After seeing Hammer, Loki couldn't exactly hope to keep the news of his appointment as CEO under wraps. As such he and Tony planned an event, otherwise known in Stark terms as a party, where guests could enjoy themselves and find out a little bit about Loki.

"Who are we inviting?" Loki asked, intrigued, reading over Tony's shoulder as he composed an email to his guardian, Obadiah Stane.

"Journalists, celebrities," Tony muttered. "Pretty much anyone who'll fit in the building. Charities too, of course. I'm inviting a few specific people but it's an open invitation. Do you want to invite your doctor buddies?"

"They would enjoy it immensely," Loki replied, smiling. "Could I invite Jane Foster too?"

"The cute astrophysicist? Certainly."

Tony finished typing and hit send.

"That's Obadiah invited. He hates not being in the know but I love surprising him."

"Is it wise to do that?" Loki questioned wryly. "Employing a new manager, especially one who is on par with you, is a pretty big deal. Stane still runs the board."

Tony shrugged.

"Well then the board can have a bit of a shock as well. Variety is the spice of life."

Loki shrugged his head but went along with it. It was Tony's company, after all.

*

As expected, the party was excellent. Tony had the money to provide the best caterers and the title to invite the best entertainers and so the party got off to a great start.

Loki, for his part, was trying to keep a low profile for the first half an hour before everybody sat at their tables and Tony made his speech. To do so, he mostly mingled with his friends.

"This is weird," breathed Daniel, glancing round. "I never thought I would see even one celebrity and then Tony Stark visited the hospital and now we're at a Stark party with over a hundred celebrities!"

"Cool it, Daniel," Uriel said casually. "Blend in, relax."

"This is so exciting," Libby said with a smile. "Thank you so much, Alden!" 

She hooked her arm through his and Daniel gave him a surprised glance.

"Something is bound to go wrong," Alejandro stated in his usual way.

"I bet Al didn't miss your endless optimism, Alejandro," Daniel laughed.

Alejandro sniffed.

"I'm only being realistic. As such, I dare each of you, excluding Alden since he now seemingly counts as one, to speak to at least one celebrity tonight. And Alden doesn't count," he added when Daniel turned to engage Loki in conversation.

"Alden!" Came a delighted voice.

Loki turned and saw Jane coming towards him, wearing a pretty blue dress. She'd made a real effort with her hair and outfit. The others, with the exception of Libby, began walking off to fulfil Alejandro's challenge.

"Jane!" He replied in an equally pleased tone. "Jane, meet Libby, a colleague from my time at the hospital. Libby, this is Jane, the astrophysicist from New Mexico."

Noticing Libby's hand on Loki's arm, Jane frowned slightly before plastering a smile on her face and shaking hands with Libby.

"Nice to meet you," she said kindly.

"Alden's told me so much about you," Libby replied with her usual benevolence.

"I have to go," Loki said when he saw Tony waving at him. "See you later, you two."

He made his way through the crowd.

"We're about to start," Tony told him. "Any last words?"

"Is it too late to change my mind?" Loki laughed.

Tony grinned.

"You're already on the payroll, pal - there's no escape."

"Shame. I liked the life of relative anonymity."

The podium was lit up by a spotlight.

"Here we go."

Now, as a prince, Loki had no fear of the public as Tony perhaps assumed he would. He'd made speeches before the Asgardian people, before visiting royalty and before Odin's advisors themselves. This was hardly the scariest situation he'd ever been in. As such he stood next to Tony and smiled at the assembled crowd as Tony began speaking.

"Welcome everybody! It really has been too long."

Tony smiled benevolently at his listeners.

"Now, in that time I have... Not done much. Sorry folks, the plan is to solve the problem of global warming in the year twenty-twenty, not anytime soon. Instead, in that time, I have enlisted the help of Doctor Alden Walker."

Here he motioned towards Loki.

"Alden here is a great man and an all-round genius. And, as such, he is now CEO."

Immediately the crowd erupted with questions, mainly from the journalists.

"Mr Stark, are you stepping down?"

"What are the repercussions for the company?"

Tony simply smiled and waited for the voices to die down.

"To answer some of those questions, I am not stepping down. Alden and I are working side-by-side to ensure the smooth running of the company. And, as for the company, it shall now be called, colloquially, S&W Industries. Stark Industries will still be on the court cases though," he grinned, winking at various pretty ladies.

"I hope I have the support of every one of you as I move forwards with my business and with Alden. Alden is now going to say a few words to get on your good sides."

He smiled and there was a smattering of applause as Loki took his place.

"Good evening, everyone," Loki began with a small smile.

He could see from the small faces of his friends in the crowd that they were expecting a total washout, for Loki to now fall to pieces.

"As the title 'doctor' will suggest, I used to be a doctor. I was a surgeon and it was for these skills that Tony hired me, seeking assistance in manufacturing medical products for the good of everyone.

"Yes, you're not used to my presence. Most of you have never heard of me before and I don't blame you for being apprehensive. It's sensible, really, to be wary of a newcomer who could potentially ruin the company."

The crowd tittered at that, perhaps a little afraid.

"But I vow to make the company even better than it is now. Tony and I want to help hospitals and medical professionals do their jobs. We want to branch out with the medical industry but we're not forgetting Tony's roots in clean energy and similar projects to benefit the environment. Let us do our jobs. Support us and we'll support you. Thank you."

*****

A.N. Loki is now fully integrated into the life of a CEO! His and Tony's relationship is growing stronger all the time. Thank you for reading!