The news anchor’s voice was incredibly urgent as the television screen played a continuous loop of explosions amidst the swirling sands of Afghanistan.
“At this hour, the United States Department of Defense has confirmed that the military Humvee convoy carrying Tony Stark was ambushed by terrorists belonging to the Ten Rings.”
“Several bodies of US military escorts have been recovered at the scene, but Stark himself remains missing…”
Inside the CEO’s office, the air conditioning was running high.
Betty sat straddling Linus Vance’s sturdy thighs.
Her eyes, which had been hazy and dazed from their kissing, cleared up a bit upon hearing this explosive news.
She instinctively tried to stand up to get a closer look, but was firmly pressed back down by a pair of large hands resting on her waist.
“Why are you squirming?
Sit still.”
Linus’s voice was low and raspy, his fingers unceremoniously pinching the soft flesh of Betty’s waist.
“Linus…
something happened to Tony Stark.”
Betty propped her hands against Linus’s chest, her breathing slightly rapid.
“Stark Industries is the largest weapons manufacturer in the United States.
If he doesn’t make it back, the entire Wall Street will experience a massive earthquake.”
Linus leaned back against his leather executive chair, one hand wrapping around Betty’s slender waist, while the other traced casual circles along her thigh over her thin black stockings.
He tilted his head, pressing his lips against Betty’s fair neck and giving her a light, punishing bite.
“That’s Wall Street’s earthquake.
What does it have to do with us?”
“Mmh…”
Betty’s body went soft, her hands clutching Linus’s white shirt collar tightly.
The electric sensation of numbness shot straight up her spine to her brain, shattering the fragile reason she had just managed to gather.
Linus’s breath brushed against her collarbone, sending a shiver through her.
“Sitting on my lap while looking at another man…
baby, you’re being very naughty.”
“I didn’t…
don’t bite there, it’ll leave a mark…”
Betty begged for mercy with a flushed face, her voice so soft it could melt.
“What if it leaves a mark?
It’s the perfect way to show those people outside exactly who you belong to.”
Linus chuckled.
Retrieving his hand from the edge of her stockings, he pinched her dainty chin instead, forcing her to meet his gaze.
He commanded, “Go grab your tablet.”
Biting her lower lip, Betty obediently pulled over her work tablet from nearby, unlocked it, and handed it to Linus.
Linus didn’t even look at the screen; his gaze remained locked onto Betty’s enticing red lips.
“Open the Star Umbrella capital account and pull out the entire one hundred million dollars of starting capital.”
Betty’s fingers flew across the screen, her voice tightening slightly.
“And then?”
Linus answered directly, “Apply ten times leverage and short Stark Industries with all of it.”
*Clack.*
The tablet almost slipped from Betty’s hands.
She stared at Linus with wide, unbelieving eyes.
“All…
all of it?”
“Linus, are you crazy?
That’s a leveraged short position worth one billion dollars!”
“Even if Stark is missing, the military will step in to stabilize the market.”
“If your prediction is wrong, we’ll go completely bankrupt!”
Linus didn’t even address her concerns.
His fingers tightened slightly on her chin, his thumb rubbing heavily across her luscious lips.
“Be good.
Just do it.”
Linus’s tone brooked no refusal, carrying the heavy pressure of a superior.
“But…”
Linus cut her off.
“What?
Don’t trust your man?”
“Or would you rather I use another method right here on this desk to help clear your head?”
Linus’s hand reached directly for the top button of her white shirt.
“Don’t!
I’ll do it!
I’ll do it right now!”
Betty was startled, her face turning so red it looked ready to bleed, terrified that this man would actually do something “adult” right there in the office.
She quickly lowered her head and tapped rapidly on the tablet.
A few minutes later, the massive short-selling order flooded directly into Wall Street’s trading pool.
Watching her completely at his mercy, Linus rubbed the back of her head in satisfaction.
“Good girl.
Once we make the money, you can buy whatever research equipment you want.”
As a transmigrator who knew the plot, Linus knew all too well what a storm Tony Stark’s disappearance would cause.
That playboy would forge the first-generation Mark Armor in a cave, and before he returned, Stark Industries’ stock price would plunge straight into the depths of hell.
***
Over the next few days, the outside world descended into utter chaos.
News of Tony Stark’s disappearance dominated the front pages of every media outlet in the United States.
The Department of Defense dispatched countless reconnaissance aircraft to conduct carpet searches across the Afghan desert, but they found absolutely nothing.
Panic spread wildly through the capital markets.
Stark Industries’ stock opened with a sharp plunge.
In just three days, its market value evaporated by nearly a third.
Wall Street traders felt like throwing themselves off buildings.
