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*****
The genius Tony Stark is back—but he's gone mad!
Tony Stark shuts down Stark Industries' weapons division!
Stark Industries is finished!
Looking at today's newspaper, which dominated the front page and several other sections with sensational headlines, Mike casually tossed it aside.
Today's news had no real value; who cared about Tony's drama?
"Dad, I'm off to school!"
Gwen picked up her backpack and, while speaking, headed toward the door.
When she stepped outside, she saw Luke just about to leave and waved at him. The two walked together toward the bus station.
"Gwen, what do you think about the whole Tony Stark situation?"
"Just watching it play out."
Luke gave her a confused look. "I mean, the weapons division closing down. They're an arms company—won't this lead to bankruptcy?"
Gwen thought for a moment, then replied, "It's fine."
"Huh?"
"My dad said so, and he plans to wait until Stark Industries' stock price drops and then buy some shares."
"Buy Stark's stock?"
Luke looked puzzled. "Won't that lose money?"
"No way! My dad has never failed at anything!" Gwen said proudly, then whispered in Luke's ear, "My dad knows Tony Stark personally. That's insider info!"
"Really?" Luke's eyes widened in surprise.
"Shh!" Gwen made a gesture for quiet. "Keep it down, don't let anyone else hear."
Luke nodded and whispered, "Can I tell my dad?"
Gwen thought for a moment, then waved her hand dismissively. "Sure, tell him. After all, I'm looking out for you."
Luke grinned. "Let's go, the school bus is coming."
…
Tony Stark's announcement sent shockwaves through the world.
Everyone thought he'd lost his mind, yet after the announcement, he dove straight into his lab, acting like he couldn't care less.
But the shareholders and management at Stark Industries were already in panic mode, and Obadiah Stane was the angriest of them all.
He'd spent most of his life at Stark Industries, but Tony, like a rebellious child, had wiped out all his years of work with just one sentence.
The weapons division of Stark Industries cannot be shut down!
Not only would this cause the company's stock to plummet, but the weapon trade routes Obadiah had spent years establishing would be destroyed in one fell swoop.
So, without Tony's knowledge, he called a board meeting to kick Tony out.
In the bright and spacious conference room, Obadiah stood before the shareholders, waiting for their votes, his triangular eyes filled with confidence.
Bang!
Just then, the door to the meeting room was suddenly slammed open.
The shareholders frowned in displeasure, and Obadiah, already furious, snapped, "Didn't I say no one was allowed to come in?"
"Ha!"
A cold laugh rang out, and Maria strode in confidently, followed by Tony's assistant, Pepper Potts.
Obadiah's secretary rushed to say, "Mrs. Stark is here, I…"
"Get out!"
Obadiah snarled at his secretary, then turned to Maria. "We're having a meeting, Maria! You can't just barge in like this!"
Maria's smile grew wider as she walked proudly up to Obadiah, her gaze cool. She lowered her eyes and said, "Move aside. Do you think this is a seat for someone like you?"
The seat Obadiah was occupying used to belong to Howard, then Tony, and until today, no one else had ever sat there.
Obadiah's expression shifted, but he forced a smile. "Sorry, I wasn't thinking."
With that, he stood up, adjusted his clothes, and pushed one of the shareholders aside before sitting back down.
Maria, with graceful movements, picked up a document from the table. Under Obadiah's twitching gaze, she placed it on the chair before slowly sitting down. She swept her cold gaze over the shareholders and smiled. "As one of the shareholders, how come I wasn't informed about today's meeting?"
Maria's smile remained, but her eyes grew sharper.
Obadiah responded, "Tony just returned. I thought you'd want to spend time with him."
"You think?" Maria tilted her head and said bluntly, "I think you should leave Stark Industries right now."
Obadiah, humiliated by the constant public slaps, couldn't keep his composure any longer.
Fury flashed in his eyes as he glared at Maria. "Don't push it."
"Push it?" Maria sneered. "Don't think I don't know what you've been doing here."
Her cold eyes swept over everyone in the room. With a soft tap on the table, she said, "Don't forget, this is Stark Industries! It's Stark's!"
"You think you can kick Tony out? That's a pipe dream!"
Obadiah sneered. "A pipe dream? You think you can change what's inevitable?"
He turned to the shareholders. "Let's vote now!"
"Wait!"
Maria raised a hand and called to Pepper Potts. "Pepper, pass out the documents you have."
Pepper nodded and distributed the documents to the respective shareholders by name.
Maria, holding a document with Obadiah's name on it, coldly said, "You'd better take a good look!"
She tossed the file directly at Obadiah.
Obadiah, who had been wearing a smug expression, froze when he caught sight of the document. His face drained of color as he quickly flipped through the pages.
The more he read, the paler he became.
The pages were filled with evidence of his illegal activities—arms trafficking, smuggling prohibited rare resources, and more.
It wasn't just him—every shareholder in the room shared his shock. Their faces turned just as pale.
Of course, not everything in the files was criminal. Not everyone is a criminal, after all. But if this information got out, it would ruin their lives.
Some of the content was... particularly personal, like photos of certain "interests."
Maria leaned forward, resting her chin on her hands, her smile calm as she observed everyone's reactions.
"Finished? Let's vote now."
She spoke softly. "All those in favor of kicking Obadiah out, raise your hands."
Without hesitation, every single shareholder immediately raised their hands.
Maria nodded in satisfaction and addressed the group. "Keep those files safe. When you have nothing else to do, take a look. I won't hold this against you this time, but next time..."
The shareholders' faces were grim, but they could only force a smile in response.
Maria turned to Obadiah. "As for you, I hope you get used to life where you're headed. I hear there are many people there who love old men like you."
With that, Maria stood up and walked toward the door, with Pepper Potts gazing at her in admiration and quickly following behind.
As they left, several special operatives from various countries stormed into the room, heading straight for the dazed Obadiah.
(End of Chapter)