Tony sighed when Pepper approached him and showed off the arc reactor he'd made for her. Staring at her a moment, he shook his head and frowned, "You're missing the point Pepper. If my father hadn't died? I would never touch this company, he'd have kept me away from it as long as he possibly could until he did die. He wanted me to fail, because his expectations of me were nothing. He expected nothing of me, I was just another piece in Howard Stark's life. A burden really."
He remained slumped while looking up at her, "He didn't spend any time on me, Pepper. The money he spent on me was out of obligation, to shut me up. I was nothing to him after mom died. He had a will made up that said I wouldn't get his company until I met a requirement. A bullshit requirement, it was just another way for him to get at me from beyond the grave. Why do I need a piece of paper to tell my father that I'm ready when I've already accomplished more than any of the professors at MIT? They were so eager to have me on their fucking roster they let me take classes by proxy."
Shaking his head, the glass was lifted to his lips once more with another drink taken before he raised a brow, "No, do you think it matters?"