Others might not know Carson's background, but Hope knew it all too well.
Mitchell Carson was HYDRA through and through!
Darren didn't hide Carson's identity from Hope because Darren trusted her deeply.
This trust stemmed from a betrayal years ago.
Previously, Hope had a fierce conflict with her father, Hank Pym, over the disappearance of her mother, Janet.
She resented her father's secrecy and his stubbornness.
Driven by anger, she cast the crucial deciding vote at the board meeting, helping Darren completely oust Hank Pym from the company he had founded with his own hands.
Darren thought Hope was on the same page as him, both aiming to push Pym Technologies to greater heights.
But Darren was wrong.
Hope kicking her father out of the company was merely her way of venting her anger at the time.
But she would never allow Pym Particle technology to fall into the hands of a terrorist organization like HYDRA, much less allow Darren to use that technology to create weapons of massacre.
Today, she once again pleaded with her father, Hank Pym, requesting that he hand over the Ant-Man Suit to her.
She had undergone rigorous Agent training and knew Darren's security system better than anyone; she was fully capable of infiltrating it and destroying all the research data.
But that stubborn old man had refused her once again.
"It's too dangerous," the old man had said. "I've already found a suitable candidate."
Recalling her father's non-negotiable tone, Hope slammed her fist onto the desk in anger.
"Who else could be more suitable than me?!"
Hope's heart was filled with resentment and indignation.
It wasn't just because of her mother's disappearance years ago, but also because of her father's lack of trust in her.
Her father had been wary of her from the beginning, preferring to trust a so-called suitable candidate rather than letting her touch any of the core secrets of the Pym Particles or the Ant-Man Suit.
"Knock, knock."
There was a gentle knock on the office door.
Hope's private assistant pushed open the door, looking somewhat excited.
"Chairwoman Dyne, we've just received a very sudden meeting request."
Hope turned around and rubbed her weary brow. "My schedule for this afternoon is full. Tell them that no matter what venture capital firm it is, push it to next week."
"But Chairwoman..." the assistant emphasized, "it's Stark Industries."
"Who did you say?" Hope's face showed surprise.
"Mr. Daniel Wu, Senior Vice President of Global Strategic Investment at Stark Industries. He has already arrived in San Francisco and Hopes to have a private meeting with you in an hour."
Stark Industries. The parent company of Vought International, it had become an insurmountable behemoth in today's global business world.
Although Pym Technologies was unique in nanotechnology and communication technology, comparing the market value and scale of the two companies was like comparing an elephant to an ant.
Hope's heart skipped a heavy beat.
She knew the power of this company all too well. If Stark Industries' capital intervened in Darren's project, the mass production plan for the Wasp Suit would be moved forward indefinitely.
But why didn't the people from Stark Industries go directly to the CEO, Darren, but instead sought her out, the sidelined Chairwoman?
No matter what the other party's goal was, she couldn't let Darren get to them first.
"Cancel all my meeting arrangements for this afternoon immediately, including the video conference with those old geezers on the board," Hope instructed decisively.
"Reply to Stark Industries that I very much look forward to Mr. Wu's visit. Arrange the meeting at Calido, and don't let anyone else know."
"Yes, Chairwoman." The assistant immediately turned to make the arrangements.
After the assistant left, Hope faced the mirror by her desk, straightened her collar, and smoothed her already immaculate hair once more.
...
An hour later.
San Francisco, Calido High-end Private Club.
Hope sat on the sofa with her legs crossed, her gaze cold as she stared at the door of the club's private room.
She was prepared for a tough business negotiation. She had to figure out Stark Industries' purpose before Darren found out, and even find a way to sabotage this potential investment.
"Click."
The doorknob turned, and the door was respectfully pulled open by a waiter.
A tall man wearing a black embossed haute couture suit walked into the room.
He took out a few bills, casually handed them to the waiter behind him, and then turned his gaze toward Hope.
At the moment their eyes met.
Hope felt as if her heart had been gently plucked by an invisible hand.
Time seemed to slow down at this moment. In her eyes, the slight sway of the man's suit jacket as he walked, the faint smile on his lips, even his slightly narrowed eyes against the backlight... everything seemed to radiate a captivating charm.
"You are my destiny..." She even began to hallucinate the words in her ears...
"What the f... what's going on?" Hope gritted her teeth inwardly, forcing her reason to suppress this absurd physical reaction. "Love at first sight? How is that possible! I'm not some teenage girl."
"Ms. Dyne, it's a pleasure to meet you."
Homelander walked up to Hope and extended his right hand, a perfect smile playing on his lips.
"Ni... Nice to meet you, Mr. Wu."
Hope snapped back to her senses and quickly stood up to shake his hand.
The moment she touched his palm, Hope felt a faint electric current surge from her fingertips through her entire body. This caused her palms to sweat slightly; she instinctively wanted to pull her hand back, yet she also craved that brief sensation.
"Damn it, what the hell is wrong with you, Hope?"
Hope cursed herself in her heart. She had been a favored child of heaven since childhood, a graduate of a prestigious university, and a business elite. What kind of exceptional man hadn't she seen?
She had never been moved by any man, let alone felt this kind of panic like a girl in love.
"Just call me Daniel, beautiful Ms. Dyne."
Homelander didn't let go immediately either; instead, he leaned forward slightly and said in the sexy voice he had practiced for a long time:
"Although I've seen your photos before, I must admit that the photographers' lenses failed to capture even a tenth of your personal charm."
This slightly flippant, polite opening remark—normally, Hope wouldn't have given it a second thought.
But now, to Hope's ears, it sounded incredibly sincere, even possessing the romance of a mature man.
"You're quite the joker, Daniel." Hope quickly withdrew her hand, masking her internal turmoil, and pointed to the sofa opposite. "Please, sit. I assume Stark Industries didn't seek me out today to discuss my appearance."
Homelander smiled. Instead of sitting on the guest sofa opposite her, he walked straight to Hope's side.
He sat down less than half a meter away from her.
The sofa sank slightly under the added weight, and Homelander's scent—a masculine aroma mixed with something sultry—invaded Hope's nostrils without hindrance.
Hope's body tensed up instantly, but she was despondent to find that there wasn't the slightest desire in her heart to escape.
On the contrary, she actually enjoyed the feeling of her private space being invaded.