The atmosphere in Stark Tower's office was extremely solemn.
Obadiah sat at the head of the table, looking somewhat hesitant. Howard sat across from him, seeming as though he wanted to speak but held back.
Stark and Pepper sat on the left and right sides, facing each other, and the expressions on both their faces were equally dramatic.
Unsurprisingly, everyone's gaze was fixed on Stark. The air had been frozen for quite some time before Obadiah finally spoke. "Tony, I understand your concerns completely, but I'm afraid your current state makes you very unfit to participate in the company's management. You can't withdraw your project proposal for the nineteenth time. The shareholders' patience is limited."
Pepper was even more direct. Staring at Stark's face, she said, "Tony Stark, I'll say this one last time. All of your private doctors, as well as Dr. Rodriguez, believe that your Anxiety Disorder has relapsed and that you need to rest."
Howard cleared his throat and said, "Tony, constantly staying in the lab isn't a solution. If you keep avoiding things like this, it'll only make the situation worse. Look, the conflict between you and Pepper before could have been completely avoided."
"Then what do you want me to do?" Stark raised his voice. "Waste my best years lying in a hospital? I was doing perfectly fine before any of you were around!"
Pepper naturally knew how hurtful those words were, especially to Howard, so she immediately cut Stark off. "Don't say that, Tony. We don't want to leave you with an impossible mess to clean up once you come to your senses. Indulging you like this would only hurt you."
"I don't understand why you people have to meddle in my business!" Stark practically roared. "I'm staying in the lab and doing experiments