“How…
did you…
survive…
that car crash?”
“Sheer luck.”
“Where…
have you been…
these past three months?”
“Lying at the bottom of the ocean.”
“How did…
you guys…
take care of…
those kidnappers?”
“Superpowers.”
“Impossible.
I heard…
it was a nuke, was it?”
“Just rumors.”
“Are you…
just brushing me off like this?”
“What else is there to say?”
“Screw you.”
“Oh God, you’re driving me crazy!”
“Are you even human?”
“Fuck!”
Afterward.
Christine, currently in a state of post-coital cooldown, pulled several photos and a key from her handbag and handed them to Leon.
“Is this what you call taking responsibility?”
Leon flipped through them one by one.
In the photos, a group of refugees under the threat of armed gunmen were helping them haul weaponry—a dazzling array of high-tech arms straight out of Stark Industries.
“Looking at your face, you don’t seem surprised.
This small town is called Gulmira.
It’s been occupied by a group of heavily armed terrorists holding weapons produced by Stark Industries’ supposedly discontinued arms division.”
“If these photos leak to the public, Stark Industries will face a devastating crisis of trust.
Your stock, which has already plummeted, will drop all the way to absolute zero.”
Her hair disheveled and sweat still drying on her collarbone and face, Christine wrapped herself in a white bedsheet and leaned against the headboard, exposing a pair of delicate feet.
She watched Leon put the photos down on the nightstand, stand up, and begin to get dressed.
“What are you getting at?” Leon asked.
“Stark Industries is in its most dangerous period right now.
One wrong move and it could fall into ruin.
Aren’t you going to do something about it?”
“Like checking who authorized the shipment of these weapons.”
Christine hinted pointedly.
In a sense, helping Leon was helping herself.
Even if it was just a suspicion for now, through her investigation, Christine had already narrowed her initial target down to the Stark brothers’ uncle, Obadiah Stane.
Next, as long as she got Leon to suspect Obadiah, his brother Tony would surely start investigating once he found out.
That way, things would be much simpler.
That was Christine’s plan, but plan as she might, she never anticipated… New chapters come out on g.com first.
“I know.”
“It’s all Obadiah’s doing.”
“Whether it was my car accident, Tony being kidnapped by the Ten Rings, or this shipment of weapons.”
“What??”
Leon’s sudden, total confession left Christine completely stunned, her carefully rehearsed persuasive arguments rendered completely useless.
Was this still the Leon Stark renowned as the playboy par excellence, second to none?
Christine suddenly felt the Leon standing before her was so unfamiliar.
“When were these photos taken?”
“Just yesterday.”
“Alright, I got it.”
“Thanks for your hard work, darling.”
Leon leaned down and kissed Christine gently on the forehead.
Even after he left and she was the only one in the room, Christine remained dazed for a long time.
This feeling of being acknowledged by him…
why did it feel so pleasant?
Christine’s heartstrings fluttered uncharacteristically at Leon’s kiss.
After savoring the moment for a long while, Christine pulled the sheet around herself and prepared to get out of bed to dress.
But the moment her feet touched the floor, her brows knitted tight.
She gasped in pain, her legs went soft, and she tumbled back onto the bed.
“Hiss—”
“What an absolute beast!”
“A pile driver doesn’t have half your stamina!”
…
The moment Leon stepped out of the room, Pepper came looking for him, looking rather upset.
“Leon!”
“Hey, Pepper.”
“Stane had people looking everywhere for you, and I’ve been looking for you for half an hour myself.
What have you been doing for the past hour?
Don’t tell me that at a time like this, you were still…”
She didn’t finish her sentence, but Pepper’s eyes grew dangerous.
“Not at all.”
Leon calmly waved the photos Christine had given him.
“During this time, I was taking care of serious business with a journalist friend.”
Just as the words left Leon’s mouth, the door behind him opened from the inside.
“Leon, you tore the zipper on my evening gown.
Hurry up and have someone bring me a new set, and…
oh, hello, Miss Potts.”
Christine, with only a white bedsheet wrapped around her vital areas, stared wide-eyed at Pepper.
Leon instantly felt the atmosphere become agonizingly awkward.
Pepper’s scrutinizing gaze darted back and forth between the spent Christine and Leon.
She let out a frustrated, angry chuckle.
“Leon, this is what you call serious business?”
“Well…
how is it not?”
Leon shrugged, completely giving up on excuses.
The scene shifted.
“Hey, my boy, what major sin did you commit to make our gentle and refined Miss Potts so furious?” Tony teased.
“Don’t ask, Tony.”
Seeing Pepper still glaring from the side, the corner of Leon’s mouth twitched, unwilling to hand Tony fuel for mockery.
Looking around and noticing only Tony, Pepper, and himself in the room, he asked, “Where are Rhodes and Ho Yinsen?
How come I don’t see them?”
“Rhodes has an Air Force assignment, couldn’t make it.”
“And Yinsen, as our chief scientific advisor, is busy with the company’s upcoming transition.
I tried to give him time off, but he refused.
Said he just wanted some peace and quiet.”
Tony shrugged in response.
“I see.”
Leon nodded.
“I think I know why Yinsen wants peace and quiet.”
Saying that, he handed the stack of photos to Tony.
“This is Gulmira.
I believe that’s Yinsen’s hometown, right?”
Tony took the photos.
His relaxed expression gradually turned serious as he flipped through them one by one.
“This happened yesterday,” Leon added.
“Pepper, besides Leon and me, who else in the company has the authority to approve weapon shipments?”
Putting the photos down, Tony rubbed his forehead, weary.
“The board of directors, and…
Mr.
Stane!”
“Tony, it couldn’t be…”
After answering Tony’s question, Pepper realized the implication and guessed in disbelief.
He was Tony and Leon’s uncle!
“I wish it wasn’t true either.”
Tony let out a heavy sigh.
“Reality is often that bizarre.
He’s already gone too far,” Leon said, then leaned over to whisper in Pepper’s ear: “Pepper, I need to ask you a favor…
do this, do that…
remember to bring Happy with you.”
“Mm!”
“I’ll go right now!”
Pepper agreed solemnly, trotting off on her high heels.
…
Silence lingered in the reception room for a long time.
“Leon, tell me…
Obie practically manages the entire company, plus my industry-leading tech support.
What more could he possibly want?” Tony suddenly asked, utterly bewildered.
Hearing this, Leon let out a long breath.
If he hadn’t merged memories from his past life, his mood right now probably wouldn’t be much better than Tony’s.
After all, being backstabbed by the person you trust and care about most hurts.
“Maybe that’s just human nature.”
“When you have one sheep, you want two.
When you have two, you want three…
Human desire is like a boulder rolling down a mountain—once it starts, it never stops.”