37 | suit up

Hope

I've let Tony be. I'm still not comfortable with his newly found hobby but I know better than to try and talk him out of it when he's already in it deep. There's no turning back now. I just have to accept that. The faster I accept it, the clearer my mind would be for the future.

"I don't want your magic." Tony argued.

Absurdity was drawn to my face—my eyebrows scrunching together, my head slightly tilting, my eyes narrowing, and my gaze intensifying. He's wearing a heavy metal suit in the middle of his garage, planning on flying out of the drive way and into the fucking sky...without so much as a safety net?

The least he could let me do is cast a protection spell on him so if something goes wrong, there won't be any permanent damage.

"You want to fly around the city—" the tone and volume of my voice was starting to change gradually as words began to pour out of my mouth, but before I could even fully develop the madness in my voice as much as it is seen on my face, Tony interrupted.

"You're mad. Remember what Pepper said when we're mad?" Tony reminded me, but it's actually kind of hard to take him seriously right now when his face is peeking from the open mask of the suit's head...and the fact that he's stretching.

I don't know if Pepper was a therapist in her past life, but the way she handles both Tony and I when we're having problems is so professional, I'm starting to think of paying her myself for the enlightening sessions she's been giving us. But as of now, the advice she gave us about how we should talk starting with 'I feel' everytime we want to address a problem with our partner, is fucking ridiculous.

I shifted on my feet and let my eyes flutter close, drawing a deep breath and exhaling right after as I did. But as deep as that breath was, it didn't reach anything calm. So when I opened my eyes again and met Tony's, I plastered a forced smile on my face which I'm sure he already knows is fake.

"I feel like I'm this close to imploding with the amount of insanity I'm inhaling from you right this second when you said that you want to fly around the fucking city without a goddamn safety net!" I said, my voice beginning from a deadly calm tone to full-on mad.

I could see the hesitation on Tony's face as he stared at me stunned. I wish the hesitation was towards what I said. But I'm already guessing that he's more reluctant about arguing with me because he knows I don't like any of this.

"Okay, first of all, clearly, Pepper's wrong about this one." Tony said before he started to approach me with his hands extended towards me. I don't know if he's reaching for me or they're just for precaution. What, does he think I'll suddenly blast him?

"Second, give me my insanity back because I actually need that." He finally reached me and placed his cold metal fingers on my arms. "And third, I want to do this my way. I don't want you babying me."

"I'm not babying you. I'm keeping you from dying from this so-called experiment." I debated.

I'm not even hi-jacking his experiment. I just want to make sure that it won't lead to him falling to his death. Just a simple protection spell. That's it.

Tony looked at me for a little while longer before sighing and pulling me into a hug. Now, normally, a hug from the love of my life is what I always need when I'm anxious. But my body is pressed against a cool metal which is also hard and very uncomfortable, that the last thing it gave me was solace.

"I feel like you don't trust me." He said.

I pulled away from him because I was getting nothing from that hug but utter discomfort before I replied. "I do trust you. But not when you're about to pull something like this."

"How am I supposed to have any progress of my own if your magic is doing it for me?" He explained.

He has a point. Whether I like to admit it or not, taking risks is one of the good ways to go further and faster into the process. I've had my fair share of risks, and my fair share of arguments with Tony about them. Now, I feel what he feels whenever I get as risky as possible.

"What if something goes wrong out there?" I asked, my nerves still there but my anger started to dissipate, replaced with pure worry.

"We'll cross the bridge when we get there." He answered.

I hope we don't have to cross that bridge.

"Jarvis, are you there?" Tony asked as he finally grabbed the mask and put it over his face.

"At your service, sir." Jarvis answered.

I could already feel my heart pounding against my ribcage as I stood aside, just watching Tony and Jarvis get ready for the very first test flight outside the house. Aside from my dad and Uncle Elijah, Tony and Jarvis are another duo that drives me insane. If these two are caught up and obsessed in something as serious as this, they tend to blur the lines between 'okay' and 'absolute madness'.

"Engage heads-up display." Tony said.

"Check."

"Import all preferences from home interface."

"Will do, sir."

"All right, what do you say?"

"I have indeed been uploaded, sir. We're online and ready."

I'm not gonna lie, the suit looks incredible. The clean shiny finish of the silver metal looks fantastic—much like a new car. And the whirring sound it makes when he moves, surprisingly, is pleasant to the ears. Like, I'm suddenly in a sci-fi movie. It actually helped in easing my nerves a little seeing it fully functioning. If there's anything I can trust Tony can do, it's taking technology to a whole other level.

