Tony's Gift

The thought of "fighting for custody" had barely occurred to Luca before he rejected it himself.

For one thing, his mother, Gina, was only unconscious. She hadn't yet lost custody.

Although, by the looks of things, there was a good chance Gina would eventually be diagnosed as being in a vegetative state.

But even if they acted immediately, Dragan, an uncle with a history of gambling and drug use—

If Luca brought that to light, the court might award custody to Child Protective Services or place it under the management of a family trust, but it would never go to Dragan.

Besides, even if Dragan somehow got custody, the company's shareholders wouldn't let a man like him run the business.

Maybe I should see if I can collect some medical synthetic items later and try to wake Gina up.

If my cheat really works the way I think it does, there should be plenty of technological items from the medical field, too.

Setting that uncertainty aside for the time being, Luca immediately turned his thoughts in a different direction.

Where does Dragan get the nerve? He actually believes he can influence the board. Surely he isn't counting on their family ties to let him wield the voting rights attached to those shares?

Aside from that, let alone influencing the board, he had nothing to do with the company at all.

Did he secretly buy up shares? Where did he get the money?

Luca had seen far too many gamblers and junkies like him in his previous life. He didn't believe a man like that could turn his life around with money in less than two years.

If he hadn't gone bankrupt and buried himself in debt, Luca would have considered it a sign that he'd reformed.

What did he use to persuade the other shareholders? Or does he have someone backing him?

Luca had little experience with the company's business, and though his mind was racing, he couldn't make sense of it.

Looks like I'll have to wait for Shamira to deal with this uncle first, then see if she can pry some information out of him.

Now Luca was almost grateful that the idiot had jumped out and exposed himself instead of plotting in secret.

A guy with his brains fried could have stayed hidden, but instead he'd stepped out and challenged them head-on.

No, that's not right. This seems to suggest he has someone backing him.

Just as Luca's thoughts raced, the clacking of high heels drew nearer.

At the same time, after the earlier farce, gasps rose from the guests who had been about to leave.

Luca instinctively reached for his waist and turned around quickly.

But when he saw who had arrived, confusion replaced the look on his face.

"Mr. Orange, hello. Tony asked me to come and pay you a visit today."

The woman was tall and carried herself with brisk confidence. As she walked over, nearly everyone fixed their eyes on her.

Even people attending another funeral nearby turned to look.

Of course, it wasn't because of her striking looks so much as who she was.

The people attending funerals in this area were all wealthy or influential, and many recognized her at once.

She was the woman truly running Stark Industries.

"Ms. Potts?"

Looking at Tony Stark's official girlfriend, the famous Pepper Potts, Luca spoke softly, his expression a little strange.

Pepper studied Luca's almost startlingly youthful face, and a hint of tenderness flickered in her eyes.

In fact, Tony really had asked her to come.

But since she hadn't received an invitation to the funeral, Pepper had originally planned to meet Luca outside the cemetery and deliver Tony's condolences.

However, after noticing the commotion here, Pepper Potts had decided to come in unannounced.

But when she arrived and saw the guests leaving on their own, while the one-armed boy stood alone in front of the tombstone, stunned—

Even Pepper Potts, a businesswoman known for her decisiveness and efficiency, couldn't help feeling sorry for him. Her voice softened.

"Tony told me that you helped him a great deal during the Battle of New York."

"He sent me here today to express his sympathy for what happened to the Orange Family, and also to thank you for your help."

The guests who had been entertaining other thoughts after Dragan's scene now looked at Luca with envy when they heard Pepper Potts.

This was the CEO of Stark Industries, and she was bringing thanks from Tony Stark himself—the Iron Man.

Even after Stark Industries shut down its weapons division, and its relationship with the government and the military became less harmonious, its wealth and innovations in energy still placed it among the elite at the very top of the pyramid.

And Tony Stark's identity as Iron Man had truly saved all of New York.

With Stark's favor, a company the size of Orange Industries could take off overnight.

Luca himself, however, wasn't particularly excited. To him, they were all familiar characters from the movies he'd watched.

Even though he knew exactly how much influence Pepper represented, he found it hard to feel any awe toward these "familiar strangers." He simply waved politely and said,

"Ms. Potts, your coming to my father's funeral is an honor in itself. There's really no need to thank me."

But when she looked at the well-mannered boy before her, Pepper Potts merely shook her head and beckoned over her shoulder.

A moment later, a slightly plump man in a suit came huffing over with a long, rectangular case in his hand. He looked more like a director than a bodyguard.

The man was, of course, Tony Stark's personal bodyguard, Happy Hogan.

Happy handed the long case to Luca, then said nothing.

Pepper continued softly,

"Tony's been tied up with the reconstruction work and really couldn't get away. He asked me to bring you this gift."

Luca accepted the case, puzzled, his face full of confusion.

A gift at a funeral?

Seeing this, Pepper cautiously glanced at Luca's missing arm and said softly,

"You can open it and take a look. I think it'll help you."

Pepper Potts hadn't spoken loudly, but she hadn't made any effort to keep her words from the others, either.

Quite a few people stared in surprise and tried to peer over, wondering what the famous Tony Stark had sent Luca—and why Pepper Potts had delivered it in person.

But out of respect for the occasion, they could only stand where they were and crane their necks.

After hearing her, Luca didn't hesitate any longer.

He set the case on a chair, pressed the latch, and opened it.

When he lifted the lid, he saw a prosthetic arm lying in the center of the gold-and-red padded lining.

Its texture was delicate, and its skin looked completely lifelike. Apart from the hand facing the opposite direction, it was nearly identical to Luca's left arm.

If not for the dark, hollow socket at the elbow, Luca might have thought it was a real arm.

More importantly—

In Luca's eyes, the arm was glowing with a faint white light that only he could see!