After a moment of silence, Natasha nodded and said, "We've made a bet, and no one is allowed to regret it!"
Chapter 19: Obaday's Fury
"Mr. Stark, do you remember me?"
At a charity gala hosted by Stark Enterprises, a woman came up to the lost Tony and asked him bluntly.
Tony sat quietly in a corner, drinking. Just as he'd expected, his decision to dismantle Stark's weapons development division met with significant resistance. He was even suspended by the company's board of directors. The board stripped him of all his authority within the company. In other words, he was now nothing more than the largest shareholder.
Although he looked down on all shareholders except Obaday, these people also caused him a lot of trouble, and from all appearances, his attack was a completely premeditated case. Although he was reluctant to admit it, his uncle's shadow was indeed involved.
He felt that he should give his uncle another chance. After all, even if Obaday had no merits, he had worked hard over the years, and he didn't want to get rid of him. He still respected this uncle who had given him a lot of care.
He sat at the bar like a statue, holding his glass and silently savoring the spicy feeling, until a lady came to him and asked the above questions.
Tony looked at the very familiar beauty in front of him. He was sure that he had slept with this woman before.
"You're Yi..." Tony couldn't do any more after uttering the single word. He'd had intimate relationships with many women, but that wasn't the problem. The real problem was that he couldn't remember most of them. Or rather, there weren't many he could remember.
"Ilindis, thank God I gave up all hope that you would remember my name the moment I saw you for who you were."
The woman named Ilindis had a smile on her face, but her words were full of hostility, so much so that Tony almost swallowed the wine down his trachea.
He admitted that playing with women's bodies was improper, but generally speaking, it was consensual. So Tony rarely encountered women who turned the tables on him. And in those cases, he couldn't say anything because he was the one in the wrong.
Just like when a relationship is forced, the man is always the prime suspect and the woman is often the victim. It's a question of who is taking advantage.
"I'm sorry, if you're here to hold me accountable, I can only express my regret." At this point, Tony still considered this woman a powerful woman, seeking to exploit sympathy for power. After all, even after being dismissed by the board, he was still the largest shareholder and the world's most powerful single man. This alone was enough to make many women harbor inappropriate thoughts.
But this time Tony was just overthinking it. Irenedis didn't have any such thoughts. She just threw a photo in front of Tony.
"In your home, in your bed. You told me with your own mouth that you never sold weapons to the Middle East. Damn it! And I actually believed you! Can you still tell me that with a straight face now?"
Tony picked up the stack of photos in front of him. They showed a group of towns after the war. The entire town was in ruins. There were homeless residents and bodies lying on the ground. But these were not the objects of Tony's attention. He was concerned with the things that caused all this.
Stark Enterprises' weapons, whether they were the guns used by both sides of the war or those large missiles and tanks, all bore the Stark Enterprises logo. Looking at these logos, Tony's face was so gloomy that it seemed as if water was about to drip from it.
"After seeing all this, do you have any explanation?" As a reporter, Irenedis's favorite thing is to pursue the matter relentlessly, especially when the evidence is irrefutable.
"I have never signed such an order!" Tony was no longer calm at this time. He remembered clearly that he had signed a contract with the U.S. military to only sell weapons manufactured by Stark Industries to the U.S. military. This proposal was approved by all shareholders.
"So, this is Tony Stark's character? He can't even admit what he did?" Irendis scoffed. She could see the suspicion in Tony's eyes. Reporters were never afraid to make a big deal out of something, and she was no exception.
"Or do you not even know whether you have done it or not?"
"I can only tell you that I haven't done this before, and I won't do it again." Tony gave her a cold look, then strode out of the place with the photo in hand. He didn't choose to leave the venue, but instead chose to find someone. He had to ask him about this matter clearly.
He still had some hope in his heart, hoping it was another shareholder and not his uncle.
Watching Obaday talking among the guests, his confident look seemed as if Stark Industries' name was Stan instead of Stark.
Tony walked up to Obadiah and said, "Obadai, I have something to ask you. Can we talk alone?"
"Oh, my dearest nephew is here, of course. Of course we can chat." Obadi had obviously drunk a lot of wine. He waved to the guests and walked to the side with his arm around Tony's shoulders.