"Spunky." He called out for me and I simply hummed in response. "Go to my computer. You can watch me from there. If you want to put that on so you can talk to me."

He pointed at the small earpiece beside the computer.

"Okay." Was my only response before I sat in front of the computer and saw the different windows on the screen: one of Tony's face, one of what he's seeing, one of the suit's condition and his vital signs, one of the city's map, and one of...yeah, I don't know what that is.

"Can we start the virtual walk-around?" Tony asked Jarvis as he started to slowly walk forward, his gaze roaming around the garage, picking up even the littlest of details.

"Importing preferences and calibrating virtual environment." Jarvis answered.

I took the earpiece and placed it on my right ear. With that, I can hear both Tony and Jarvis more clearly.

"Do a check on control surfaces."

"As you wish."

And all I had to do was just sit there and let myself be in awe of the way the suit started to switch and move around, fitting even better onto his body as it did its final finishing touches.

"Test complete. Preparing to power down and begin diagnostics." Jarvis responded after the suit was fully finished.

I leaned back on the chair, my arms crossed against my chest as I eyed the monitor intently, making sure there's not an obvious sign of error. I'm not as techy as Tony is, not even close. But if I'm going to sit behind this screen and watch him fly around town, I might as well make myself useful by observing every window in this damn computer. I might get distracted by his charming face on the left side of the screen, but I have more control over myself now than before.

"Tell you what. We already got Mommy's permission. So, do a weather and ATC check. Start listening in on ground control." Tony stated.

I see Jarvis as more of a friend than a son. So, that 'Mommy' comment definitely reached a level of cringe that makes me want to bury my face onto my palms.

"Sir, there are still terabytes of calculations needed before an actual flight is—" I already had my eyes widened when Jarvis started explaining that the suit is not ready for something that Tony is about to do right now.

"What?!" I exclaimed, pushing myself up from the chair and shooting him an exasperated glare.

"Guys...sometimes you gotta run before you can walk." Tony said.

"That's not how the saying goes." I argued.

"Oh, come on. Just let me have this moment." Tony whined. "Jarvis, you ready? In three, two..."

I clenched my jaw and balled my hands into fists as I watched Tony begin to take position. For a moment there, I thought the world fell silent because the only sound I could hear was my own heart beat thrashing inside my chest, on the verge of having an attack. That might be an exaggeration, but it feels like it.

Then counted the last number and all my senses came back into overdrive.

"...one." Tony said.

The flight thrusters switched on and Tony started to levitate roughly in the air before moving forward towards the opening of the garage, the speed getting faster as he went further. I watched on the monitor and even felt the adrenaline Tony must be feeling right now in my own veins. I can also feel the vibration on my chest, sinking my heart. I don't know why that is but it's weird and energizing. Perhaps the side effect of the adrenaline.

When Tony successfully got out of the garage and flew into the sky with a triumphant yell escaping his lips, I couldn't help but smile myself. It's working. Holy crap, it's actually working perfectly well.

I looked at the window where it contained his vitals and saw something unusual in his vital signs.

"Tony, are you okay? Your heartbeat's getting too fast." I said as I pulled the chair towards me and sat again, all while not faltering my gaze on the computer screen.

"I'm amazing." He said. "Oh, it handles like a dream."

I laughed at the subtle excitement in his voice when he said that. It felt good to finally see his hard work finally pay off. Suddenly, all the worries I had before vanished. And all I could feel was excitement for him.

Just from watching through the computer, I can see the hiding stars across the dim night sky, I can see the sky scrapers cut through the sky rather beautifully, I can see the various lights from the vehicles on the road looking so far away, so much so that it looked like strobes of light in a party or a concert. The scenery Tony is getting while flawlessly flying around the city is absolutely stunning.

Suddenly, I'm jealous.

"All right, let's see what this thing can do. What's SR-71's record?" Tony asked Jarvis. I'm now seeing the moon itself in the sky as he began to fly straight up into the sky.

"The altitude record for fixed wing flight is 85,000 feet, sir." Jarvis answered.

85,000 feet?! Now, the nerves are back.

"Records are made to be broken! Come on!" Tony responded confidently.

85,000 feet is already too high and he wants to go even higher?

