A Different Tony Stark

The boardroom at Stark Industries had always been a place of controlled discussions, quiet negotiations, and measured power plays. Today, it was anything but.

The air was thick with tension. The moment Tony Stark walked in, every pair of eyes in the room locked onto him. Some were filled with barely concealed panic, others with thinly veiled fury. The long, polished table reflected the harsh fluorescent lights above, and scattered around it were printed reports showing exactly what had happened to the company's stock in the last few days.

It wasn't good. But Tony already knew that and it was all according to his plan. Accordingly, he also had been busy buying back some stocks from the people who were ready to jump from the 'sinking ship'.

Obadiah sat at the far end of the table, his hands folded in front of him, expression unreadable. That was a bad sign. It meant he was calculating, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

Tony pulled out a chair and casually sat down, stretching his arms across the backrest like he didn't have a care in the world. "So, who wants to start?"

The expected explosion came almost immediately.

"What the hell was that, Tony?" An older board member barked at him, a man Tony only vaguely remembered. "You walked onto that stage and just...just...shut down our weapons division like it was a damn lemonade stand!" He was obviously one of the furious ones.

"Because it needed to be shut down." Tony said smoothly, tapping his fingers against the armrest. "We can do better and so we will do better. I'm just getting rid of the dead weight."

"Dead weight?" Another board member, a woman with short black hair leaned forward. "Tony, military contracts make up nearly 60% of our revenue! You just tanked the company's most profitable sector without warning! Did you even consider the repercussions?"

Tony exhaled, glancing around the table. "I'm not blind. I know how much money our weapons division brings in. But I also know where those weapons end up. I saw it firsthand. I was held captive by people using Stark weapons, our weapons, against innocent people. I refuse to let that happen ever again. And if any of you have a problem with that, you're free to take your stock options and walk."

"We understand that what happened to you changed your perspective. But business isn't run on feelings. It is run on strategy. We all think you should understand that before deciding on critical matters." Another member of the board said, barely containing his rage for losing a lot of money.

"Well, you're certainly wrong about that but let's say you're right that emotions aren't needed in a business. Let me ask you in return, should we really sell weapons to terrorists? Is that something we really should associate with the Stark Industries? Is that good for our brand? Let me see who thinks so." Tony looked around to see everyone's reactions.

"Mr. Stark, no one said we should sell to terrorists. We're just saying it is excessive to shut down an entire department for a minor mishap."

"Minor mishap? If you can remember, I almost died Mr. I-don't-know-who-you-are."

The one who just spoke immediately shrunk back from Tony's sharp gaze.

"Regardless of that incident," Tony continued brushing off the comment as he retracted his gaze, "You know, there's this thing that baffles me. I can't seem to find any documents regarding any transactions with terrorists. And of course, I wouldn't find any right? Everyone here knows the consequences if we ever sell to terrorists. The government would be all over our ass if they managed to prove that. I remember my father experienced being a fugitive once when his inventions were stolen and he couldn't explain himself properly. But I digress."

"So what you're saying is, Mr. Stark, there's someone from the company selling Stark weapons to terrorists off-books?"

Obadiah almost flinched but he kept his poker face on.

"You're quite smart, Mr..." Tony's voice trailed off. He couldn't remember not because of his memory but the OG Tony never bothered knowing their name.

"Byrne, Edward Byrne." He answered.

"Right, Mr. Byrne. That's a possibility and another one is that some of our loyal costumers are selling them off for profit despite the precautionary clauses we included in every contract. Nevertheless, it is only logical to shut down the whole department, don't you guys think so?" Tony said as he leaned back.

Obadiah finally spoke, his voice slow and deliberate. "What the board is saying is what you did is excessive. You don't just cut off your primary revenue stream without a replacement lined up. So tell us, what's your plan?"

Tony smirked. "Glad you asked, Obie." He leaned forward, pressing a button on the sleek remote he had brought with him. The room lights dimmed slightly, and a holographic projection flickered to life in the center of the table.

Blueprints. Designs. Concepts.

At the core of it all, the arc reactor.

"Gentlemen, meet the future of Stark Industries." Tony said, gesturing toward the projections. "We are pivoting to clean energy, advanced security, and next-generation technology that doesn't need to rely on mass destruction to turn a profit. The arc reactor is only the beginning. Imagine every city powered by self-sustaining energy, every hospital running on unlimited power. We can build better, smarter defense systems that protect people without collateral damage. And best of all? Unlike missiles, we won't have to sell them to the highest bidder just to stay afloat."

Another long silence.

One of the board members scoffed. "You're replacing missiles with batteries?"

Tony grinned while thinking that OG Tony must have been frustrated when others cannot fully understand what he was saying. "Not batteries, energy solutions. Weapons have a shelf life. Energy doesn't. Not to mention, the enormous possibilities for this tech."

"This is insane," Byrne muttered. "The investors are going to pull out. The military will blacklist us. We can't just abandon everything we've built—"

"Everything we've built?" Tony cut in sharply. "Let's be clear on this, this company...exists because of Howard Stark, and now it's mine. So let's stop pretending any of you have been calling the shots. You're here to advise. I decide."

A heavy pause followed.

Obadiah chuckled, but there was no humor in it. "And if the board votes against you?"

Tony met his gaze without hesitation. "Then I'll remind them who owns the majority shares in this company."

The message was clear: You can fight me, but you will lose.

Obadiah's jaw tightened. He knew better than anyone that Stark Industries was still Tony's company at the end of the day. The board could complain, threaten, throw every legal loophole at him—but unless they forced him out, he had the final say.

After a long moment, Obadiah leaned back in his chair. "We'll discuss this further. But for now, I suggest you tread carefully, Tony. Decisions like this make enemies."

Tony just smirked at him. "Let them try."

With that, he stood up, straightened his suit, and strolled out of the room.

This was just the beginning.

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