CHAPTER 48: CHAPTER 048: DANCE FOR TWO! GWEN RUNS AWAY AND WINS!

Everyone knows—atmosphere is the foundation of any rhythm.

Without the right environment and mood, it’s like a lighter clicking without fuel—no flame, no spark, and certainly no fireworks of love.

At that moment, the TV, which had been on the whole time, switched to a music program. By sheer coincidence, it was playing a soft, romantic tune.

Lorien lifted the wine glass Gwen had just filled for him and took a sip. The moment he set it down, Gwen grabbed his hand and pulled him up.

"Lorien, let’s dance~!"

She drew him to his feet. At 1.8 meters tall, he stood just above Gwen’s 1.7 meters—their heights a perfect match.

With a graceful turn of his hand, Gwen spun under his palm, her agile figure twirling again and again before finally falling into his arms.

"A little dizzy..." she murmured.

Lorien brushed his hand gently across her face, his arm sliding around her slender, curved waist. His voice was soft.

"It’s fine. I’ll lead you."

And so, to the rhythm of the romantic melody flowing from the TV, they began to dance.

With each step and touch, Gwen’s cheeks grew more flushed, and her gaze grew softer, threaded with warmth.

Eventually, under Gwen’s subtle guidance, their dance carried them to the edge of the luxuriously soft bed.

With a muffled thump, they fell together onto the velvet quilt.

Gwen closed her eyes. Lorien lowered his head, seeking her lips.

Their dance wasn’t over—it had simply shifted into another form.

This one was more heated, making the bed creak and sway beneath them... but no matter the form, the dance did not stop.

...

The next day.

Knock knock~

Along with the sound of knocking came her mother’s voice from outside the door.

"Gwen, if you don’t get up for school now, you’re going to be late!"

"Ah... uh... I know, I’m getting up!"

Gwen jolted awake, answering without much thought. She then glanced at the Spider-Gwen suit lying at the foot of her bed—three holes torn into it—and at a set of Lorien’s clothes, falling into a moment of silent reflection.

What exactly happened last night?

She’d gone to see Lorien, then they kissed, drank, danced, and then...

In the end, they had taken a shower together.

It was only then she remembered she had school the next day, so she had worn Lorien’s clothes home, carrying her battle-damaged suit with her.

Mm...

Gwen’s face flushed instantly. No wonder her legs and waist were so sore~

Still, she felt happy, excited, and...

Forget it.

Better hurry and get ready for school!

Fortunately, her physical condition was excellent. Even though it had been her first time, she had recovered almost completely overnight.

She quickly got up and dressed, stuffing a fresh Spider-Gwen suit into her school bag. The torn one, along with Lorien’s suit, she put into another bag, then shot a strand of web out the window to hang it outside.

Finally, she rushed out of her room.

"I’m heading out, Mom! No time for breakfast, I’ll eat on the way!"

With that, Gwen darted out the door, swung back to the window to retrieve the clothes, and decided they needed to be hidden first. She could pick them up after school.

...

Ten minutes later, after stashing the clothes away, Gwen walked onto campus with her teal backpack.

"Gwen~"

A female classmate spotted her and jogged over.

"Wow~, Gwen, where did you get your beauty treatment?"

"What?" Gwen asked, puzzled.

"Your face!" her friend said in wonder. "It’s so soft, like it’s full of water! And your lips—they’re such a natural strawberry red, I just want to take a bite!"

Gwen froze for a second, then accepted the small mirror her friend handed over.

It was true—her face, her lips, her eyes... wow.

She thought about when this change had happened...

No need to guess—it was last night.

Which meant...

Gwen smiled faintly, returned the mirror, and let her tongue briefly graze the corner of her lips.

...

Meanwhile, at Avengers Compound, the team had just returned and were already busy holding a meeting.

At the conference table, Captain America had just finished discussing post-operation matters before announcing the meeting adjourned so everyone could rest.

Wanda sat in her chair, brows knitting slightly.

Noticing, Natasha walked over.

"Wanda, what’s wrong?"

Wanda shook her head, though she found herself looking at Natasha and saying, "Uh, it’s nothing. I just feel... there’s something off about all this."

Inwardly, she couldn’t shake the feeling that the car from the incident looked familiar. But with the poor quality of the footage, few people could tell what brand or model it was.

It was red—but was it really a Ferrari?

Seeing Wanda seemed fine, Natasha gave a reassuring nod, then followed her out as they went their separate ways to rest.

...

Over in Los Angeles, inside a seaside villa, Tony Stark hadn’t slept a wink all night.

He was still seated in his chair, staring at the red Transformer on his holographic display, lost in thought.

"What kind of technology is this...?"

He didn’t understand it—and for once, couldn’t figure it out.

Unable to sleep, he had simply sat there thinking until dark circles formed under his eyes and his hair was a mess.

"Sir, this is not human technology."

Friday’s voice finally broke the silence, her analysis complete.

"Based on a ten-hour scan and comparison with the entirety of the human technology tree, the red mech’s design does not match any known human technology. Even with the most advanced black-ops breakthroughs, such a machine could not be developed."

Tony let out a long sigh.

So, no matter how much of a genius he was, there were still people in the world even more advanced.

And this was exactly the kind of tech he wanted—but simply looking at it wasn’t enough to figure it out.

Which meant... time for another approach.

"Friday, find out who owns that car. I want to pay them a personal visit—and I mean with genuine sincerity."

"Yes, sir."

"Oh, and send all the Oscorp Tower files I prepared to the web—anonymously."

"Yes, sir."