In the end, the two brothers pivoted back to planning how to catch the traitor.
However, as soon as the topic came up, the air in the cabin turned subtly tense.
Both were brilliant men, gifted with genius intellects far beyond average human limits.
The moment they decided to hunt down the mole, the identity of the culprit was already glaringly obvious.
They simply hadn’t wanted to voice the painful truth aloud just yet.
Now that their core plan was settled, the unavoidable reality had to be confronted.
“Luca,” Tony broke the silence.
“Who do you think among our top executives sold our itinerary to terrorists and paid a fortune to have us killed?” Luca turned his head to look Tony straight in his bloodshot eyes.
He knew Tony already had an answer in mind.
In a business empire, finding a killer followed basic logic: if the victim died, who stood to gain the most?
Luca sat up straight, crossing his fingers over his knees.
“Bro, let’s just use the process of elimination.” Luca held up one finger.
“First off, most of the Stark Industries board of directors are useless suits who only care about dividends.
They don’t have the guts or the capability to bypass military-grade encryption and leak our movements to terrorists.” Luca raised a second finger.
“Second, the bounty those terrorists demanded wasn’t pocket change.
There are fewer than three people in the company with the authority to move that much capital and access top-tier encryption keys.” Luca fixed his sharp gaze on Tony.
“And third, the most crucial point: if we had died out in that desert, Stark Industries stock would plummet, but one person would quickly take total control.
That person would naturally step up as the supreme ruler of Stark Industries, seizing full command of arms manufacturing and sales.” Luca paused.
The answer was clear.
Yet the name lodged in both brothers’ throats, weighing heavily on them.
It was obvious: if they died, Obadiah Stane—the uncle who had stood by them for so many years—was the ultimate beneficiary.
That was the cold, hard fact staring them in the face.
And yet, neither brother was fully willing to accept it.
To Luca and Tony, Obadiah was far more than just a corporate executive.
He was Howard Stark’s best friend.
After their parents died in the car crash, it was Obadiah who held the company together.
He was the uncle who watched them grow up, a true founding veteran of Stark Industries.
Over the years, no matter how wild the brothers acted or how many parties they threw, Obadiah had always been there to clean up their messes.
Emotionally, they couldn’t bear to believe it.
That Uncle Obie, who always chuckled, clapped their shoulders, and called them little geniuses, could be the mole who wanted them dead.
*Who in their right mind wants to suspect the uncle who raised them of trying to murder them?* Luca sighed inwardly.
Which was precisely why Luca, who usually preferred direct violent action, hadn’t charged back to New York with a blade to cut Obadiah down, choosing instead to play along with Tony’s scheme.
Regardless, no matter how hard it was to swallow, Obadiah remained the primary suspect.
Reason demanded they treat him as such.
Tony squeezed his water glass tightly, his eyebrows furrowed.
Finally, he exhaled heavily and set the glass on the table.
“I…
I still choose to believe in Uncle Obie for now.” Tony’s voice lacked conviction, sounding uncertain.
He seemed to be trying to convince himself more than anyone else.
“Maybe the company’s system was hacked, or maybe a competitor framed him.
Until I have one hundred percent concrete proof, I don’t want to doubt him,” Tony said, staring down.
Seeing his older brother like this, Luca didn’t push back.
He knew all too well that behind Tony’s arrogant playboy facade, he was a deeply loyal man at heart.
To be betrayed by the elder he trusted most would hurt worse than a bullet to the chest.
Luca didn’t feel great about it either.
“Fine,” Luca shrugged, reaching for his wine glass.
“We’ll wait for the rat to expose himself.
But if it really is him…
Tony, don’t try to stop me when the time comes.” Tony said nothing, giving only a quiet nod.
The two brothers leaned back into the sofa, dropping the subject.
Silence returned to the cabin.
They closed their eyes to rest, though both were lost in turbulent thoughts.
…
More than ten hours later, the jet touched down smoothly on a private tarmac at Los Angeles International Airport.
The cabin door glided open, and a long-missed ocean breeze blew in.
Waiting on the tarmac were Tony’s personal bodyguard and driver, Happy, along with the executive assistant, Pepper Potts.
Seeing the two brothers step down from the plane, Pepper hurried over in her high heels, her eyes red with tears welling up.
She had endured immense pressure over the past two months.
Everyone had believed the Stark brothers were dead in the desert—everyone except her, who had clung to hope.
“Oh God…
you’re finally back!
Tony, you look like an old man.” Pepper looked over Tony’s gaunt, exhausted frame, torn between heart-wrenching relief and anger.
Tony reached out and pulled Pepper into a grand hug.
“Potts, your tears are smudging my tank top.
But it’s fine.
To celebrate my miraculous return, I made a momentous decision on the flight.” Pepper paused, thinking Tony was about to say something touching.
“What decision?” “Get me two cheeseburgers right away.
I could eat a whole cow right now,” Tony said deadpan.
“Hold on, make mine two chicken burgers!” Luca piped up.
Tony grit his teeth before finally sighing in defeat.
“Fine, I’m the older brother, I’ll compromise.
Make it two cheeseburgers and two chicken burgers!” Pepper couldn’t help but laugh through her annoyance, rolling her eyes in disbelief.
These two idiots had nearly died, and the very first thing on their minds upon coming home was fighting over burgers.
Luca took a deep breath, inhaling the sweet air of freedom.
He turned toward Happy, who was standing nearby, red-eyed with emotion.
“Happy!” Luca called out.
“Sir!
Master Luca!
I am so relieved to see you safe and sound!” Happy snapped to attention, wiping a stray tear from his eye.
“Dry those tears, Happy!
I’m assigning you a top-priority mission that concerns the very survival of Stark Industries,” Luca said with total gravity.
Happy immediately tensed up, assuming it was a covert operations briefing.
“Say the word, sir!
I won’t let you down!” Luca stepped forward, clapped Happy on his broad shoulder, and announced loudly, “Go charter the most luxurious yacht in Los Angeles immediately.
Then contact Victoria’s Secret.
Tell their manager that Luca Stark is celebrating surviving death, and he’s hosting a pool party tonight strictly for champagne and supermodels!
Remember: nobody under five-foot-nine, and nobody without a killer body!
I want every media outlet in LA to know that Luca Stark is back!” Hearing this speech, not only did Happy stand frozen in shock, but Pepper facepalmed, letting out a defeated groan.
“Luca!
You just escaped a hostage situation!
You need a full medical evaluation first—how can you throw a party the second you land?” Pepper protested loudly.
Luca threw his hands up, looking completely justified.
“Potts, precisely because I almost kicked the bucket, I need to make up for lost time!
There wasn’t even a decent shower in Afghanistan, and staring at hairy terrorists every day nearly blinded me.
I desperately need high-quality beauties to cleanse my wounded soul.
Besides, I’m stimulating the economy and supporting Los Angeles businesses!
Don’t try to stop me, Potts—this is non-negotiable.” Seeing Luca’s completely shameless attitude, Pepper was rendered speechlessly exasperated.
She knew trying to appeal to his sense of morality was a complete waste of breath.
You can’t guilt-trip someone who has no shame to begin with.