By 7:30 in the evening, nearly all the invited guests had taken their seats in the main exhibition hall.
At the sound of a click, most of the lights went out, leaving only a few dim yellow lamps to illuminate the room.
As light, soothing opening music began to play, the spotlights and stage lights came on one after another. The beams stood out against the darkness, naturally drawing everyone's attention.
The reporters in particular were on high alert, many of them clutching pens and paper, ready to take notes at a moment's notice.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Thunder Industries' product launch."
A woman dressed to the nines glided to the center of the stage, microphone in hand, and delivered the opening remarks.
Her appearance sent a wave of commotion through the hall. Except for a handful of people in the know, everyone instinctively looked toward Tony Stark, seated in the front row. The cameramen filming from the back quickly swung their lenses toward the two of them.
The person onstage wasn't Lee Stein, but a woman in an evening gown.
"I'm Pepper Potts, acting CEO of Thunder Industries."
Pepper Potts's introduction sent the already buzzing crowd into an uproar.
"What's going on? Did I come to the wrong place? Is this a Stark Group product launch?"
"She clearly said Thunder Industries. Isn't Pepper Potts the CEO of Stark Group? And Tony Stark's girlfriend, too. How did she become Thunder Industries' acting CEO?"
"Did Tony Stark actually get his staff poached by Lee Stein?"
"This is huge! The biggest news ever! We've hit the jackpot!"
The quiet venue had become a marketplace, with overlapping voices filling the room.
People whispered and exclaimed to one another, their eyes darting between Tony Stark and Pepper Potts. Some gossip reporters had probably