Meanwhile, in the secret accounts of Star Umbrella Corporation, the figures were soaring upward at a terrifying rate.
With one hundred million in principal and a ten-times leveraged short position, Linus raked in over eight billion dollars in pure cash flow in just a single week as the stock plummeted.
Inside a Manhattan penthouse apartment.
Linus sat on the sofa in a bathrobe, a glass of red wine in his hand.
Beside him was Betty, who had just showered, her hair still dripping wet.
Betty stared at the dizzying string of zeros on the tablet, feeling entirely detached from reality.
“Eight billion…
Oh my god, did we just use Wall Street as an ATM?”
Her gaze toward Linus had transformed from admiration to outright fanaticism.
Linus took a sip of his wine, his fingers gently caressing Betty’s slender neck.
He put down his glass.
“This is only the beginning.”
“Now, split the profits across two hundred offshore accounts.”
“Secretly absorb the retail shares of Stark Industries being dumped on the market.”
“I want to secure a fifteen percent stake in the shortest time possible.”
Betty looked up.
“You want to become a major shareholder of Stark Industries?”
Linus curled his lips, a playful and predatory glint in his eyes.
“With Stark gone, his household is quite vulnerable.”
“As a fellow industry peer, I should pay my respects.”
“And while I’m at it, I can take care of his most trusted woman on behalf of brother Tony, who is currently suffering in that cave.”
Hearing Linus’s outrageous remarks, even though Betty didn’t quite understand some of the strange terms, her feminine intuition picked up on a signal of danger.
She climbed onto his lap, wrapping her arms around Linus’s neck, a hint of jealousy in her voice.
“Are you going after another woman?”
Linus gave her thigh a squeeze.
“Jealous?”
Betty turned her face away, stubbornly arguing, “You’re my boss, how would I dare try to control you?”
Linus reached out and grabbed the back of her neck, pulling her toward him and kissing her fiercely.
He only let go when Betty was on the verge of suffocating, letting out soft whimpers.
“Remember your current position, and do your experiments well.”
“When I get back, I’ll check on your progress.”
“If you dare slack off, I have plenty of ways to punish you.”
Betty was kissed into a daze.
She could only nod obediently, unable to muster even a shred of temper.
***
The next morning.
Stark Tower, New York.
Outside this iconic landmark, the area was packed to the brim with journalists holding cameras and microphones.
Flashes glared blindingly, while crowds of protestors and investors demanding the truth nearly broke down the doors.
Inside the first-floor lobby of the tower, things were an even bigger mess.
Pepper Potts, wearing a well-tailored gray professional suit and high heels, was struggling to make her way out under the escort of several security guards.
She was currently Tony Stark’s most trusted personal assistant, and the only person still desperately trying to keep Stark Industries running.
After Tony’s disappearance, all the heavy burdens had fallen onto her slender shoulders.
“Ms.
Potts!
Has Stark Industries ceased all weapons development?”
“Ms.
Potts, with no word from the military, is Tony Stark officially presumed dead?”
“Is the board of directors planning to nominate Mr.
Obadiah Stane to take over as CEO?”
The reporters shoved their microphones almost directly into Pepper’s face.
Their words were incredibly sharp, each question trying to tear through her fragile facade.
Exhaustion weighed heavily in Pepper’s eyes.
She had barely slept over the past few days, dealing with endless PR crises, mollifying military brass, and managing the restless board members and executives eager to carve up power within the company.
Keeping up her guard, Pepper responded loudly, “Tony is alive, and the company is operating normally.
Please step aside!”
But the ravenous reporters refused to back down, pressing even closer instead.
A burly male reporter even reached out to grab Pepper’s arm.
“Ms.
Potts, please answer the question directly!”
Just as his hand was about to touch her, a slender and incredibly powerful hand shot out from the side, clamping firmly onto the reporter’s wrist.
Pepper turned her head in shock.
She saw an Asian man in a bespoke black suit and gold-rimmed glasses standing beside her.
The man was tall and upright, his broad shoulders easily blocking out the shoving crowd and flashing lights.
Linus casually flung the reporter aside.
Without sparing a glance at the stunned media, he turned to meet Pepper’s startled, bewildered eyes.
His voice was warm yet carried an undeniable, domineering authority.
“Ms.
Potts, I presume?”
Pepper froze, instinctively taking half a step back as she warily eyed this dangerous, sudden newcomer.
“Who are you?
Security!
Stop him!”
Just as she spoke, two rows of fully armed top-tier bodyguards in black suits burst through the entrance.
Linus took a step forward, closing the distance between them.
He casually slid a black-and-gold business card into the breast pocket of Pepper’s suit.
“Who I am doesn’t matter.”
“What matters is that I currently hold a fifteen percent stake in Stark Industries.”