"He's looking to plug the power gap with someone he trusts," Cal says slowly, "working toward the company's longterm interests by completing his education. She's a stopgap, it'll be a rough few years - set expectations low so that if she exceeds them, it looks like a good choice, if she doesn't, it looks less like a failure. Don't set her up to look like a failure.

"Personal assistant thing's an asset, especially since she worked for Stane. She knows everything Tony knows and everything Stane knew. Gives her an edge over a neutral third party, and Tony needs someone who isn't gonna make a power grab."

She taps his fingers on his thigh. "She'll have to do an interview. Can she do one? She'll have to. Just one, so it doesn't look like she's wasting her time, but she'll have to make herself look ready for the challenge. Nobody like fucking Oprah, either, nobody girly or who might go easy on her. Something serious that most people'll get bored with in about thirty seconds."

He shrugs.

"And you'll still be fucked. But the company might last till Tony graduates."