CEO??

Chapter 13

When we reached the tower, Happy parked the car and we left for the cafeteria because Shuri realized that I hadn't eaten since the night before, despite my increased metabolism. When we arrived, she made sure that I got more than enough food and that everyone else got a full meal as well before plopping down next to me and stealing some food off my plate. It was our thing. One of us would get more food than necessary so the other could steal from them.

As we ate, I noticed a lot of stares being sent our way. It wasn't often that the CEO came down to eat in the cafeteria. A few minutes in, a young girl, probably 13 years old, comes up to me and asks if I would sign something for her, introducing herself as Kayla Docks.

I nodded kindly and she handed me a copy of the book that I had written. I signed it with a personal note before giving it back and wishing her a good day. She left with a huge grin.

"What was that about?" Samuel asked me, causing me blush and Harley and Shuri to start laughing hysterically.

"I wrote a book four years back and got it published. I didn't think it would get popular, but it did. Luckily, most people don't actually recognize me from the author section, but some do, obviously," I said. Writing was a hobby of mine that I told very few people about. Not even Aunt May knew about my book. It was difficult to hide the fact that I suddenly had a very large amount of money, but I succeeded.

Darren looked interested. "What did you write about?" he asked.

"It's a fiction novel about a kid who falls into a ravine and finds himself in an unfamiliar world. He goes on an adventure to try and get back to his world," I said.

"Tell him about the other three!" Shuri demanded gleefully.

I blushed even brighter and looked down, shaking my head.

"After that book became so successful, his publisher pushed him to write a second, and he agreed. He wrote one more about the same kid before beginning a new plot about a different character and her adventures. He's still writing a fifth book, actually," Shuri tattled.

I elbowed her sharply. Maybe I am violent like my parents. "Shut it, Shuri," I hissed.

She just grinned as Darren asked quietly, "How did you get over the fear of being told you aren't good enough?"

I sighed. "I didn't get over it. I just didn't let it stop me."

After that, I changed the subject, making a mental note to continue the conversation with Darren and only Darren later.

Once we were finished eating, we made our way up to the guest floor again. "Sorry guys, I have to have an actual meeting with Shuri. We'll be back though, so just hang around," I said to the interns and Harley.

I closed the elevator before Harley could protest at being left behind and we went to my overly large office. We sat down, me behind my desk with my legs propped up on it and Shuri across from me. Darren sat in a chair beside Shuri.

"Alright, Shuri, let's get this over with," I said with a heavy sigh. "How much is Wakanda asking for the vibranium?"

"Depends on what it will be used for," she answered seriously.

"My dad's arm, my web formula, and lacing in the suits. Anything else will be directly run by you or T'challa for permission."

She hummed in thought. "Free for the arm and formula. The suits will probably cost full price, as my brother is not as fond of the rest of the team. Any project that I am involved in will have free use of vibranium."

"Darren," I said, "please make a note to remind me to thank T'challa for his generosity."

"Hey Pyotr, I was thinking that we could make something for Loki. It will require vibranium, but I think it will help them," Shuri said, leaning forward.

I sat up straight, now fully attentive. "Details, please, Shuri. Also he/him pronouns today."

"I want to make him a phone."

"Make? Not buy or upgrade?" I hummed thoughtfully. This would prove to be different than my normal projects. "How would this help Loki?"

"It will be configured so only he can use it, it will translate anything to Asgardian if his dyslexia is acting up, it will go through to us no matter what, will be indestructible, be completely unhackable, have a built in tracker, an AI, and a panic button for if he needs one of us."

I blinked in surprise. That was very well thought out and would be perfect. "Can we make multiple?" I asked. "So each of us will have one?"

Her eyes lit up at the idea. "Of course! That's genius! We can also link calendars so we will know when we shouldn't call unless we need to."

I grinned. "Let's do it. First, though, we need to finalize the vibranium contract."

She nodded seriously. "Okay, let's get someone up here from Legal."

"Darren?" I turned to him to ask him to call Legal but he was already tapping away.

"Who would you like to come, Peter?" he asked, seeing as only Shuri was in the room.

"Who's available?"

He tapped a couple of times. "Two interns and a lawyer that Ms. Potts frequently requested. She made a note about his skill here."

"Read me the interns' files." Pepper always stuck to one or two lawyers for anything she needed, but I planned on changing that. The interns deserved a chance to prove themselves, and I would find a personal and trusted lawyer for myself. I wanted someone who worked faster than Pepper's lawyer.

"Carl Taylor, 22, hired six months ago. Nothing big or important has been assigned to him. He passed his entry exam with flying colors and received his law degree at the age of 21 after graduating high school at 15.

"Flora Lorren, 32, hired a year ago. Has had two important cases assigned but has not been promoted from intern, despite protocol. Passed entry exam with an above average score and passed through school at an average rate."

"Bring up Mr. Taylor. He deserves to be given a chance to prove his skill. Also set a reminder to give Ms. Lorren a promotion."

He did so and twenty minutes later, during which Shuri and I discussed more features we might want to include in our phones, a knock sounded through the room.

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Thoughts?