Chapter 5

Toni Stark walked into the room, eyes covered by large sunglasses and lips painted a deep red as her heels clicked on the floor behind her. She knew all the heads in the room immediately turned to look at her, but she pretended not to notice as she took a seat in the chair towards the head of the table, looking out at the room in front of her.

"How are you holding up?" Obie asked her, giving her a sympathetic smile, clearly expecting her to still be a mess over the death of her parents.

And she was. It had only been a week since she had attended their funeral after all. But now was not the time for such emotions.

Starks were made out of iron. They did not break, nor did they bend. And she knew all too well that showing weakness now would undermine the Will reading that was about to occur.

"I'm fine," she said, indifferently, as she took off her sunglasses and crossed her legs, before gesturing to her late father's lawyers to continue.

Her Aunt Peggy gave her a gentle smile, and Toni smiled back. Her Aunt had picked her up from Rhodey's house, refusing to let her come alone, and Toni had been grateful. The press always did have a way of getting up in her face, but since the death of her father and the succession of Stark Industries seemed unclear, she had been getting more attention than usual.

She was well aware of the fact that even in his death Howard Stark would not make her life easy for her. She already was prepared to have to fight his Will just to be given the basic rights that belonged to her.

Her father's lawyer, the designated executor of his will, cleared his throat, looking onto the room in front of him, "We are here today to read the Last Will and Testament of Howard Stark."

She held her breath slightly, as he began reading from the Will.

"To Ms Peggy Carter-Sousa," the old man read out, "I leave all my possessions and research pertaining to our work with SHIELD as detailed below."

As he began to read out the works, Toni glanced at her aunt curiously. She knew the two of them worked together on a secret organization, and while she had heard whispers of the name, she never had been given much details on the matter. The only time Howard had talked about it had been during drunk ramblings of how he and Peggy were trying to keep Captain's legacy alive, because he was a true hero. And if he never could find Captain America himself, then at least he would keep his legacy alive. Steve Roger's legacy would become Howard's as well. The fact that Toni was not his legacy went unsaid.

Peggy had a sad smile on her face, but she nodded acceptingly as the lawyer continued.

"To Mr Obadiah Stane, I leave my prized Golf clubs, for I hope he will continue to play the game, even in my absence," the executor read out before pausing.

Wait.

Her father had left his golf clubs to Uncle Obie, and nothing else? She glanced up at the man, waiting for him to continue, knowing there had to be more.

"To Miss Antonia Natasha Stark," the executor read out.

Maybe not.

She frowned; what was the old man playing at? They all knew why they were here. It had nothing to do with the golf clubs, and everything to do with the business.

"I leave to you my estate, including the art collection amassed by Maria Stark over the years, all residences under the Stark name, my fortune, and all other assets. In addition to this, I leave to you full ownership of Stark Industries, as per the right of succession named by my father, Howard Stark Sr. It is my hope that Obadiah Stane will help you transition into the role of CEO of Stark Industries."

She looked up in shock, unsure if she had heard the old man clearly.

Her father, the man who hated her and told her through her entire life that she would never be good enough, had left her everything. Including Stark Industries, which he had been all too clear that she never would be good enough for.

Obie looked displeased for a moment, before the look quickly wiped off his face. She made a mental note of it, but she wasn't really surprised. For how supporting he had been of her despite her father, she knew that Obie thought that he would leave the company to him. She had come into the meeting expecting something similar herself, which had been why she had been ready to contest the Will.

But Howard Stark willingly, and in sound mind, left her control of Stark Industries.

There must have been some sort of mistake.

Either way, she kept her feelings of confusion to herself, as Obie clapped her on the shoulder.

"Well I do suppose we should go tell the press about this, shouldn't we?" Obie said, with a smile as he gestured out the window to the growing mass of reporters in front of Stark Industries.

She nodded, knowing he was right. They wouldn't stop hounding her until they knew the truth.

But somehow, she suspected they would stop once they knew the truth.

The ride down the elevator was silent, as Aunt Peggy smiled at her supportively.

"You'll be good for the company," she told her goddaughter softly, "Howard knew what he was doing."

"Just two weeks ago he told me the company would be safer in anyone's hands but my own," she scoffed.

"Your father always was dramatic," Peggy rolled her eyes, "Either way, he knew you would be what this company needs. He could deny it all he wanted, but you have a vision of a better world for the future."

