Tony gulped. Hard. "A...problem?" he said softly. "Like what kind of problem, Pep?"
"Like a Dianna Wardly kind of problem," Pepper stated flatly.
Tony groaned. "Shit!" he exclaimed, slamming his hand on the counter in frustration. "What does that witch want now?!"
"She's claiming she wants to sue Stark Industries unless we see to her demands going forward. And she's serious. She's says she'll go to court immediately."
"What the hell for?!" Tony cried. "What are her demands?"
"She claims that my position in the company is pure nepotism, and that I should be forced to resign, or she'll sue. And something tells me, she wouldn't stop until she bankrupts us. She really has an issue with me, Tony. And it sounds like she's finally decided to act on it."
"So, why does this affect you flying to New York tonight?" Tony reasoned. "Won't this have to be addressed at the next Board Meeting? Or at least until she lawyers up! And that's not going to happen today."
"That's the problem! She wants to call an emergency board meeting! Tonight! Something about starting the new year with a new CEO!" Pepper cried.
Tony's blood ran cold, and he slumped onto one of the bar stools. "Fuck!" he muttered.
"With a capital F," Pepper said. "Tony, what are we going to do?! She's out for blood!"
Tony's mind whirled for a moment in panic. "I'll call Ed," he said, finally.
"Ed?!" Pepper said. "Have you forgotten that you two don't exactly see eye to eye?"
Tony nodded. "We'll have to set that aside, right now, Pep," he said. "He thinks you're doing a great job, right? You've even said so yourself. He's got to know that Dianna is full of shit."
"Yeah. Yeah, okay," Pepper agreed. "And Tom Dale. He stood up for me against her at the board meeting, after all."
"Okay, Pep," Tony said. "Here's the plan. Call Tom and plead your case to at least get this thing tabled until after the New Year. I'll work on Ed. We'll call each other back in an hour."
"Tony, if I do that, I'll be late to Aviation!" Pepper pointed out.
"Pepper, if you don't do it, you'll run the risk of not being able to fly here at all tonight. And honey, that's just not an option." Tony asserted.
He heard Pepper exhale. "You're right," she agreed. "Okay, we'll talk in an hour."
"Good luck, baby," Tony said.
"You, too!" Pepper said weakly, hanging up.
XxXxXxXxXx
Tony hung up with Pepper and immediately dialed Ed Owens' office line. His secretary picked up. "Ed Owens office. How may I direct your call?" she said.
"Tony Stark, here," Tony said. "Get me Ed on the phone immediately."
"I'm sorry, Sir! He's on the other line. I'll have to put you on hold," she said politely.
"Fine," Tony said. "Just tell him it's extremely urgent."
"Of course," the secretary said.
Tony waited as the line went to the hold music. He got up off his stool and started pacing impatiently. "Come on, Ed," he huffed. "Get on the damn..."
Suddenly, the hold music stopped and he heard Ed speak. "Tony!" he hooted jovially. "Long time, no speak! To what do I owe the pleasure?" he said, his voice syrupy with patronization.
"Cut the crap, Ed," Tony spat out. "We both know why I called, so I'm gonna get straight to the point. Where the hell does Dianna Wardly get off saying Pepper isn't qualified to be CEO? Who, or what, ever gave her that idea?"
"Whoa, whoa! You're guess is as good as mine, Tony!" Ed agreed. "I think Ms. Potts more than handles her position."
"So what gives Dianna the right to suddenly waltz in expecting Pepper's head on a platter?! I know we've had our differences, Ed, but she better not be getting fed a bunch of lies about how Pepper became CEO. She earned it, fair and square."
"Are you insinuating that I've said something to Mrs. Wardly?" Ed asked.
"Be straight with me,Ed. Pepper and I both thought you were happy in your position, but suddenly I suspect that you're jockeying for the big boy seat in the corner office. You know there are a lot of politics in the corporate world, so make me believe that you're not a player in those politics like all those other schmucks in suits."
