As a melodious and graceful classical tune played, the time reached 5:40 PM, the usual clock-out time for most employees at Stark Industries.
Raiden had his legs propped up on the desk, leaning back in his chair and staring at the ceiling, lost in thought.
Maybe I should draft a proposal, like pushing back the clock-out time. Oh, how I wish to become one of those wicked capitalists!
"Knock, knock, knock" came the sound of someone at the door.
"Come in" Raiden said, lowering his legs from the desk and sitting up straight, turning his gaze toward the door.
"Boss, it's time to clock out" said Anna, Raiden secretary, as she walked in.
"Yeah, it's time" Raiden replied, resting his head on his hand as he looked at Anna.
"So, boss... do you need me to work overtime?" Anna asked, her eyes teasing as she walked toward Raiden, unbuttoning her collar as she moved.
Anna was very interested in Raiden, her handsome and wealthy boss. If she could just win him over, she believed it wouldn't be long before she got promoted, became the chief assistant, took on the role of CEO, married a tall, rich, and handsome man, and reached the pinnacle of her life!
Just thinking about it made Anna a little excited—so much so that she almost needed a pack of Qucci diapers.
"Uh" Raiden murmured, watching Anna boldly and provocatively approach him. This was in the office after all but he liked it!
Raiden watched her with great interest.
As Anna took off her blouse, standing in front of Raiden in just her bra, the two of them exchanging flirtatious glances...
Suddenly, the door was rudely pushed open, and Pepper voice came from behind Anna.
"Raiden, Tony—"
"Bang!"
A collision sound followed, and Raiden watched as blood slowly pooled on the floor. He knew he might have messed up.
Perhaps in the past few days, Raiden had learned to control most of his emotions, but in that moment of panic, he was caught off guard.
This was the first time he had felt such panic, and he couldn't control himself.
...
5:40 PM—for most employees at Stark Industries, it was clock-out time, the end of a day's hard work.
But for Pepper Potts, it was just an ordinary moment. The mountain of documents piled in front of her wouldn't diminish in the slightest just because of the time.
She was just a secretary—Pepper Potts, the secretary to Tony Stark, the chairman!
Well, maybe she could also add the title of executive assistant to her role, but the work she had to complete was actually the job of that damned chairman.
Pepper sat wearily in her chair. The comfortable and expensive executive chair didn't bring her any physical or mental relaxation.
Perhaps she should take a short break.
The clever Pepper found a suitable excuse to give herself a little rest. She would go check if Raiden had clocked out yet; she needed to remind him to go see Tony.
But out of habit as a strong-willed woman, Pepper took a cup of coffee and a file with her as she left the office, reading as she walked.
"Good evening, Miss Potts."
"Good evening, Miss Potts."
Along the way, employees clocking out—whether ordinary staff or company executives—all greeted Pepper politely.
After all, although Pepper position was merely that of a secretary, everyone knew that Pepper Potts was Tony Stark's spokesperson at Stark Industries. Her decisions were Tony Stark decisions.
Damn it, why hasn't Tony Stark handed over the chairman's position to her yet!
This was the sentiment of a few board members and some executives.
After all, having to respectfully greet someone whose position was much lower than theirs... it was still a bit psychologically uncomfortable.
Pepper kept her head down, reading documents as she walked straight to Raiden's office. The secretary's desk outside was empty.
Pepper placed the coffee in her right hand on the counter of the secretary desk and then pushed open the door to Raiden office.
"Raiden, Tony..." Pepper said, still looking down at the documents in her hand. But before she could shift her attention away from the file, a loud crash startled her.
Pepper looked up to see Raiden staring at her in a panic. On the other side, under the bookshelf, a disheveled woman lay on the floor, blood flowing from her forehead.
Wasn't that Raiden secretary?
"What on earth are you doing, Raiden!" Pepper threw the documents in her hand to the ground and hurried over to check on Anna's condition.
Pepper placed her hand near Anna nose and mouth. Her breathing was weak, but thankfully, she was still breathing. It seemed she had just fainted.
"I..." Raiden walked over and stood behind Pepper, at a loss for words.
Pepper stood up and turned to confront Raiden.
"Raiden, what exactly is going on? Look at this poor girl."
"Sorry, I was just startled for a moment, and instinctively... I'll call 911" Raiden said, pulling out his phone from his pocket.
"Wait!"
Pepper reached out to stop Raiden.
"If you call 911, the police will definitely get involved in investigating this afterward."
As she spoke, she pointed to the camera in the corner of Raiden's office.
"Oh, damn, good thing I didn't do it" Raiden patted his chest and let out a long sigh.
Pepper frowned and glared at Raiden. "If the police get involved, things will get very messy for you. I'll call my private doctor to handle it."
"No, wait, maybe I can handle it myself" Raiden suddenly said.
Pepper eyes scanned Raiden, and she quickly shielded Anna. "What are you trying to do!"
"Ah!" Raiden frowned. "I'm a mage, after all. Healing magic—I should be able to do it."
Hearing this, Pepper stepped aside, giving Raiden some space.
Raiden knelt in front of Anna, placing his hand on her chest. Energy slowly emanated from his palm, seeping into Anna's body.
Healing magic was something Raiden was actually clueless about, but he had a bug-like energy—soul power!
Soul power was a force that could transform into anything, the purest and most primitive energy in the world, capable of nurturing life. Naturally, Anna's injuries were healed in minutes under this great power.
As the wound on Anna forehead visibly healed at a rapid pace under a soft white light, Pepper looked on in astonishment.
Feeling the dwindling soul energy within him, Raiden breathed a sigh of relief. He picked up Anna and placed her on the nearby sofa.
Without the power of a heroic spirit, the soul energy within Raiden could not be replenished.
"Is she okay now?" Pepper stepped forward and asked.
"She's fine. To be more precise, her condition is excellent. Not only will she never fall ill, but she'll also live to be at least a hundred without any issues" Raiden said with a relaxed expression.
Pepper listened, her eyes showing a hint of envy, but she quickly followed up.
"Then what about you? What's going on with you?"
Looking into Pepper eyes, Raiden had no choice but to honestly explain his emotional struggles.
After all, Pepper wasn't an outsider.
After hearing Raiden explanation, Pepper nodded.
Truthfully, she didn't fully understand what he had said. But with these peculiar people—a magician? Was it really important for her to understand? If she could fully comprehend it, that would be the strange part!
All she needed to know was that Raiden was a good person. Pepper thought to herself.
"How long until she wakes up?" Pepper asked.
"About half an hour" Raiden replied after a moment of thought.
"Alright, I'll keep an eye on her. You go check on Tony. I'm really worried about him" Pepper said with deep concern.
"Okay, then... goodbye." Raiden glanced at Pepper, then at Anna, and finally waved at Pepper before leaving the office.
After leaving the office, Raiden first called Yinsen, hoping to meet up and visit Tony together. Strangely, however, Yinsen phone couldn't be reached.
Raiden shook his head, not dwelling on it too much. Fine, he'd go see Tony alone and find out what was going on with the guy. With that thought, Raiden left the company.
...
Meanwhile, Yinsen was driving outside the city, passing through a sparsely populated mountain road on his way to Raiden's estate in northern New York.
But as Yinsen was driving, suddenly a large tree fell from the roadside, precisely crashing onto Yinsen's moving car.
Back on the East Coast of New York, in Tony home, the cluttered laboratory was a mess.
Tony sat slumped on a table filled with tools, his eyes vacant as he stared at the flickering screen in front of him.
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