Okay, the jet cabin had finally settled down after all the financial chaos, but the real trouble was dialing in. Jack was halfway across the Atlantic, chilling with a shell-shocked Thorne and a cautiously impressed Chen, when the secure sat-phone on the table started just screaming!
Jack simply watched it ring. "They're early," he noted, totally unfazed.
"It's the family office, Mr. Stark," Thorne practically squeaked, super nervous. "It's Arthur! He's absolutely flipping out about the NAR REIT buy. They're demanding an emergency meeting, like, right now!"
"Of course they are," Jack said, picking up the phone and hitting the video conference button. Boom! The screen instantly split into three separate, totally ticked-off faces, all calling in from their safe little corners of the world.
The Stark Siblings Attack
First up was Arthur Stark, the oldest. He was the "responsible" lawyer who managed the minor family funds. He looked perfectly tailored, but his face was tight with barely contained rage.
"Andy! What the heck do you think you're doing?" Arthur's voice was sharp enough to cut glass. "You just blew fifty million dollars—liquid cash, Andy!—on some reckless stock gamble? You're still under oversight! You do not have the authority for this kind of maneuver!"
Next was Veronica Stark, the socialite sister, calling in from her villa in Italy. She controlled their media image and looked completely horrified. "Honestly, Andy, Mom has been crying all night! You just came back from the dead, and the first thing you do is try to torch the last bit of cash? Are you still drinking?!"
Finally, there was William Stark, the cynical middle brother. He looked bored, but his eyes were hard. "Just say it, Artie. He's trying to loot the ship. Andy, stop being a hero and just let the lawyers handle the bankruptcy. You'll still be a multi-millionaire, stop screwing up the exit strategy!"
Jack let them yell, soaking up their anger. They weren't fighting for the company; they were fighting to protect their personal fortunes and avoid public embarrassment.
"Done?" Jack asked, his voice cutting through the noise like an icicle. It was cold, calm, and utterly unlike the weeping, pleading Andy they used to push around.
The Prophecy of Profit
Arthur, totally stunned by the new tone, stiffened up. "No, we're not done! You reverse that trade right now, or I'm calling for an injunction against your executive powers—"
"You won't call for squat, Arthur," Jack interrupted smoothly. "Because guess what? That trade is currently up 18% in less than 12 hours."
Silence. All three faces on the screen froze mid-snarl.
Jack leaned closer to the camera, delivering the final blow. "You call it a gamble; I call it prophecy. The NAR REIT shares are undervalued by 400% based on institutional buying that's set to trigger next month. I used the tiny window of liquidity your lawyers left open to secure $200 million in net profit in 28 days. That cash totally funds Project Atlas, that huge Saudi gig, which will return $2.65 billion in four months!"
Jack looked pointedly at Veronica. "That's not looting, Ronnie. That's called solvency. Tell your media contacts to start running the 'Stark Rebounds: Confident Bet on US Economy' narrative before I do."
He then looked at William. "And Will, your trust fund is safe. But if you try to interfere with the one person actively fighting the $400 billion debt hole, you'll find yourself locked out of the family's operational accounts—forever."
Arthur tried one last time to use his legal smarts. "Wait a minute! You're making projections based on inside information, Andy! That 400% return is illegal!"
"No, it's not," Jack stated simply. "It's based on an analysis of public filings and institutional buying cycles that your team was too slow and too comfortable to notice. Elias, confirm the legality of the trade, please."
Thorne, who had been listening in absolute awe, managed to stammer out the only honest assessment. "It... it's aggressive, Arthur, but it's technically legal. Every number Mr. Stark cited is mathematically sound if his timing is correct."
"The timing is correct," Jack confirmed, completely certain. He looked at the three confused faces, seeing the exact moment they realized the drunken screw-up they knew was totally gone. "I am the operating CEO. I won't stop until I've paid off every penny of the short-term debt. Now, seriously, stay out of my way."
Jack hit the "End Call" button. The cabin went silent again.
Sarah Chen finally broke the quiet, a genuine smile forming. "Well, that was certainly… a new direction! You just promised them a huge return. If you're wrong, they'll tear you apart."
"I won't be wrong," Jack replied, picking up his laptop. The NAR REIT chart was still climbing steadily. "David, what's our exact ETA to Seoul? We need to get Project Chimera moving before the family decides to send one of Arthur's lawyers to try and freeze the construction site."
The Stark family war had begun, and Jack had just fired the first, most dangerous shot: confidence.