The anxious feeling returned to my gut and I had to clench my hands into fists again to stop them from trembling.

"Tony, I think that's enough." I suggested, clearing my throat before saying it to hide my nervousness.

"No, I can go higher!" Tony responded.

Damn it, Tony.

"Sir, there is a potentially fatal buildup of ice occurring." Jarvis said, causing me to furrow my eyebrows.

"What does that mean?" I asked myself as I began to scour the computer screen for answers. Then my eyes landed on the condition of the suit itself and saw the warnings of what Jarvis just said. The higher he gets, the colder everything becomes. And if he gets too high, the suit is at risk of freezing up.

"Keep going! Higher!" Tony insisted.

"Tony, no!" I wasn't even given a chance to talk him out of it when the windows on the computer screen turned black.

I can't see Tony. I can't hear Tony. I don't have contact with Tony whatsoever and the last thing I saw was the ice building up on the outside of his suit before everything shut down. And I'm already guessing that that's not a good sign.

"Jarvis, where's Tony?!" I asked frantically as I attempted to get everything to start back up again.

"I've lost contact with Mr. Stark, but I'm tracking his location now." He answered.

Once Jarvis has pinpointed Tony's location, I sped out of the house and into the traffic, running past cars and motorcycles and trucks with my head tilted up, looking for a certain stupid billionaire clad in an iced-up, heavy ass metal suit falling from the sky.

When my eyes caught what I'm looking for, I took a deep breath and shifted my feet, beginning to run and climb up buildings until I'm at the rooftops, sprinting and jumping from building after building. If I knew I was going to do parkour tonight, I should've stretched first.

Like I said before, his stubbornness is what's getting him closer to death's door.

I was running so fast, I'm not even sure my feet are touching the ground anymore. I feel like they're just flying over everything as I make my way towards him. But he's falling faster than I thought.

My heart was leaping out of my chest from every jump I do and from every second that Tony is falling closer to the ground. I don't care if people are seeing this right now, for all I know, all they see is a blur, maybe they don't even notice it because I'm pretty sure I've reached the maximum level of my speed that renders me invisible to the naked human eye.

When he was about to hit the ground in the middle of an on-going traffic, I extended my hand out and was already prepared to mutter a quick chant under my breath when suddenly, he flew straight up again and I could hear him from the earpiece I didn't notice I was still wearing this entire time.

It took me some more steps and a wall to finally stop me from running after seeing Tony's suit power back up, causing him to tower over the buildings once again.

"Tony?" I called out, touching the earpiece.

"Why do you sound so out of breath?" He asked.

For some reason a laugh escaped my lips. But it wasn't a laugh that represented humor. I felt ache and relief as I chuckled, my hand moving towards my chest as I felt my pounding heart against it. I'm surprised my heart is still even in my chest. I was pretty sure it dropped to my stomach at one point. If I was human, I'm sure I would have had a heart attack by now.

I felt my knees weaken and so I let myself drop to the ground. I sat there clutching the fabric over my chest as I took deep breaths, trying to get my heart to calm down and my breathing to steady.

"You need a ride?" I looked up and saw Tony still in his suit, floating over the ground.

I raised a finger at him with the angriest look I could give him at the moment given my slightly weakened state before I spoke.

"I feel...like killing you myself." I answered. Of course, I didn't mean it. But the urge to strangle him right now is powerful.

"That's a no, then?"

—

After creating a hole in the ceiling and destroying a car upon landing, Tony went back to altering and improving the suit while I had to raid Tony's stash of scotch. After the night I just had? I need it. Especially when he expects me to act normal while attending an annual benefit which Tony is not invited to but is the reason the benefit exists.

"Let's do a high ponytail." Aunt Rebekah said as I sat in front of the vanity of my closet.

As usual, I'm not one to be trusted for anything fashion-related, so I called Aunt Rebekah last minute to help me get ready. I already had something to wear earlier, but Aunt Rebekah showed up with another dress that she insists I should wear.

"Why?" I asked while she started to gently brush through my already curled hair.

"If I'm not mistaken, your neck is Tony's weakness. He'll be at your service in no time." She teased, sending me a smirk through the mirror.

I only smiled and shook my head subtly before letting Aunt Rebekah take care of me.

I've already called Pepper earlier and she said she's already at the benefit with Uncle Finn as her plus one, which surprised none of us, of course. The two of them are already more open after our conversation. I gave them a heads up, saying that I'll be attending the benefit with her boss who feels betrayed at the moment for not inviting him to his own 'party'.

