Chapter 39: Chapter: 39
"Why did it turn out this way, Mark? How did Pepper suddenly propose to resign? I thought our progress was going well recently—"
On the way home, Tony, still unaware that he had been tricked by Mark and Pepper, drove while constantly texting Mark, with a confused expression on his face.
Mark suppressed his laughter and said seriously, "Focus on driving, Dad. Pepper's resignation could be attributed to two reasons. First, she's unhappy with her work and finds her boss unbearable, so she decided to quit in a fit of anger, seeking liberation."
"That's impossible!" Tony quickly interjected, "I'm handsome, wealthy, and have an agreeable personality as a boss. How could anyone dislike me? Besides, I..."
Tony clearly wanted to come up with more reasons to refute Mark's viewpoint, but after pondering for a while, he couldn't think of any evidence that would prove he's a good boss. The atmosphere in the car suddenly fell silent.
Mark didn't want to push Tony further into despair all at once. He didn't want this prank to end prematurely, so he reassured Tony, "Alright, alright, let's assume you're a good boss. Pepper didn't resign because of that. It's probably the second reason: she found a company that offers better salary and benefits, so she decided to switch jobs."
"But when I tried to persuade her to stay today, I told her I would give her a raise, but she still didn't agree to stay." Tony said with some frustration.
"In that case, I think it's very likely there's a special third reason." At this moment, Mark, who had been skillfully leading Tony into the trap, finally revealed the carefully prepared snare.
"There's another reason!? Tell me, what is it?" Tony, upon hearing this, stopped the car on the roadside and stared straight at Mark, seeking an answer.
"Well, isn't it because you want an office romance? You've been teasing her all along, without making any commitments or publicly acknowledging it. It makes her feel like your secret mistress. Isn't that tarnishing her reputation?"
"And if she likes you and you like her, then that's one thing. But the problem now is that you haven't clearly expressed your intentions. The girl has lost her patience and doesn't want things to be awkward in the future at work, so she can only resign, right?"
"Is that so?" Tony's eyes lost focus as he murmured.
"That's exactly it, there's no mistake!" Mark's plan succeeded, and he quickly offered a definitive answer.
"Then, What should I do next? I don't want Pepper to leave me! you have to help me, Mark!" Tony completely fell into the trap set by Mark, oblivious to the fact that he was seeking advice from the mastermind behind it all.
Of course, Mark wouldn't refuse Tony's request. Since Tony willingly walked into his role as a puppet, how could Mark let go of this opportunity?
"First of all, you need to give Pepper some time to think calmly. Tell her to take a few days off, rest well, and consider whether she really wants to resign. If she realizes it herself, then the next steps will be easier."
In reality, this first step was to give Pepper and Mark time to discuss their plans, to figure out how to manipulate Tony next.
"Next, even though you've given Pepper a break and temporarily stabilized the situation, you can't take it lightly. At this point, you need to show her that you care, let her feel your inner affection. That's the key to changing her mind."
This second step, Mark no longer had the intention of teasing Tony. After all, the purpose of his actions this time was to make Tony anxious and let him know that if he didn't seize the opportunity, a good match like Pepper would run away.
So, they need to create opportunities for the two of them to spend time together and understand each other's feelings. This requires Tony to take the initiative.
"And then the final step..." Mark paused at the crucial moment, not saying anything, wanting to create suspense.
"What is it?" Tony cooperatively adopted a posture of seeking advice, blinking his watery eyes like an elementary school student in class.
Seeing Tony's appearance, Mark, whose vanity was satisfied, continued, "The final step is, of course, to express your feelings! As long as Pepper agrees to be your girlfriend, even if she really changes jobs, she won't be able to escape, right?"
"Yes!" Tony slapped his thigh suddenly, showing an enlightened expression. But soon his expression turned gloomy again, as if he had changed his mind, "If I had the confidence and courage to confess, would things have turned out like this today?"
"Hey! You coward, there's no hope for you." Mark truly didn't expect Tony Stark, a renowned playboy who had slept with countless beauties, to be so pathetic when faced with true love.
"It seems that I can only go with the flow. I hope things will develop like in a movie plot." Mark silently thought to himself.
...
Because he was disgusted by Tony's cowardly behavior, Mark remained silent all the way, and Tony felt embarrassed to strike up a conversation with Mark. The two of them returned home without saying a word.
"Jarvis, good evening."
As always, Mark greeted Jarvis when he returned home.
"Welcome home, sirs."
"Do you think you're the only superhero in the world, Mr. Stark? You have become part of a larger universe, you just don't know it yet."
In the dim corner of the living room, a bald black man with an eye patch suddenly appeared in front of the Stark father and son. He seamlessly blended with the environment of the living room, to the extent that neither Tony nor Mark noticed his presence after returning home.
"Who are you?" Seeing that this stranger could break through his set security system and intrude into his home, Tony immediately shielded Mark behind him and asked cautiously.
"I am..."
Boom!
Before the intruder could finish speaking, he suddenly collapsed to the ground, leaving Tony, who had already tensed his nerves, stunned in place.
It was the noise made by Mark rushing out from behind him that brought Tony back to his senses. But seeing Mark actively rushing over, preparing to tie up the person, Tony knew for sure that it was the work of this Kid.
Mark single-handedly helped the stranger onto a chair. He tied the person up with the strap and pressed a button on it. The strap automatically tightened, securely restraining the person.
"What's going on? Explain it." Tony stared at Mark, adopting a stance of honesty for leniency.
Mark raised his hand and waved the watch on his wrist. "Hehe, this is an accessory I invented to go with the magical suit — the anesthesia watch."
As he spoke, Mark pressed the "B" button on the watch, and with a click, the watch face popped open. "It's used for aiming. I embedded a tranquilizer needle and an ejection device in the dial. It never misses within a range of ten meters. This big guy here fell into a stupor after being hit by my tranquilizer needle."
"The belt is made of graphene material and has adjustable properties, capable of stretching and changing between 0.1 meters and 100 meters. Very convenient."
"Why do I feel like you're better prepared in terms of security than I am?" Looking at his son covered in high-tech equipment from head to toe, Tony silently sympathized with the big guy who had broken into his home. If he had any malicious intentions, he definitely picked the wrong person.
If the unconscious one-eyed bald man could know what Tony was thinking at this moment, he would definitely cry foul. He was just a regular guy, trying to put on a show and discuss an important matter, who would have thought he'd be slapped in the face right away!
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