MARVEL'S BIG VILLAIN

Paul stared at the glowing screen of his phone, his thumb hovering over the send button.

Just as he was about to press it, something cold and unyielding pressed against the back of his skull. His whole body stiffened.

It was a Glock 20, fitted with a suppressor. A single 10mm Auto round would rip through his skull like wet paper.

"I really wish I hadn't seen this."

Jason's voice was devoid of warmth, carrying the same lethal intent as the weapon he held.

"Boss… calm down…" Paul whispered, slowly raising his hands in surrender.

Jason snatched the phone from his grip and glanced at the text.

"Hmph. Calling in the Bratva? Really?" Jason scoffed. "I put a bullet in Anatoly Knyazev's skull, took down his brother Vladimir, and dismantled their operations in Hell's Kitchen. You think a few Russian hitmen can handle me?"

Paul trembled but tried to speak. "Boss, I"

The muzzle pressed harder against his skull.

"Shut up. How the hell did you find out about me and Vanessa?"

Paul swallowed hard. "It… it was the perfume."

"Perfume?"

"Yeah. When I worked security for Kingpin, Vanessa used a very distinct Chanel Égoïste Platinum scent. I thought about getting Lisa a bottle once. When you came around last week, I caught the same scent on you. Then the rumors started. People began whispering in the underground. So… I had to find out."

Jason clenched his jaw. "I told her to switch perfumes." His voice was laced with irritation. "That woman never listens."

"Boss… I had no choice," Paul confessed, his voice shaking. "I want money, power… land. If you were still in charge, I'd always be in your shadow. I knew you had counter-surveillance skills, so I didn't use gangsters. I hired a professional paparazzi crew ten cars, twenty men, all with high-powered lenses. They trailed you from Harlem to Manhattan."

Jason exhaled sharply, his mind clicking the pieces together.

His counter-surveillance tactics were built for avoiding cops and gangsters, but not trained professionals with long-range cameras.

"Jesus, you really went all out," Jason sneered. "Then you turned the photos over to Kingpin?"

Paul nodded. "At first, the images were just… suggestive. Kingpin was skeptical. But yesterday, you and Vanessa spent all afternoon in her Upper East Side penthouse without even drawing the curtains. The paparazzi got the perfect shot. After that… well, you already know what happened next."

---

[Ding! Mission Complete – "Don't Be a Fool"]

Reward: 500 Villain Points

Progress: 1015/3000

---

The room fell into silence. The tension was suffocating.

Jason barely noticed the sound of his own breathing.

Squeak.

The bedroom door creaked open.

Jason immediately withdrew his gun, tucking it beneath his coat.

A young, curvy Black woman stepped out, rubbing her eyes.

"Jason!" Lisa's face lit up with a smile. "Damn, I was worried. Paul told me some crazy stuff happened."

Jason forced a smile. "Yeah, but I'm fine."

Lisa scrunched her nose. "You look like hell. Go shower. I'll grab you some clothes."

Paul's eyes went wide with fear. He subtly shook his head at her, but Lisa was already heading toward the Armani suit in the closet.

Jason smirked. "Paul bought Armani? What, trying to look like Norman Osborn?"

Lisa giggled. "He looks like a monkey in a tux. If the size fits, you can wear it."

"Lisa, just go back to the kids," Paul snapped, his voice rising.

The baby's cry rang from the bedroom.

Lisa glared at Paul. "Damn it, can you stop yelling? You always wake them up!"

She stormed back into the bedroom, slamming the door behind her.

The second the door shut, the smile vanished from Jason's face.

"Paul, what do you think I should do to you?"

Paul collapsed to his knees, his forehead nearly hitting the floor. "Boss… please… don't hurt my family."

Jason nodded. "Fine. I won't touch them."

Then he pulled out his pistol and pressed it against Paul's forehead.

Paul's voice cracked. "Please… don't kill me either."

Jason blinked. "Are you serious?"

Paul slammed his head against the floor in desperation. "Boss, my kids are barely a month old! I just want to see them grow up. I'll do anything. Just… don't kill me."

Jason's expression darkened. "Where was this loyalty when you sent those photos to Kingpin?"

Paul kept kowtowing, his head leaving red smears on the floor.

---

[Ding! New Mission – "Karma"]

Reward: 500 Villain Points

Objective: Punish Paul for his betrayal.

[Ding! New Mission – "Strike First"]

Reward: 500 Villain Points

Objective: Kill the Russian Mafia before they find you.

---

Jason looked at the mission prompts, then back at Paul.

An idea formed.

He squatted down and grabbed Paul by the chin, lifting his tear-streaked face.

"Everyone makes mistakes," Jason murmured. "But the real question is how far are you willing to go to fix them?"

Paul's whole body trembled. "I don't want to die."

Jason pressed the gun harder against his head. "You betrayed me, Paul. The only way you walk out of this alive… is if you make yourself useful."

Paul gasped, shaking. "I'll do anything!"

Jason smirked. "You will. Because if you don't… Lisa and your kids won't just lose a husband and father."

Paul's breath hitched.

Jason's voice dropped to a whisper.

"They'll lose their home. Their money. Lisa will have to work in Josie's Bar, getting groped by drunks. Your kids? No good school. No future. Just another set of orphans in Hell's Kitchen."

Paul clenched his fists. "STOP! I'LL DO IT!"

Jason patted his cheek and grinned.

"That's my boy."