Obadiah tried to play dumb and bluff his way through.
He naively thought that if he refused to admit anything, they might let him go.
But Luca had no intention of giving him another chance to put on an act.
He tossed the apple aside, stood up, and walked step by step toward Obadiah, who was huddled in the corner.
Seeing Luca approach, Obadiah swallowed and felt an inexplicable sense of pressure.
A moment later, Luca gently placed a hand on his shoulder.
The instant his palm touched Obadiah's shoulder.
Obadiah felt an overwhelming force bear down on him!
Damn it! No human could possess that kind of strength!
"Ah!"
Obadiah cried out in pain and dropped helplessly back onto the bed.
He looked up, his face full of terror, and demanded.
"Y-you... what are you doing?! Let go of me! I'm a founding member of the company! You can't treat me like this!"
Luca ignored Obadiah's shouting and turned to Tony.
"I've got him pinned down. Are you going to do it, or am I?"
Tony stood and slowly walked over to the bed.
This time, his expression was more serious than ever.
"I'll do it."
Then he pulled out a handgun and pressed its dark muzzle against Obadiah's bald head.
The cold touch made Obadiah shudder all over.
Seeing the terror in his eyes, Tony asked in a somewhat hoarse voice.
"Uncle Oba. This is the last time I'll call you uncle. But I really don't understand."
"Growing up, Luca and I always treated you like family."
"After Dad died, we always treated you well. We made you part of the Stark Family and gave you all the power and wealth you wanted."
"But why did you do it? Why did you collude with terrorists? Why did you send people to kill us?"
Obadiah now understood that his actions had been exposed.
There was no point in making excuses or pretending anymore.
Today, either they would die, or he would.
And so, caught between fear and resentment, Obadiah's face twisted into a ferocious snarl.
"Well?! Hahahaha! You call that treating me well?!"
Obadiah burst out laughing, spraying spittle.
"You're parasites! All you do is fool around, throw parties, and sleep with women! And me?!"
"Every day, I have to take care of countless trivial matters for you like some kind of nanny! I deal with difficult military representatives and placate angry shareholders!"
Obadiah grew more agitated as he spoke, his eyes bloodshot.
"Me! I, Obadiah Stane, have worked tirelessly to manage the company, making Stark Industries grow stronger and earning countless riches!"
"But who gets the credit? The media and the world only know to praise you so-called geniuses! All they know is the Stark Family! No one remembers what I've done!"
"It's not fair! Why should I have to follow behind you like a dog, cleaning up your shit?!"
"While you take the biggest share of the money without a care and enjoy a life without pressure every day! Stark Industries should have been mine long ago!"
Obadiah had lost control of his emotions, and his anger kept mounting.
Suddenly, a flicker of killing intent flashed in his eyes.
Taking advantage of the moment Tony was shaken by his words, Obadiah quickly reached toward the half-open drawer of the bedside table.
His handgun was hidden there for self-defense!
If he could get the gun, he could definitely turn the tables and kill the two boys at such close range!
It was a fine idea, but reality was harsh.
Before Obadiah could even touch the table.
"Bang!!!"
A deafening gunshot exploded through the bedroom!
Without even blinking, Tony pulled the trigger without hesitation.
A searing bullet instantly pierced Obadiah's head.
Blood and brains splattered out, spraying across the white wall.
Obadiah's eyes were filled with shock and disbelief.
He seemed to want to open his mouth and voice more of his grievances.
But his vocal cords could no longer make a sound.
His vision blurred rapidly, and everything before him began to sink into endless darkness.
At last.
With a dull thud.
Obadiah fell heavily onto the bed.
Bright red blood quickly spread across the sheets.
He was dead.
Killed by the nephew he had always wanted to eliminate.
After firing the shot.
Tony stood rooted to the spot, motionless.
Although he had prepared himself countless times before coming here.
Now that he had actually killed the elder who had watched him grow up with his own hands, Tony still found it hard to accept.
