Stark Industries Board of Directors

"Mr. Stark is back. I need to pick him up at the airport. The Military doesn't like too many people going over there, so I'm very sorry. But you can wait here."

Pepper Potts, Stark's female assistant, would later be appointed by Stark as the CEO of Stark Industries.

Of course, Harry did not mind.

"Of course I don't mind, but I'd better wait in the lounge. This is your CEO's office, after all." Harry acted like a model citizen.

That made Pepper think even more highly of Harry.

Some time ago, the Osborn Group had begun buying up Stark Industries stock, which had put her on guard—she had considered all sorts of possibilities: hostile takeovers, malicious short-selling, and other common methods of attack.

But the acquisitions soon stopped. The Osborn Group had put its funds into Hell's Kitchen's renovation plan, and several brand-new schools and welfare homes had now been built there. Public safety had improved considerably.

Besides, a new shareholder holding 7% of the shares was not a problem for Stark Industries at all.

In truth, Harry had long since used hidden cameras to record every inch of the physical model Howard had left behind—who told them to love displaying it so much?

But then again, if Harry had not been a transmigrator, who could have guessed that the secret of this entirely new artificial element was hidden inside such a crude model?

"So, are we just waiting like this?" Heli asked as he handled company business on his computer.

"Of course. What else did you want to do? This isn't the Osborn Group office building. There are cameras everywhere."

"That's not what I meant!"

Neither did I, Harry thought, shrugging.

"Stark is holding a press conference. Right now." Heli closed his laptop.

"A press conference the moment he gets back? Looks like he's about to announce something big." Harry rose to his feet. "Where's their Board of Directors meeting room? I'd like to take a look around."

"...So I've decided to shut down Stark Industries' weapons manufacturing division! Effective immediately!"

Stark's press conference descended into chaos just like in the original plot. Obadiah's impromptu explanation failed to redirect people's attention.

The news spread at once, and the whole public erupted.

The directors of Stark Industries hastily convened a Board of Directors meeting.

"Does he even know what he's doing?!" One director was practically cursing. "What is an arms dealer supposed to do if it doesn't make weapons?"

"Does he understand that he's the company's CEO? Everything he does has to be accountable to the company!"

"We can't let him keep acting so willfully!"

"If he can't keep bringing profits to the company, perhaps we should replace him!"

Harry sat off to the side, watching them argue as though he were enjoying a show.

Heli carefully observed every director's expression from the side. Harry had instructed him to continue increasing their stake in Stark after this; he needed to determine which directors might accept a share transfer agreement.

Under the gaze of the many directors, Obadiah slowly opened his mouth.

"No. We still need Tony. We can't possibly replace him at a time like this. The news is already out. What we need to consider now is what to do next."

Obadiah clearly had plans of his own. He knew more than the others.

And he was not wrong. What mattered to the directors was the future.

"Obadiah, you have the best relationship with Tony. What exactly is he thinking?"

"Maybe his trip to Afghanistan scared the courage out of him. Or maybe, just as he said, he suddenly became a humanitarian. To be honest, I'm not sure."

Obadiah's words once again sparked discussion among the directors.

"But... Tony is a smart man. You all heard what he said today."

"A new direction for development—one that's suitable and aligned with the nation's highest interests? Bullshit." One director spoke disdainfully.

"But his brain has never let us down. Let me talk to him. I'll find out what he wants to do."

"Hmph. Then you'd better do it quickly!"

Harry stretched and looked over at Heli.

"Well? You got it all down, right?"

"Yes. Quite a few of them seem genuinely disappointed. Stark's stock will plummet tomorrow." Heli stood nearby. "Does the plan need to change?"

"No. Wait until the price drops by fifty or sixty points before making a move."

"I think it might drop even further. But it seems you really think highly of Mr. Tony Stark." Heli shrugged and noted down Harry's words.

Harry remembered that in his previous life, Stark's share price had dropped by more than fifty points the next day. He did not know whether Obadiah had secretly released news about the Reactor, but in this life, Stark's stock would only fall harder.

Because Nuclear Fusion had already been commercialized by the Osborn Group.

The meeting ended, and the directors went offline. Just as Harry was about to leave as well, Obadiah walked over.

"Mr. Osborn, I'm sorry that your first Board of Directors meeting had to involve something like this."

"Don't worry about it. No one could have predicted something like this."

Harry waited for what would come next, only to see the bald man fall into thought instead.

After a moment of silence, he said:

"Mr. Osborn, do you think it's possible to build an Arc Reactor by hand?"

"Not very likely. You know, Doctor Otto and I did a great deal of preliminary work before we turned this technology into reality. If you watched our Completion Ceremony, you would have seen that the thing was huge—and extremely precise."

"And if I remember correctly, Stark Industries has an Arc Reactor too."

Stark Industries did indeed have such a reactor, but its energy output was lower than its energy input. It was more useful as decoration and a way to fool investors than for any practical purpose.

Harry wasn't quite sure what Obadiah was trying to probe for. Perhaps he suspected that Harry had learned about the reactor?

His actions had indeed given Obadiah reason to be suspicious.

Unfortunately for him, he would never guess that Harry had invested in Tony Stark simply to play it safe by leeching off Tony.

Without Tony Stark, Harry would have run that company into the ground long ago.

Obadiah fell silent for a while longer, then said something Harry hadn't expected.

"Does Osborn Group intend to buy Stark Industries?"

Harry really wanted to say yes. If buying the company's ownership meant Tony would work for him for free, he really would do it.

But a straightforward corporate acquisition might not make Tony submit. He could always go off and start some other company, which would greatly reduce the value of the acquisition.

As for why everyone now thought Osborn Group wanted to acquire Stark Industries... Harry felt there was nothing about his actions worth concealing. If others insisted on thinking that way, he couldn't stop them.

"Mr. Stane, that is a matter of company strategy. I'm afraid I can't answer," Harry said as he rose to his feet. He stood a full head taller than the bald man, looking down at him. "But I truly hope Stark Industries can get through this crisis. I bought your company's shares under considerable pressure."

"Now, I need to return and deal with my own problems. If your company runs into financial difficulties, I believe I can offer some assistance."

Osborn Group was practically raking in money every day now, and Harry was worried he had nowhere to spend it.