Tony heard Ed gulp. "Wh-what do you need me to do, Tony?" he said softly.
Tony smiled to himself. He relaxed slightly. "Fend off Dianna. Go to bat for me, and Pepper for that matter, to prove that you're a man of your word. That you believe Dianna's claims are unfounded, and get her to back off. At least until after the New Year, anyway. Then," Tony said. "She can bitch and moan all she wants."
"I'll do my level best," Ed promised. "I'll call Dianna right now and try to talk some sense into her."
"Good, Ed. Glad to hear it," Tony said. "You know, I know you're a good guy, Ed. A team player. Don't let me down, huh?"
"I won't, Tony," he said. "You can be sure of that."
XxXxXxXxXx
After Tony hung up with Ed, he continued to pace back and forth on the floor anxiously. He crossed his arms and tapped his lips with the tip of his finger nervously, as he awaited Pepper's call back. It was nearing the 30 minute mark when Pepper called again, much to Tony's relief. He didn't want to have to wait the full hour to hear from her, thus making her more late for her flight. Tony abruptly answered.
"Yeah, whatcha' got?" he asked.
"Tom agreed that Dianna's claims are unfounded, and that the meeting should at least be postponed. He's going to conference in Ed and Dianna together on the phone, along with any of the other board members that want to weigh in at the moment, just so they can discuss if they feel there is an issue, and also to talk about when to meet after the holiday. So now..." Pepper said, "We wait for them to call us back."
"Did you let Tom know you were trying to leave town?" Tony asked
"Yes, and a lot of the other board members left town already, as well. No one wants to meet tonight, for obvious reasons, so we may have dodged a bullet there," Pepper said.
"Good," Tony said. "I'd say started heading for Aviation now. If no one's in town, there won't be a meeting. Not tonight,anyway."
"Good point," Pepper said. "I'll get on the road now, and if I have to talk to anyone, at least I'll be in the air. "
Tony sighed with relief. "Sounds like a plan, Potts. And I wouldn't worry too much about all of this. Once in great while, Dianna likes to rattle some cages, and she usually gets shut down pretty fast."
"Really?" Pepper said. "When was the last time?"
"After Dad died," Tony said. "She tried to say we needed to find a company to sell to because she said I was unfit to take over. That's when they promoted Obadiah to COO, as a kind of guardian angel to me. And we all know how well that worked out."
He heard Pepper chuckled softly. "So what about now, Tony? What could they do to soothe the savage beast this time?"
Tony shrugged. "I don't know. I'm not sure there's much they can do on this one."
Pepper sighed, defeatedly. "Great," she said sarcastically. "So I'm potentially out of a job?"
"No, that won't happen," Tony assured. "She's in the minority on her opinion of you, and I think she's stepped on enough toes in the past that she's become a nuisance. So much so, that they could vote to impeach her," he offered.
"Do you really think they would?" Pepper asked skeptically. "She's a nuisance, but she's still the big dog in the room, Tony."
"Yeah, but she clearly is impeding the progress of the company by threatening to sue if you don't get canned," he argued. "That's not being a good little board member."
"You have a point," Pepper said.
"She has no proof that you've been unable to perform your job. In fact, you've improved the company by leaps and bounds," Tony continued. "That's no small feat, Pep."
Pepper went silent for a moment. "You always know what to say to cheer me up," she murmured softly.
Tony's heart warmed. "So, does that mean we can put this behind us for the moment, and you can get your pretty little behind on that plane now?" he asked.
"It does," Pepper assured. "I'm leaving now. I'll text you once we're in the air."
Tony beamed. "Tony Stark's Grand New Year's Eve plan is back on schedule!" he hollered proudly.
Pepper giggled. "Goofball," she muttered.
Phew! We can all breathe a collective sigh of relief now! Pepper isn't going to be stuck in L.A. on New Year's Eve, and Tony can carry out his grand plan! YAY!
I know! I know! What a roller coaster ride, right? But it won't be long now, my lovelies! Pepper's gettin' on that plane! :D
