Chapter 64 : Saint
Like that, the day of Believe Expo finally arrived.
Mark stepped out of a taxi near the entrance, expecting the usual crowds, religious music, and corporate nonsense Vought loved attaching itself to.
The moment his feet touched the ground, somebody in the crowd shouted. "It’s the Saint!"
Mark froze. "Who the hell is the Saint?" He looked around to see if some other hero had arrived nearby. Surely nobody would willingly accept such an embarrassing title.
Then his eyes landed on the massive banners hanging above the entrance. His face was there. Right beneath it, in large golden letters:
THE SAINT
For several seconds he simply stared. Fuck. Which bastard came up with that fucking title?
The answer wasn’t difficult to guess. Vought. Who else would look at a guy who saved a plane full of people, wore dark clothes, avoided interviews, and decide that turning him into some mysterious holy figure was good marketing?
Before he could process the disaster any further, reporters rushed toward him.
"Saint! Saint! Over here!"
"Is it true you’re attending with Starlight today?"
"How does it feel becoming a symbol of modern faith?"
"Do you consider your rescue of Flight 37 a miracle?"
Mark’s eye twitched. A miracle? He had literally carried the damn plane.
Volunteers at the entrance looked excited, many of them teenagers wearing shirts with his image printed on them, while older church members spoke about him with the kind of admiration normally reserved for actual religious figures.
This is worse than I thought.
He had wanted popularity. He had wanted points. He had absolutely not wanted to become a holy mascot for American Christianity. But apparently Vought looked at his public image and decided "The Saint" was perfect branding.
A microphone nearly touched his face. "Saint, what message do you have for young believers attending Believe Expo today?"
Mark stared at the man for several seconds. "My message is that whoever gave me that title deserves a pay cut."
The crowd laughed, assuming he was joking. He wasn’t.
"May I know why you didn’t attend any press conferences after saving Flight 37? You completely disappeared from social media."
"I had other things to do. I wasn’t available."
"When did you and Starlight meet? How did your relationship begin?"
The questions kept coming. Before Mark could think of an excuse to escape, a familiar voice interrupted the crowd.
"Everyone, you’ll have plenty of time later." Annie walked over in her Believe Expo outfit, smiling professionally.
"We’ll do a joint interview after the opening events. Right now we still need to check on the other guests and activities."
The reporters looked disappointed but nobody argued with Vought’s schedule. Within moments they scattered toward other arrivals.
The instant they were alone, Mark let out a long sigh.
"Hey, Annie, don’t tell me this entire thing was arranged by Vought." He pointed at the entrance, the banners, the reporters who’d clearly been waiting.
"All those reporters were basically standing there to jump me the second I arrived. They even gave me a stupid title."
Annie pressed her lips together. "Yes."
He pointed at the giant banner. "And what the hell is that?"
She looked up. THE SAINT, printed directly beneath his image. For a few seconds she stayed silent. Then she started laughing.
"Don’t laugh."
"I’m trying not to," she said, failing completely. "But seriously? The Saint?"
"Exactly! Who came up with that garbage?"
She wiped the corner of her eye. "I don’t know, but honestly it fits Believe Expo perfectly." She looked back at the banner. "Yeah, Vought definitely saw free marketing."
Mark looked horrified. "If somebody called me that in real life, I’d jump off a building."
Annie grinned. "Come on, Saint Mark. It could be worse."
"Don’t."
"The Saint of New York."
"Annie."
"The Guardian Angel."
"Annie."
"The Silent Protector."
Mark pinched the bridge of his nose. "I am breaking up with you."
That only made her laugh harder.
A few moments later she finally regained her composure. "Okay, okay. I’m done." She paused. "But I am absolutely calling you Saint whenever I want something."
Mark sighed. Vought had somehow managed to create a nickname worse than every superhero codename he’d ever heard, and Annie clearly intended to make full use of it.
"Oh, you’re Mark. Annie has talked about you all the time," a middle-aged woman said, walking over.
He looked confused. "Umm... who?"
"She’s my mother," Annie said.
"Oh, it’s nice to meet you, ma’am."
Donna looked at her daughter’s boyfriend and had to admit she was satisfied. She had worried Annie would bring home some completely ordinary man. Instead Annie had chosen someone famous, powerful, and admired by millions.
Mark noticed the approving look and understood immediately.
If Annie had brought home some normal guy, he was pretty sure the atmosphere would have been very different — and knowing Donna’s strong opinions and old-fashioned views, he suspected she wouldn’t have hidden her displeasure nearly as well if Annie had introduced someone from a background she didn’t approve of.
Thankfully, none of that was today’s problem. Being popular certainly had its perks.
A/N : There will be Minor crossover and the next world is Jujutsu Kaisen
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👉 /Mark841
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