"Breaking News! The mastermind behind the attempted assassination of the Stark brothers turns out to be none other than their own uncle, one of the founding fathers of Stark Industries, Obadiah Stane! Is this the distortion of humanity, or the collapse of morality?"
"Yesterday, Obadiah Stane committed suicide by jumping from the top floor of a five-star hotel. Evidence of his numerous crimes was swiftly exposed by concerned citizens, including but not limited to, "
"Hiring assassins, attempted murder, racial discrimination, foreign interference, sexual harassment of underage girls, and supplying weapons to multiple international terrorist organizations..."
"...That concludes this report. We will continue following this story as it develops."
Stark Tower.
Obadiah's former office, now Leon's.
Lounging in the executive chair with one leg crossed over the other, Leon casually exited the news tab on his computer, shaking his head with a theatrical sigh.
"If he knew it would end like this, why even start down that road?"
"If he'd just stayed in his lane and quit the scheming, would I even be sitting here now?"
That's right.
With Obadiah, one of the company's top brass, out of the picture, Pepper had promptly dragged Leon in as a last-minute stand-in.
She'd forcibly saddled him with the role of Executive Director, originally Pepper's own position in the main storyline.
Staring at Stark Industries' stock plunging off a cliff on the screen, Leon curled his lip.
"Go ahead, sell it all. You'll regret it soon enough."
Obadiah's scandal had sent the already shaky company stock into a full-on nosedive.
Investors were panic-selling like they were tossing away a hot potato, scrambling to cut their losses.
But little did they know, this was merely the growing pain before Stark Industries soared to even greater heights.
Just wait, once Tony publicly announces that he's Iron Man, the company will rise from the ashes and blaze its way to a new golden age. Everything will bounce back.
And Leon? He was already busy buying up all those "hot potato" shares investors were dumping.
He'd originally wanted to kindly remind them not to give up on Stark Industries. To believe in Tony.
But then they started getting nasty.
Mocking Tony's "weak kidneys" was one thing, after all, it was kind of true.
But claiming Leon "couldn't get it up anymore"?
Now that was crossing the line.
Leon? Let that slide?
Not a chance.
So he tossed his conscience out the window.
Once the stock rebounds, he'd flip it from his left hand to his right, make a killing, and leave those trash-talkers drinking cold wind from a paper cup. Serves them right.
Just then, a knock came at his office door.
"Come in."
Leon coughed and interlaced his fingers under his chin, striking a pose of corporate dignity.
But the moment he saw Pepper walk in, he flopped back in his chair like a salted fish with no dreams.
Pepper, dressed in a sleek black secretary suit and holding a folder of documents, walked up to his desk with a knowing smile.
"How's the Executive Director chair treating you, Leon?"
"Don't even ask, Pepper."
Leon gave a bitter chuckle.
"If picking up women were a school subject, I'd ace the final exam. But running a company? That's not my forte. Aren't you worried I'll drive the family business into the ground?"
"Given the state of things," Pepper replied flatly, "the company might not even last long enough for that."
"That's why, as the second son of Stark Industries, it's time you set an example."
She knew exactly how to handle Leon. Without missing a beat, she laid out a series of profiles, young ladies and mature beauties alike, across his desk.
"Even if you do nothing but sit here, letting the public think that Leon Stark, who used to party his way around the globe, is now working hard to save the company… that's good enough."
"Even if in reality, you're just picking up women in a different setting."
"Pepper, you really get me."
"Long live mutual understanding!"
Leon was practically moved to tears. He reached for the profiles to inspect their 'credentials' but Pepper promptly slapped her hand over them.
"Leon," she warned, eyes narrowing. "These are respectable applicants for the position of Executive Director's secretary, not your personal harem."
"I know, I know."
Leon waved it off and sneakily pulled the stack out from under her hand, beginning to flip through the pages seriously.
At the same time, Pepper leaned in to highlight a few points.
"They're all PhDs in economics and business management from top universities. You'll have no problem running the company with their help."
Hearing this, Leon raised an eyebrow. Pepper was hinting at something.
"So, Pepper… who do you think I should pick?" he asked. "They're all... well-endowed, err, I mean, excellent. I'm a bit overwhelmed here."
Pepper shot him a glare before decisively pulling the last resume from the bottom of the stack.
Leon hadn't reached it yet, so he didn't know what this one looked like. His curiosity immediately piqued as he followed the folder in her hand with his eyes.
"Sharon Kate," Pepper read aloud.
"Graduate of Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania. Fluent in Russian, French, Mandarin, and Italian. Dual PhDs in Finance and Management, plus degrees in Marketing and Real Estate."
"And…" she added.
"She's your junior, isn't she?" Leon teased, smirking. "Gotta love that upperclassman looking out for her junior vibe."
Pepper nodded. "That's true. But she really is the most competent and versatile candidate here, especially in business and diplomacy."
"In other words, all the things I suck at," Leon quipped.
"Exactly," she agreed.
Leon took the file from her hands and reviewed it closely.
"Whoa~ She was even an exchange student at that University?"
"Yes. I think you two will get along just fine."
"She's the one," Leon concluded. "Pepper, you should've brought her to me directly instead of going through all this."
"This is your secretary, not mine," Pepper replied dryly. "Your opinion matters most."
"And besides, every applicant deserves a fair chance."
"Come on, Pepper. Like we said just now, people are inherently biased. There's no such thing as true equality."
"Hmph."
"Well, look at you now, dropping philosophical one-liners. That's some nice progress, Mr. Young Master."
Pepper chuckled, covering her mouth like she was soothing a toddler.
"Oh, please. Spare me that tone. You're giving me goosebumps," Leon grimaced.
"Okay, okay."
"I've already messaged her. She should be arriving soon."
Pepper sent a quick text, then gave Leon a stern warning.
"Kate is a good girl, Leon. Keep your hands to yourself."
"She's also a licensed attorney. You don't want to end up with a harassment lawsuit."
"Got it, Pepper. Hands off, I promise."
But what Leon was thinking was: I'll just go for her sister instead.
A lamb served on a silver platter? Not Leon's style to say no.
Besides, she wasn't exactly a 'good girl' in his book. After all, she was a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, none of those girls had pure intentions. Leon had no moral qualms about messing with one.
Better to have her now than let her get tangled with Captain America later, fall for him, get ghosted, and go villain mode.
Leon happened to need a capable, and very capable, secretary right now.
Perfect timing.
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