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Ever since Howard Stark's unexpected death, the Stark conglomerate had undergone an earth-shaking transformation.
Under the direction of Howard's former right-hand man, Obadiah Stane, the company rapidly completed restructuring, reorganization, public listing, and share redistribution.
And all this happened without mass layoffs or fire sales of assets.
Employee benefits were preserved as much as possible.
Through this, Obadiah not only raised the astronomical inheritance tax Tony Stark owed—
he also reshaped the bloated, chaotic Stark conglomerate into something else entirely:
A streamlined, laser-focused military–industrial complex.
It happened to be perfect timing—
the collapse of the Red Empire diverted every major power's attention eastward.
Stark Industries, a piece of meat on the chopping block, slipped past the wolves and achieved results no one expected.
Obadiah even made Time Magazine's cover, praised as a textbook-level case study in corporate transformation.
Everyone could see how much value the newly slimmed-down Stark Industries contained.
No one thought the cut-down version was a loser.
Plenty of Wall Street titans regretted missing the opportunity.
They had bought shares of the companies Stane floated during restructuring—
and some had even become majority shareholders.
But those were merely the discarded limbs.
The true military core, the essence of the empire, never ended up in Wall Street's hands.
Since these stocks were now public, investors could check who the major shareholders were.
And when all they saw were generals—active duty, retired—
not a single fool dared to reach out greedily again.
Even though the collapse of the Red Empire had already fattened many pockets, greed has no limit.
But the once juicy Stark conglomerate was no longer food they could touch.
However, amid this great restructuring was a detail that couldn't be ignored:
From old Stark Group to present-day Stark Industries, countless unrelated divisions were amputated, spun off, sold, or forcibly compressed into tiny internal departments.
The general belief was:
"Anything not tied to military R&D got dumped by the prodigal Young Master Stark!"
Even some "free money" industries—mines, oil fields—were sold off.
Many of these divested businesses were swallowed outright by the buyers.
Some were renamed and reintroduced to the market.
Some kept the "Stark" name temporarily for 5–10 years under legal agreements.
They looked like they were still Stark—
but they had nothing to do with the Starks anymore.
These were mostly the companies Wall Street vultures bought up in bulk after IPO.
They became the unwilling owners—
all thanks to Obadiah Stane's deliberate setup.
They thought they were investing.
They ended up owning entire companies.
To make the bitter pill easier to swallow, Stark Industries allowed them to use the "Stark" branding temporarily.
But with that name came strict restrictions.
Step out of line, and Stark's army of lawyers—
backed by a military-industrial titan—
would crush them.
This was why Henry had assumed Stark Pictures, being non-military, must've been sold off.
Tony, hearing the misunderstanding, gave a half-explanation, half-complaint:
"Dad left behind a lot of weird junk.
Stuff so useless that even if I gave it away, people would still refuse it.
"So yeah, I'm basically running a charity for a ton of deadweight.
I'll shut those divisions down someday once the old staff retire.
Right now, it's like funding a private nursing home."
He shrugged.
"But Stark Pictures is different.
The old man poured too much of himself into it.
It still generates revenue, and the assets are valuable.
I have... other plans for it."
Henry grinned.
"You're keeping the studio because it helps you pick up girls, right?"
Tony froze—
then facepalmed.
"You think I'm gonna say, 'Hey ladies, grab drinks with me and I'll give you a 20% discount on camera rentals'?
Do I need that much effort to pick up women?
Based on what you said, shouldn't my face alone be enough?"
Henry didn't answer the joke, instead replying:
"If you really intend to rebuild Stark Pictures, you should helm it yourself.
"Tossing it at me—what does that even mean?
If you're trying to buy my loyalty with that, I've gotta say:
That's pretty dumb, not the kind of decision a genius like you should be making."
Tony scowled.
"What's wrong with Stark Pictures?
Some of the old connections may be gone, but the framework is still there.
Put a team together and it's still a real Hollywood studio."
Henry laughed.
"To enter a circle and enjoy its benefits, you must follow the circle's rules—sometimes even protect it.
"Likewise, if I became your employee, I'd have to protect your reputation, your profits, your company.
"Which means I'd have to speak and act on your behalf.
"Honestly? That sounds miserable.
"I've said it before—
I can't work under you.
"Instead of taking your bowl of rice and smashing it afterward, I choose not to touch the bowl at all."
Tony narrowed his eyes.
"You hate me that much? You can't even work for me?"
Henry replied matter-of-factly:
"I treat everyone like that.
The only exception was Audrey Hepburn.
And that's because friends and family are the hardest to work for.
Never mix relationships into business."
Katharine, who had been quietly listening, suddenly spoke with mock-wounded jealousy:
"So, little Henry—you're saying I wouldn't be a good boss either?"
Henry immediately turned to butter:
"How could you say that, Katharine?
It's just that you don't need anything from me.
If you ever do, just say the word—I'll walk through fire for you.
Talking about pay would cheapen our friendship."
"Good boy."
The old lady patted Henry's head in satisfaction.
Tony Stark, CEO of a multi-billion-dollar corporation, stood by grinding his teeth in jealousy.
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