At that moment, the laboratory doors slid open again.
A red-haired woman in a sleek black business suit walked in, a stack of documents in her arms, high heels clicking crisply against the floor.
It was Natasha.
"Mr. Stark." She stopped in front of Tony, handed him the documents, her tone soft, her professional smile impeccable. "Ms. Potts asked you to sign these authorization papers for the Arc Reactor new energy project."
"Oh? Is that so?" Tony took the file without even glancing at it, tossing it casually onto the table.
But his eyes lingered on Natasha's outfit, sweeping her up and down with undisguised amusement.
"I have to say, Miss Natalie," his voice carried his usual teasing edge, "this outfit is a lot more… sexy than the last one. Though personally, I'd suggest you try another style next time."
The corner of Natasha's lips twitched almost imperceptibly. But her smile didn't falter, and she betrayed no reaction to his words.
"If you'd sign the documents first, Mr. Stark, perhaps I might consider your suggestion."
"Fine." Tony curled his lips, picked up a pen, and scribbled his signature.
When he finished, he handed the file back with the same careless, roguish expression.
Natasha accepted it, nodded politely, then turned to leave.
Throughout the entire process, she hadn't revealed the slightest flaw. She was simply the perfect assistant.
"Wait."
Just as she was about to walk out, Tony's voice rang behind her.
Natasha's body stiffened. She slowly turned back, the professional smile still in place.
"Something else, Mr. Stark?"
Tony didn't answer immediately. He just looked at her, his gaze sharp and probing.
Then, slowly, he picked up an ordinary-looking silver USB stick from the table.
"Pass a message to your boss for me," he said, his voice calm but carrying a weight that pressed against the air.
"Tell him our two-billion compensation— not a cent less. Otherwise, I can't guarantee what Henry might do."
"And another thing…"
His eyes grew colder by the second.
"Tell him, if he dares to send people to spy on my family again, next time… it won't be this simple."
Natasha's heart skipped a beat.
Her face remained calm, her smile steady, but inside her mind was already in turmoil.
Boss?
Pepper Potts?
No. Impossible.
That look in Tony's eyes wasn't about Pepper.
That sharp, icy gaze, as though it stripped away every layer of disguise—
He was talking about Nick Fury.
He knows?!
How could he possibly know?!
The thought repeated over and over in her mind. For the first time in years, she felt her cover might truly have been blown.
Could her skills have dulled?
So many years as a spy, and this was the first time someone had seen through her.
But she was the Black Widow.
It took her less than a second to get her emotions under control.
"I don't quite understand what you mean, Mr. Stark," she said softly, her voice even, her face showing just the right shade of puzzlement.
…
Bruce Banner, who had been silently observing, finally broke the silence, pushing his glasses up with a weary sigh.
"Tony… we've tried over a dozen times. The results are always the same. Vibranium absorbs every bit of energy perfectly— it doesn't even heat up. It's like a bottomless pit. Honestly, I doubt even if my other side— Hulk— were to hammer at it for an entire day, he could leave so much as a scratch."
"That's only because your other side isn't angry enough," Tony snorted, his damn arrogance making him incapable of admitting defeat.
"Besides, I was just doing a little necessary probing earlier. Now that the exploration phase is over— this is when the real genius kicks in." He snapped his fingers.
"Jarvis!"
"Yes, sir."
"Pull up all the data on the new element." Tony's eyes gleamed with manic determination.
"If conventional energy can't touch it, then we'll use something not of this world to… have a little chat with it."
Banner looked at him— at that confidence, that pride— and froze for a moment, then let out a small laugh.
This man had found himself a new toy again.
And Banner? He was honored to be the first audience.
…
Natasha, meanwhile, kept her smile in place.
"Ms. Potts is my boss. But if you have something you'd like me to pass along, I'd be happy to."
"Is that so?" Tony glanced at her, smiling faintly.
But his smile was no longer playful. It carried a cold amusement that chilled to the bone.
"You'll understand," he said softly. "Or rather… your boss will."
With that, he turned his back on her, returning to the control console, his attention once more absorbed by the problem of making a stubborn piece of metal obey.
As if their entire exchange had been nothing but small talk.
Natasha stood silently where she was, her expression calm but her eyes heavy.
She knew now— this mission was going to be far more complicated than she had imagined.
Without another word, she gave a polite nod, then turned and left on clicking heels.
Exposed or not, it wasn't her call to make.
The underground lab fell back into silence.
Banner glanced at Tony, curiosity flickering in his eyes.
"That woman…" he hesitated, "she's some kind of special agent, isn't she?"
"Who knows?" Tony shrugged, feigning indifference, his attention back on the vibranium. "Maybe, maybe not. Doesn't matter."
"What matters is— as long as she's on Stark Industries' payroll, she follows Stark Industries' rules. And if she tries anything sneaky…"
He paused, smirking faintly.
"She'll learn what corporate culture really means."
He had, after all, discovered her secret only days earlier, when Jarvis once again cracked S.H.I.E.L.D.'s network.
But he didn't care much. He was confident— Henry's original plan had always included bending S.H.I.E.L.D. to their side.
Turning back to the vibranium, he waved off the subject.
"Alright, Bruce. Enough worrying about irrelevant women. Let's talk business. This stubborn old rock— you got any new ideas? Because I've got to say… my last one was downright brilliant."