Chapter 127: A Wager
....
Across the table, the old man folded his arms, his sharp eyes fixed on Regal. His voice carried the weight of decades in the industry.
"Kid, before we go any further, let's get one thing straight - we are not selling."
There it was. No room for doubt.
Stan Lee. The man. The legend of Marvel Comics.
Regal had known this was how the meeting would begin. Stan had made his stance clear from the moment they had agreed to talk.
Still, seeing him now - this version of him, alive, clear-eyed, and still sharp - made him remember something.
A strange mix of reverence... and sorrow.
Because Regal remembered another version of this man. The one from his past world. A legend, yes - but one who hadn't been treated like one when it mattered most.
That Stan Lee had been exploited in his final years.
Robbed - figuratively and literally - by those who were supposed to protect him.
There were legal filings about elder abuse, allegations that his own inner circle had manipulated him for money. His former manager. His so-called "business partners."