In a large conference room in Stark Industries' office building, all company directors were present.
They sat in their respective chairs, conversing familiarly, their words containing considerable complaints about the late-arriving Tony Stark.
After Howard's faked death, Stark Industries had once fallen into difficulty. Under Obadiah's instigation, Tony Stark sold ten percent of the forty percent stake he'd inherited from Howard to save the struggling company, which led to the current board of directors.
Plus later when the company went public, Tony Stark divested another twenty percent as circulating stock. Now Tony only held ten percent of Stark Industries shares. After a series of share changes, the board's scale further expanded. Now there were nine directors total who controlled over ten percent of the company's shares.
So Stark Industries' actual control wasn't in Tony Stark's hands but with these board members seated here.
This was also Obadiah's scheme—undermining Tony through the board to control Stark Industries.
Toward Tony Stark, the board members, like Obadiah, only treated him as a tool to make money for them. Tony Stark continuously developed new weapons while they sold these weapons to anyone in need—whether national armies or terrorists. As long as they could bring them wealth, they didn't care whose hands these weapons fell into.
From this perspective, their philosophy and pursuits aligned with Obadiah's. So when Tony planned to close the weapons manufacturing department, they unhesitatingly stopped Tony's work, helping Obadiah seize power and letting him completely control the company.
This was also the result of Obadiah's years of scheming and hard work.
Now, the board's spokesperson Obadiah was dead. Tony Stark as board chairman had summoned them for a board meeting. They didn't know what purpose Tony had for convening this meeting.
Although he'd become some Iron Man, in their view he remained that playboy they manipulated. If it were them, they'd absolutely never publicly reveal their identity. He was still as arrogant and immature as before.
If he was sensible, they didn't mind restoring his work and letting him continue managing the company, making money for them.
After all, Tony Stark truly was a genius in weapons R&D. As long as he was willing to continue developing more advanced, more powerful weapons for the company like before, they would continue enjoying the endless massive wealth Stark Industries created for them as before.
If Tony Stark remained obstinate, they didn't mind continuing to restrict him and supporting a new obedient spokesperson. After all, Stark Industries' existing weapons technology was already enough for them to obtain huge profits. Without Tony Stark, they'd just earn somewhat less.
So when Tony Stark entered, the board members' gazes held no respect for the chairman but rather carried a condescending examination.
However, their gazes quickly shifted to several people entering with Tony Stark, especially when one tall, slender young Asian man with cold, stern, dignified features sat down in the head seat originally belonging to the chairman. Several directors couldn't help but furrow their brows.
"Tony! Who is this person?"
A man who looked over fifty, wearing gold-rimmed glasses with a mean-looking face, impolitely asked Tony Stark who'd just sat beside Chen Mo.
Tony Stark directly ignored his question without even glancing at him.
Dare speak to me with that attitude—like I'd acknowledge you!
Moreover, he didn't know how to introduce Chen Mo. Tell everyone this is my godfather, you can all call him Dad like me?
Oh wait, Uncle, because he's almost a hundred years old, just came out from under the ice.
You're all alive here pointing fingers thanks to his life-saving grace back then!
Tony Stark only convened the board meeting according to Chen Mo's request, but he wasn't clear about Chen Mo's plan. However, whatever Chen Mo wanted to do, he'd fully support him.
The director who'd just asked, discovering no one acknowledged him, turned red with anger. Glaring fiercely at Tony Stark, he turned his gaze to Chen Mo. Just as he prepared to directly question Chen Mo, Chen Mo's gaze suddenly looked toward him.
Chen Mo's eyes were indifferent and cold, chilling one to the bone, seemingly able to freeze one's soul. The sharp edge contained within made hearts involuntarily clench. The questioning words about to emerge were directly choked back. His proud head also unconsciously lowered, avoiding Chen Mo's gaze.
Chen Mo's gaze swept across everyone present. Those whose eyes met his—their originally proud expressions instantly changed dramatically.
These directors were just wealthy people controlling company power. Fundamentally just ordinary people. How could they compare to Chen Mo who'd killed countless people and wielded imperial power?
Under his sharp gaze they retreated one after another, not daring to meet his eyes. They couldn't help but feel some wariness toward this suddenly appearing stranger.
After calmly surveying the room, Chen Mo raised his hand and waved to Agent Phil Coulson behind him. As he and Pepper Potts stepped forward to distribute the files they carried to everyone, Chen Mo slowly spoke.
"I am this company's boss!"
Everyone present, including Tony Stark, was startled. Then they saw the documents Phil Coulson and Pepper placed before them.
With puzzled feelings, everyone opened the documents before them and began reading.
As they read through the documents, their expressions became increasingly colorful.
On top of the documents was a copy of a share transfer contract. This contract showed that seventy years ago, Howard sold sixty percent of Stark Industries shares to Chen Mo for sixty million dollars. In other words, the person named Chen Mo on the contract held sixty percent of the company's shares—Stark Industries' true boss.
Actually, everyone present knew Stark Industries had a mysterious major shareholder occupying sixty percent of shares but who'd never appeared or interfered with company operations.
Every year's massive dividends had always been transferred to Howard's personal R&D account. After Howard's "death" it changed to Tony Stark. So Tony Stark's research funding had actually always been provided by this mysterious controlling shareholder. If Howard hadn't previously spent all the account money researching anti-gravity technology, Tony Stark wouldn't have been instigated by Obadiah to sell shares to save the struggling company.
Although Tony Stark only owned ten percent of Stark Industries shares, he actually exclusively enjoyed seventy percent of company dividends. Each of the board's several directors only had about one percent each.
However, Tony Stark was obsessed with weapons and technology R&D, spending the vast majority of this huge income on experiments. The final results were handed to Stark Industries for production and sales, saving the company and other shareholders a huge research budget.
But the previous Tony Stark didn't care about these things. In his view, experimentation and research were his hobbies. He enjoyed the process. Stark Industries was also his own company—no need to calculate so clearly.
So these board shareholders had actually always been taking advantage of Tony, and felt perfectly justified.
Previously Tony Stark didn't care because ultimately seventy percent of profits still returned to his hands. Moreover, money to him was just a number. Stark Industries was established single-handedly by his father Howard. Now handed to him, he hoped to see it continuously develop and grow. Using his research results for his own company—why calculate R&D fees?
Of course now, after being schemed against by Obadiah and the board, Tony wouldn't be as naive as before.
Actually including Tony, everyone previously hadn't been clear about this mysterious major shareholder's situation. His information seemed deliberately hidden. Everyone only knew of his existence but no one knew exactly who he was, or why despite holding controlling shares he never participated in company management and even handed massive dividends to the Stark family to use freely.
This contract now resolved everyone's doubts. An additional clause on the contract specified that Chen Mo handed all proceeds to Howard for research use.
As for not participating in management, that was a private verbal agreement between the two. Of course, for them this was enough. If not for share ownership and profit distribution requiring formal documents, they wouldn't even need to sign a contract. Would Howard dare default on Chen Mo's account? Obviously he lacked the courage.
If Chen Mo defaulted, Howard could only endure it. Who told him he couldn't beat Chen Mo?
This contract's authenticity could be verified with one check. They didn't think it was fake. However, some discovered a problem.
"This contract was signed seventy years ago. Don't tell us you are Chen Mo?"
Although initially intimidated by Chen Mo's presence, with company control at stake, huge interests made them set aside their wariness.
At this time, Tony Stark, having finished reading the contract, spoke.
"You should know my father's identity. During WWII, he joined a special Allied department. One of his former comrades you've definitely heard of—Special Forces Commander Chen Mo!"
"The very person before you!"