"Mr. Stark, do you still remember me?"
At a charity gala hosted by Stark Industries, a woman approached a despondent Tony and asked him rather impolitely.
Tony sat quietly in a corner, drinking. As he expected, his decision to cancel Stark Industries' weapons development department had met with huge resistance.
He was even ordered to suspend his duties by the company's board of directors. The board had stripped him of all his corporate authority.
In other words, now, besides being the largest shareholder, he was nothing.
Although he looked down on all shareholders except Obadiah, these people had caused him a lot of trouble. Moreover, from various indications, the attack on him had been a premeditated act.
Although he was very reluctant to admit it, his uncle's shadow was indeed behind it. He felt he should give his uncle another chance.
After all, Obadiah had put in a lot of effort over the years, even if not directly contributing to major achievements.
He did not want to cast him aside now. He still deeply respected this uncle who had shown him much care.
He sat like a statue at the bar, holding a wine glass and silently savoring the spicy sensation, until a lady approached him and asked the aforementioned question.
Tony looked at the very familiar beauty in front of him. He was certain he had slept with this woman.
"You're Chri…" After uttering the beginning of a word, Tony could not continue.
He had been intimately involved with many women. That was not the problem. The real problem was that he could not remember most of them. Or rather, very few of them could be remembered by him.
"Christine. Thank God I had no hope of you remembering my name when I realized what kind of person you are."
The woman named Christine had a smile on her face, but her words were full of hostility, almost making Tony choke on his drink.
He admitted that his philandering was improper behavior, but usually it was consensual. So Tony rarely encountered women who would turn their guns on him and fire directly.
And in this situation, he could not say much because he was the one in the wrong. It was like a forced, improper relationship.
The man was always the primary suspect, and the woman was often seen as the victim. It was a question of who truly benefited.
"I'm sorry. If you're here to assign blame, I can only express my regret." At this point, Tony still regarded this woman as an ambitious person trying to use sympathy to climb the social ladder.
After all, even though he had been removed from his position by the board, he was still the largest shareholder and one of the world's most eligible bachelors.
This alone was enough to make many women harbor inappropriate thoughts.
However, this time Tony was overthinking it. Christine had no such intentions. She merely threw a stack of photos in front of Tony.
"In your house, on your bed. You personally told me you never sold weapons to the Middle East. Damn it. I actually believed you! Can you still tell me that with a straight face now?"
Tony picked up the stack of photos. They showed a town after a war, the entire town reduced to ruins. There were wandering residents everywhere and bodies lying on the ground.
But these were not what Tony focused on. He focused on the things that had caused all this: Stark Industries' weapons.
Whether the firearms used by both warring sides or the large missiles and tanks, all bore the Stark Industries logo.
Looking at these logos, Tony's face darkened to the point where it almost seemed to drip water.
"Seeing these, do you have any explanation?" As a reporter, Christine loved to pursue a story relentlessly, especially when the evidence was conclusive.
"I never signed such an order!" Tony was no longer calm.
He remembered clearly that he had signed a contract with the U.S. military, agreeing to sell Stark Industries' weapons only to the U.S. military. This proposal had been approved by all shareholders.
"What, is this Tony Stark's magnanimity, not even daring to admit what he's done?" Christine sneered.
She had already seen the suspicion in Tony's eyes. Reporters were never afraid to blow things up, and she was no exception. "Or are you saying you don't even know if you did it or not?"
"I can only tell you, I haven't done such a thing. Not before, and not in the future." Tony gave her a cold glance, then took the photos and strode away.
He did not choose to leave the venue but instead chose to find someone. He had to get to the bottom of this matter.
Deep down, he still held a glimmer of hope that it was other shareholders, not his uncle.
He watched Obadiah talking animatedly among the guests, his confident demeanor as if Stark Industries belonged to "Stane" and not "Stark."
Tony walked up to Obadiah and said, "Obadiah, there are some things I want to ask you. Can we talk privately?"
"Oh, my dearest nephew is here. Of course. We can certainly talk." Obadiah had clearly had a lot to drink. He waved to the guests, then put his arm around Tony's shoulder and walked to the side.
"Go ahead, Tony. What do you want to ask your Uncle Stane?"
"What I want to ask you is, did you approve the sale of that batch of weapons to the Middle East?" Tony held the photos and placed them in Obadiah's hand.
Obadiah flicked his cigar, glanced at the photos, then patted Tony's shoulder and said earnestly, "Tony, you're an adult now. Don't throw tantrums like a kid. You should know, we are just businessmen. We don't need to care what our products are used for."
"So, it really was you who approved it? How could you do such a thing?" Tony looked at Obadiah, his tone full of surprise. These were human lives!
Obadiah said carelessly, "Tony, you know, the company needs to survive, to develop. For the company's stability, is there anything wrong with me approving a sales plan?"
"But those are human lives, Obadiah. Don't you know what I've been through? Can't you understand my thoughts?"
"Of course I don't understand, but I know now is not the time for you to throw a tantrum. Tony, you've caused enough trouble already."
Obadiah's face darkened. He stared at Tony, his tone quite angry as he said, "How much effort have I put into this company over the years, and how much trouble have I solved for you?
To make a breakthrough in the company's performance, do you know how much I sacrificed? Almost every day I thought, God forbid, please don't let Tony make any more absurd decisions.
But you, Tony. You always give me surprises. Canceling the weapons department—do you know how much loss that statement caused us?
Stark's stock dropped a full forty points, and that was after I used all my power to stabilize the situation. And you, you just moved your lips.
It's time you grew up a little, Tony. I really don't want to clean up your messes anymore."
...
Author's Note:
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