Chapter 51: Shareholding

**

Tony Stark did not disappoint Link's expectations. During his public announcement, he declared the closure of Stark Industries' weapons division, which left Obadiah Stane utterly shocked. Stane rushed to implement damage control, but his efforts were futile.

The stock market reacted swiftly, with many beginning to sell off their shares in Stark Industries. Jessica was equally astonished.

Their foundation relied on the dividends from Stark Industries' stock, so she quickly turned to look at Link, only to find him smiling with excitement.

"Dear, our stocks…" Jessica asked urgently.

"Don't worry, I sold them a while ago. In fact, I'm shorting Stark Industries' stock right now. We're going to make a hefty profit from this. It's definitely worth celebrating! Call Trish and set up a dinner for tonight," Link said, standing up, rubbing his hands in excitement.

Money wasn't of much concern to him, but this achievement was still something to celebrate. Though he had the advantage of foresight, he executed the operation flawlessly.

From this point onward, money would never be an issue for him. With the profits he earned, he could even become a shareholder and join Stark Industries' board of directors.

Jessica was momentarily stunned. "How did you figure this out?"

"That's a secret. Anyway, stop thinking about it. Let's focus on where to eat tonight, and just watch Stark Industries' stock plummet!" Link responded, choosing to keep the details to himself. After all, it was hard to explain.

Jessica nodded, then pulled out her phone to call Trish.

---

Link hadn't received any calls from Coulson yet, which was understandable, given that Tony Stark was based in Los Angeles and the Stark Tower in New York was still under construction. Tony rarely spent time in New York, so there was no need for Link to get involved yet.

As he watched Stark Industries' stock continue to drop, Link prepared to close his positions and return the borrowed shares to the financial institutions. This was the standard practice for short-selling—selling high and buying low, with the profit being the difference between the two.

He had traded about $14 billion worth of stock and stood to gain more than half of that as profit. After accounting for significant interest payments, his total assets would exceed $10 billion. He then planned to purchase 10% of Stark Industries' stock at its lowest point.

Holding more than 5% of a publicly traded company's shares required public disclosure of the shareholder's information. Though Link had no formal occupation, he owned a charitable foundation, and the foundation's information would be disclosed instead.

Once Link completed all his transactions, Coulson finally called.

"Link, you really surprised me. You actually became a shareholder of Stark Industries?"

"Not me, it's my charitable foundation," Link corrected. "What's up?"

"Can you come to Los Angeles? I need your help," Coulson asked.

"Sure, I was already planning on it. Stane is going to hold a board meeting soon, and Jessica will be attending," Link replied.

Stark Industries had lost over $100 billion in market value, and Link had acquired his shares at the lowest point, spending nearly $9 billion to reach a 10% ownership stake. However, since the shares were held under the charitable foundation's name, Jessica, as the foundation's director, would be attending the board meeting.

The two of them had already booked their tickets, and Link had anticipated Coulson reaching out to him.

---

In Los Angeles, after checking into the hotel, Jessica felt a bit nervous. "Link, how should I act at the board meeting?" she asked.

"Focus on the foundation's interests. Just say that the foundation's future operations depend on Stark Industries' profitability," Link advised. "You can temporarily support Stane."

"Temporarily?" Jessica looked confused.

"Yes, temporarily. You don't need to worry about anything else. This is an internal power struggle between them, and we're not involved. You're just going there to cast a vote," Link reassured her. "If there's more to it, we'll deal with it later."

"Alright, I'll do my best," Jessica said, taking a deep breath to calm her nerves.

After an early night of rest, Jessica took the hotel's car to Stark Industries' headquarters the next day, while Link went to meet with Coulson.

"Hey, long time no see," Link greeted, shaking Coulson's hand. "What's the situation?"

"Stark escaped on his own. We're very interested in how he managed to get away," Coulson explained.

Link raised an eyebrow. "Weren't you guys keeping an eye on him?"

"I was recruited right after the kidnapping. But when Stark was taken, why didn't you make a move?" Link pressed.

Coulson sighed. "We didn't expect it. He was visiting a U.S. military base—who would've thought he'd get kidnapped?"

"Afterward, we couldn't search for him openly; it would've raised too many suspicions."

Link nodded, his earlier suspicions confirmed. "This situation smells fishy. There's no way he could've been taken without precise intel from the inside."

"I've been trading Stark Industries' stock since his disappearance, and I noticed something odd: the stock didn't plummet as one would expect. It stayed relatively stable. That's not normal."

"Unless someone had prior knowledge and made preparations to stabilize it," Link explained.

Coulson caught on immediately. "So you suspect this was an inside job?"

"I think Stane is behind it. No one else could stabilize the stock so effectively, and he's the one who stood to gain the most from Stark's disappearance. He also had access to Stark's travel itinerary," Link concluded.

"You're right. I need to report this to the Director," Coulson said, dialing Nick Fury. The two spoke at length while Link stepped aside, lighting a cigarette as he waited.

Link's goal was simple: to demonstrate his value while avoiding direct conflict whenever possible. He knew the Iron Monger armor was too durable for his firearms, though perhaps he could use a sniper rifle. Still, he hoped to avoid a fight altogether.

When Coulson finished his call, he returned to Link. "Here's the deal—the Director wants you to investigate Stane. I'll continue working with Stark."

"Alright. I'll get started on it soon. But I might need some equipment. Do you have a local branch here?" Link asked.

"We do. I'll take you there," Coulson replied, gesturing for Link to hop in the car.

They quickly arrived at the Los Angeles branch, housed in yet another impressive building. S.H.I.E.L.D. clearly had deep pockets, which made sense—New York and Los Angeles were both major international cities, each requiring its own branch.

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(End of Chapter)