It felt as though a stone were pressing against his chest, and even his breathing grew heavy.
Luca didn't feel good either.
He couldn't help letting out a deep sigh.
He stepped forward, put an arm around Tony's shoulders, and gave him two firm pats, offering silent comfort.
Then Luca took the still-smoking handgun from Tony's slightly stiff hand.
"It's all over, Tony."
"Let the past stay in the past. Come on, it's time to go home."
Tony's rigid body trembled slightly.
He closed his eyes without saying a word.
When he opened them again, he had regained his composure.
Without another unnecessary word, Tony followed Luca out of the room filled with blood and betrayal.
Outside.
Luca pulled out his phone and called Pepper.
She picked up after just one ring.
"Thank goodness! Luca! Where on earth are you?!"
Pepper's anxious voice came through the phone.
"Happy got back over half an hour ago. But he waited in the garage for ages and never saw your car!"
"Where did you go? Are you hurt? Did you run into danger?!"
Listening to Pepper's string of anxious questions, Luca could imagine her pacing around in a panic.
"Pepper, calm down, we're fine. But you need to go to the company now and urgently announce an unexpected development to the media and the board."
"What is it?" Pepper paused.
Luca glanced behind him and said calmly.
"This morning, Mr. Obadiah Stane, a founding member of Stark Industries, unfortunately passed away at home. The medical examiner determined that the cause of death was a sudden heart attack brought on by prolonged work-related stress. Do you understand?"
At those words.
Pepper fell silent on the other end of the line.
She already understood what had happened.
After a full half-minute of silence.
Pepper suppressed her shock, and her voice grew calm again.
"I understand. I'll take care of it. The major media outlets will receive the obituary for their headlines within half an hour. I'll make arrangements with the hospital too."
"Good." Luca nodded and continued giving instructions.
"Also, send a few professionals to Obadiah's villa to clean up the scene."
"Make sure they clean it up as thoroughly as possible. Too much happened tonight, and we're tired. We're heading back to rest now."
"I understand. Leave it to me." Pepper's voice grew gentle.
"Oh, right, the kitchen just made some cheeseburgers. I've put them on the coffee table in the living room, so you'll see them as soon as you get back. Eat something before you sleep."
Luca paused when he heard that.
He felt the warmth of home.
But he soon stopped and glanced at Tony, who was following behind him.
Then he took the phone away from his ear and held it out to Tony.
Tony was a little confused and hesitated.
But he stepped forward and put the phone to his ear.
"Thank you, Potts."
Tony's voice was somewhat low, but he made no attempt to hide how touched he was.
It was the first time he had thanked Pepper so sincerely.
Hearing Tony's voice, Pepper immediately laughed.
"It's my job, Tony."
"After all, we're... family, aren't we? Hurry back, the burgers are going to get cold."
With that, Pepper quickly hung up.
The busy signal beeped in the receiver.
Tony held the phone, a little confused.
What did Pepper just say? Family?
He looked up blankly and met Luca's meaningful gaze.
Tony's face turned red for once.
He immediately shoved the phone back into Luca's hand and spoke in a haughty tone.
"What are you looking at me for?! You heard her just now, she said it herself! She's the one who said we're family!"
Luca fought back a smile and spoke with a perfectly serious expression.
"Of course, of course. I heard it all. Pepper was indeed the one who said it first. After all, how could our great and charming Mr. Tony Stark ever think about getting married and starting a family? That would be an insult to a genius."
Hearing Luca's sarcasm, Tony immediately flew into a rage.
"Fuck! What do you mean by that?! Are you making fun of me for being afraid to face my feelings? What is Tony Stark afraid to face?!"
Luca spread his hands and put on an innocent expression.
"I'm not making fun of you. You just admitted it yourself. I was only repeating the facts."
"Damn it, do you even know what true love is? All you know is how to undo women's bras!"
"Thanks for the compliment. That's a profound art in itself."
The Rolls-Royce started up again and headed toward Malibu, driving into the rising sun.