The thought of "fighting for custody" barely formed before Luca dismissed it.
For one, his mother, Gina, was only in a coma, not legally incapacitated to the point of losing parental rights.
Although the probability of her being declared vegetative was high...
Even if it happened today, given Dragan's history of gambling and drug abuse, simply leaking that information would ensure the court never granted him custody. They'd sooner give Luca to Child Protective Services or appoint a family trust.
Moreover, even if he somehow got custody, the company's shareholders would never let a guy like him near the management.
Perhaps later, I should try to collect some medical-related synthesis items to wake Gina up.
If my cheat works the way I think it does, there should be plenty of medical tech available across different worlds.
Putting that uncertainty aside, Luca shifted his train of thought.
Where does Dragan get his confidence? Why is he so sure he can influence the board? It's not like he can use our family ties to vote with my proxy shares, right?
Aside from that, forget influencing the board; he had zero ties to the company right now.
Did he buy shares privately? Where did he get the money?
Luca had seen too many addicts and gamblers in his past life. He refused to believe someone like Dragan could turn his life around and make a fortune in less than two years.
Not being in massive debt would already be a miracle.
What leverage did he use to convince other shareholders? Or is someone backing him?
Having never been involved in company operations, Luca's mind was a mess of possibilities he couldn't verify.
Looks like I'll have to wait for Shamila to rough him up and see if we can pry some info out of his mouth.
Now, Luca was actually somewhat grateful this idiot had jumped out and exposed himself instead of plotting in the shadows.
A guy with a fried brain like that... instead of hiding, he came out swinging.
Wait, no. That might actually prove there's someone behind him.
As Luca's mind raced, the clack-clack-clack of high heels approached from the distance.
At the same time, gasps of surprise rippled through the guests who were about to leave after the earlier scene.
Luca instinctively reached for his waist while spinning around.
But when he saw who it was, his expression turned to confusion.
"Mr. Aurantius, hello. I'm here on Tony's behalf to pay my respects."
The woman was tall and projected an air of competence. As she walked, almost everyone's eyes were glued to her.
Even people attending other funerals nearby turned to look.
Of course, it wasn't just because of her beauty, but her identity.
The guests here were wealthy or influential; many recognized her instantly.
The true manager of Stark Industries.
"Ms. Pepper Potts?"
Looking at Tony Stark's girlfriend, the famous Pepper Potts, Luca spoke softly, his expression a mix of surprise and curiosity.
Pepper scrutinized Luca's incredibly young face, and a touch of softness appeared in her eyes.
She had indeed come on Tony's instructions.
Since she didn't have an invitation, she had planned to meet Luca outside the cemetery to convey Tony's condolences.
But noticing the commotion earlier, she had decided to walk in.
Seeing the guests leaving and the one-armed boy standing alone in front of the tombstone...
Even the famously tough Pepper Potts felt a pang of sympathy. Her tone softened.
"Tony told me that you helped him greatly during the Battle of New York."
"He sent me here to express his condolences for the Aurantius family's loss, and to thank you for your assistance."
The guests who had been harboring other thoughts after Dragan's outburst now looked at Luca with envy.
This was the CEO of Stark Industries, delivering personal thanks from Iron Man himself.
Even though Stark Industries had closed its weapons division and its relationship with the government wasn't as cozy as before...
With its immense wealth and pioneering work in clean energy, Stark Industries remained at the absolute pinnacle of the corporate pyramid.
Not to mention, Tony Stark had just literally saved New York.
Gaining his favor could send a company like Aurantius Industries into the stratosphere.
Luca, however, wasn't overly excited. To him, these were just familiar movie characters.
He knew exactly how much power Pepper represented, but facing these "familiar strangers," he couldn't muster much awe. He simply waved his hand politely.
"Ms. Potts, your presence at my father's funeral is honor enough. There's really no need for thanks."
Looking at the polite young boy, Pepper shook her head gently and signaled behind her.
A slightly chubby man in a suit, looking more like a director than a bodyguard, jogged over, huffing and puffing, carrying a long briefcase.
It was, of course, Tony Stark's head of security, Happy Hogan.
Happy handed the briefcase to Luca without a word.
Pepper continued softly.
"Tony has been tied up with post-disaster reconstruction and couldn't get away. This is a gift he asked me to bring you."
Luca took the case, looking bewildered.
A gift at a funeral??
Seeing this, Pepper glanced carefully at Luca's empty sleeve and said gently:
"You can open it. I think you'll find it helpful."
Her voice wasn't loud, but she didn't whisper either.
Many bystanders craned their necks, curious to see what the famous Tony Stark would give Luca—something important enough to send Pepper Potts personally.
But bound by etiquette, they could only stretch their necks without moving closer.
Hearing this, Luca didn't hesitate.
He placed the case on a bench, popped the latches, and opened it.
Inside, nestled in the center of the gold-and-red padded lining, was... an arm!
With fine texture and realistic skin, it looked exactly like Luca's left arm, just mirrored.
If not for the dark mechanical interface at the elbow joint, Luca might have thought it was a real severed limb.
But more importantly.
In Luca's eyes, this arm was glowing with a faint white light that only he could see!