"There, all done. If this doesn't get him weak on the knees, I don't know what will." Aunt Rebekah said after helping me zip up my dress.

The dress I'm wearing is definitely not something I would've picked out myself. It's a shiny, gold dress with a deep V-neckline and a low V at the back as well. The fabric is made of tulle with foil, the skirt layered in an A-line silhouette with a sweep train finish. My auburn hair is tied up in a slightly messy ponytail, causing loose waves of my hair to brush against my back ever-so-lightly. Aunt Rebekah made sure that some strands of hair were left on the sides of my cheeks to frame my face.

She also said that less is more, therefore, minimal makeup—which I'm grateful for, by the way. I don't feel like being bothered by the extra weight on my face. She got me to wear the jewelry I bought three months ago during Pepper's birthday, which I almost forgot about given that a lot has happened that day. Then she finished with a pair of simple, silver stilettos, which thanks to my vampirism, doesn't hurt as much.

"Shouldn't I be dressing up for myself and not for anybody else?" I asked. That's one of her mottos. After getting her heart broken a lot of times, she decided that everything she does will be for herself and not for the attention of anybody else.

"Yes. Teasing Tony is just an added bonus." She responded. "I'll get going. I don't trust your dad enough to stay out of trouble."

"How ironic. You're the youngest out of all of them and yet, you're the babysitter." I commented.

I stared at myself through the full-length mirror in front of me. Surprisingly, despite the plunging neckline that I'm obviously a little diffident about, I like how I look. I guess I shouldn't be that shocked since one of Aunt Rebekah's supernatural talents is makeovers. For a while there, I felt like a main character after a makeover montage to satisfy their own lack of self-confidence.

That's kind of mean, even when it's directed at myself.

"Well, somebody has to fill in the big sister position for a while until we find Freya." She said.

I've told them stories about Aunt Freya. How she would always prioritize our family. How she would sacrifice a lot for us. How she would always try to be the one with the solution. How she would take all our burdens on her shoulders because she doesn't want her family to suffer in any way. How she would try and succeed in being a good big sister and aunt to all of us.

My word was enough to convince them to help me find Aunt Freya.

Aunt Rebekah said her goodbyes to me and while she was on her way out, I heard her chat with Tony for a while, who I assume is already in the living room waiting for me, before she finally left the house.

I took one last glance at my reflection and prayed to the gods above that I don't trip at how high my heels are or how long my dress is before stepping out of the room. When I reached the stairs, I used my right hand to lift my dress up slightly and my left hand on the railing of the staircase as I made my way down the steps.

I have no idea what Tony looks like right now because my eyes are fixated on my feet, making sure that I don't take any misstep. Once I reached the bottom of the stairs, I lifted my head and finally met his gaze. His face, which I can only describe as stunned and dumbfounded, was enough to prove Aunt Rebekah right.

"You should be illegal." Tony commented. "That dress...and the hair up? Really? You're just teasing me at this point."

"Well, is it working?" I asked as he reached for me, placing his hands on my waist and my arms on his shoulders.

"Absolutely." He responded before leaning in to kiss me. But then I remembered one of the reminders Aunt Rebekah told me.

"Uh..." I moved away slightly, to avoid Tony's lips. "Auntie Bex said I shouldn't smudge my lipstick."

As expected, Tony closed his eyes and groaned in frustration before letting his head drop forward, resting on the crook of my neck, inhaling my scent. He has a habit of doing that especially when my neck is exposed for him to take advantage of.

He peppered my neck with light kisses, causing me to close my eyes at how good it felt. This is distracting.

"Tony, we have to go." I managed to say, despite the pleasure coursing through my veins with every touch his soft lips do against my skin. I heard another groan from him before he replied.

"Fine." Tony said as he pulled back and straightened his posture, reducing our physical contact into intertwined hands. "Let's just get this benefit over with."

—

Now, I did not think this through.

We're already outside the venue of the benefit and I see journalists right outside among the paparazzis. And I should have known that there would also be some of them invited in the actual benefit. The last thing I want is to be interviewed with the latest news about my origin.

"They're not going anywhere near you." I whipped my gaze towards the driver's seat where Tony is when he spoke. "I promise."

I simply smiled at him before he stepped out of the car and gave the keys to the valet as he walked around the vehicle, going to my side. I can already hear the journalists and the women going in a frenzy from Tony's sudden appearance. He opened the car door to my side and offered a hand to guide me out of the car.

