While Fisher was swamped with orders, Stark was also busy.
On one hand, he continued to develop his Iron Man suit, going out at night to fight crime; on the other hand, he was aggressively downsizing his company.
Indeed, in less than a week, Stark fired half of the unlucky high-level executives, simply because they were either Obadiah's faction or the type who outwardly complied but secretly defied him.
Stark hired an entire team of lawyers, meticulously scrutinizing every detail, and in the end, not only did he avoid paying any severance, but he also left these executives heavily indebted, forcing them to leave in disgrace.
To be fair, these executives had indeed contributed significantly to the development of Stark Industries, but unfortunately, they chose the wrong side and followed the wrong person.
When Obadiah fled, he only took his bodyguard captain, leaving these executives completely uninformed.
First, they were invited by the FBI for a 'chat' in their sleep, and then they were fired at dawn.
These executives were so distraught they wanted to die, but at a crucial moment, someone stepped forward.
Justin Hammer, to spite Stark, declared that he would hire as many people as Stark Industries fired.
"Tony Stark is blind, but I have a keen eye for talent! Come, come, everyone to Hammer Industries, let's get rich together!"
Although it was purely an act to annoy Stark, Hammer did gain something.
These former Stark employees, though dismissed, possessed some technical skills and capabilities, and their arrival could narrow some of the gap between Hammer Industries and Stark Industries (Little Panda's Fingertip Universe strikes again).
After a series of personnel changes, before the remaining old employees could catch their breath, Stark dropped another bombshell: he announced that Pepper Potts would be the CEO of Stark Industries.
This caused a huge uproar.
The executives who had been hoping to climb the corporate ladder and reach the pinnacle of their careers were stunned.
"Why? We worked like dogs for Stark Industries.
Now that Obadiah is gone, we wanted a piece of the pie, but Stark only left us the soup, giving the meat to a woman who was just his secretary for a few years!"
"If sleeping with Mr. Stark can make you CEO, I think I can do it too!" said a 200-pound, five-foot-three executive.
The disgruntled executives and shareholders demanded a general meeting to re-elect an executive they approved of.
"These guys!" Stark's anger flared when he heard the news.
The consequences of his previous hands-off approach were now evident, but for now, he could only suppress his anger and prepare some solid evidence to put these executives in their place one by one.
8 AM
New York; Stark Industries Tower
Despite the heavy rain pouring over New York, countless reporters were gathered, knowing that Stark Industries Group was holding a new shareholders' meeting since the disappearance of former executive Obadiah.
As the most important arms supplier to the American military, Stark Industries Group had a complex share distribution.
Stark himself held thirty percent of the original shares, which were unshakeable.
Obadiah had fifteen percent, which Stark had now reclaimed.
Of the remaining shares, the American government held ten percent, a shell company of S.H.I.E.L.D. held ten percent, and the remaining thirty-five percent were scattered shares on the market.
Recently, because Stark shut down the weapons development department, most of these scattered shares were sold off at low prices by their holders, and quite coincidentally, Fisher acquired approximately eighteen percent of these shares.
More than a dozen imposing General Motors armored SUVs tore through the rain, kicking up spray as they pulled into the tower's parking lot.
The bright "ATLAS" lettering on the side of the vehicles immediately caught the attention of many reporters.
Security personnel in black suits jumped out of the cars, forming a human wall to block the swarming reporters.
Then, a bodyguard as burly as Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, holding an umbrella, walked to the central SUV.
"Boss, we've arrived!"
"Alright, thanks, John!" Fisher closed his laptop, tossed it casually onto the back seat, and then stepped out of the car.
"Oh my god, Fisher Adams, the big boss of Atlas Group, is at Stark Industries!
Could it be...?"
The reporters from various tabloids instantly conjured up hundreds of thousands of words about a business war, a clash between two major arms groups, one showing weakness, the other planning a takeover, and all sorts of explosive scenes of conflict.
Many reporters already felt their blood pumping; there was big news today!
