Two days later.
A global-shaking press conference was held in the main lobby on the first floor of Stark Industries.
Hundreds of reporters packed the venue so tightly that not a drop of water could trickle through, and the camera flashes were blindingly bright.
Pepper stood slightly behind and to the side of the podium, wearing a sharp black suit.
Over the past two days, she had been working around the clock to arrange Tony’s return, to the point where she hadn’t even had a single hot meal.
Yet, the moment she saw Tony walk onto the stage, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Tony Stark wore a somewhat ill-fitting suit, with his right arm supported by a sling.
In his hand, he even held a half-eaten cheeseburger.
Pepper stepped forward, wanting to take the burger from his hand.
“Tony, don’t eat at a time like this.
Everyone is waiting for you to speak.”
Tony sidestepped Pepper’s hand and took a large bite of his burger.
“Pepper, when I was in that cave, I dreamed about this thing every single day.”
Pepper bit her lower lip, having no choice but to retreat to her original spot.
Tony’s reckless, disregardful attitude gave her a faint sense of unease.
Linus’s words from that night uncontrollably leaped back into her mind.
Instead of standing behind the podium, Tony took his burger and casually sat down directly on the steps of the stage.
Tony gestured to the reporters.
“Everyone sit down.
Yes, right there on the floor.
We don’t need all these rules.”
The entire crowd gasped in shock, but to get first-hand news, the reporters obediently sat down anyway.
Obadiah stood next to Pepper, his face as dark as the bottom of a pot.
“Pepper, what is he doing?
This is utterly disgraceful!”
Pepper shook her head.
“I don’t know.
He hasn’t been normal since he stepped off the plane.”
Tony swallowed the last bite of his burger and clapped his hands.
His expression turned extremely solemn, a near-pathological fanaticism flashing deep in his eyes.
“I saw it.
I saw with my own eyes how the very weapons meant to protect young people became the tools used to take their lives.”
“I realized that I can do so much more for this world than just making things blow up.”
Every reporter in the room pricked up their ears.
Tony stood up, facing the countless cameras and microphones, and dropped a bombshell.
“Therefore, I declare that effective immediately, Stark Industries will shut down its weapons manufacturing division indefinitely.
Until I find a proper direction for this company’s development.”
The entire press conference erupted.
“Mr.
Stark!
Do you realize this could bankrupt the company?!”
“Tony!
Is this a joint decision made by the board of directors?!”
The flashbulbs went wild.
Reporters surged forward in a frenzy.
Pepper’s mind went completely blank.
She rushed forward in her high heels and grabbed Tony by the arm.
“Tony!
Are you crazy?
You could have at least consulted me beforehand!”
Tony shook off Pepper’s hand, not even sparing a glance at the frantic reporters.
“Pepper, don’t worry about that!
My head is filled with ideas right now.
I have to get back to the lab immediately!”
Pepper was shoved back, stumbling and nearly falling over.
By the time she stabilized her footing, Tony had already squeezed out of the main doors under the protection of a security detail, never once looking back.
The lobby fell into complete chaos.
Having lost their primary target, the reporters turned their focus, surrounding Pepper and Obadiah in the center.
“Miss Potts!
Does this mean Stark Industries is officially exiting the military-industrial sector?”
“The company’s stock has hit its limit-down!
How do you plan to reassure the investors?”
Countless hands holding recording pens shoved themselves in front of Pepper’s face.
The clamor and the accusations blended together, forming a suffocating net.
Pepper stood alone and helpless in the center of the crowd, finding it difficult to even breathe.
Tony had run away.
Once again, without a single word of warning, he had thrown a company-destroying, monumental disaster directly onto her head.
At this moment, Pepper felt so incredibly tired.
So tired that she wanted to just collapse right onto the floor.
If only that man were here.
If Linus Vance were here, he would have brushed all these eyesores aside with a single hand.
Pepper let out a bitter, self-deprecating smile.
To think that in her moment of greatest vulnerability, she would actually think of that rogue who had profited from her misfortune.
***
In the evening, at the luxury villa in Malibu.
In the underground holographic laboratory, the sounds of mechanical arms moving and the harsh noise of welding were interwoven.
Tony, wearing a tank top, stared at a metal Arc Reactor on his workbench, his face drenched in sweat.
His eyes were bloodshot, and his near-obsessive fixation made him completely block out the outside world.
Pepper walked down the spiral staircase in her high heels.
Her suit was creased, and her hair was a mess.
A full day of dealing with Wall Street’s interrogations and panic had drained her of every ounce of energy.
Pepper spoke, her voice incredibly hoarse.