Obie didn't say a word the entire way down, but she didn't say anything to him. Instead when the elevator doors opened, she kept her head held high as she walked out to where the reporters were standing. Immediately questions began being thrown her way, but she raised a hand to silence them.

"There have been many questions since my father's passing of what would happen to Stark Industries, and who would take over the role of CEO," Toni started, voice steady. She was used to talking to the press; she had her first conference when she was four years old, and by now it was child's play.

"Before his passing, I had been working with my father to take on more responsibilities in the company and had been already working to produce designs for weapons and other technologies for the last four years," she said, wanting the world to know that it wasn't completely out of the blue, even if she still felt slightly blindsided.

"Howard Stark has named me the sole owner of Stark Industries," she said with a firm tone, "And CEO of Stark Industries. There will be a brief transition period, while the changes are made, but in the coming months I will take a far more active role in the business as I take over responsibilities."

She could practically hear the questions being thrown at her, questioning how a woman could take over the weapons company, what it would mean for the future, and what would happen to all the military contracts.

"I am not accepting any questions at this time," she said firmly, "But I will say that the future of Stark Industries is in safe hands. I have many plans to help revolutionize the world, and you will see the result of it in the years to come. That is all for today."

And with that she turned and walked head first back into her father's company. Her company.

She knew such an announcement would shake the world in the beginning. Their Stocks would drop, and Military contracts would be lost. But she would show the world what she is made of.

She is a Stark.

And Starks are made of iron.

They do not break, nor do they bend.


Peggy Carter frowned as she looked over the mission details that SHIELD had conducted over the past few weeks. Nick Fury had been tracking down a new enhanced human, as she had been seen fighting with an elderly woman on the bus, both of which seemed to have inhuman strength.

But she didn't remember anything about the mission. She didn't remember assigning it to her subordinate. She didn't remember asking him to take on the task or receiving any of the updates that were in her copy of the file in front of her.

And yet her signature lay as clear as day at the bottom of the mission report.

So why couldn't she remember what was happening? Why couldn't she remember giving out that particular mission? Shouldn't she remember if a woman was wreaking havoc on her country? It wasn't every day reports of enhanced humans got out, and there was absolutely no way she should have forgotten such a thing. And yet she found herself with no recollection of such a thing.

Something was wrong.

Something was very wrong.

And she had no idea what it was or how to fix it.

"Is everything alright, Darling?" Daniel asked, entering the kitchen where she had been sitting and kissed her gently on the head. She had woken up before him and made a pot of coffee as she tried to make sense of the various reports, despite them not making any clear sense to her.

"I don't know," she sighed, as he sat beside her at the table, looking at the report in front of her, "I can't remember anything about this mission that happened, and it's worrying me that someone might have forged my signature."

"The Marvel case?" Daniel asked looking at the report in front of her, "I remember you mentioning it. It's still in progress, right?"

"I mentioned it?" she asked, surprised. She didn't remember that either, and it worried her. Her own husband seemed to be aware of what she was talking about and she had no idea. Why did she have no idea what the mission was about? Especially one as important as this, which clearly was on-going.

"You don't remember?" Daniel furrowed his brows, "It's all you could talk about when the news of the attack broke out. I thought you would have been all over this case. A woman with supernatural powers causing damage to America? Isn't that the sort of think you are normally all over?"

She frowned, and Daniel quickly took her hand.

"Peggy, it's probably the stress," He told her softly, "You've had so much going on lately, that it probably just slipped your mind. With SHIELD now in your control, there's so much more on your plate, more than ever. I'm sure it's nothing. Just look over the case files and I am certain that it all will come back to you. You just need to give it a bit longer."

But she had been in charge of SHIELD for years now, with Howard's help. It was hardly as if she had gained a new set of responsibilities. They were the same as they always had been. So why did her mind seem like it was missing something? Like a key piece of the puzzle wasn't available to her, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't seem to recover it.

"I'll ask Howard about it later," she sighed, and Daniel froze. She looked at her husband, and he didn't say anything, as if he were waiting for her to correct herself. As if there was something wrong with her statement. "Daniel, what's wrong?"

"Peggy, Howard is gone," Daniel said slowly, "Remember?"

"They'll be back from the Bahamas soon enough," Peggy said dismissively. Just because he still was on vacation didn't mean he wasn't aware of what was going on in their world around them.

Daniel squeezed her hand gently and closed his eyes.

