Inside the chairman's office.
Kyle glanced indifferently at the female secretary. She immediately understood and tactfully walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.
With the door closed, the office seemed to have turned into a cage. Stane, sitting on the office chair, appeared weak and slouched in the chair, unable to hide his fear and anxiety. He cautiously spoke, "Mr. Kyle..."
Kyle raised a finger and gently waved it, coolly reminding him, "Obadiah Stane, here at Stark Industries, you shouldn't address me like that."
Stane blinked, and it didn't take him long to realize something and cold sweat dampened the lining of his suit as he wiped the sweat from his forehead and awkwardly said, lowering his posture, "I understand... Majority Shareholder."
Indeed, he was the Majority Shareholder, the largest and most veteran shareholder of Stark Industries, holding an eighty-five percent stake in the company.
What did eighty-five percent ownership mean? It meant having complete control over the industry! With a single word, he could directly change the future direction of the industry!
"How does it feel to face a superior like this?" Kyle chuckled lightly, taking a step forward and sitting down on the guest chair in front of the office desk, crossing his legs. Raina stood quietly behind him, serving as a beautiful backdrop.
"It feels good," Stane forced a smile that looked more miserable than crying.
Previously, he had partnered with other shareholders, collectively holding ten percent of the shares, which had, to some extent, suppressed Tony, who held a five percent stake.
Now, Kyle seemed to be taking back control and coming as the Majority Shareholder, completely suppressing him without a hint of hesitation.
"As the Majority Shareholder, I have something to announce here," Kyle said in a low voice.
"W-what is it?" Stane had a bad feeling in his heart. He took a deep breath, looking at Kyle nervously.
"That is, from this moment on, you are fired from your position as the CEO of Stark Industries, and you will never be rehired," Kyle said casually.
He announced Stane's professional death sentence with just a few words.
"What did you say?!" Stane was completely stunned. He forced a smile and, for a moment, even suspected that he had misheard.
"You're fired. Do you want me to repeat it?" Kyle looked at him with an expression as if he were looking at an idiot.
Stane shivered, summoned all his strength to stand up, placed both hands on the desk, and stared at Kyle with wide eyes. His voice became hoarse as he said, "How can you do this?"
"I am the Majority Shareholder. Why can't I do this?" Kyle retorted. Didn't you like playing tricks? In this regard, he was a master.
Stane suddenly remembered that a few days ago, he had threatened Tony with the backing of other shareholders.
He had played small cards, and now the big card had come out.
And this big card was outrageously powerful. Dealing with him was like using anti-aircraft artillery to shoot down a mosquito.
"While I've been at Stark Industries for decades, contributing my share of work, you're firing me with just a single sentence?" Stane's breath quickened, his eyes bloodshot, and he said with a trembling voice, "If Howard were here, he would never..."
"You have the audacity to mention Howard?" Kyle interrupted him, speaking coldly. "If it weren't for Howard's sake, do you think you would still be alive right now?"
Stane suddenly choked, his five fingers clenched into fists, and he stared at Kyle, unable to speak due to his suppressed anger.
"Now, while I'm explaining things to you, it's entirely reasonable to fire you. If you want to resolve it through legal means or by force, it's up to you," Kyle spread his hands and said, looking rather provocative. "You can handle it however you like."
Stane forced a smile. Legal means? With the absolute controlling stake, Kyle could easily dismiss him from the CEO position with a single word!
Force? The other party was hailed as the strongest hero; how could he possibly compete with that?
"Oh, by the way, relying on that might be... a possibility," Stane thought to himself, his eyes darting as he contemplated something.
He spoke in a deep voice, "Very well. You don't need to fire me. I can resign on my own, but please allow me to collect my belongings."
Kyle smiled and calmly said, "That won't do. Everything in this office belongs to the Stark Industry. The only thing you can take with you is your suit jacket."
"Don't push it too far..." Stane was furious, but when he saw the silver gleam in Raina's eyes behind Kyle, he immediately felt a chilling sensation, and his arrogance waned.
"Leave if you want to."
In the end, Stane could only leave with these words. He threw his employee card on the table and, picking up his suit jacket from the back of the chair, left the office in a somewhat disheveled state.
Once he was far enough away, Raina spoke coldly, "Boss, that old man had three fleeting thoughts of killing you just now. If it weren't for you telling me to spare his life earlier, I would have thrown him off this top floor a long time ago."
"So, that means the Iron Man machine that attacked the CIA was him?" Kyle asked, stroking his chin.
"That's right," Raina nodded and waved her hand towards the empty air, causing the office desk drawer to open automatically, revealing a worn and dimly lit circular core-type device.
Looking at the item suspended in front of him, Kyle smiled and said, "I didn't expect him to steal the old core from Tony's house while Tony was in the Middle East."
"I fired him, and he must have harbored resentment, wanting to activate that Iron Man machine for revenge. And now, the old core is in my hands, while the exposed new core energy source is only in Tony's chest."
Kyle analyzed the situation and concluded, "So, that old man immediately went to Tony's house, right?"
"Boss, that's absolutely correct," Raina smiled faintly. With her abilities, she could easily decipher the thoughts of this ordinary man, Stane.
"It's pretty much as I expected. The trap was set up, and I just guided him step by step," Kyle shrugged.
Stane, for him, was as weak as an ant, and he could easily crush him under his foot.
But for now, Stane still had some use. He could go all out, shine brightly, and become an experienced boss-level monster, helping his great nephew Tony level up.
An ability user who had everything handed to them on a silver platter wasn't called a hero. They needed to stand on their own, possess a strong will, and, most importantly, learn from their mistakes and use them as motivation to get back up after falling.
Since he was playing the role of a Godfather, he had to shoulder the responsibilities of one.
Kyle didn't mind. Within a controlled scope, he could create trouble and train the budding hero, Iron Man.
"Raina, it's time to go. Let's move to the next location."
Kyle snapped his fingers and walked towards the balcony of the office. On the sixty-eighth floor, the night wind outside tousled his silver hair.
With a pair of dark wings spread behind him, Kyle jumped onto the balcony railing, leaped into the air, and flapped his wings, creating a gust of wind as he flew into the night sky above the bustling city.
Raina's eyes sparkled with silver light, her black hair fluttered, and she floated in mid-air, surrounded by a faint silver glow on her skin. She flew out from the balcony, following closely behind Kyle.
(End of this chapter)