Luke Field wasn't overjoyed by Tony Stark's proposal, even though he knew full well that the business Tony Stark was talking about was indeed a very profitable one. It could even be more profitable than the arms business once it expanded, significantly alleviating Heberon's financial pressures. On the contrary, knowing the potentially lucrative future of this deal kept Luke Field calmer. He knew this wasn't something Tony and he could simply clap their hands on. There would undoubtedly be considerable further deliberation, and even if they did agree to a partnership, there would still be disputes over the distribution of profits.
"Does Pepper agree?" Luke Field asked. Although Tony Stark had begun to take the lead in Stark Industries' affairs and development, he remained, much like Luke in Hyperion, a representative figure. Beyond the general direction, detailed matters were mostly handled and decided by Pepper Potts.
"She is mine, always has been." Tony Stark raised his head proudly.
"Where's the board of directors?" Luke Field asked again.
"Just cleaned it up, and those who remain are pretty well behaved for now." Tony Stark smiled contentedly. He had long disliked some of the old guys there, and using the stock market crash and the incident with Obadiah as an excuse to deal with them, Tony had found plenty of excuses to deal with them. Stark Industries wasn't entirely his business, but he had complete and complete control over the core enterprises.
"Can you believe what you say?"
Luke's suspicious look stung Tony Stark. It wasn't his fault; Tony Stark had a long history of using promises as pranks, playing tricks on people, and breaking them more than once. He even enjoyed this kind of trickery, even though he was no longer the frivolous and arrogant man he once was.
"My word is my bond, little guy!" Tony Stark was rarely furious.
Tony Stark certainly hadn't come to him on a whim. He'd conducted a lengthy investigation, thoroughly examining each case. Based on numerous subtle clues, he had finally pinpointed the person who had helped him that night, most likely Luke Field. After all, Luke Field was renowned for his technology, having successfully built his own robotic dog five years prior, and Hyperion Industries had long been a leader in high-end mechanical technology.
Before meeting Luke, he'd always assumed Luke Field was just a fan. He understood! After all, as one of the few intelligent people in the world, sharing the same genius, a similarly privileged family background, and a similar industrial technology company, he'd always felt a bit smug about Luke being his fan.
But after meeting Luke, he immediately realized that Luke was definitely not his fan. He had met too many of his fans, whether they were entertainment fans or technical fans, those who wanted his body, those who wanted him to invest, and those who wanted to discuss technology with him. He had experience with them all!
Less than half an hour into their conversation, Luke had already choked him several times. He felt even more strongly that this little guy, Luke, had a huge misunderstanding of him! He felt that his image in Luke's mind was somewhat distorted, and in some serious cases, even ruined!
"Okay, okay." Luke turned his attention back to the food in front of him. His stomach was still not full.
"Do you know how rare this opportunity is? How many companies, even congressmen, want to invest all their wealth in my energy company?" Tony was irritated by Luke's perfunctory response and expression. He had always been known for his irritating and venomous tongue; he was the one who could choke people down, making them feel embarrassed and unbearable. This time, he came with genuine goodwill and gratitude.
"I know. But shouldn't these business matters be left to Ina and Ms. Potts to discuss and resolve?" Luke raised his head blankly, pointed at himself with the hand holding the fork, and then at Tony Stark. "Just the two of us, what can we possibly solve by talking nonsense here?"
Tony Stark was stunned.
…
"He looks a little disheveled?" Ina Sandra came to Luke's side after finishing her socializing, and was a little surprised when she saw Tony Stark's somewhat disheveled back.
"He wants to discuss some technology with me," Luke replied.
"What's the result?" Ina Sandra was very curious about what kind of sparks would be created when two smart minds came together.
Luke replied again as if nothing had happened: "I refused."
"Rejected?" Ina Sandra raised her eyebrows in surprise. She thought Stark and Luke would have a good chat.
"He wanted to discuss the technical aspects of the Iron Man suit with me. But I rejected him by saying, 'When your technology catches up with mine, we can talk about equal communication.'" Luke pulled over the new dish that was served next to him and began to devour it again.
"So what is he doing?" Ina Sandra looked again at Tony Stark, who was surrounded by the crowd and became the soul figure of a core circle.
"It's just that his defense was broken. Don't worry about him." Luke gave a nonchalant answer while chewing his food.
"Also, Stark Enterprises and I might be starting a company together soon, collaborating on energy. As usual, Stark and I will handle the technical aspects, while you and Ms. Potts will handle the business aspects." Luke reminded her, and Ina Sandra's eyes lit up instantly. She didn't understand the technical aspects, but she was very interested in the business aspects.
"You draw a line, and I'll take care of the rest," Ina Sandra said confidently. Energy technology had always been Hybern Technology's next profit center, but it was too sensitive and filled with concerns. Now that Stark Enterprises was fully operational, providing protection and sharing the pressure, Ina Sandra was naturally overjoyed.
The mechanical watch on my wrist suddenly vibrated, and the screen of the mobile phone next to me lit up at the same time, and a message popped up.
Luke picked up the phone on the table and looked at the message that popped up, his expression a little strange.
"What happened?" Ina sensitively noticed that something had happened that made Luke concerned.
"What kind of day is it today? Why are there so many uninvited guests?" Luke Field shrugged, threw down his fork and half-eaten food, stood up and said, "I need to go back and take care of some trouble. I'll take two of Snooker and the others with me, and the others can stay."
"Do you need me to go back with you?" Ina grabbed Luke's arm.
"No need, you are the master here. I can handle the problems over there." Luke hugged her and comforted her.