“Tony.”
Tony, wearing his safety goggles, didn’t even look up.
“Pepper, you came at the perfect time.”
“Hand me the wrench.
The number nine one on the side.”
Pepper didn’t move.
She stared at this man whom she had once admired so deeply.
“Tony, you need to stop.”
“Do you know how much market value the company lost this afternoon?”
“Obadiah is applying to the joint board of directors to have you removed.
All of Stark Industries is in complete chaos!”
Tony’s hand paused for a fraction of a second, but then he picked up the welding torch and went back to work, sending sparks flying everywhere.
“Let them make a fuss.
That’s for them to worry about.”
“Pepper, you don’t understand.
In that cave, I saw things far more important than money.”
“I don’t understand?”
Pepper’s voice rose, tears welling in her eyes.
“I am the one out there blocking all the cold arrows for you!
I am the one begging the banks not to cut off our credit lines!
You won’t even look at a single PR proposal!”
Tony took off his goggles and turned to look at Pepper, his voice carrying a trace of impatience.
“Pepper, you’re my Chief Assistant.
This kind of thing is your job.”
“Go deal with the media.
Tell them to stop bothering me.”
“My current experiment concerns the future of Stark Industries.
Do you understand?”
Tony turned his back to Pepper again.
“By the way, order me a pizza.
I’m hungry.”
Pepper stood frozen in place as a sharp, intense pain suddenly shot through her stomach.
She hadn’t eaten anything since yesterday evening, surviving solely on a few cups of black coffee.
Yet, the Tony standing before her hadn’t even asked a basic “How are you?”
It was pure, unadulterated self-centeredness, taken completely for granted.
The stomach cramps grew increasingly severe, to the point where Pepper could barely stand straight.
Holding her stomach with one hand, she gripped the handrail of the stairs with the other.
Her voice was incredibly weak, carrying a final plea.
“Tony…
my stomach hurts really badly…
Can you stop working for a moment and take me to the hospital?”
*Clang!
Clang!
Clang!*
The only response she received was the loud sound of Tony using a hammer to strike a metal sheet.
Tony shouted with his back to her, his voice largely drowned out by the roar of the machines.
“Pepper, have Happy drive you.
I’m stuck on a key data point right now.
I can’t leave!”
Pepper closed her eyes, a single tear slipping down the corner of her cheek.
She didn’t say another word, nor did she call a driver.
Instead, she forced her weak legs to carry her step-by-step out of that cold, noisy basement.
***
Late at night.
The penthouse office of Stark Tower.
Pepper didn’t even know how she had managed to drive back to the company.
To her, that luxurious seaside villa felt colder than hell itself.
Only by escaping back to this workplace could she find some sense of existence.
The central air conditioning of the tower blew a chilly draft in the dead of night.
Pepper curled up barefoot on the massive leather sofa, her hands clutching her stomach tightly as cold sweat poured down her skin from the pain.
The screen of her phone on the desk remained completely dark.
Tony hadn’t called once.
In the vast, empty space, only her faint, rapid breathing could be heard.
*Click.*
Without any warning, the office door was pushed open.
Pepper was in too much pain to even lift her head, managing only a weak murmur.
“Who…
security…”
A steady, heavy set of footsteps carrying an immense pressure stopped in front of the sofa.
“I haven’t seen you for just a few days, and you’ve already reduced yourself to such a miserable state.”
“Pepper, your taste in men is truly terrible.”
That familiar, deep voice echoed in the office.
It carried a hint of mockery, yet it was laced with an undeniable sense of security.
Pepper forced her eyes open.
Linus Vance was wearing a dark gray, custom-tailored shirt.
Holding a high-quality thermal food box in one hand, he was looking down at her.
Linus set the food box on the coffee table, casually unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt, and sat directly on the edge of the sofa.
Ignoring her protests, his large hand possessively reached around Pepper’s waist, pulling her firmly into his embrace.
Trembling from the pain, Pepper weakly pushed against his solid chest.
“Linus…
don’t touch me…”
Linus’s voice was low and raspy as his large hand began to gently rub her stomach with just the right amount of pressure.
“Don’t move.”
“Your boss is down in his basement banging on sheet metal, not caring whether you live or die.”
“Meanwhile, a bad guy like me, who only knows how to profit from your misfortune, has to run over in the middle of the night to bring you soup.”
Linus lowered his head, looking at the redness at the corners of Pepper’s eyes, his voice carrying a command that brooked no refusal.
“Since he doesn’t want you anymore for the sake of his experiments, then from now on, you’re mine.”