Chapter 37: Chapter 37: The Smiles of a Tycoon
"So, Director Fury, who do you plan to send as the liaison officer to my place?"
Oaks shrugged. Since he had made it clear that he wouldn't be restrained by SHIELD, there was no way Nick Fury would allow him, the "Druid," to stay out of his sight.
Therefore, a cooperative mode with a more relaxed atmosphere would be the best choice.
"Agent Melinda, someone you've met before."
Nick Fury finally revealed a slight smile. The deal was done, and it indeed seemed to benefit both sides.
"Melinda was recently reassigned due to some issues. Working here might help her recover quickly."
"Do you think my place is a convalescent home, Director Fury?"
Having a senior level-seven agent come to work as a liaison officer, it was a costly move.
But from another perspective, with such an experienced senior agent here, Oaks could have more access to the power of SHIELD.
"She sounds like a woman?"
Tony was still annoyed by Oaks agreeing to become a consultant for SHIELD. What made him even more displeased was that the salary issue wasn't mentioned at all.
But now he seemed to understand.
"So, is this the perk of being a consultant for SHIELD? Do you still need consultants? I think I need three liaison officers."
"...Agent Melinda is old enough to be my aunt, Tony."
Oaks rolled his eyes weakly, but then he seemed to ponder something:
"Maybe your age is more compatible."
"...Let's forget about that." Tony waved his hand, refusing directly, which made Nick Fury snort.
"Mr. Stark, you don't meet the criteria for a SHIELD consultant at all. If I hired you, the next day, I would be cornered in my office by the female agents!"
He couldn't tell him about Howard Stark's connection to SHIELD yet, or else this brat would really flip out!
"Psh, it's as if you can afford to hire me."
Tony's disdainful smirk prompted Fury to quickly compare him to Oaks.
Hmm, this consultant was much better. No payment, just a name, with a slightly devious personality but a pretty good character.
"It's fine for Agent Melinda to come over, but I won't pay her a salary. And I'm not a free consultant; each consultation will be billed separately."
Oaks blinked, and Fury immediately frowned.
"With the size of your Benevolence Society, how do you plan to make a profit?"
After hesitating for a moment, Fury asked, "You're not seriously thinking of selling those peculiar fruits of yours as benefits to me, are you?"
"As a scientist, of course, I'll take the technological route. Right, Tony?"
Oaks seemed to suddenly remember something, hinting at something:
"Oh, by the way, I still have stocks in Stark Industries. You better perform well!"
"Ah, why are you worried about things you don't need to worry about at all?"
Tony waved his hand arrogantly, leaking a sense of dominance.
"You see, my newly developed products are about to hit the market, and the stock of Stark Industries is about to skyrocket. Take advantage of the opportunity and buy more shares now. This is absolutely insider information!"
"No problem."
Oaks smiled mysteriously. He would buy more shares as much as possible—though before that, he needed to sell all of them.
"Um, Director Fury, speaking of which, if SHIELD needs to prepare Christmas gifts, I can provide high-quality Christmas trees and top-grade apples. The cost will definitely be cheaper than other places."
"...Apples?"
Nick Fury revealed an expression of "as expected" as he realized they were trying to take advantage of him.
"After Melinda arrives, I'll have her inspect your products."
"The quality is top-notch, green and pollution-free. Rest assured—besides, the Benevolence Society headquarters is in the little rainforest, so just have Melinda go there directly."
"Speaking of which, Director Fury, do you have some means to help me acquire that facility? Since the Benevolence Society is now under SHIELD, can we get the office space expenses reimbursed, even though the rent is cheap?"
"Reimburse office space expenses?! Who told you that SHIELD has that tradition! Don't you have a profit plan? Figure it out yourself!"
"Look, look, Oaks."
Tony immediately pointed his chin at Nick Fury, who seemed to be "broke," and showed a smile of a tycoon:
"This kind of leader is just too stingy. It's just a piece of land."
He took out his phone.
"Hey, Pepper? Oaks has an ecological experimental site in Brooklyn, yeah, that's the Benevolence Society. From today onwards, that land belongs to the Benevolence Society. Yeah, get it done."
After hanging up the phone, he shrugged at Oaks, who had his mouth wide open, and Nick Fury, who was rubbing his head.
"Done. I told you, Oaks, how could I not be involved in boosting the reputation? Am I right?"
"I must say, Tony..."
Oaks was speechless. This guy had really gone too far.
"This... is beyond reason!"
"It can be considered as my investment in the Benevolence Society. Now, I'm also a major shareholder of the Benevolence Society, right?"
Joke. With Tony's economic acumen, he wouldn't miss an opportunity that an organization of SHIELD's scale would approve. He had already experienced the benefits brought by the previous environmental foundation.
Besides, he was starting to become interested in SHIELD now.
"Alright, Antonio, come over here."
Antonio, who was trying to minimize his presence, brought a chair over.
"Mr. Oaks?"
"You'll go back with Tony later. When the Benevolence Society was registered, I already put your name down as the secretary. You'll learn how to handle the affairs of a public organization. Now that Tony is a shareholder of the Benevolence Society, he'll provide assistance—learn from him."
"Ah?!"
"Wow, buddy, you really know how to be a hands-off manager!"
Tony exaggeratedly slapped Oaks's shoulder.
"You've already grasped the secret to a successful businessman so quickly? But I have one thing to advise you..."
He leaned closer to Oaks with a mischievous grin, whispering in a voice that everyone could hear:
"In this day and age, do you still need a male secretary?"
Antonio: "I apologize as a man."
"Isn't it convenient that we have one available? Besides, Antonio is a graduate student in Columbia University's Environmental Science Department. It's perfect for him to be the Benevolence Society's secretary, and perhaps there could even be some academic cooperation with Columbia."
Oaks turned to Nick Fury, who had a long face.
"No problem, Director Fury, right?"
"Melinda will report tomorrow morning."
Nick Fury felt like a few blood vessels were about to burst from sitting here a bit longer. These two guys had absolutely no awe for SHIELD, especially him as the high-ranking director.
"Goose~ Say goodbye~ Bye~bye~"
"Meow~"
"What did it say?"
"It said, 'Get lost.'"
"..."
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