Chapter 20: The House of Orange

Gina Orange, despite being of mixed Sokovian and American descent, grew up in Sokovia. In fact, the Orange family was once an established, long-standing power in the region. The family held a hereditary barony, and tracing their lineage back further, they even possessed royal blood. However, the Sokovia of today no longer adheres to the traditions of Tsars and monarchs; its official international designation is the Republic of Sokovia.

Moreover, the nation has long been mired in civil strife between warring factions. The interference and backing of various external powers ensured that this small Eastern European country rarely experienced a moment of peace. Its ostensible leader was merely the head of a larger warlord faction. While the family’s centuries of accumulated wealth granted them higher status and more resources within the country, they were ultimately outmatched by the foreign predators circling the nation.

During the generation of Gina’s father—Luca’s maternal grandfather—the family endured constant suppression and exclusion from various internal factions. After much deliberation, they decided to relocate their operations to the United States. As large sums of capital were transferred overseas, Orange Industries was established in America. Gina even spent her university years in the States, where she met and fell in love with Herman while studying at MIT.

However, the path for outsiders was far from easy. After an initial period of aggressive expansion fueled by capital, Orange Industries’ growth hit a complete standstill and even began to regress. Yet, by then, there was no place left for them to return to in Sokovia to manage their ancestral assets.

It was not until both of Luca’s grandparents died in an accident that Gina, having only recently married Herman, resolutely took the helm of the company. She decided to go all-in, abandoning everything the family had built over centuries in Sokovia to plunge headfirst into the cutthroat quagmire of American capitalism. Fortunately, supported by Gina’s astute management and Herman’s brilliant scientific research, Orange Industries finally found its footing and began to move in the right direction. Especially several years ago, thanks to the analytical chip patent developed by Herman, the company secured a subcontracting order for Stark Industries’ weapon components, setting the business on a path of rapid growth. The family then moved to New York along with the corporate headquarters. Of course, the later turn of events—where a certain playboy had a change of heart and shut down his weapons division, leaving a vast number of employees unemployed, devastating the downstream supply chain, and nearly bankrupting Orange Industries, which had already transformed 70% of its facilities for custom equipment—is a story for another time.

In fact, after the Stark Industries order was canceled four years ago, Gina pulled strings to form a partnership with Hammer Industries, which was rising rapidly at the time by absorbing a significant amount of the vacated resources. Well, everyone knows the outcome of Hammer Industries. Two years ago, at the Stark Expo, their "indigenously developed" combat robot legion went haywire, directly leading to the imprisonment of its founder, Justin Hammer. Most of the company’s assets were subsequently carved up by the military and rival firms, leaving only the name and a hollow shell to linger in agony. Small fish like Orange Industries were naturally caught in the fallout.

In short, after gaining a deeper understanding of the company through Samira these past few days, Luca could only conclude that the fact the company hadn't gone under was a testament to his mother Gina’s sheer brilliance.

But I digress. Although the family has developed entirely in the U.S. for years and holds almost no influence in their homeland, centuries of accumulation cannot be so easily erased. Furthermore, Gina, having grown up in Sokovia, had served in the Sokovian military before graduating college and taking over the company. Whether it was former comrades-in-arms or loyalists secretly cultivated by the family, having a few absolutely trustworthy die-hard subordinates was truly nothing out of the ordinary. Take Samira, for example: not only have her family served the Oranges for generations, but she was also Gina’s comrade in the military. Much of what Luca has learned recently, beyond the information and archives left by his parents, has been thanks to the help of Aunt Samira.

Of course, it is possible that this team is only the one Samira knows about. Luca suspects there may be other, deeper contingencies that have simply lost contact due to Gina’s coma. Since he has determined these people are trustworthy, he did not hesitate. Luca has always believed that trust, once established on a foundation, can be further solidified through time and mutual interests. He asked Samira directly, "How long will it take for these people to arrive? Do I need to prepare identities and equipment for them?" After all, Samira had mentioned that this team mostly operated overseas.

If they couldn't return in a short time, he couldn't leave his security detail vacant just to wait for them. However, Samira responded quickly this time. "At the latest, three days. Those guys have been operating near the Mexican border lately; if they’re fast, they might all be here by tomorrow."

"Actually, they had been following the reports on New York. After failing to reach the Madam, they took the initiative to contact me."

"It’s just that the Madam’s condition... remains uncertain, so I advised them to stay on standby." Seeming to fear that Luca might misunderstand, Samira added, "I don’t have the authority to command them directly. I only occasionally acted as a liaison for the Madam during joint missions, which is why they reached out to me after losing contact with her."

Luca nodded. He understood that Samira likely couldn't confirm his mother’s state earlier and wanted to postpone non-essential matters until Gina was awake to make decisions. That was why she hadn't mentioned it to him directly. However, hearing Samira mention "joint missions," the corner of Luca’s mouth twitched involuntarily.

"Arrange for someone to investigate the origins of the group protecting my uncle first."

"I’ll try to go out less these next few days. Remember to arrange for two people to guard my mother as well."

"Also, postpone the meetings with the trust funds and lawyers that have been reaching out. Once this matter is settled, have them contact me again."

As Luca systematically arranged the subsequent steps, he pulled out his phone to check his messages. Suddenly, the car, which had been moving smoothly, slammed on its brakes. The sharp, piercing sound of tires screeching against the asphalt filled his ears. At the same time, he heard Samira’s urgent cry:

"Young Master, look out!"