"Peggy," Daniel said in a soft voice, moving closer to her. "Howard and Maria are gone. They never made it to the airport. There was an accident on the way. They passed away a few months ago."

She froze at that, and her heart broke at the thought of her closest ally after the end of the war passing away. There must have been some sort of mistake. He must have been wrong. Daniel had to be wrong. She would remember if Howard had passed away.

"No," her voice trembled slightly, "No, you're wrong. You have to be wrong."

"I wish I was," he told her softly, "The past few months have been hell for Toni, and I wish more than anything I was wrong. But they're gone, Darling. They have been for a while now, and nothing is bringing them back. We were at the funeral. You were the one who told Toni. You identified their bodies, so she didn't have to."

"No," she said again, unable to comprehend what was happening. No; there was no way she didn't remember this. There was no way she was forgetting this much.

"Peggy," he said again, looking at her in concern.

"Daniel," she said slowly, looking at her husband, "I think something is very wrong with me."


Obadiah Stane was not pleased with the way his plan seemed to be playing out. No, he certainly was not pleased with it at all.

He was furious, in fact.

He had been planning this for years, from the shadows. He ensured Howard knew what the world would think of having a girl take over the company, and while the man already felt similar sentiments, his own echoing of the truth made it a firm opinion in the man's mind.

He wanted to sow the seeds of discord between Howard and his family and he started small. He took the man out drinking more often than not after work before sending him home. The war had left Howard Stark a cold man, and he knew all too well what went on behind those closed doors. He knew from the way Antonia stiffened whenever she saw her father in that state. Knew from the way Maria often tried to limit his alcohol intake while they were at social events.

He scheduled meetings with the Board or investors specifically when he knew Antonia would have important events of her own. It wasn't as if Howard was even aware of those events when he scheduled the events. It was only later when Howard realized the scheduling conflict that he simply would brush it off. Work was far more important than his daughter's accomplishments after all. He was creating himself a legacy. One Antonia Stark would not be a part of.

Obadiah knew that Toni was trying to get her foot through the doors of Stark Industries for years. She'd show him her designs, and while he might dislike the girl in question, he had to admit she was brilliant. Perhaps more brilliant than Howard himself. Maybe it was why his business partner hated her so much; because he knew that if she was only given the chance, she would overtake him in the world as an innovator. And he certainly could not have that.

But what Howard did not know was that Obadiah Stane had secretly been making deals behind his back, determined to make the company more profitable. All it took was a shipment getting lost here or there, or a group of missiles with defects to seemingly make its way into the hands of interested parties. And Howard never noticed the difference. He didn't look too deeply into the numbers. He didn't ask questions when Obadiah said he'd handle the missing shipments.

And for a while that worked for the two of them. Howard Stark was ignorant to all the dealings of Obadiah Stane in the company they had built up in the aftermath of the war, and his ignorance meant the two of them could co-exist in peace.

But then he noticed something amiss about a particular shipment, lost somewhere in the Panama. The shipment was meant to be destroyed by the US Military through Stark Subcontractors. But Obadiah had made an agreement with the right parties to have the missiles silently be transported to them instead.

And Howard had known that something was amiss about that particular shipment. He didn't know it was Obadiah who had sold the weapons under the table, but if Howard knew where to look, he knew the man would find out soon enough. For all his bragging about it, he actually was a genius, and he was more than aware that the man would be able to find out the truth if he so wanted.

He had mentioned the issue to the party he had been speaking with and was unsurprised that the group had their own issues with the man. Something about the man developing weapons for SHIELD that they would be able to use to re-create a lost program. And both of them wanted Howard gone.

They had decided then and there, to take out the man in question, and less than a week later, Howard Stark was gone from the living world.

It should have been easy after that. Shouldn't have been anything difficult to overcome.

But then Howard Bloody Stark handed over their company to his daughter. The same daughter he had lamented about for years.

And what did he get for all his hard work over the years? A set of golf clubs? It was an insult to everything he had done for their company. For their legacy.

On top of everything, he had to babysit the Stark girl while she took everything he had worked for years to obtain.

It wouldn't be the end of him yet. The girl was inexperienced, but she trusted him. All he needed to do was get her to continue to rely on him, and he'd be able to lead the company from the shadows as he saw fit.

But it wouldn't do him any good if the world saw Antonia Stark as a revolutionary or an icon. No, they would need to see her as a mess, if he was truly going to keep the power out of her hands.

