Pepper Potts, CEO of Stark Industries

Two Years Ago

"You have a message from Lex Luthor."

Virginia "Pepper" Potts glanced up from her tablet and frowned at the AI voice informing her of the voicemail. She'd turned down the other Earth's billionaire businessman several times now -- the offers he'd made for an interplanetary corporate merger had indeed sounded lucrative, and every subsequent offer he'd made had been even more appealing than the last -- but Pepper had done her research into the LexCorp owner and CEO, and she didn't like what she'd found out. So, much to the chagrin of many a Stark Industries stockholder, Pepper continued to refuse his offers. Since the convergence, Tony Stark had mysteriously gone missing and was presumed dead, so as per his will and the directions he'd left for this in the event of his ****, Pepper had become the majority shareholder and new CEO of Stark Industries. Other shareholders had been pressuring her to accept the deal, but Pepper stood firm in her refusal; as a result, she'd had to answer to increasing pressure from both the board and the shareholders.

"Play the message, JARVIS," she said, deciding she might as well get it over with.

"Good evening, Ms. Potts. I'm calling in regards to the most recent merger offer that was forwarded to you. Unfortunately, you decided to make the regrettable decision not to accept it. As a result, I have decided to take my business elsewhere; I have been in talks with Fisk Industries regarding a merger, and as such, my generous offer to you is now no longer on the table. I must say, I am disappointed we could not come to an agreement; I truly believed we could further strengthen both business and diplomatic ties between our two Earths, but obviously you do not share the same vision as Wilson Fisk and myself. I hope this will not impact future business dealings, but unfortunately, you've made your choice and there is nothing else I can do."

The message ended.

Pepper sighed and shook her head. Luthor deciding to do business with Wilson Fisk confirmed her suspicions about his character. And a merger between LexCorp and Fisk Industries meant that things were going to get much more challenging for Stark Industries; neither Lex Luthor nor Wilson Fisk were exactly known for their business ethics, so competing against them in the cutthroat corporate world was going to be an uphill battle, to say the least. If she was going to keep pace with them, Pepper knew she'd have to find business partners of her own. And since the convergence, Pepper had done her homework on the major players from the other Earth's business world; the company that had impressed her most was Wayne Industries. Bruce Wayne, who had also gone missing after the convergence, certainly had a reputation as a playboy and a partier, but he was also an intelligent businessman and an astute financial mind, and the stories of his philanthropic endeavors painted a different picture of the man than the tabloids. After his disappearance, the majority of Wayne Industries had been transferred into the hands of Bruce's cousin, Katherine Kane. An incredibly brilliant businesswoman in her own right, she'd kept the company's stock high and had maintained Wayne Industries as one of the other Earth's leading companies.

Pepper had met Kate a few times since the convergence, and she'd always found the other woman to be sharp, intelligent, and highly capable. She knew that if Stark Industries was going to remain competitive, a merger with Wayne Industries would be the best way to ensure success.

"JARVIS, get Kate Kane on the line. And book me a trip to the Gotham City..."