Money was a wonderful thing.
Justin Hammer understood that better than most.
But the advantage that had always served him so well could no longer help him.
The Iron Soldiers had gone out of control, and even War Machine, whom the military had lent him, had malfunctioned.
The final explosions had caused enormous losses.
A single Iron Soldier was worth $125.7 million.
The Iron Soldiers that had exploded were worth enough to buy an entire company.
That was before counting the damage inflicted on New York City.
This was a matter of national importance.
It was no less serious than a terrorist attack.
The friends Hammer had cultivated all distanced themselves from him after the incident.
The members of his company's board had also begun carving up its remaining value.
Hammer was completely finished.
From the moment he had chosen to rescue Ivan with a prisoner swap, he had become a fool marching step by step toward the abyss.
There was no denying that he was a successful businessman, but he was not a smart man.
After being hauled into the Police Station, Hammer provided a perfect demonstration of how everyone deserted a fallen man.
He, the mighty head of Hammer Industries, now faced imprisonment.
Though he had not masterminded the incident, Ivan was dead, and both the damaged Iron Soldiers and the dealings with the military had been his responsibility.
In the end, this cunning businessman had lost everything after a single call to the police.
"I'll be back! I'll take back everything I had, I swear!"
He glared viciously at the man opposite him as he spoke.
The other prisoner sitting across from Hammer looked around innocently.
He was only there for fifteen days for drunk driving. He hadn't done anything else.
Hammer angrily punched the wall, then grimaced in pain.
He had not lost absolutely everything. He still had money and shares.
Hammer's lawyer told him that things did not look good.
His reputation was already in ruins, and the falling share price meant his assets were shrinking.
With the facts clearly established, his imprisonment was a foregone conclusion.
All that remained was to finish the procedures before sending him to prison.
Though he hated it, Hammer knew this was the best outcome his lawyer could secure.
He hated Stark and Ivan to the core. The former had humiliated him, while the latter had played him for a fool and landed him in prison.
Right, there was someone else.
Pepper Potts, the woman who had called the police.
Once he got out, he would not spare a single one of them.
Even Jesus won't be able to save them. You have my word!
"Justin Hammer, come out."
The cell door opened, and a police officer stood outside, calling for Hammer.
Hammer's bravado vanished instantly. He rose and walked out, unease stirring inside him.
There should still be procedures left. Are they sending me to prison already?
He walked into a room.
The empty room contained only a table and two chairs, with the man opposite him sitting in shadow.
Hammer had expected an interrogation, but after he entered, the officer silently closed the door and left.
Only two people remained in the room.
Hammer was wearing simple clothes, while the man opposite him wore a sharp suit, looking just as smug as Hammer had when he rescued Ivan from prison.
An ice cream and a key sat on the table.
The key could unlock his handcuffs, and the ice cream gave off a tempting, sweet, creamy scent.
"Organic ice cream flown in from Italy. You like this, don't you?"
The man opposite him spoke.
Hammer picked up the key and unlocked his handcuffs. Sitting down, he asked, "Who are you?"
The hunger in his stomach made the ice cream tantalizing to his taste buds.
But he was still the head of a corporate giant. He stared at the man in the shadows, trying to make out his face.
"It's been ten years since we last met, Justin Hammer."
The man slowly sat upright, his face gradually emerging from the shadows.
That familiar face brought Hammer's memories back to the days when he had secretly sold weapons to an Arms Dealer.
"The War Lord, Yuri Orlov?" Hammer grew a little nervous. "What do you want with me?"
Orlov did not answer. He merely looked at the ice cream. "The ice cream is about to melt."
He gestured for Hammer to eat.
When at someone else's mercy, a man had no choice but to bow his head.
Though Orlov was now a legitimate businessman, the power he wielded behind the scenes made even Hammer deeply wary, despite his own company's greater size.
He could provoke Stark as recklessly as he pleased because Stark was Iron Man, a man who followed the rules.
The man before him did not. The person backing him was someone to be feared.
A single word from that person could plunge all of New York into chaos.
A week earlier, Hammer would certainly have stood his ground. At the very least, he would not have been this frightened.
Unfortunately, his money and his people were gone. He had to rein himself in.
The other party had already demonstrated his power by effortlessly having Hammer brought before him inside New York's police headquarters.
The ice cream in particular made his pupils contract.
The man had even learned exactly what he liked to eat.
What secrets could possibly remain hidden from him?
He felt like packaged merchandise, ready to be sold at any moment.
His value depended on whatever price the other party was willing to pay.
At that thought, he picked up the spoon with a heavy heart, without the slightest hint of ease or enjoyment.
Yuri Orlov watched the changes in Hammer's expression.
In truth, Hammer had misunderstood him.
He had no idea what Hammer liked to eat, but Ivan remembered perfectly and had a particularly twisted sense of humor.
Buying the shares in Hammer's hands naturally required a few tactics.