And he knew just how to arrange for such a thing.


Toni Stark wanted to be anywhere but the place she currently was.

She was tired, having spent a long day drawing up plans for new designs for Stark Industries. She had everything from new guns, to missiles and every other weapon the military could dream of having, all of which she knew would be the top of the line. She didn't make anything less than perfect.

She knew she couldn't go into the Board meeting and simply show her designs for personal computers, cellular phones, and her other designs. No matter how much she might want to grow Stark Industries to become a global phenomenon, the Board was filled with old men who were very averse to change. And Stark Industries made millions of dollars from weapons productions.

Besides, with Rhodey set to deploy back out in a few weeks, it hardly would hurt to ensure that the Military was able to give him the very best they had to ensure he would be safe. And if she could make sure he wasn't using junk from a company such as Hammer Industries then she would gladly take on that responsibility.

And yet now she found herself at a party, that Obadiah insisted she attend to grow her brand. She needed to make herself more known, and mingling was the way of the future.

She'd rather be in her lab with DUM-E and Butterfingers. She'd rather be anywhere other than here.

"Can I get you a drink?" she heard a voice ask her and she looked up to see Tiberius Stone standing over her, and she nearly scoffed. She remembered what he had been like in school. She remembered what he had tried to do to her.

"I'm perfectly fine," she said, indifferently. She refused to let him see that he still held any power over her and refused to give him that satisfaction. He was nothing more than a prick, and he didn't deserve her time of day.

"Just one drink," he pressured her again and she found herself rolling her eyes at him, "Come on, Stark. You're at a party. Loosen up a bit. MIT is behind us, and what with you being the new CEO of Stark Industries, you're going to find yourself interacting with more of us in the future. Just because you were so much better than us in school doesn't mean that you need to play the cold-hearted woman now. It would make it easier for us in the future."

She hated that he was right.

They weren't in the classroom any longer. Her company would most likely be doing business with other companies that had their heirs in this room. It was why Obie asked her to come to this. So she could gain some clout with her fellow tech leaders.

"Fine," she sighed, "Just a coke. Nothing in it. I have to be up early tomorrow, and I can't afford to have a hangover for it."

He grinned at her, "I'll be right back."

She sighed to herself, closing her eyes. She wondered just when she would be able to go home and leave all of this behind her, but she knew it would easily be a few more hours before she could sneak out without it becoming a big deal.

Stone moved his way through the crowd back to her and handed her a red cup, which she took gingerly. She and Rhodey had been to their share of parties back at MIT, and she found herself wishing he was here. He had promised to come by later, after running a few errands, but the time couldn't move quick enough for her.

She brought the cup to her lips and took a sip of it, mainly to avoid talking to Tiberius as he sat down beside her.

Something was off.

She frowned as she looked at the cup in front of her, knowing that something was wrong with the drink she just had consumed. Coke, for all the chemicals in it, should not have a salty taste to it. It should not taste as off as it did to her, and she knew something was wrong.

"Did you put something in my drink?" she asked, feeling her body grow slightly numb.

"Just relax," he told her with a grin, "It'll wear off by morning. I thought this party could use a bit more fun anyways."

He leaned over and pressed his lips against hers before she could react. It was like she could see him coming towards her but couldn't move fast enough to get out of the way. His lips moved over hers as she felt herself trying to push him away.

She could hear wolf whistles from around her, as his hands moved to take off her shirt. She tried to push him away, tried to get him to stop, but she felt herself grow dizzy. She could hear the clicks from around her, and she was furious, knowing that by morning the pictures would be all over the country.

"Stop," she tried to get out, the words sounding slurred, "Stop!"

"Get away from her!" she heard a voice say, and she felt Stone being ripped away from her. She felt steady hands on her body as Rhodey wrapped his sweater around her body, "Toni," he said, trying to get her attention. "Are you okay?"

She tried to answer him, but she couldn't get the words out.

"I'm going to take you home," he told her gently, trying to help her stand. She leaned into him, falling over, as he held her steady.

"She's not going anywhere with you," Stone said angrily, moving forward, "She's mine! I worked hard to get her like this, you don't get to just take her away from me."

She felt Rhodey gently set her back down on the couch as he moved forward and punched Stone in the nose. Perhaps if she was more aware, she would have felt more satisfaction at the actions.

