Chapter 26 : The Next Stark
The Death of Howard and Maria Stark
The world mourned the loss of Howard and Maria Stark.
Newspapers ran headlines about their tragic accident, but to those who truly knew Howard, this wasn't an assassination, nor a conspiracy—just an unfortunate tragedy.
But while the world mourned, Stark Industries faced a crisis.
The company's board, led by Obadiah Stane, was already making moves to seize control, believing that a ten-year-old girl couldn't possibly inherit one of the world's largest technological empires.
They were about to learn how wrong they were.
---
Obadiah Stane's Power Grab
Obadiah had been patient.
For years, he had stood at Howard's side, pretending to be a loyal second-in-command, all the while waiting for an opportunity.
With Howard gone and little Toni Stark left as the heir, he saw his moment.
"The company needs guidance," Stane told the board. "A child can't run Stark Industries."
He spoke of leadership, responsibility, and the need for stability.
But his true goal was simple—take over.
And then the boardroom doors opened.
Alex Rogers walked in.
Obadiah's confidence faltered.
The moment Alex stepped into the room, his presence demanded attention. His sharp gaze swept across the board, his perfectly tailored suit giving him the aura of a man who didn't take no for an answer.
"Who are you?" Stane asked, his voice tense.
Alex placed a black folder on the table. "Alex Ragner. An old friend of Howard's."
Toni, seated at the head of the table, looked up. "You knew my dad?"
Alex gave her a small smile. "Very well."
---
The Fall of Obadiah Stane
Alex opened the black folder.
Inside were financial records, private communications, and evidence of Stane's secret dealings—all the shady contracts he had signed behind Howard's back.
The board members stiffened.
Stane's face turned pale. "Where did you get this?"
Alex's voice was calm, almost amused. "You were sloppy."
Stane tried to regain his composure. "This—this is ridiculous! I've done nothing but serve Stark Industries faithfully—"
Alex leaned forward, his voice dropping to a whisper.
"You've been skimming off Howard's projects for years. Do you really think no one was watching?"
A bead of sweat rolled down Stane's temple.
Alex tapped the folder. "I could hand this over to the authorities. But I won't."
Stane exhaled in relief—until Alex smirked.
"No. That would be too kind."
For a second, Stane's chest tightened.
His breathing grew shallow. His pulse raced.
And then—
His heart stopped.
Silence filled the boardroom as Obadiah Stane collapsed onto the table.
Dead.
The board stared in shock. Someone whispered, "Heart attack…?"
Alex calmly closed the folder. "Unfortunate."
Toni, unfazed, simply shrugged. "Huh. Guess karma works fast."
The board didn't question it.
From that moment on, Obadiah Stane was no longer a problem.
---
Alex Meets Toni Stark
The office felt too big for a ten-year-old girl.
Howard's old desk was cluttered with unfinished projects—schematics, arc reactor blueprints, a half-assembled prototype of some unknown invention. A glass of whiskey sat untouched, left there as if Howard might walk in at any moment and take a sip.
But Howard Stark was gone.
And sitting in his chair, legs swinging, was Toni Stark.
She wasn't crying.
She wasn't broken.
She was angry.
"This is ridiculous," Toni muttered, her small fingers fiddling with a circuit board. "I have to sit through all these stupid meetings while a bunch of old men talk about me like I'm not even in the room."
Her voice was sharp, but Alex could hear the underlying frustration—the way she clenched her jaw, the way she gripped the metal piece in her hands just a little too hard.
"They think I don't understand what's going on," she continued. "They think I'm just a dumb kid who can be controlled."
Alex leaned against the desk. "And what do you think?"
Toni scoffed. "I think they're underestimating me."
She finally looked up, meeting his gaze.
Her eyes were intense, just like Howard's—filled with intelligence and an almost unsettling level of awareness for someone so young.
Alex smirked. "You remind me of your father."
Toni rolled her eyes. "People keep saying that."
"They say it because it's true."
She hesitated.
Then, for a brief moment, her tough exterior cracked.
"…Did he ever talk about me?"
Alex exhaled slowly.
He could tell the question wasn't just curiosity. It was doubt.
Howard had never been a perfect father. A genius, a visionary—but emotionally distant. He loved his work, sometimes more than he loved his own family.
But Toni needed to know the truth.
"All the time," Alex said. "He never shut up about how you'd surpass him someday."
Toni's fingers stopped moving.
She stared down at the circuit board, as if trying to process the words.
Then, her grip tightened.
"He was a fool."
Alex raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
She scoffed. "Because he should have known that I already have."
A chuckle escaped Alex before he could stop it.
She really was a Stark.
Toni finally set the circuit board down, her expression shifting—no longer guarded, but focused. Determined.
"So," she said, crossing her arms, "who are you really?"
Alex smirked. "An old friend of your father's."
"Uh-huh." Toni narrowed her eyes. "And why are you really here?"
"To make sure you don't get eaten alive by the vultures circling you."
She studied him for a long moment.
Then, to his surprise, she smiled.
"Huh. Guess I could use a bodyguard."
Alex chuckled. "I'm not your bodyguard."
"Fine. then what?"
His smirk widened. "Oh just a gaurdian."
And just like that, Toni Stark had gained a powerful ally.
---
Obadiah Stane is dead. Official cause: Heart attack. Unofficial cause: Alex.
Toni Stark is now the heir to Stark Industries.
She has no intention of being a helpless child—she is already preparing for the future.
Alex has made his first public appearance, cementing himself as a powerful figure in the shadows.
As he left Stark Industries that night, he already knew—
Toni Stark would one day change the world.
And Alex would be there to make sure no one stood in her way.