I looked down to save my eyes from the bright flashes of cameras, taking my time before I'm gathered enough to finally look at them directly. I linked my arm with Tony's as I stood on his left side.

I've done this too many times, but I never got the hang of it. Up to this day, I'm still not over how these flashes would temporarily blind me and how some journalists would almost stick their damn recorders on my face just so they could get a statement. I've done this too many times and I still hate it.

But I have grown to tolerate it enough.

Tony and I walked down the red carpet of doom, our gazes ahead and ignoring the questions being thrown at us, some of which are what I predicted, the questions about my alleged confession indicating that I'm a tribrid.

"You look great, Hef." Tony told the intriguing old white-haired man with a lady on each arm.

As we went further into the carpet, there we found Obadiah talking to one of the journalists.

"What's the world come to when a guy's got to crash his own party?" Tony told Obadiah as we approached him.

The man looked at Tony and laughed in surprise from his appearance. "Look at you. Hey, what a surprise."

Then his eyes shifted towards me, and, which I think is for the sake of the pictures, he remained smiling. Which I returned. Again, for the pictures.

"Good evening, Andrea." Obadiah greeted. I just know that he hated saying that just as much as I hate saying it back.

"Good evening, Obadiah." I replied.

The exchange between us is the perfect example of a conversation that makes me want to fucking vomit all over this damn velvet red carpet.

"We'll see you inside." Tony said, patting Obadiah at the back before we tried to walk past him.

I hope not.

"Hey." Obadiah stopped us and started whispering to Tony. "Listen, take it slow, all right? I think I got the board right where we want them."

"You got it. Just cabin fever." Tony said as we once again walked away from Obadiah. "We'll just be a minute."

As we walk up the stairs, I have my eyes fixated on my feet again, trying to not trip over. Tony unlinked his arms from mine and held my right hand with his and his left hand rested on my lower back to guide me.

"You know, tripping over would be the least of our problems. You don't have to keep worrying too much." Tony said.

"I've already caused enough scenes, don't you think?" I replied.

"It's what we do." He said and I simply smiled and shook my head in response.

We've reached the inside of the venue and to be honest, all fancy parties look the same to me. What I'm excited about and have yet to experience is a classic Mikaelson Ball that Uncle Elijah used to tell me stories about. They don't do it that often, but when they do, it's always big and elegant.

I can barely hear my own heels clicking on the floor with all the chattering of the guests, the clinking of glasses, and the classical music in the background.

"Give me a Scotch. I'm starving." Tony told the bartender.

I glanced at Tony and cocked an eyebrow at him as I rested an arm on top of the bar counter.

"Really?" I said.

He looked at me and also placed his arm on the counter, matching my expression. "Are you willing to satisfy my hunger?"

I only rolled my eyes at him as a response before turning slightly, letting myself lean back against the counter with an elbow still placed on top of it. The place is packed. And that's no surprise considering whatever Tony hosts is always successful.

"Mr. Stark?" Someone said from beside Tony and that voice is familiar.

"Yeah?" Tony answered.

I saw the same guy who also spoke to me and Pepper before the controversial press conference. He asked to debrief Tony about the details of his escape, as well as interview me about my past—more specifically, my origin. I guess they believed the news.

My eyes darted towards the sea of people before us and saw Pepper and Uncle Finn among them. I should tell them we're here. I let Tony chat with the man, Agent Coulson, for a while as I made my way towards the two of them.

"You look stunning." I greeted as soon as I reached Pepper and Uncle Finn.

Pepper looked at me with wide eyes before tugging a smile on her lips and giving me a hug.

"Hi!" She said as she gave me a hug.

As I hugged her, I met Uncle Finn's gaze. He looks rather murderous, if I'm not mistaken.

"You look absolutely stunning." Pepper said as she pulled away and scanned me from head to toe.

"Not as stunning as you." I replied.

I shifted my eyes towards Uncle Finn and I saw him staring at me with the same look on his face. His eyebrows furrowed and his eyes squinted. I'm sure he doesn't want to murder me, but why does he look like that?

"Stop staring at me." I told him.

"Would you rather I focus on the many tuxedo-clad dipshits in the room staring at my niece like some meat they want to devour? If so, then this party will turn very bloody very quickly." Uncle Finn stated.