Suddenly, the reporters abandoned all pretense, desperately surging forward, microphones reaching over the bodyguards' shoulders towards Fisher.
"Mr. Fisher, can you tell us the purpose of your visit to Stark Industries today?"
"Mr. Fisher, is Atlas planning to acquire Stark?"
However, to the reporters' disappointment, Fisher walked straight into the Stark Industries Tower, accompanied by his driver and head of security, John, without even turning his head.
"Uh, welcome, Mr. Fisher Adams.
May I ask what brings you to Stark Industries today?" An executive, seeing Fisher surrounded by a line of men in suits, hesitated before stepping forward to inquire.
"I'm here for the shareholders' meeting!" Fisher flashed an incredibly bright smile.
"Shareholders' meeting?" The executive gulped.
They hadn't even sorted things out with Stark, and now another wolf had arrived.
This... are they messing with us?!
Although he felt like crying inside, the executive calmly called over a beautiful blonde secretary and instructed her to take Fisher to the conference room.
"Mr. Fisher, please follow me!" The secretary swayed her attractive figure, leaving a trail of perfume as she led Fisher towards the elevator.
After Fisher left, the executive immediately pulled out his phone.
He had created a small group with several neutral executives to discuss how to counter Stark's aggressive stance.
Fisher's arrival suddenly gave him a bold idea: why not try to use one wolf to drive away the tiger?
The executive's idea was met with approval from the others.
After all, both Stark and Fisher seemed difficult to deal with.
In that case, let them fight, and they could waver between the two, surviving in the cracks.
In the bustling conference room, major and minor shareholders were chattering endlessly.
Recent gossip, female celebrities, international affairs, stock trends—these were all their topics, especially the 'adult' kind.
Unbeknownst to them, several small groups with different tastes had formed.
Just as everyone was chatting happily, some even having already arranged to go to entertainment venues like "Red Romance" or "Purple Allure" after the meeting to contribute to America's GDP growth, the conference room door was pushed open again.
Then, Fisher, wearing a custom-tailored suit and sunglasses, walked in.
"It's him?" Seeing Fisher confidently take a seat in the side row of the conference table, the various shareholders, big and small, began to whisper even more.
The shareholder representative from the American government was momentarily stunned, then revealed an expression of "I knew it."
He then proactively approached Fisher and began a lively conversation.
However, the representative from S.H.I.E.L.D.'s shell company was somewhat surprised.
After all, as a professional business talent for S.H.I.E.L.D., he understood what Stark Industries and Tony Stark meant to them.
If Fisher really acquired Stark Industries, would this affect the director's plan?
In short, Fisher's arrival was met with mixed feelings of joy and sorrow.
Looking at the shifting expressions of everyone present, Fisher was quite pleased.
He imagined someone might even have a heart attack later!
At exactly nine o'clock, Stark leisurely walked into the conference room with Pepper Potts.
Seeing Fisher sitting in the side row of the conference room, Stark wasn't too surprised.
As long as his shares didn't fall into Justin Hammer's hands, it was fine!
"First, I welcome everyone's presence.
As you all know, Stark Industries has been plagued by continuous incidents and numerous problems recently, especially with the departure of my very good friend, Uncle Obadiah.
This is not good news for any of us!" Stark began with a brief summary.
"But decline is only temporary.
Stark Industries' future goal will focus on the development of clean energy and high-tech.
To achieve this goal, we need to elect a new CEO to lead Stark Industries forward.
Now, if anyone has anything to say, you may speak!"
After Stark finished speaking, he sat back in his chair and started playing a mobile game.
The other shareholders exchanged glances, and the government representative was the first to stand up.
The government representative first commented on Stark Industries' contributions and stated that the government would continue to support Stark Industries, and so on.
After he finished speaking, an executive spoke next, expressing his commitment to contributing to the development of Stark Industries and, for future development, nominated himself for CEO.
"Ugh!" After hearing his formulaic speech, a group of shareholders immediately gave him the middle finger.
"Give it a rest, Tom, you old geezer!
You want to be CEO?
