{T/N: Don't forget to drop a Review and a Power Stone...}
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~...Sir, Miss Potts is here. I suggest you inform her imdiately–..~
"Mute!"
The AI butler's advice was instantly silenced.
Pepper pushed open the door and walked in... She was likely the only person who could enter Tony's underground lab without permission.
After being betrayed by his most trusted partner and his complete fallout with Obadiah Stane, Tony found it difficult to trust anyone again. The years of camaraderie had vanished like smoke.
He had once regarded Obadiah as a respected elder... In many ways, the bald CEO who had tried to kill him had served as a father figure in place of Howard.
But as ti passed, Obadiah, the man behind the scenes, grew unwilling to remain in Tony's shadow. The legacy he had fought for all his life ended with all the credit going to the Starks. Consud by greed and jealousy, he resolved to reclaim what he believed was rightfully his.
Thinking of Obadiah who had died in the explosion at the industrial park, Tony's eyes dimd. Aside from Pepper and Rhodey, he could no longer bring himself to truly trust anyone.
Given his personality, he didn't have many genuine friends to begin with... after all, befriending the arrogant Tony Stark was no easy feat.
If you didn't possess a devilish figure and angelic face to stir a man's hormones, or a brilliant mind to match his, then at the very least, you needed an exceptional tolerance for Tony's sharp tongue and relentless narcissism.
"Tony, I have eight thousand and eleven things I need to discuss with you!" Pepper stord in, her tone fierce.
Appointed as Stark Industries' new CEO by her employer, the secretary was both thrilled and overwheld. The military-industrial giant was now a ss of problems with no easy solutions.
Tony's insistence on shutting down weapons manufacturing had stripped the company of its core business, infuriating the board of directors. His sudden announcent of entering the energy sector had also drawn hostility from established energy giants. Though they hadn't yet made any overt moves, no one welcod another competitor at the table.
"Leave the company matters to you. No need to involve ," Tony said, avoiding Pepper's furious gaze.
He had no intention of telling his secretary that he was dying. If he did, Pepper would undoubtedly nag him into abandoning Iron Man and seeking proper dical treatnt.
But what could Tony do without the Iron Man suit? Return to his old life of debauchery? Or beco a successful arms dealer, a cold-blooded capitalist?
People called him a playboy, a billionaire, a genius inventor… but no one had ever called Tony Stark a hero.
He had waited half his life for this chance to beco a better man, to use his abilities to change the world. Tony wanted people to know that the reckless playboy wasn't just about chasing won and partying. He could also do so real good.
"You can't lock yourself in the lab and expect to handle everything!" Pepper's eyes reddened.
The usually sharp and capable secretary had been under imnse pressure lately.
Even with mutants and the newly risen Fantastic Four dominating the headlines, Stark Industries remained in a precarious position. Without military backing, the forr arms giant was like a juicy piece of at attracting hungry wolves.
Just as vulture-like capitalists had sward to carve up Worthington's assets after its downfall, Stark Industries now faced the sa threat, especially after announcing its energy sector ambitions...
The established energy magnates watched this new challenger with cold, malicious disdain.
The crushing pressure and the company's operational burdens had left Pepper exhausted. She had once longed for a bigger stage to showcase her talents, but bearing the weight of an entire corporate empire alone was proving too much.
"I called you over thirty tis! You promised to attend tonight's charity gala, and yet you haven't even changed your clothes! For Stark Industries, this is a crucial opportunity to re-enter the public eye and rebuild our reputation–"
Tony cut off his secretary's tirade, "Why should I sit around with a bunch of hypocrites I don't know, chatting about the city's future and exchanging empty complints, as if New York's prosperity is all thanks to us? Their so-called kindness is just bored pity after they've made enough money... like tossing spare change to a beggar on the street!"
He hated these aningless social events. With palladium poisoning unresolved and the Mark armor needing upgrades, he had far more pressing matters than wasting ti on sothing so trivial.
For once, Stark found himself nostalgic for the old days. Back then, all he had to do was sit in his luxurious office, chat with the Departnt of Defense or the Pentagon for a few minutes, hand over a few gadgets, and massive contracts would land in his lap.
Frankly, it was easier than robbing a bank.
"What's wrong with you? Stark Industries is in chaos, the energy sector move is being panned, the board is furious with your decisions… Tony, you can't keep acting this recklessly!"
Tony dodged Pepper's questions like a misbehaving child...
He hopped onto a platform by the wall, tossed aside a Barnett Newman painting like trash, and replaced it with an Iron Man poster, nodding approvingly.
"Iron Man is worth more than art, Pepper…"
He turned, only to find his ever-patient secretary gone, the click of her heels fading into the distance.
The playful expression on Tony's face slowly hardened... He was like a clown removing his mask and watching the crowd leave with hollow eyes.
A profound emptiness filled him. The fear of watching himself inch toward death, alone, was sothing no one else could fathom.
Sotis, Tony felt as though the playboy Stark had died in that damp, dark cave... that the man who returned to New York was only Iron Man. Inside that powerful armor lived a fragile soul.
"Tony Stark without Iron Man isn't whole. Better to die a superhero than live a diocre life. At least then, soone might rember ." Tony laughed to himself.
After a mont's thought, he changed into an expensive suit, jumped into one of the luxury sports cars in his underground garage, and revved the engine... its roar was like a wild beast's snarl, it brimd with untad power.
"I love you, New York!" With a reckless shout, the limited-edition Koenigsegg shot forward.
The wind whipped against Tony's face as he savored the vitality of life...
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