"Go ahead, Tony. What do you want to ask your Uncle Stan?"
"What I want to ask you is, did you approve the sale of those weapons to the Middle East?" Tony took the photo and put it in Obaday's hand.
Obaday shook the cigar in his hand, glanced at the photos, patted Tony on the shoulder and spoke earnestly.
"Tony, you're an adult now. Stop acting like a child. You should know that we're just businessmen. We don't care what our products are used for."
"So, you really approved it? How could you do this?" Tony looked at Obaday in surprise. These were human lives!
Obaday said nonchalantly, "Tony, you know, the company needs to survive and develop. For the sake of the company's stability, what's wrong with me approving a sales plan?"
"But those are human lives, Obaday. 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's not the time for you to act out. Tony, you've already gotten into enough trouble."
Obaday's face darkened. He stared at Tony and said in an annoyed tone, "I've devoted so much effort to this company over the years, and solved so many problems for you. Do you know how much I've paid to achieve a breakthrough in the company's performance? Almost every day I think, God bless you, please don't let Tony make any more ridiculous decisions."
"But you, Tony. You always surprise me. Do you know how much your words, 'Canceling the Weapons Department,' have cost us? Stark's stock plummeted forty points, and that was after I mobilized all my strength to stabilize the situation. And you, on the other hand, just talked. It's time for you to grow up, Tony. I really don't want to clean up your mess anymore."
Chapter 20: Women are born actors
Tony wanted to say something, but was interrupted by Obaday again.
"By the way, who do you think asked the board to remove you? It was me, Tony. You need to calm down and think. Before that, I will not let you contact the company."
After saying all this, Obaday patted Tony on the shoulder and left without waiting for his response. Now he no longer needed Tony to respond to him.
Tony watched as Obaday's background disappeared in front of him, and Tony smiled silently. Stark Industries will always be named Stark, not Stan.
Uncle Obaday, you are now old enough to retire.
Tony got a response from Obaday and completely gave up on him. He walked out of the ball and drove to his beachfront villa, thinking about the design of the second-generation Mark armor in his mind.
He is not only a talented inventor, but also a talented businessman.
A genius who can stand shoulder to shoulder with the founders of various super conglomerates. The only ones he can be compared to are his father Howard and Norman Osborn, the founder of the Osborn Group.
As soon as he returned to the house, he rushed into the basement laboratory, picked up a pen and paper, sketched out the design of Mark I, and began the research and design of Mark II.
Sometimes, a disaster can really change a person. After Tony returned from the Middle East, the former playboy Tony Stark had died in the Middle East, and now the one who survived is Iron Man, Tony Stark!
…
Brazil.
This was not Natasha's first time here. She had been to Brazil several times and had done many missions, but she still didn't like the climate of Brazil. Moreover, the poisonous insects and beasts living in the tropical rainforest here were also troublesome things. You must be careful at all times, otherwise, you have no idea when you will encounter something, whether it is poisonous or fatal.
"How confident are you that you can copy this guy's abilities? I don't want to face an enraged and invincible enemy. This green monster can crush me into a pulp with just one slap." Natasha, wearing a white dress, was walking on a cement road in a small Brazilian city.
The information shows that Bruce Banner is here.
"You just need to know where he lives. I will find him at night, possess him, and copy his genes." Yang Han said lightly.
"Of course, it's just about finding his residence. With my tracking ability, I can follow him to his home without being discovered by him. But I also have to complete my mission. This is a bit difficult." Natasha said with distress.
Bruce Banner practices Jiu-Jitsu in Brazil, lives a secluded life and rarely communicates with others. After all, only he knows that there is another monster hidden in his body.
"Bruce Banner has a cousin who is a criminal lawyer and lives in Los Angeles. You can use her name to approach him, trick him into coming to Los Angeles, and then have Black Braised Egg talk to Bruce Banner." Yang Han said calmly.
"Black-marinated eggs?" Natasha looked a little strange. She knew that Yang Han was talking about Nick Fury.
Although Nick Fury is very dark and bald, this black-boiled egg... is really a good image.