Tony: I Don't Understand!

"How did you survive that car accident?"

"Luck."

"Where have you been for the past three months?"

"Lying in the ocean."

"How did you deal with those kidnappers?"

"Superpowers."

"How is that possible? I heard you used a nuclear bomb. Is that true?"

"That's a rumor."

"Is that how you're going to brush me off?"

"Just tell me what I can say."

"A plant."

"Oh~ God, I'm going crazy!"

"Are you even human?"

"Fuck!"

Afterward.

Christine, now in cooldown mode, took several photographs and a key from her bag and handed them to Leon.

"This is what you call taking responsibility?"

Leon flipped through the photos one by one. They showed a group of refugees transporting weapons under the threat of armed thugs, with all sorts of advanced Stark Industries weapons on display.

"Judging by your expression, this doesn't seem to surprise you. This town is called Gemira. It has been occupied by a group of heavily armed terrorists, and they're carrying weapons produced by the weapons division of your Stark Industries—the division you claimed had shut down production."

"If these photos reach the public, Stark Industries will face a severe crisis of confidence. Your already plummeting stock price will continue falling to rock bottom."

Christine's hair was disheveled, sweat still lingering on her collarbone and face. Wrapped in a white bedsheet and leaning against the headboard, she exposed a pair of delicate bare feet as she watched Leon set down the photos by the bed and rise to get dressed.

"What are you trying to say?"

Leon asked.

"Stark Industries is at its most dangerous point right now. One wrong step, and it could fall beyond redemption. Don't you plan to do something?"

"For example, investigate who authorized the shipment of these weapons."

Christine offered the pointed reminder. In a sense, helping Leon meant helping herself.

Though it was only a suspicion for now, after some investigation, Christine had tentatively set her sights on Obadiah Stane, the uncle of the Stark brothers.

Next.

As long as she made Leon suspicious of Obadiah, his brother Tony would surely begin investigating once he found out.

That way.

Things would become much simpler.

That had been Christine's plan, but no matter how carefully she calculated, she had never expected...

"I know."

"It's all Obadiah's fault."

"Whether it was my car accident, Tony being kidnapped by the Ten Rings, or these weapons getting leaked."

"What??"

Leon's sudden full confession left Christine, who had already organized her words in preparation to keep persuading him, completely stunned.

Was this really Leon Stark, the man supposedly unrivaled as the number one playboy?

Christine suddenly felt that the Leon before her was a complete stranger.

"When were these photos taken?"

"Just yesterday."

"All right, I understand."

"You've worked hard, darling."

Leon bent down and lightly kissed Christine on the forehead. Even after he had left and she was alone in the room, Christine remained unable to process what had just happened.

Why did being acknowledged by him make me feel so happy...?

Christine's heartstrings, stirred by Leon's kiss, were unusually thrown into disarray.

After savoring the feeling for a long time.

Christine dragged the bedsheet with her and prepared to get out of bed. But the moment her feet touched the floor, she tightly furrowed her brows, hissed in pain, and her legs gave out beneath her, sending her tumbling back onto the bed.

"Hiss—"

"What a beast!"

"Even a pile driver isn't as capable as you!"

Leon had barely stepped out of the room when Pepper came looking for him, and she seemed somewhat angry.

"Leon!"

"Hey, Pepper."

"Stane had people searching everywhere for you and couldn't find you. I've been looking for you for half an hour too. What were you doing for that entire hour? Don't tell me that at a time like this, you were still..."

She did not finish the sentence.

But Pepper's gaze was already becoming dangerous.

"Nothing like that."

Leon calmly waved the photos Christine had given him. "I was taking care of important business with a reporter friend."

The moment Leon finished speaking.

The door behind him opened from the inside.

"Leon, you tore the zipper on my evening dress. Hurry up and have someone bring me a new one. And also... uh, hello, Miss Pepper."

Christine, with only a white bedsheet covering the important parts, stared wide-eyed at Pepper. Leon immediately felt the atmosphere become exceptionally awkward.

Pepper's scrutinizing gaze swept back and forth between the post-coital Christine and Leon. She laughed in exasperation. "Leon, this is the important business you mentioned?"

"Well... why doesn't it count?"

Leon shrugged and simply gave up trying to defend himself.

The scene shifted.

Pepper, wearing a stern expression, had already dragged Leon into a VIP reception room to meet with Tony.

"Hey, my boy, what terrible taboo did you commit to make our gentle and virtuous Miss Pepper so angry?"

Tony teased.

"Don't mention it, Tony."

Seeing Pepper still glaring at him from the side, Leon's mouth twitched. He had no intention of giving Tony material to laugh at.

When he turned and noticed that only Tony and Pepper's family were in the reception room, he asked, "Where are Rhodes and Ethan? Why don't I see them?"

"Rhodes has something to do with the Air Force, so he couldn't come."

"As our company's chief scientific adviser, Ethan is busy with the company's upcoming transition. I gave him time off, but he refused. He said he wanted some peace and quiet."

Tony replied with a shrug.

"I see."

Leon nodded. "I think I probably know why Ethan wants some peace and quiet."

As he spoke.

He handed the stack of photographs to Tony.

"This is Gemira. I remember that's Ethan's hometown, right?"

Tony took the photos. His previously relaxed expression gradually turned solemn as he flipped through them one after another.

"This happened yesterday."

Leon added.

"Pepper, besides Leon and me, who else in the company has the authority to approve weapons shipments?"

Setting down the photographs, Tony rubbed his forehead tiredly and asked.

"The board of directors, and... Mr. Stane!"

"Tony, don't tell me it was..."

After answering Tony's question, Pepper realized it as well and made the unbelievable guess. He was Tony and Leon's uncle!

"I don't want it to be true either."

Tony sighed.

"Reality is often this absurd. He's already gone too far."

Leon said this, then turned and leaned close to Pepper's ear to quietly instruct her, "Pepper, I have something I need to ask of you... this, then that... remember to bring Happy with you."

"Mm!"

"I'll go right now!"

Pepper agreed solemnly, then jogged out in her high heels.

"..."

The reception room remained silent for a long time.

"Leon, tell me... Obie practically manages the entire company, and with my far-ahead technical support, what else could he possibly be dissatisfied with?"

Tony suddenly asked in confusion.

At that.

Leon let out a long breath.

If he had not inherited the memories of his past life, he probably would not have felt any better than Tony did now.

After all, he had been stabbed in the back by the person he trusted and cared about most.

"Maybe that's human nature."

"Once you have one sheep, you'll want two. Once you have two, you'll want three... Human desire is like a rolling boulder on a mountain. Once it starts, it can never stop."