"You're going to be okay," Rhodey told her gently, as he picked her up in his arms and carried her out the door. She remembered feeling safe, before her eyes closed and she lost consciousness.


When she woke up, her head was throbbing. She was in the penthouse she had bought for herself a few months ago, unable to spend any more time there than necessary. She didn't believe in ghosts and spirits, but she felt like the house seemed like a haunted memory of what once was and what never could be again.

How did she get here? The last thing she remembered, Stone's hands were all over her.

"Are you feeling okay?" Rhodey asked her gently, as he moved over to where she was lying in her bed and handed her a glass of water.

"Did he drug me?" she demanded, as she took the glass from him. "What happened?"

"He did," Rhodey confirmed, sitting beside her on the bed. "I punched him and brought you home, but not before some of the people at the party managed to get pictures."

She groaned, knowing where he was going with it.

"How bad is it?" she asked softly, and Rhodey handed her the New York Times.

Caught Stark Naked: Antonia Stark Parties It Up

"That's one of the classier ones," he grimaced. "I should have taken their cameras, but I was more concerned about getting you home."

"It wasn't your fault," she sighed, "I should have known better than to take the drink from him."

"You should press charges," he urged her, "The truth needs to come out of what happened. You can't let him get away with this."

"Rhodey," she told him gently, "Honey Bear. It won't make a difference. No one will take my side over his. I might have money and influence, but he's a man. It's my word against his. They'll say I asked for it, that nothing really happened because we didn't have sex. They won't do a damned thing about it. That's how the world works."

"It isn't right," he told her firmly. "It isn't right that he can come and do this. I'd back you if you pressed charges. The drugs might still be in your system. He should not be able to get away with this."

She stood from the bed slightly.

"He won't," her eyes darkened, as Rhodey held her steady. She walked over to where her laptop was and sat at it. "Today is his thesis presentation for his Masters. He's showcasing his attempt at creating a personal robot. Nothing special about it, no AI or anything like DUM-E. He couldn't figure it out, even with my own papers published on the subject. But his is supposed to at least move around the room, even if it can't do anything of substance. It's remote controlled."

"And what do you plan on doing to this robot?" he asked her curiously.

"He made me into a laughing stock," she said angrily. "I can at least return the favour and make sure the world sees him the same way he treated me. He wants his robot to move forward? It'll move backwards. He wants it to hold something? It'll drop it. He wants it wave? It'll light itself on fire."

"Will he know that it was you?" Rhodey asked her, grinning. Perhaps she should feel bad; Stone might not be as smart as her, but it was still a rather impressive innovation for the era. He had worked hard on it for years. But he had taken advantage of her. And who knew what would have happened if Rhodey hadn't shown up.

"Nope," she beamed, "Completely untraceable. Besides, he wouldn't even know how to trace it back to me if he wanted to."

"Good," Rhodey nodded, "Show him what happens to people who mess with Toni Stark. Make him regret ever laying a hand on you."

"Oh I will," Toni bared her teeth at him. "I'll make him regret as much as even looking at me. Tiberius Stone will never stand up against me ever again."


Toni Stark hated Tiberius Stone for so many reasons. He had tried to force himself upon her, and while doing so, he had made her a spectacle. She already had more than enough reporters trying to catch pictures of her in compromising positions which would paint her in a different light than reality.

But more than anything, he had changed the narrative. She was trying so hard to get her Board to see her seriously, to get them to see that she would be the future of the company. She was trying hard to get them to see that she would make the company so much more than what it currently was.

And the eve before her meeting with them, he had drugged her. The eve before her big meeting with the Board of Stark Industries, Tiberius Stone had painted her as a promiscuous woman. She had seen the pictures, and she knew she looked far less than flattering.

Rhodey had asked her to reschedule, had told her to wait a few days for the fanfare to die down, but she refused. She would not back down because one man tried to put her in the place he thought she deserved. She had worked hard over the last few months for this meeting, and she'd be damned if he took it away from her like so many others had tried before.

So she walked into that Board room, her head held high as her heels clicked with each step she took. She was wearing a tailored pantsuit, and her hair was tied up in a bun, while her lips were painted the same red Peggy had made her signature.

"Toni," Obie's voice sound surprised, standing as he had saw her enter the room. Clearly, he hadn't been expecting her to make it to the meeting. And from the looks on the other Board member's faces, clearly, they hadn't either. "I'm surprised you made it in today, after well, everything that has happened."