That's when I started to feel self-conscious. I roamed my eyes around the room and saw some men looking at me. Ah, yes. These types of men. I wish I could just pluck their eyes out.

"Pepper, Finn," Tony showed up beside me. Well, that's surprising. No nickname for Uncle Finn? "Mind if I borrow my girlfriend for a while?"

"Might as well to get the drooling to stop." Uncle Finn replied.

I saw Tony look around us, his eyebrows furrowing when catching some of the men Uncle Finn was referring to. For years, Tony has been denying that he gets jealous. For years, he kept telling me that he wasn't the jealous type. But from the looks of tonight, that's not true.

"Come on, dance with me." Tony said, clasping his hand with mine before gently pulling me towards the middle of the dance floor.

His other hand rested on my lower back as he pulled me close. I placed my free hand on his shoulder, letting my arm rest on his. We swayed subtly. He leaned in until our foreheads touched. The gentle contact caused my eyes to flutter close, a small smile to curl on my lips.

"Have I told you how heavenly you look tonight?" He said.

My smile widened as I pulled back slightly to meet his gaze. His deep brown eyes stared right into mine as we danced. Fifteen years and he still manages to make me feel butterflies.

"Not directly." I answered.

He pulled me closer, if that's even possible, and leaned in until his lips were nearly touching my ear. I could feel his breath against my ear as he whispered.

"Ironically, it's making me want to do bad things to you." He muttered.

Just the thought of all those 'bad things' did not stop me from catching my lower lip with my teeth. But what did stop me was the thought of Uncle Finn possibly hearing what Tony is saying.

"Uncle Finn might hear you." I whispered back.

"So? I thought you like that. The thought of someone who might hear or see us turns you on, doesn't it?" He replied.

Sometimes it scares me that he knows me too well.

My hold on his shoulder slightly tightened as I swallowed hard, trying not to give in to my temptations while Tony is obviously in the process of giving into his. We're in a room filled with people who have every intention to keep their eyes on us. A room filled with people naturally curious about his mental condition after the kidnapping and his girlfriend's questionable background. Giving into our temptations right now is not the best choice.

"I need a drink." I pulled away from him and settled with holding his hand as I gently dragged him back to the mini bar. Less physical contact, less chances of giving in.

I ordered myself a drink before whipping my gaze towards Tony. I notice the look he's giving me along with the smirk playing on his lips as if he's amused that he's driving me insane.

"Stop that." I said, annoyed. The last thing I want is to be charmed by Tony Stark, even if he's done that effortlessly for over a decade.

"I'm not doing anything." He defended, though, the teasing smile on his face says otherwise.

Fine. If he won't stop, then I'll beat him at his own game.

"Oh, really?" I tilted my head slightly to the side, exposing my neck even more as I took one step closer at him.

The way the smirk on his lips vanished at my action and was replaced by uneasiness before his eyes landed on my neck, trailing down to my chest felt like victory. That was all I needed to do to get him back.

"You're sneaky." Tony commented.

It was my turn to smirk. "Two can play this game, Stark."

"Then play with me further, please." Tony encouraged, stepping closer towards me. I didn't shift from my position and let Tony move closer, only to be interrupted by one Christine Everhart.

"Great." I whispered under my breath, frustrates not because Tony had to avert his attention from me—I'm actually sort of glad about that because I was already starting to give in to him—but because, of all the people in this room, Christime decided to bother us.

I shouldn't even be surprised.

"Wow. Tony Stark and Andrea Mikaelson." Christine said when she reached us. Why do I feel like she has been wanting to approach us all this time?

"Oh, hey." Tony greeted back, though, not with the same fake enthusiasm.

"Fancy seeing both of you here." She replied. Now, I see why she's a journalist and not an actress.

"Yeah, it almost feels like it's not a coincidence." I said, mirroring the fake smile she has on her face. Unlike her, I'm actually making it obvious that I'm just pretending.

"Well, then. Let's stop the nice act." Christine said at the same time she wiped the smile off her face. "The two of you got a lot of nerve showing up here."

"I still have my nice act on because clearly, you don't have any idea who you're dealing with." I said. The woman is already getting in my nerves and I've only been in her presence for barely a minute. If stay longer with her within my reach, I'm afraid I might do something far from elegant.

"Oh, I know what you and your family are capable of. Correct me if I'm wrong but it seems like your family puts the devil to shame. Your dad, especially." Christine stated.

