New York — Daily Bugle — Day
A little later, Peter walked through the doors of the Daily Bugle. His expression was stern, and he carried himself with a newfound energy. His stride was more confident, his gaze colder. He seemed calmer... but also more serious, as though part of the person he had been only a few days earlier had gradually faded away.
Seeing him cross the newsroom, Robbie called out to him from his desk with a warm wave.
— "Oh, good morning, Peter!"
— "Good morning, Robbie."
Peter responded with nothing more than a brief nod and greeting, without even slowing his pace. His attitude was so distant that Robbie was left slightly puzzled, wondering what could possibly explain such a change in the young photographer.
Without stopping for even a second, Peter continued toward Jonah's office. Not far away, Betty quietly watched the scene unfold.
Unlike Robbie, she didn't try to get his attention. She simply observed him, studying his behavior with concern, already dreading what Jameson might put him through this time.
When he reached his boss's office, Peter opened the door without even bothering to knock or ask for permission to come in.
Still appearing perfectly calm, he walked up to the desk while pulling a large manila envelope from his backpack, which he dropped in front of Jonah.
Jameson raised an eyebrow slightly at this unusual behavior. Even so, he chose not to comment and immediately focused on what Peter had brought him.
— "Here are the photos of Spider-Man stopping criminals during a high-speed chase."
Jonah opened the envelope and pulled out the various photographs. As he looked through them, his expression gradually changed. For the first time in a long while, he actually seemed satisfied.
— "And with his new suit, too..."
He continued flipping through the photographs.
— "I like it. It really brings out the frightening side of the character. It suits him!"
Hearing those words, Peter quietly clenched his teeth.
The frightening side of the character...
Seriously?
For a brief moment, he wanted nothing more than to tell him exactly where to shove it. But he immediately swallowed his frustration, took a discreet breath, and spoke again in a controlled tone.
— "Are you buying them?"
Jonah didn't answer right away. He continued examining the photographs for several long seconds, his face once again completely expressionless.
The change in attitude was unsettling. Just moments earlier, he had seemed completely satisfied. But with J. Jonah Jameson, it was always difficult to tell what was really going through his mind.
At last, he slowly shook his head without taking his eyes off the photographs.
— "No. None of these are any good. Besides, I don't see any supervillains."
At those words, Peter felt a sudden surge of anger rise within him, like a volcano on the verge of erupting. Was Jameson making fun of him... or was he genuinely incapable of recognizing a good photograph?
Either way, why was it always so difficult to sell him even a single picture?
Without even realizing it, his fists clenched.
— "Then what exactly am I supposed to do to get you to buy my photos, huh?!"
— "Easy there, kid! Don't forget I can fire you with the snap of my fingers!"
Seeing Peter raise his voice, Jonah immediately put him in his place with a firm tone, bluntly reminding him who was in charge. Peter slowly regained his composure and swallowed everything he was dying to say in return.
Then, suddenly, a mischievous smile spread across Jameson's lips, as though an idea had just crossed his mind.
— "Tell you what. If you bring me photos of Spider-Man in his new suit fighting supervillains, I PROMISE you a two-thousand-dollar bonus!"
Even though Peter had only been working for Jonah for a short time, he had quickly figured out what kind of man he was dealing with. After everything with the bonus, even the most naïve idiot would have eventually understood just how dishonest his boss could be.
A long silence settled over the office as the two men stared intensely at one another. Jonah wore a satisfied smile, almost amused that he had tried the exact same trick once again.
Peter, meanwhile, let a faint smile appear at the corner of his lips. Truthfully, he wasn't even surprised. He had expected a response like this.
At last, he nodded with an unexpectedly calm expression. For a brief moment, it was almost as though the old Peter had returned.
— "Alright... let's do it your way."
Jonah's smile immediately vanished.
— "He actually agreed?! This kid is completely stupid!"
Peter's answer genuinely caught Jonah off guard. Sure, he had proposed the deal hoping Peter would take the bait... but deep down, he had never truly believed it would actually work.
And yet...
— "Perfect, kid! Now take your pictures, get out of my office, and come back when you've got what I want!"
With a dismissive wave of his hand, as casual as it was contemptuous, he motioned for Peter to leave his office as though shooing away nothing more than a nuisance. Peter, still perfectly calm, picked up his envelope, slowly turned around, and walked out of the room, a faint smile still lingering on his lips.
A few moments later, Betty entered her boss's office. Judging by the expression on her face, she clearly hadn't appreciated the scene she had just witnessed.
— "Listen, Jonah... Try being nice to that boy..."
Jonah raised an eyebrow.
— "Huh? What are you talking about, Brant?"
Betty walked over to his desk.
Her voice was calm, but genuinely concerned.
— "Maybe I'm wrong, but... Peter looks like he's having financial problems. Don't you think it's strange that he's working at his age? It would be nice if you'd stop pulling that bonus stunt on him..."
Betty seemed sincerely worried about the young man's situation. Jonah, on the other hand, appeared not to care in the slightest. He looked her straight in the eyes, yet everything suggested he was paying very little attention to what she was saying, as though he were only listening to every few words here and there.
Then, with almost insulting indifference, he simply said:
— "I did it again, actually."
Betty froze.
— "WHAT? You can't be serious?!"
She looked him straight in the eyes, hoping to find even the slightest hint of irony.
Unfortunately...There was none. Once again, Jonah was completely serious. Exasperated by his behavior and his total lack of empathy, Betty finally said in an icy tone:
— "Believe me... karma will catch up with you someday!"
She turned sharply and stormed out of the office, slamming the door behind her.
Jonah, however, didn't react in the slightest. As though everything that had just happened meant absolutely nothing to him.
With astonishing calm, he simply rested both feet on his desk and quietly went back to what he had been doing.
TO BE CONTINUED.