Gwen the intern

It was already four or five in the afternoon when Li Qi returned to the headquarters at Stark Tower in New York.

The setting sun still hung high in the sky like a gigantic ball of fire. The fiery red clouds resembled a magnificent painting, covering almost the entire northwestern part of New York City, including most of Manhattan.

Those brilliant colors bathed the entire five-hundred-meter tower in an orange glow, making it seem draped in a dreamlike veil.

He went to the luxurious office on the tower's top floor. The interior was lavishly decorated, with several priceless paintings hanging on the walls and enormous floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the bustling expanse of New York City.

He called Tony Stark and Pepper Potts over through the internal phone.

During this time, Tony and Pepper Potts had remained at Stark Tower, busy reorganizing and expanding the business. The weapons manufacturing division had already been drastically downsized.

In addition, the acquisition of Hammer Industries had been completed. Its selfish, petty-minded president, Mr. Justin Hammer, had been stripped of his actual authority over the company and sent home to retire.

Li Qi had not utterly destroyed the short man.

Tony Stark had also taken care of another task Li Qi had assigned him-expelling his father's business partner from the company.

That master researcher of his father's generation had already passed away. Tony Stark had secretly brought his only son back to the company and placed him under strict watch.

After hearing the report, Li Qi frowned slightly and fell into a brief silence, considering new plans for the company's development.

Then he nodded and waved his puppet, Tony Stark, out of the luxurious office, keeping Pepper Potts behind.

Pepper Potts wore a finely tailored white secretary's uniform that hugged her shapely figure. Delicate patterns were embroidered at the collar and cuffs, and paired with black stockings and high heels, it made her look elegant and capable.

Her hair was tied up in a high ponytail, revealing her long, fair neck. With her head slightly lowered, she held a stack of documents Li Qi had already signed.

Li Qi glanced at Pepper Potts, whom he had not seen for over half a month. A trace of tenderness flashed in his eyes, and he beckoned her closer.

Pepper Potts obediently raised her head slightly, a faint blush appearing on her face. With light steps, she approached Li Qi, whom she had been longing for day and night, and set the documents on the desk.

Li Qi told Pepper Potts to finish her work and come keep him company that evening.

A hint of delighted surprise flashed in Pepper Potts's eyes. She nodded gently, her gaze full of obedience, then carefully turned to leave, her retreating figure looking particularly graceful.

Li Qi smiled, his expression carrying a hint of relaxation after fatigue, then used the internal phone to instruct the company kitchen to prepare an employee dinner for him.

After the long journey back to headquarters from Ta Lo Village with the construction crew, he had not stopped to rest. He decided to stay at the headquarters tower that night rather than return to the villa in Malibu.

He summoned the AI, JARVIS, and sat in the comfortable executive chair, leaning forward slightly as he earnestly asked about the progress in locating Paradise Island.

JARVIS reported truthfully that the search was actively underway. Several dozen promising leads were being investigated one by one, and he expected to determine its approximate location within two days.

Li Qi nodded, a trace of urgency in his eyes, and told JARVIS to speed things up. He also proposed offering a monetary bounty worldwide, with a reward starting at five million for anyone who could provide information on Paradise Island's location.

JARVIS agreed and immediately posted the bounty on both the surface web and the dark web.

Before long, Pepper Potts came in pushing a food cart. On it were two employee dinners with extra portions and ingredients, with fragrant steaks, fresh vegetable salads, and delicious desserts served on exquisite plates.

Pepper Potts gently pushed the cart in front of Li Qi and said with a smile, "Sir, dinner is ready."

After eating dinner together, the two spent the night on the tower's top three floors.

These three floors were the private quarters of Stark Industries' president, equipped with a gym, a swimming pool, an entertainment center, and other facilities. Li Qi also planned to build a mech hangar there.

The night passed. The next day, Li Qi had Pepper Potts continue handling company affairs while he idly twirled a pen in the president's office, his gaze casually sweeping over the company's internal surveillance feeds.

Just then, a woman on the surveillance feed from the company's front lobby caught his interest.

She had dazzling, sunshine-bright blonde hair and emerald eyes like deep lakes. Her figure was slender and curvaceous, and although she wore only a simple T-shirt and jeans, they could not hide her youthful vitality. Carrying a handbag, she hurried through the entrance with a slightly anxious expression.

Li Qi found the woman very familiar and rather interesting. Narrowing his eyes slightly, he curiously asked JARVIS to pull up her information.

In an instant, rows of text and photographs appeared in midair.

It turned out that she was Gwen Stacy, currently an intern at Stark Industries, where she had been working for over half a month.

Li Qi had been Stark Industries' president for nearly three weeks, yet he had never seen this intern before. He had not expected to discover her by chance while checking the surveillance feeds.

He had JARVIS search the company roster. Unexpectedly, Peter Parker was not interning at the company alongside Gwen Stacy, leaving him wondering where the kid was at the moment.

Li Qi did not dwell on Peter Parker. Instead, he developed a keen interest in Gwen Stacy.

The corners of his mouth lifted slightly into a meaningful smile. Using the internal phone, he instructed the head of human resources to tell Gwen Stacy to come to his office.

Li Qi leaned heavily against the soft backrest of his executive chair and propped his legs on the desk before him, settling into a leisurely, comfortable pose. A trace of anticipation in his eyes, he waited for Gwen Stacy to arrive.