After the press conference ended, only Tony, Pepper, and Alex remained in the conference room.
Alex reached into his briefcase and pulled out the 20% of Stark Industries shares he had secretly bought during Tony's absence.
"Tony," Alex said, handing them over, "I bought these while you were… missing. I thought you should have them."
Tony raised an eyebrow, a small smile forming."Alex, keep them with you," he said. "It's better this way for now."
Alex nodded in agreement.
Shareholdings Discussion
Tony continued, outlining the shares:
"I have 30% from Howard's will, plus 25% from Obadiah. That gives me 55% of the company."
Alex leaned in, listening intently.
"Combine your 10% from Howard with your 20% secretly bought, that gives you 30%. Second-largest shareholder, solid position."
Alex nodded. "Makes sense. And the remaining 15%?"
"Leave it with the shareholders who didn't sell. Let them deal with it," Tony replied.
Satisfied, Alex closed his briefcase.
Brotherly Lunch
Tony suggested grabbing a meal. Alex drove them to a Chinese restaurant, where Tony and Pepper tried a variety of dishes.
The flavors were exquisite, and the trio chatted lightheartedly over lunch, laughing and enjoying the brief break from corporate and superhero chaos.
After lunch, they dropped Pepper at her house, exchanging polite goodbyes, before Tony and Alex headed back to Tony's villa.
An Unexpected Visitor
Entering the villa, the lights were off.
As soon as they stepped inside, the lights snapped on. On the sofa sat a tall black man, calm and authoritative.
"Who are you?" Tony asked, standing protectively in front of Alex.
"I'm Nick Fury, Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.," the man replied smoothly. "And yes, Mr. Stark, I am aware of Iron Man."
Tony glanced at Alex. "Did you know him?"
Alex shook his head. "No. But they've tried to recruit me as a consultant for S.H.I.E.L.D. twice before. I rejected them both times."
Fury's piercing eyes scanned both brothers. "The world is changing. To protect it from extraterrestrial threats and global crises, we need people like you. That's why we created a program called Avengers. We recruit people like you to safeguard the world."
Tony scoffed lightly. "I'm not joining any super-secret boy band or something like that."
Fury turned to Alex. "And you? You could join S.H.I.E.L.D. as a consultant, R&D division. The benefits are extensive—resources, technology access, global research programs—"
Alex calmly raised a hand, pointing to Tony."My brother and Avalon Industries can provide all those benefits. Plus, I have connections in the research community."
Tony chuckled at Alex's confidence. Fury's expression faltered.
After a tense pause, Fury sighed. "Third time's the charm… apparently not."
He left the villa, knowing deep down that Tony would eventually join the Avengers, but for now, both brothers had their priorities.
The stage was set. The world had changed, Iron Man had returned, and Alex's secret influence over events remained unseen.
And with that, the story transitioned into the Iron Man 2 timeline, with new threats, technology, and challenges awaiting both brothers.