She kept her voice steady. The men in the room didn't care about what excuses she might have for them as to what happened. Nor would she let them see that she had any weaknesses. "I'm sure we've all had a night where we had one too many drinks, Obie," she said sweetly, "But I wouldn't miss this meeting for the world."

"Of course not," he recovered quickly as he led her to the head seat of the oval shaped table. One that had belonged to her father before her, and her grandfather before him. One that now belonged to her.

One of the older men, Roberts, cleared his throat, looking at her with a less than pleasant look, "Well now that our apparent new leader is here, we can begin."

Oh, she could tell already that she would have issues with him. Roberts was everything she had grown to despise over the last few years. An older man in his late seventies, clearly thinking he knew far better than her. One who would try and talk down to her and minimalize her importance.

"In the passing of Howard Stark's position of CEO to Antonia Stark, there have been some concerns among members of the Board," another member, O'Brian said, looking at her appraisingly. "It seems as if it might not have been a sound move on his part, and we are gathered here today to discuss the future of Stark Industries."

"Please clarify," Toni interrupted, looking out at the board in front of her, "As to what you seem to think was unsound about my father's decision? If there is any discord, I wish to be made aware of it."

Of course, she already knew, but that didn't mean she wasn't going to call them out of their blatant sexism.

O'Brian raised a brow at her, clearly not expecting her to question the matter, but she gave him a pointed look. She wanted to hear him say it. Hear him say how he thought, how they all thought, that she wasn't good enough to lead her father's company, her company, simply because she was a woman. She wanted to hear the words from his mouth.

"Stark Industries needs a firm hand," O'Brian said, after a moment, "It needs to be led by someone strong to give off the impression that we are a formidable appearance. It needs someone who will be able to make tough decisions about matters that those who are more delicate might not be able to handle. It is with that notion that we wish to discuss the succession."

She nearly laughed at that.

They thought she couldn't make a few hard choices?

They thought she was too delicate to run a weapons empire?

"I see," she said coolly.

"We're not replacing you, Antonia," Obie told her softly, "You still will remain the public leader of this company. Stark Industries needs a Stark as it's face. But you are young, and we wish to alleviate you of some of the difficult choices you would have to make if you were the CEO.

"I understand," she said, giving her godfather a sympathetic smile. Of course, she understood all too well what they were saying. They didn't think a woman was strong enough to lead the company.

"Well, it's settled," Roberts said, and she stood then, bringing their attention back to her.

"It is not settled," she said simply, "I own controlling shares of Stark Industries, and I have not agreed to such a thing. I simply said I understood what it was that you were saying. That you do not think I am strong enough to lead a weapons company, because I am a woman. I'm used to it, I've gotten such remarks my entire life."

The room went deathly silent at that.

"It's not like that, Toni," Obie started, and she raised a hand to silence him.

"It is like that," she said simply, "I know how these things work. I know how the world thinks, and what the papers have been saying. I know that our stock prices have dropped slightly since I've been named CEO. I understand it all too well. I'm asking you to give me a chance."

She lay out the designs she had for the guns, weapons, grenades and so on in front of her, as the Board looked at them in surprise.

"I've been working on these for months," she said simply. "These all work, I have prototypes working already. With weapons like these, we will have the highest sales in the history of this company."

She began laying out the other designs she had, for personal laptops that weren't overly bulky, for mobile phones for the masses to use, designs of new computers with higher computing power than available anywhere else on the market.

"Stark Industries makes weapons," Roberts sneered at her.

"We do," she shrugged. "And how much money do we make each year doing such a thing? Five hundred million? Six? I'm asking you to give me a chance. We will still make weapons, and still earn larger profits than before. But instead of us just being a company that deals with the government and the militaries, I'm asking you to allow us to become a company that also deals with the masses. Let us make Stark Industries a household name. Instead of just being known in this country, let's become a global empire. Five hundred million dollars a year of revenue is nothing in comparison to the billions we could be making. Give me a year to show that it will happen, and we'll all be a lot richer than we already are."

If there was one thing men like these liked more than they liked hating woman, it was making money. She could see from the skeptical looks on their faces that they weren't sure if they agreed, but the room began to agree slightly as she could tell the decision had been made.

"Fine," O'Brian said, looking at her, "You have one year to prove that you can deliver on these promises. But if you fail, then you will allow us to take control of the company."

She smiled at them all, knowing that this was just the beginning.

She was going to change the world.