Chapter 65 Gwen’s Dilemma

Gwen lay on her bed, staring at her reflection and admiring her new image. Smooth skin with no flaws and perfect proportions. Her mind raced back to everything that had happened so far that led her to this. It seemed like only yesterday she was a regular high school student, juggling academics and a part-time job. Now, she found herself in the middle of something far bigger than she had ever imagined.

Joining Kol's company was just supposed to be a phase where she would help out here and there for a little while before becoming a full employee at Oscorp, but she didn't expect to end up so invested. Now she couldn't imagine ever leaving.

Especially after their most recent project, the Nerve Gear, where she was not only able to build it with Ned but also learned so much. That one experience had probably taught her more than any professor ever could, and she knew such projects would most likely keep coming in the future.

Which made her think of the man behind the science... Kol himself used to be ordinary and quiet, but one day he suddenly began to change, or should she say he began to show his true self. Now he was unlike anyone she had ever met. Brilliant and driven with plans leading years ahead into the future for humanity. Kol even made a super soldier serum, something scientists had been failing at for years.

But most of all, he was kind and sometimes a little sweet. He was always looking out for them when he didn't need to. Honestly, she thought he would have been better off without them, but he always included them.

On the other hand, there were times when he would annoy her a bit, especially whenever he would pat her head like an animal. Like, who does that? Besides that she thought nothing else of it until she randomly mentioned it to her mom.

---

[Flashback]

Gwen and her mother walked through the bustling aisles of the grocery store, chatting about this and that. Gwen threw a box of cereal into the cart while her mother picked out some fresh vegetables.

"So, how's work going with Kol?" her mother asked casually.

"Pretty good," Gwen replied, tossing a bag of chips into the cart. "But he does some weird things sometimes."

"Weird how?" her mother inquired, looking up from the tomatoes she was inspecting.

"Like, he'll pat my head for no reason, tease me about the smallest things, and occasionally give me these random hugs," Gwen said, rolling her eyes a little thinking that he really was too much sometimes.

Her mother stopped what she was doing and looked at her with a surprised expression. "Gwen, do you really not understand?"

"Understand what?" Gwen asked, genuinely puzzled.

"That he probably likes you," her mother said with a knowing smile.

Gwen blinked in surprise. "What? No way. He's just...friendly."

Her mother chuckled softly. "Do you remember the first time he came to the house? He was overly dressed, brought flowers, and even a cake."

Gwen's mind raced back to that day. Kol had shown up in a suit, looking confident and determined. It had seemed odd at the time, but she hadn't thought much of it. Now, putting the pieces together, she realized her mom might actually be right.

Her mother saw the recognition dawn on Gwen's face and smiled. "See? Sometimes you're a bit dense, sweetheart. The question now is, what are you going to do about it?"

Gwen felt her cheeks flush. "I... I don't know."

Her mother gave her a gentle nudge. "Well, you'd better decide soon. Kol is becoming more and more famous, rivaling even Tony Stark in popularity. He's young, handsome, tall, well-mannered, and is creating technology people only thought of as fantasy. If you don't act fast, the choice might be made for you."

Gwen felt a mix of emotions swirling inside her. The thought of Kol liking her in that way was both thrilling and terrifying. "I'll... I'll think about it."

Her mother smiled warmly and gave her a reassuring pat on the back. "Whatever you decide, just make sure it's what you really want."

---

Back in her room, Gwen's mind was a whirl of thoughts and feelings. It had already been a week since that conversion but her mother's words still echoed in her head. "Ahh, Dagon, why do you have to make things complicated!" she said while yelling into her pillow and kicking her feet.

Coincidentally, her TV started a show she was watching that had become popular as of late with teen girls, called "The Number One Bachelor."

The show featured discussions about the most popular men, whether they were pop stars, actors, or models. All were free for discussion, and it just so happened that this episode would be about someone she knew…

"It's incredible, ladies! Just look at the charts. Kol Dagon had a 97% interest rating, beating Tony Stark by a single percentage. Isn't this a new record for our show?" the host, Amelia, cheered with glee.

The other women also looked amazed by this but not overly surprised. It just made sense. Tony Stark was already getting kind of old for their tastes and was mostly attracting stay at home moms, while Kol was right in their strike zone.

"Well, of course, he is. I mean, who wouldn't want to be the wife of a handsome up and coming millionaire? It's a shame that he doesn't seem interested in any of the parties held. I know he's been invited, but he just doesn't show. Maybe one day we'll get lucky," one woman said while she licked her lips.

BAM!

Surprisingly, the show got cut short as a remote lodged through the screen. Gwen stared at the broken TV, surprised by her own action. Her feelings for Kol were more complicated than she had realized.

"You know what, I'll just message him and ask if he wants to hang out. Not like a date or anything we could just spend time as friends like usual. Anyways Kol has done nothing but work lately so this can be a way to relax" she said while trying to convince herself of this reasoning.

Taking out her phone she sent the message and received a reply rather quickly with Kol thinking it was a nice change of pace. After which they set up a date and location.

Gwen then tossed her phone away as this one action had released all the stress she had piling on. At least that was until she realized one thing.

 "What am I going to wear!"