"I imagine you've seen this." Orlov placed his phone in front of Hammer.
On the screen was a chart showing Hammer's stock price plummeting.
Abuse poured in from every direction, while lawsuits from the friends and relatives of those injured at the expo came in like a tide.
Even Hammer could barely withstand the public outrage.
He gripped his spoon tightly, the scoop of ice cream trembling.
"What do you want?" Hammer stared hard at Orlov. "Did you come to humiliate me?"
"I'm not that bored. To be precise, I never wanted to see you in the first place." Orlov gave a derisive chuckle. "Stark and Hammer have practically monopolized Department of Defense contracts all this time."
"Hammer has now completely lost the Department of Defense's trust. Basically, it's only a matter of time before Hammer Industries goes under." Orlov sat opposite Hammer. "I can give you a chance to bring Hammer Industries back from the dead."
"Even with Hammer Industries in trouble, Taran Industries isn't capable of acquiring it." Hammer's face was livid.
Hammer Industries was a family business, passed down from father to son just like Stark's.
That shared experience was precisely why Hammer refused to lose to Tony Stark, who had also inherited his family's company.
Yes, Hammer Industries could be brought back from the dead.
But there was one prerequisite: a massive infusion of capital to stabilize its structure.
Taran Industries was a ten-billion-dollar company, but unfortunately, it was still far too small compared with Hammer Industries.
"I won't sell my shares," Hammer said firmly, spoon in hand. "Only a Hammer can inherit Hammer Industries!"
"Don't think I don't know what you're after," Hammer said angrily. "You want the Department of Defense contracts. Taran Industries' technology can't compare with ours. You want to swallow us up? Not a chance!"
"If someone hadn't told me to acquire Hammer Industries today, I wouldn't even be here." Orlov let out a dry laugh. "You don't seriously think Hammer Industries is still worth much after losing the Department of Defense's trust, do you?"
"I'll give you a choice." Orlov folded his hands over the expensive fabric covering his lap, his expression calm. "Either sell your shares to Taran Industries, or die in prison."
"You know someone can make that happen."
An undisguised threat.
This was Orlov's usual style.
He was not a conventional businessman like Hammer. He was an Arms Dealer.
Death was as common to him as stray dogs on the street.
Killing a businessman who had lost his power was as easy as putting on a pair of pants.
A chill crept through Hammer. He knew the man was serious.
Death, or compromise?
The ice cream was melting, and Hammer's time was slipping away.
"Even if you get my shares, you won't be able to take full control of Hammer Industries, will you?" Hammer finally wavered.
To him, his own life would always matter most.
"Who do you think I'm working for?" Orlov answered with a single question.
Wick.
The name surfaced in Hammer's mind, and he could not help shuddering.
His spoon fell. "Isn't he away from New York?" Hammer asked in disbelief.
"Yes, but his son is very interested in you." Remembering how he himself had been cornered, Orlov felt his teeth ache. "That kid is nothing like his father."
Wick's Son?
Hammer's thoughts were a little muddled. He only knew that Wick had a daughter.
Since when had he had a son?
Hiding him for so long-Watson Wick really is a calculating man!
Feeling the terror of the Underworld President once more, Hammer took a deep breath and tried to sway Orlov.
"He's just a brat, and you chose to give in?"
Having dealt with Orlov many times, Hammer knew the man was ambitious.
This was a man who dared venture into territories controlled by African warlords, laughing and cursing as he sold them weapons with more than a dozen AK-47s pointed at him.
Could a child really make him obey?
Orlov's expression turned awkward, and he grew irritated. "You're wearing out my patience!"
Of course I gave in. That kid has me by the throat. What else could I do?
That embarrassing episode from his past could probably be held over him for the rest of his life.
Seeing Orlov grow impatient, Hammer no longer dared stall.
He hesitated again and again. "I need you to guarantee my safety and reduce my sentence as much as possible."
"Agreed." Orlov picked up the spoon Hammer had dropped, scooped up some ice cream, and kindly fed it to him himself. "Finish your ice cream, then sign the contract."
Hammer awkwardly swallowed the ice cream.
"Dad controls quite a lot of shares."
John was examining the bonds and shareholding statements in his father's Safe.
As an underworld boss who had started out as a financial manager, his father did things a little differently from everyone else.
"Everything's still here, which means Dad could come back at any time. I wonder where he and Mom went."
After putting everything back in order, John picked up his phone and dialed a number.
It was the number he had obtained from Orlov.
But no one answered the call.
It seemed his parents had gone somewhere quite far away.
John pulled out another number and was about to dial it.
He saw the eye of the newly drawn Intruder Detection Charm open, then walked to the entrance and opened the door.
"Oh, I was just about to knock."
Tony Stark stood at the door without his armor.
His eyes peered inside, and John was not surprised to see him.
"Come in. I'm glad you knocked instead of flying straight in."
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