Hearing this, Henry instantly understood.
Assistant? What assistant?!
At this point in Iron Man, who else could it be but Lucy?
Wait, Lucy has arrived?
It must be her, but Henry felt no particular sentiment; he wasn't a foreman and didn't like drinking foot-washing water.
He smiled slightly, shrugged, and said casually, "Oh? Is that so? Well, where is she? I need to inspect the merchandise first. She better not be a two-hundred-pound brute who can punch a cow to death. You know, I'm not interested in that type."
"Of course not," Pepper was amused. She glanced toward the door.
"She went to get some documents for me and should be on her way up now."
Just then, the office door was gently pushed open.
Henry and Pepper looked over simultaneously.
A red-haired beauty, about 5'7" tall, walked in.
She was wearing a well-tailored black professional skirt suit, perfectly outlining her graceful and shapely figure.
Her beautiful red hair, like a burning flame, highlighted her already fair skin.
Her features were delicate, especially her green eyes, which were deep and alluring, as if hiding countless stories.
Henry merely glanced at her casually, his heart completely unmoved.
It was her, indeed—Black Widow, Natasha Romanoff.
At this moment in time, she was probably using an alias to infiltrate Stark Industries, sent by Nick Fury, that dark-skinned bald man, to monitor the two disobedient brothers.
This woman was indeed flawless in appearance. Her mature, charming, yet slightly dangerous aura was absolutely lethal to men.
But Henry had no interest in her.
Are you kidding me? She was a top-tier female agent; who knew what she had done?
Getting involved with a woman like her was no different from dancing on a knife's edge; one wrong step and you'd be covered in cuts.
Natasha didn't know that the man before her was giving her a thorough mental critique.
Honestly, this was the first time she had seen the legendary Playboy up close in person.
She couldn't understand why that damned Fury had assigned her to this tedious mission.
Monitoring a rich second-generation man who was useless except for being handsome, wealthy, and good at charming women?
It was an absolute waste of her precious time.
Well, he does have the title of Superman now, so maybe he's not entirely useless.
Natasha walked up to Pepper, handed her the documents, and said softly, "Ms. Potts, the documents you requested."
"Excellent, thank you, Natalie," Pepper took the documents, then smiled and looked at Henry, enthusiastically introducing them.
"Henry, this is Natalie Rushman, my new assistant."
Natasha also smiled and looked at Henry, extending her hand first, her face showing a professional smile and a hint of indiscernible curiosity.
"Hello, Mr. Stark, I've heard so much about you."
Henry shook her hand lazily, then immediately let go.
"I don't need to introduce myself, do I? The whole world knows me. Playboy, billionaire, genius, and now the title of Superman has been added. Honestly, my business cards are running out of space."
Then, his tone shifted as he looked at Pepper, saying with a meaningful undertone,
"However, Pepper, I must remind you of something. The world isn't very peaceful these days. When hiring a new assistant, you must keep your eyes open and observe carefully. I hear there's a new type of corporate spy on the market, one who particularly likes to disguise herself as a beautiful assistant, infiltrate major companies, and specifically monitor the boss."
As he spoke, he turned his gaze to Natasha, a playful smile on his face.
"Have you heard of this, Ms. Natalie?"
Natasha's pupils contracted imperceptibly.
As a top-tier agent, her instincts were screaming an alarm!
She could clearly feel that the man's words just now were absolutely not a casual comment!
His seemingly random gaze was like an X-ray, seemingly intent on seeing right through her!
Does he know my identity?!
But that was impossible!
This identity was S.H.I.E.L.D.'s top secret! No one knew except Fury and a few high-ranking officials!
How could he possibly know?!
Is he testing me?
Although her mind was reeling, Natasha maintained a perfect smile, seemingly unaffected.
"Mr. Stark is quite the joker," she said.
"I'm just a humble legal assistant; I haven't heard any stories that exciting."
"Is that so?" Pepper also chuckled to smooth things over.
"Natalie's background is clean, and she's very capable, Henry, so don't worry."
"Alright then," Henry shrugged, no longer pursuing the topic.
He knew that a subtle hint was enough.
A little scare for the female agent, letting her know this wasn't a place she could act recklessly, was sufficient.
Anyway, she was working for him, and he didn't care; it was just one more salary to pay.
They began discussing the afternoon's press conference.
"The government side has prepared their statement," Pepper said.
"Rhodey will also be there to attend with you. They hope this will give the public a reasonable explanation."
"An explanation?" Henry scoffed.
"And then what? Tell everyone we're cooperating with the government? And then they can use the banner of world peace to openly steal our Armor? None of those guys are good. My Armor will never be given to anyone. They can forget about it."
"But you're right about one thing," he looked at Pepper.
"Tony and I will give everyone an explanation. An unexpected explanation."
Pepper could only sigh helplessly after hearing that.
"The government has been putting pressure on me. It's best that you two respond."
Natasha stood silently on the side, like a genuine assistant, offering no comments.
She knew this wasn't her place to speak.
Moreover, Henry Stark seemed to harbor great hostility and mistrust towards the government.
She could make a point of reporting this back to Fury.
"Oh, by the way, any progress on Helen Cho's research?" Henry suddenly asked.
"It's still in the initial research and development phase," Pepper replied.
"Perhaps you could find time to go take a look. You're better at this than Tony, aren't you?"
"If the narcissist heard that, he'd definitely break up with you," Henry joked, then stood up and stretched.
"But you're right. Remember to arrange a car later; I'll go check on Helen Cho's R&D progress. I don't want my investment to go down the drain."
Pepper and he exchanged farewells, and Henry strode out of the office.
Watching his confident figure leave, Pepper couldn't help but complain to Natasha, "See, that's how they are; they're always like the wind, coming and going as they please."
Natasha smiled slightly, not taking the bait, but complimented him instead: "Geniuses are always a bit unique. Mr. Stark is quite special."
Pepper shook her head, but a gentle smile appeared on her face.
For Henry, who was like a younger brother to her, she could only indulge him.
"Yes, he certainly is a genius. A genius that you love to hate."
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