Chapter 187

Today was the day Eren and Gwen had planned to visit the hospital to treat Mrs. Helen's injuries.

So, right after school, Gwen had rejected every single guy who tried to invite her to the Winter Dance and headed straight for the parking lot.

To avoid any more interruptions, she even stood right next to Eren's iconic Aston Martin, silently warding off anyone else who dared approach.

Seeing the beautiful figure waiting by his car, Eren greeted her with a casual wave before quickening his pace to meet her.

With a smirk, he said, "I thought I'd be the one waiting for you this time. Didn't expect you to beat me to it."

Gwen, holding a few books in her arms, brushed a strand of blonde hair behind her ear and flashed a sweet smile.

"Well, I am asking you to help treat my mom. I can't exactly show up late, can I?"

Then, with a playful glint in her eyes, she added, "But honestly, I thought you'd take longer today. I heard you got quite a few invitations for the dance— even Hillary asked you, didn't she?"

She gave him a knowing wink as she spoke.

Eren simply shrugged.

"Your intel is outdated. I turned them all down."

Gwen's eyebrows raised in mock surprise.

"Really? I thought you'd say yes—Hillary is one of the hottest girls in school, you know?"

Watching her perfectly executed expression of surprise and sensing absolutely no emotional fluctuation from her—

Eren was silent for a moment before sighing internally.

Women are natural-born actresses... If I couldn't read emotions, I might've actually believed that.

Shaking his head, he didn't bother addressing her teasing comment.

Instead, he opened the car door and gestured toward her.

"Let's go. If we wait any longer, there won't be any parking spots left at the hospital."

Hospitals always had a parking crisis, especially after work hours, when visitors surged in.

Getting a spot late in the evening?

A near-impossible task.

Gwen immediately recalled the countless times her dad, George, would rush to the hospital only to struggle for parking—his frustrated expression replaying in her mind.

Without hesitation, she opened the passenger door and slid in.

Once she buckled up, Eren stepped on the gas, guiding his Aston Martin smoothly toward the hospital.

Meanwhile, a heartbreaking sigh echoed behind them—

A chorus of disappointed admirers watched helplessly as Eren drove off with Gwen.

After leaving the school parking lot, Eren suddenly turned to Gwen and said, "By the way."

She glanced at him curiously.

"Next Saturday's dance—will you be my date?"

"Ah—!"

Gwen was caught off guard.

She turned her head to look at Eren, who sat behind the wheel, his handsome features glowing in the golden sunset.

Tilting her head slightly, she asked, "Are you… asking me to the dance, Eren?"

"Of course."

Eren met her gaze without hesitation.

"Gwen Stacy, I'd like you to be my date for the dance."

She paused, pursing her lips.

"Why me?"

Gwen held his gaze, her blue eyes studying him intently.

After a moment, she sighed.

"Don't you guys prefer girls like Hillary?"

At Midtown High, Gwen was seen as the untouchable genius beauty—

With her high academic performance and the looming presence of her father, Captain George Stacy, she was the kind of girl most admired from a distance rather than approached.

Sure, many guys had a crush on her, but few actually confessed.

In contrast—

Hillary was bubbly, social, and effortlessly flirty, surrounded by male friends all the time.

To most girls, someone like Hillary seemed far more popular with guys.

That was why, when Gwen heard that Hillary had invited Eren to the dance, she had felt…

A strange, uncomfortable feeling she couldn't quite explain.

Maybe even… a hint of worry.

Eren, however, shut down that line of thought immediately.

"Hillary? I don't even know her that well. And she's not my type."

Then, looking straight at Gwen, he said—

"I like you better."

I like you better.

…Was that a confession?

Gwen felt her cheeks flush.

Her lips curled into a soft, delighted smile, and just like that—

The odd discomfort she'd felt earlier completely vanished.

Her mood lifted.

Turning her head toward the window, she deliberately avoided his gaze and said—

"Fine. Since you turned down Hillary, I'll accept your invitation."

Though she looked away, her voice carried a hint of joy she couldn't hide.

Eren, picking up on her subtle excitement, smirked.

With exaggerated enthusiasm, he said—

"Wow! What luck! So I got this date only because I rejected Hillary? Does that mean there's some rivalry between you two?"

"Of course."

Hearing Eren's question, Gwen nodded firmly, replying without hesitation—

"And it's the kind that can never be reconciled."

Eren smirked.

"I see. Well, whatever the case, I'm honored that you accepted my invitation, Miss Gwen Stacy."

Thirty minutes later.

After applying another round of Holy Light Healing, Helen's legs had almost completely recovered to how they were when Eren first saw them.

