Chapter 66: Borrowing Pepper Potts
"Tony Stark?"
"Uchiha Akira?"
"It's me. I need your help with something."
"What is it? Tell me." As soon as Tony heard it was Uchiha Akira asking for help, he immediately felt reassured.
"I want to borrow your secretary, Pepper Potts."
Uchiha Akira's request surprised Tony a lot. Although Tony and Akira had some acquaintance, Tony really didn't have much to do with Pepper.
"What do you need Pepper for?" Tony roughly guessed what Akira meant.
"I want to buy some shares of the Osborn Group, but I'm not very good at this kind of thing. I need a professional to help. After thinking it over, I feel your secretary Pepper is the most suitable."
What does it mean that my secretary is the most suitable? Tony thought to himself. But Pepper really was excellent, otherwise Tony wouldn't have the time to go around having fun every day.
"Alright, I agree. But not for too long — at most five days. After all, Stark Industries still needs Pepper's attention," Tony agreed straightforwardly. It wasn't an unreasonable request.
"No need for that long, one day is enough," Uchiha Akira said confidently.
"Do you need funding?" Tony asked next.
"How can you still provide funding? We're not that close, right? You're so generous I almost feel embarrassed!" Akira responded following Tony's lead.
"What are you thinking? Stark Industries does have liquid funds, but at least you should have collateral, right? Friendship is friendship, business is business."
"No need, I have the funds," Akira said. He had pledged gold and bank assets. Besides, he also held shares in the Osborn Group.
Although Osborn's stock had dropped sharply, in the hands of real insiders, the Osborn Group still had substantial foundations, especially valuable patented technologies. So the bank wasn't worried about Akira's repayment ability.
"Pepper, you have a temporary mission today, you need to…"
Half an hour after receiving Tony's notification, Pepper had already arrived at the agreed location. This was Queen Avenue, the residence of a minor shareholder of the Osborn Group.
"Hello, nice to meet you. I'm Pepper Potts."
"Hello, I'm Uchiha Akira, you can just call me Akira."
"Akira?"
"Yes, the pronunciation might be a little difficult, but Miss Pepper said it correctly."
To be honest, Pepper was initially a bit reluctant to handle matters outside Stark Industries, as Stark's business was already quite busy.
But seeing that the partner was such a handsome young man, and that he was very polite, her mood instantly improved.
It wasn't that Akira was particularly her type, but more that his sunny, younger-brother vibe made Pepper feel warmly toward him. After all, there was quite an age gap, so no awkward thoughts.
Pepper had always hoped to have a sensible and obedient younger brother like this, but unfortunately, her parents had never fulfilled this wish.
"Akira, are you sure barging in like this will succeed? Based on my past negotiation experience, the chance of success with a home visit is very low," Pepper patiently reminded him.
Business meetings were not suited to being held at home, as the occupants would be more defensive, which is bad for negotiations.
"In Great Xia there's an old saying, 'Speed is the essence of war.' I care about speed right now. Trust me, Ms. Pepper."
After understanding Akira's intentions, Pepper no longer tried to dissuade him.
"Hello, I'm Uchiha Akira. I believe we've met at the Osborn company board meetings."
"Is that you? What do you want?" The minor shareholder wasn't very welcoming to Akira at first, but somehow, after locking eyes with him, they immediately lowered all defenses.
"Please sit. I heard Easterners like to drink tea. This is my last stock — it's called Keemun black tea."
The shareholder called a maid to serve tea. The maid was beautiful and shapely, which made Akira inwardly muse about the evils of capitalism.
"Actually, I'm here to buy your Osborn shares. I'm sure you'd be willing to part with them?" Akira smiled.
Pepper was completely shocked by Akira's words. Is this how you negotiate? Isn't this a recipe for failure?
How is this negotiation? It's clearly a sign they don't want to negotiate!
"No problem. I've long wanted to switch investment directions. What price do you think is appropriate?"
Pepper looked at the smiling shareholder and almost dropped her jaw.
"Ms. Pepper, what do you think is a fair price for his shares given the current market?"
Though shocked, Pepper stayed professional, "I'd say between 250 million and 310 million USD. The Osborn stock price has been very volatile, so I can't give a precise estimate."
"Then let's say 200 million USD. That's a more suitable price, right?" Akira asked. The shareholder nodded in agreement immediately. "That's a very fair price. Where's the contract? Let's sign and make the deal!"
The man was so quick it almost numbed Pepper. From entering the room to finishing the deal was under 10 minutes, completing a small $200 million transaction smoothly.
Then Akira and Pepper hurried to the next shareholder. Within one day, they acquired shares from eight shareholders, successfully consolidating ownership under Akira.
Pepper went from extreme shock to gradual numbness — clearly one day was enough. If not for most time lost traveling, Akira's acquisitions could have been completed in half a day.
No shareholder opposed, and the purchase prices were all very favorable — basically the lowest prices obtainable in years, with an extra 20% discount.
Usually, successful share acquisitions require premiums, especially for truly valuable capital. But Akira not only avoided premiums but gave discounts.
By about 5 PM, almost all shares had been repurchased successfully. Now, the Osborn Group was effectively controlled only by Norman Osborn and Uchiha Akira.
"How did you do it?" Pepper asked the man in front of her, having experienced shock to numbness in one day.
"You mean why they were willing to sell their shares to me at such a low price?"
"Yes. Even if one was a fool, a group can't all be fools. Do you have leverage over them?"
"No, I just know a bit of simple hypnotic techniques," Akira winked.
"Really? Hypnosis is a scam, isn't it?"
"If you don't believe me, there's nothing I can do. It's a secret, though. By the way, Pepper Potts, do you like my eyes?"
"Little brother, I don't like guys your age…"
Before Pepper could finish, she saw Akira activate his Sharingan and immediately became dazed.
Akira subtly blurred the details of today's memories for Pepper. When she awoke, she wouldn't forget what she did today but would have no recollection of specifics.
"Thank you very much for your help today, Ms. Pepper Potts. If you ever run into trouble, contact me — your number is already in your mind."
Pepper nodded dazedly