Why don't you take a look in the mirror?
With your pathetic appearance, do you even deserve it?" a bald man in his fifties slammed the table and cursed.
"What's wrong with me?
No matter what, I'm better than you, Ryderman.
Look at your big belly, your wife even complains you're fat!
You fat pig!" The executive named Tom was not to be outdone and immediately started verbally sparring with Ryderman.
Fisher guessed this was why those corporations held their meetings behind closed doors, not revealing a single word to the outside.
Otherwise, if the outside world knew that these so-called business elites were shouting and gesturing like street thugs, it would be a laughingstock.
"Do you also conduct your meetings like this?" Sitting next to Fisher was a bespectacled man in his forties, apparently some kind of technical director for Stark.
He had been given a small share as a reward by Obadiah because of his patents.
"No, Atlas never holds shareholders' meetings!" Fisher pinched the bridge of his nose.
Although initially, for development, Atlas did release quite a few shares, later all these shares were reclaimed by Fisher.
Currently, Atlas only has less than ten percent of its shares in the hands of other shareholders, and these shareholders are mostly people from the Boston consortium, who only take money and don't interfere with operations.
In other words, Atlas had become his one-man show.
"That's truly unimaginable!" The IT guy tilted his head.
At this point, a new group of people was arguing on the floor, and the purpose of their argument was also about the choice of CEO.
Some felt they could do it too, while others wanted to recommend the leader of their own small group.
In short, spit and teacups were flying everywhere; only chairs were missing.
"Enough, all of you!
I recommend Mr. Fisher Adams!" At this moment, the executive who had met Fisher on the first floor suddenly jumped out.
"I..." Looking at the gazes in the room instantly falling on him, Fisher was tempted to send that executive to Africa to manage his branch company, but unfortunately, this gentleman was Stark's employee.
"Ahem, that suggestion is unnecessary.
I'm very busy normally and unsuitable for this position, but I do have a candidate.
Why don't you consider them?" Fisher coughed, then said.
"Oh, Mr. Fisher, who do you think is capable of such an important role?"
"I recommend Ms. Pepper Potts!"
"???"
...The conference room instantly fell silent, and Pepper Potts was even more dumbfounded.
As for Stark, although he maintained the pretense of playing on his phone, judging by his perked-up ears, Stark was also startled.
"Mr. Fisher, you must be joking!"
"No, why would I joke?
I nominate Pepper Potts to be the new CEO of Stark Industries.
Who is in favor?
Who is against?" Fisher stood up, hands on the table, his sharp gaze sweeping over everyone in the room.
In favor? Against?
The shareholders present remained silent.
Everyone remembered what this guy's background was.
Atlas's private army had operational and deployment rights even domestically.
Now that he had made a suggestion, who would oppose it?
Who would dare to oppose it?
"I... object!" A young shareholder who had spoken earlier stood up.
"Alright, if that's the case!" Fisher snapped his fingers, and then John walked in with two men in black suits.
"Congratulations to this gentleman for winning our Atlas Shipping Group's three-month African tour grand prize package!
John, quickly send him to the Democratic Republic of Congo; the tribal chief there is already waiting!
What are you standing around for?
Get him on the plane!" Fisher gestured with his chin, indicating.
"Wait, wait, I've changed my mind, okay?" The young shareholder looked at John, whose arms were thicker than his own thighs, and stammered, sweating profusely.
"I'm sorry, it's too late!" John gave what he thought was a benevolent smile, grabbed the scrawny shareholder, and picked him up like a child.
Watching the unlucky man being led away, the remaining shareholders looked at each other.
One of them suddenly stood up, "I also agree that Ms. Pepper Potts should be the CEO of Stark Industries!"
"Yes, we agree too!"
"Ms. Pepper Potts is young and promising; I also approve!"
The previously bickering shareholders immediately formed a united front, unanimously supporting Pepper Potts.
The contract is already drawn up, but I don't want to sign it anymore, so conflicted.
It was originally an August 8th matter, but it's been dragged on until now.