Even the deep scars on her calves, which had once looked ghastly, slowly faded away under the warmth of the glowing light—

Until they disappeared entirely.

Watching those horrid scars vanish as if by magic, Helen's body trembled slightly.

She reached out, gently touching her now fully healed legs, her hand covering her mouth in disbelief.

"This is… unbelievable!"

"Ever since I saw those scars, I never thought my legs could look normal again."

"You know… I was actually planning to go home and throw away all my skirts…"

Overwhelmed with emotion, Helen spoke in a choked voice, struggling to form coherent sentences.

It took her a long while before she could calm down.

Holding Gwen's hand tightly, Helen let out a deep breath, trying to steady herself.

Eren, watching her reaction, finally spoke.

"How do you feel, Mrs. Helen?"

Helen exhaled, a smile breaking through her tears.

"I feel amazing. I think… I could walk right now."

With slight effort, she moved her legs off the bed, clearly intending to stand up and take a few steps.

After being bedridden for so long, even someone as strong-willed as Helen had started to feel restless.

Now that her legs were healed, the first thing she wanted to do was walk.

However—

Her sudden movement startled Gwen.

"Mom—!"

Seeing Gwen's instinctive concern, Eren simply chuckled.

"No need to panic. Mrs. Helen's injuries are almost fully healed. As long as she gets enough nutrition, calcium, and does some rehab exercises, she'll be able to leave the hospital soon."

"She can walk now if she wants—though if you're worried, we can support her while she takes a few steps."

Gwen's eyebrows furrowed slightly, still hesitant.

"Are you sure…?"

Eren met her gaze and said simply—

"Trust me."

Ten minutes later.

By the time George Stacy rushed into the hospital room after leaving the police station, he was greeted by a scene he never expected.

There, by the window—

His wife, Helen, was standing, arms outstretched, basking in the warm glow of the setting sun.

A radiant smile adorned her face.

George froze.

"Oh my god."

"Am I… dreaming?"

He rubbed his eyes vigorously, but no matter how many times he blinked—

The image remained unchanged.

Helen, standing tall, looking happier than he had seen her in ages.

"Maybe I'm just overworked… Maybe the stress is making me hallucinate…?"

To confirm his reality, George pinched himself hard.

The sharp pain made him wince, but nothing changed.

He stood there, frozen, trying to process what was happening.

Across the room—

Gwen, seeing her father's dumbfounded expression, couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"Pfft—!"

The sound snapped George out of his daze.

"This pain… That means this is real…?"

Helen, who had been waiting with open arms, finally lost patience.

She rolled her eyes before glaring at him.

"Of course it's real! Haven't I been standing here for long enough? Hurry up and help me back to bed."

"O-Okay!"

George hurried forward, carefully guiding Helen back to the bed.

Once she was settled, reality finally sank in.

His wife's legs were fully healed.

She could walk again.

Still struggling to believe what he was seeing, George instinctively turned to Eren and asked—

"This is…"

Before Eren could answer, Gwen quickly jumped in.

"It's thanks to Eren. He got some experimental medicine from Oscorp—it worked wonders."

"Oscorp."

"Experimental medicine."

George immediately picked up on the key details.

For the first time since stepping into the room, he shifted his gaze away from Helen's healed legs and focused on Eren.

Then, in a calm but firm voice, he asked—

"I thought the medicine Oscorp developed to treat millions of people was already impressive enough. But I've never heard of anything this miraculous."

"This drug… I've never seen it on the market. So how exactly did you get your hands on it?"

George never suspected his daughter would lie to him.

So he took her explanation at face value—

That Eren had somehow gotten this "miracle drug" from Oscorp.

Now, the only question left in his mind was—how?

From what George knew, Eren was just a high school student.

Sure, he had connections with Pepper Potts, the new CEO of Stark Industries.

But Stark Industries specialized in military tech, whereas Oscorp was focused on biomedical advancements.

Even if Eren had ties to big corporations, it shouldn't be Oscorp—

It should be Stark Industries.

If anyone in the room had a connection to Oscorp, it was his daughter, Gwen, since she was interning there.

Did that mean—

Eren had pulled strings through Stark Industries to get this medicine from Oscorp?

But even then—

Getting access to something this powerful shouldn't be easy.

And why was he so invested in Helen's recovery?

Unless…

A sudden thought struck George.

His expression froze.

Then, as he subtly glanced at his daughter, he caught something—

The way Gwen was looking at Eren.

There was something… different.

Something that made his stomach drop.

Oh no…

(End of Chapter)

[Check Out My Patreon For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!][www.p@treon.com/zaelum]

[+500 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter]

[Thank You For Your Support!]