don't need to mediate." Andrew forced a stiff, awkward smile. "To me, only my mother and Young Master Finn are the most important. I'm busy every single day; I don't have time to worry about that man's business. If he really wants to change, maybe my mother will be happy and relieved, but that has nothing to do with me.
Peter said nothing more. He had already learned about Andrew's previous difficult life from Andrew's cousin Matt, knew even more about how Andrew's father had mistreated and beaten him. The damage was already done, it wasn't something a mere misunderstanding could explain; the little Spider-Man had no standing to mediate their family relationship.
Just then, Peter and Andrew's phones began to ring and buzz incessantly, clearly signaling that something earth-shattering had happened.
Peter Parker and Andrew Damon both hurriedly took out their phones, only to find that Finn Osborn had just posted a new video on his social media platform.
And the video was nothing else but the raw, unscripted, heartfelt confession that occurred in that transparent room called the Bell of Truth, where Finn and Peter had each toured the tech exhibition under the encouragement of their friends; it had now been re-edited and released to the public. To top it off, a chibi-style drawing of Sleepless Summer and Flying Pillow holding hands was included—it was cute and sweet, clearly a new drawing by Finn himself.
Starting from zero frames, a sudden ultimate move.
"!!" Peter was stunned, Andrew was stunned as well.
This was not only the first update in a long time from Young Master Finn, who had been silent for an entire half-month after being caught in a massive storm of online hate, an update that countless people across the internet had been eagerly awaiting; it was also the Young Master Osborn's completely unmasked, direct public announcement of his relationship, following the scandal involving Peter Parker's secret crush.
Either he stays silent, or he makes a massive impact.
And the video was only accompanied by this one sentence—
【Pinfinity Is Real.】
It’s actually happening! An official announcement is the most lethal!
No need to think twice; this video announcing the Young Master Osborn's relationship has only just been released, but at this moment, the entire internet is already in a state of absolute, explosive shock.
Peter and Andrew's pupils both shook with shock as they looked at each other in disbelief.
"Did you send this?" Peter's voice was trembling.
"It wasn't me." Andrew's voice was trembling in sync.
"Finn sent that?" Peter asked in surprise.
"Maybe Young Master Finn finally remembered.. his social media password?" Andrew thought it could only have been sent by Finn himself.
Peter's steady heartbeat was instantly shattered, much like the bells ringing wildly in a room filled with the Bell of Truth. At this moment, Peter stared at his phone with a blank mind, as a swarm of messages flooded in, all sending him global congratulations.
Although it was already more or less common knowledge, after all.. the romance between the Osborn Group Little Prince and the Diamond High School Boy was officially certified, which was definitely different.
"You've finally officially joined a wealthy family." Andrew teased with a smile, as it truly felt like a fairy tale coming to life.
Finn.." Peter hurriedly called Finn, who seemed to have anticipated the call, "What made you think of making a public announcement all of a sudden?
"Because men who intentionally act ambiguous but refuse to go public with their relationships are all scumbags." Finn's lighthearted explanation came through the phone.
Peter: ".." So, is this what a CEO's sense of responsibility looks like?
Iron Man's dissatisfied voice followed over the phone; the man seemed to feel that Finn was intentionally provoking him.
Actually, isn't this our one-month anniversary of being in a relationship?" Finn's laughter came through the phone, "I want to show off something a little different.
Pupils Trembling · Spider-Man: "!!" He really didn't expect this.
——The one-month anniversary of our official relationship?
—My Young Master, you actually celebrate these kinds of anniversaries??
Isn't this your first time in a relationship? Aren't you the pure love type?" After hanging up the phone, Andrew also saw that the unprepared Peter Parker looked truly flustered. "Since it's your first relationship, you'd celebrate these kinds of anniversaries, right?
Andrew used to look down on things like monthly dating anniversaries, thinking they were meaningless formalities. But since Young Master Finn valued them, Andrew naturally applied a double standard. Looking at Peter, who had just realized today was their official one-month anniversary, Andrew felt a sense of frustration on his behalf, even while maintaining his identity as a [Pinfinity Guardian]. Then, something suddenly occurred to him. "Young Master Finn wouldn't think that you're intentionally walking separately from him today just to prepare a surprise for him, would he?"
Maybe?" Peter's eyes became even clearer. "Then what should I do now?
Steve Andrew: ".." I've truly poured my heart and soul into your romance.
Chapter 103: Monet Garden
For the sake of Finn and Peter's romance, Andrew, being the [Steadfast Steve], naturally continued to wholeheartedly support the young couple's dating anniversary.
Andrew brought his own Iron Triangle—Montgomery and Matt.
The two of them immediately rushed forward at top speed.
When it came to planning such an event, Steve Montgomery, who was now a professional planner, was already very experienced.
Anyway, it all boils down to the same thing; an anniversary that evokes such a sense of happiness definitely needs atmosphere, balloons and flowers are a must.