In the bright and spacious Stark Group office, a robust figure in a suit stood by the window. The door was knocked, and the bald man who turned around had a grey beard. He squinted against the light.
A black woman in a sharp security uniform walked in. After she entered, she gently nodded to the bald man, and visibly, the bald man relaxed.
"Mr. Obadiah, the job you wanted us to do is done. Where is our payment?" the black woman spoke.
"Don't rush. I need to hear of Tony's death before I pay," Obadiah lifted his chin, his face etched with lines sinking into the shadow, resembling the mysterious and dark side of the moon.
"He's dead for sure." The black woman raised her communicator, "The Ten Commandments ain't for show. They've prepared a wealth of explosives, hidden along Tony Stark's inevitable path. Once the car goes over, then 'BOOM'..."
The black woman raised her hand in an explosion gesture, but she did not notice the fleeting dark light in Obadiah's eyes.
The office door was suddenly knocked again. The black woman turned her head abruptly and narrowed her eyes warily. Obadiah held up his hand to signal her to be calm, lowering his voice to say, "Perhaps it's Pepper notifying me about a board meeting."
"Or more likely, they've come to announce his death," the black woman smirked triumphantly.
However, the person at the door was not a secretary in a suit, but a security guard in uniform. Obadiah hummed in dissatisfaction, saying, "What's the matter? Can't you just call?"
"I'm sorry, Mr. Obadiah, your designated secure satellite phone received a call from an unknown number, and we're unsure if we can notify you via regular electronic communication. Would you like to personally go to the security office?"
Obadiah deeply furrowed his brows as the black woman ignored the guard's expression. She walked forward and shut the door with a bang, turning to Obadiah and saying, "It could be Tony Stark's distress call. You can't answer."
Obadiah revealed a hesitant look, the black woman stepped forward and said, "Sir, you've already taken this step, there's no turning back now. If Tony Stark survives, he won't let you off."
"He doesn't know..."
"He will eventually."
Obadiah took a deep breath, seemingly making a decision in his heart. He let the black woman open the door and asked the guard, "Where's the signal coming from?"
"Within America, sir."
Obadiah completely relaxed, looking at the black woman and saying, "It could be a secret contact I made with a device manufacturer. As you know, some devices need to come in through the Mexican border."
Having spoken, he adjusted his suit and tie and swiftly left the room, taking the elevator to the security department.
The satellite phone was on hold. The moment Obadiah picked up the phone, he heard a deep voice from the other side.
"He knows."
"BEEP― BEEP― BEEP―"
The call was hung up.
Obadiah's hand holding the phone's receiver turned veiny. He turned to the black woman who followed him, staring fiercely at her, "Tony Stark isn't dead! Someone said he knows!"
"Who said that?!" The black woman rushed over to look at the phone number. Unfortunately, anyone could tell that it was a disguised virtual number and hard to trace.
Obadiah's lips tightened, his cheeks sagging, making him look more gloomy. Taking a deep breath, his chest nearly burst out of his suit.
Without lingering, Obadiah pushed past the black woman and walked out, turning back to say, "Tony will be less forgiving to those who attacked him directly. If he comes back alive, none of you will get away!"
Watching Obadiah's retreating figure, the black woman couldn't keep her composure any longer. Her fingertips started trembling as she took a deep breath, picked up her phone, and quickly left the building while speaking in a language that Americans couldn't understand.
In another office, Pepper flipped her hair back and placed her phone to her ear, hearing the familiar voice of Stark. She said with some confusion, "Tony, what's wrong? Is everything not going well with the inspection in Afghanistan?"
The noise from the other end was a bit loud, but Stark's voice came through clearly, "Nothing's wrong, the inspection is going well, it's just... I just wanted to hear your voice. Carry on with your work."
"What's wrong, Tony?" Pepper said anxiously, "It's really noisy there. What are you doing? Oh my God! Are you trembling? What happened to you? Tony! Tell me quickly!"
Pepper heard Tony on the other line take a deep breath and say in a tone she's heard countless times before under the pretense of being calm, "We just experienced an attack...oh my God, oh my God, Pepper, don't freak out. Listen to me, listen!"
"It was really dangerous. Our car overturned, and many people were throwing bombs to blast us. But fortunately, we met a mercenary named Erik, and he saved me."