Green. (A Harry Osborn x Felicia Hardy Fanfic) - || Discontinued ||

I - The Osborn Way

Tap, tap, tap...

The air around OsCorp was unmistakably heavy that morning, what with the events that transpired in the company before the New York City skyline could kiss the light of day. 

The company's lobby was filled to the brim with journalists, all eager to get a statement -- any statement, that would soon make the headlines of every news report in New York, and perhaps, the rest of the world.

The employees, on the other hand, were working as usual, but it was obvious that something was adrift. The senior scientists had become less efficient than the young ones. Usually, they were the ones buzzing enthusiastically through laboratories, barking out orders, sending vials of who-knows-what here and there, eager to win at least one Nobel before their near retirement. Now, they were as unresponsive as banana peels. They had all known this day would come,  except it still came as a shock.

Meanwhile, the board of executives were seated round an elongated table, anxiously waiting for the arrival of the man who had recently been appointed to call the shots. Their eyes were all transfixed on the wooden double doors that sealed them from the rest of New York. No one dared to make a sound except for Menken, who was impatiently tapping his pen on the table made of glass.

Tap, tap, tap....

With as much subtlety as she could muster, Felicia glanced at her wristwatch. They were waiting for quite some time now. He was thirty-three minutes late.

Tap, tap, tap...

At the corner of her eye, she snuck a glance at Menken. He didn't have the decency to hide his annoyance at the new CEO's tardiness. Like the other people who slid their eyes at his direction, Felicia could clearly read what the man was thinking.

He was OsCorp's Vice President! He should have been granted the leadership. It should have been him seated at the head of the table instead of some socialite who knew nothing about running a company. He was a kid, for goodness sake! But no, Norman had to pass on his legacy to someone who held the family name. Had he not treated Norman like family enough? It angered Menken to no end.

The balding man started to gather his things. Then, he stood up.

All of a sudden, the double doors screeched open. 

There was a collective sigh of relief.

Finally.

The way he strode inside the room demanded of attention. He walked with a trademark rich-boy- swagger that was sophisticated as much as it was arrogant. Normally, acting like that would entice someone to beat you up. It suited him perfectly, though. Hell, it was undeniably sexy. It was a good thing Felicia had the decency to prevent herself from gaping, much unlike the rest board. Of course, she couldn't blame them. The young man acted as if he owned the place. Truth was, he did.

He was Norman Osborn's son.

Felicia's thoughts drifted to the man who had recently lost from his long battle against Retroviral Hyperplasia. Like any great man, the late Osborn was one you would only encounter in legends. His presence in OsCorp could be likened to that of a ghost's, since he could only practice his craft whenever his physicians would allow him to. However, that didn't stop him from searching for a cure. 

Felicia had always admired the old man for his uncanny passion for work. She was as ambitious as Norman, if not more. On the last five years of his work though, it seemed as if his disease had taken over his beautiful mind. He started to fund unorthodox experiments in his desperation to salvage what was left of his life. As his personal secretary, Felicia had front row seats to Norman Osborn's transformation from a genius to a madman. The sight of his mangled body would forever be etched on the back of her mind.

She snapped out of her thoughts once she felt the drilling gazes of everyone in the room. They were all looking at her expectantly, scrutinizing her like a specimen under a microscope. Even the young Osborn himself, who was leaning over the edge of the table, was observing her with a strange amount of curiosity. She was not used to attention. Heat rushed through her cheeks.

"Hi," the young man said. His voice was nothing more than a whisper, but the room was so silent that she swore the word had bounced off the walls in her head. "You were his assistant, right?"

Flustered, Felicia could only manage to nod. "Mm-hmm."

"What's your name?" The man seemed kind enough, but she was weary as to what he had in mind. Felicia mentally kicked herself for not paying attention. 

If her parents were to see her now, they would weep because of the failure their daughter had turned out to be. A Hardy must never have her tongue tied. A Hardy must always have grace under pressure. A Hardy must never let her audience know that she is scared. With as much self-assurance as she could gather, she looked directly at his new boss. A poised smile graced her features. "Felicia."

"Felicia..." Harry drawled on. He let his name play on his tongue, as if he was savoring every word. Her neck reddened, to which she responded by biting the inside of her cheek. She was not going to embarrass herself further. She could already feel the smug smirks of everyone else in the room.

Harry inferred that she was smart, since it was no mean feat to work directly for the CEO of a multi-billion dollar company. She was young, unlike the other old hags who were seated at the table. She was hot, too, Harry had to admit. Easy on the eyes like that French chick he dated two weeks ago. The girl was the only thing he found interesting in the otherwise bleak conference room. Unlike fucking Menken who kept treating him like a kid, Felicia's easy blushing boosted his ego.

Suddenly, an idea hit him. As he reclined on his swivel chair, a mischievous smile crept on his lips. His movements seemed to keep the board members at edge. Fucking weaklings. 

"From now on, everybody at this table works for Felicia, because Felicia works for me."

Harry took a second to marvel at the appalled expressions of everyone else in the room. He pinched the bridge of his nose to suppress his laughter. "Would anybody like to speak up?" An uncomfortable silence ensued.

Harry's gaze landed on Felicia. She, too, was speechless.

Clearly pleased with himself, he cocked his head innocently, sneaking the girl a charming grin.

Victory was fucking sweet.

~

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Hi! Thanks for giving my story a chance. It's been two years since I've last written a fanfic, so I'm kinda scared as to how this would be received. If you'd want to read more of this story, please send me a message. As always, constructive criticism would be highly appreciated. ♥ :)