Chapter 9 – The Hand Behind the Curtain?
Staring at the phone screen displaying an unfamiliar number, Tony Stark—currently seated in the back of an elongated Rolls-Royce limousine—fell silent for a few seconds… before finally deciding to answer the call.
"This is Tony Stark. Who is this?"
"Hmm… Tony."
The voice on the other end was calm—so familiar that Tony recognized it instantly. It was Blake.
"Blake! Oh—so you finally made it to New York? Where are you right now? I'll send someone to pick you up!" Tony's cheerful tone burst out immediately, as if all the worries and serious matters he had just dealt with were suddenly swept away.
"No need, Tony. We'll be meeting very soon… at Stark Tower." Blake replied casually.
After that, Blake told Tony straight out that he was the one who had purchased a massive amount of Stark Industries shares.
But instead of happiness, Tony's expression turned serious upon hearing that. He questioned Blake directly over the phone.
"In that case, my friend… Blake. Can you explain how you knew in advance that I would be in danger in Afghanistan?"
"Don't tell me all of this—every single step—was part of some plan you orchestrated from behind the scenes? A scheme to suppress Stark Industries' stock price…"
"You sell high, rake in enormous profits, then buy everything back when the price crashes. What exactly are you after? Are you aiming to take control of Stark Industries?"
Before Tony could finish his thoughts, Blake let out a light chuckle and cut him off.
"Haha, Tony… money, power—worldly things like that don't mean anything to me. The stock market and investments are nothing more than a small game."
"And as for how I knew what would happen to you in Afghanistan… well, that's something I can't explain. But what I can tell you is this: everything that happened came from the people around you—the shareholders of Stark Industries themselves."
"And the one leading them… is your own uncle, Obadiah. Why did he do it? Ask yourself this: how strong is his desire to seize full control of Stark Industries? And Tony… I have proof."
"You can check your email inbox right now. There's an audio file and a video waiting for you. The audio recording was made thirty minutes ago, when Obadiah personally contacted one of my agents."
"He offered sixty-five billion dollars to buy all the Stark Industries shares I hold… or five billion in cash in exchange for my support during the board meeting. You know exactly what that means."
"Of course, you don't need to worry, Tony. I have no intention of selling my shares to anyone… except you. Right now, I hold 23.7 percent of Stark Industries."
"The voting rights and decision-making power that come with those shares—I can hand all of it over to you immediately. The contract is already prepared. We can sign it right at the entrance of Stark Tower. And as for the video I mentioned earlier… you really should see it for yourself."
"I obtained it from Obadiah's computer. It clearly details the entire collaboration process between him and the leader of the terrorist group that kidnapped you…"
"And more than that—the video also shows that the other Stark shareholders secretly continued selling weapons, even after the company officially stopped production. Not just to the U.S. military, either. Anyone with enough money could buy them, and they'd ship the weapons anywhere."
— — —
The moment Tony saw the audio file and video attached in his email, his hands began to tremble violently.
Blake's words—most of them—had already broken through his doubts.
The only reason he hadn't fully believed it yet… was because deep down, Tony still couldn't accept the reality that Obadiah—someone who had taken care of him like a father for so many years—could truly betray him, even attempt to have him killed… all just to seize full control of Stark Industries.
If only that bomb hadn't failed to kill him…
If only those terrorists hadn't broken their agreement and forced him to build missiles…
If only he hadn't met Dr. Yinsen, and… hadn't met Blake…
Would he already be dead by now?
At that moment, sensing just how fragile and shaken Tony's heart was, Pepper Potts—"Little Pepper"—quietly pulled his head into her arms and held him tightly.
Inside the spacious, luxurious Rolls-Royce… silence fell.
Meanwhile, Blake Thorne, who had already arrived at the front of Stark Tower, ended the call without saying another word.
About ten minutes later…
With his left hand holding a large paper bag filled with burgers, and his right hand gripping a Big Mac from McDonald's, Tony stepped out of the Rolls-Royce with renewed energy.
The moment he saw Blake standing at the entrance of the building, Tony smiled and handed the bag of burgers to him.
"Oh~ Thanks. I actually didn't get the chance to eat breakfast."
Blake accepted the burgers while gesturing to his assistant to hand over the prepared contract to Tony.
Tony didn't bother with small talk. He took the contract immediately and passed it to Pepper beside him, then his hand slipped straight into Blake's bag again to grab another burger.
And just like that… right in front of the main entrance of Stark Industries, the two men started eating burgers without the slightest hint of awkwardness.
Seeing how enthusiastically Tony was eating, Blake chuckled softly, unwrapped a burger of his own, and took a bite as well.
The two of them completely occupied the building entrance, eating burgers for more than ten minutes straight, while a crowd gathered around, curious about what in the world was going on.
Once every last burger was gone, Pepper Potts gave Tony a small nod.
Tony immediately pulled out a sleek metal pen from his suit pocket and signed the contract without hesitation.
At the same moment, Obadiah and several small-to-mid-level Stark Industries shareholders entered the lobby—and saw Tony signing right in front of their eyes.
Obadiah didn't know exactly what document Tony had just signed, but an intense sense of unease washed over him.
A premonition… that something bad was happening. Something he desperately wanted to avoid.
Tony didn't spare them even a glance. He simply wrapped an arm around the calm-faced Asian teenager—Blake Thorne—and walked straight past all of them.
They headed toward the main elevator.
Only after stepping inside did Tony finally turn to look at Obadiah and the other shareholders, then spoke.
"Didn't we agree to hold a board meeting?"
"Don't tell me… you were planning to do it in the lobby?"
— — —
Ten minutes later, inside the main conference hall on the top floor of Stark Industries.
As the shareholders and top executives continued filing in, the massive meeting room—capable of holding up to a thousand people—was already more than half full.
Tony Stark stood up from his seat, pointed at Blake sitting beside him, and spoke into the microphone in front of him.
"This is Blake—"
Halfway through, Tony turned his head toward Blake and asked quietly.
"Blake, what's your full name?"
Blake gave a small smile and answered casually, "Blake Thorne."
"Great name!" Tony grinned and gave a thumbs-up before looking back at everyone in the room.
"His name is Blake Thorne."
"Make sure you all remember it well. Because starting today, Blake Thorne… officially becomes one of the three main executive directors of Stark Industries!"
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