I can feel my blood boiling. Insanity is slowlt creeping up my spine, and I know that if it reaches my head, nothing will stop me from ripping this woman's head of from her neck. It took everything in me to keep those emotions buried deep, to keep the smile on my face, to keep myself from withdrawing from Tony's protective grasps.

"I think you should leave before you say anything more that you'll regret." Tony said.

His voice, in fact, the sounds in this room seemed to have been reduced to muffled background noises while the center of my hearing is on the steady besting of my heart. I'm focused, making sure that nothing more will set me off tonight, especially when surrounded by a lot of people.

"That's not even half of what I want to say." Christine said before handing out a series of photographs. "Is this what you call accountability?"

I took it upon myself to take the pictures from Christine's hand knowibg that Tony would just probably stare at them, considering he doesn't like to be handed things. When I gave the pictures to Tony and he started to sort through them, I saw the photos revealing dangerous and high-tech weapons...with Tony's name plastered on them.

"It's a town called Gulmira. Heard of it?" Christine asked, but the sarcastic undertome in her voice suggested that he perfectly knows what she's talking about. But judging by the looks of everything, especially after knowing how much Tomy has changed, I'm sure that he is the last person to ever be in charge of something like this.

"When were these taken?" Tony asked.

"Yesterday." Christine replied.

Tony has decided to discontinue manufacturing weapons, therefore, also discontinuing shipments from everywhere. That's why the company's going nuts. So, why the hell do they have those?

"I didn't approve any shipment."

"Well, your company did."

"Well, I'm not my company." Tony said with his stern gaze not faltering from Christine's. "Excuse me."

Tony began to walk away, leaving me with Christine while my anger towards her is still fresh. Without Tony by my side, hurting Christine Everhart seems more reachable than ever. And with what she said about my family still echoing in ny mind, I doubt that I'd have any self control left to stop me.

"Hope." I suddenly heard Uncle Finn's voice as he appeared beside me. "You should go after Tony."

That's right. I should get to Tony. With what Chrisitine just revealed, I know that he won't stop until whoever's responsible for shipping those weapons would be dealt with by him personally. That was enough reason to redirect my anger elsewhere. If I didn't have anything else better to do right now, I would have knocked her out already.

"Talk about my family like that again and I'll make you sure you don't speak a word ever again." I told Chrisitine. If looks could kill, she'd already be six-feet under. I'm partially glad it doesn't.

I looked at Uncle Finn for a moment before leaving their presence and walking out of the venue to look for Tony. My eyes darted towards the steps and I found Tony talking to Obadiah. Couldn't they have chosen a more private place to talk? Do they have to discuss in front of the blinding camera flashes?

I was not about to let myself be in that position once more tonight, the same cannot be said for Christine though considering she followed Tony and is now standing near them, possibly wanting to know the truth as well. And I can't blame her for that. I simply stood a couple of feet away from them and listened in on their conversation.

"...when they said 'Here's the line. We don't cross it. This is how we do business'." Tony said, the tone of his voice clearly sounding vexed. And he should be. "If we're double-dealing under the table...are we?"

Obadiah simply looked at him, sighing as he did before turning Tony to face the cameras.

"Let's take a picture. Come on." Obadiah said, placing a hand on Tony's shoulder as he did the same. But I can tell that nothing about that is sincere. "Picture time!"

Of course the paparazzis ate this up. They started taking as many pictures as they could of Obadiah and Tony, shouting requests of what they could do in their pictures while Tony simply stood there as Obadiah slightly leaned in to whisper something.

"Tony, who do you think locked you out?" Obadiah said.

Starting with that sentence is already a bright red flag. If he continues and every word that comes out of his mouth matches the suspicions screaming inside my head, I'm going to make sure that he pays for everything that he's done.

"I was the one who filed the injunction against you. It was the only way I could protect you." Obadiah said before tapping Tony's shoulder and started walking away.

My hands clenched into fists as I stared at Tony just standing there, possibly feeling shocked and betrayed. The person that he thought has been looking out for him for years ever since his parents died turns out to be the bad guy. He's pissed. I know I would be.

When Tony turned around and caught me in his line of sight, he stared at me with that familiar look on his eyes.

I just know that he needs me now more than ever.

—

This took a lot longer to write...given that it's 6.7K words and I didn't know how to end this chapter kskssksksksk.

Tony and Hope's relationship is a series of banters and teasing that I'm here for (of course, you are you're the author).

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.