Chemical Poison . Howard Stark

chapter 18

In an alternate world, Anneliese would have been arguing with the contractors at Stark's expo. She would've have been yelling at them for their disrespect, and remaining them that there is plenty of other men who would die for this opportunity.  Instead, she idly sipped at her cup of tea in a nice restaurant with her friends.

It had been so long since she had been able to see them all, if she wasn't busy working - then they were most certainly busy with there own home life. And Anneliese was planning to relish this lunch, not knowing when she will see them again - after all, she didn't find a way for Harold Lockes to be in charge of planning the expo instead of herself for nothing.

She would enjoy her day, even spend a fortune on chicken whilst luxuriating in the pleasantries of small talk until they all had to part ways, resuming their busy days. If it was work, volunteering or chores at home, no one at this table did completely nothing. 

However, none of her friends were technically her taste - more like her best friend's friends. Anneliese was always polite and adored them terribly, but the real star of the show was Maria.

Maria Bernard.

The second she entered the small restaurant, Anneliese was out of her chair and her arms wrapped around her neck. This caused plenty of laughter from her table, considering Anneliese was always considered the perfect example of sensibility - especially in public. But Maria was the exception, always the exception.

"Well hello to you," Maria giggled, as she hugged Anneliese just as tightly.

Letting go, Anneliese smiled at the taller girl. She absolutely adored Maria in all her glory. At nearly six feet, Maria was tall and extremely thin, Anneliese often heard her say that her features most definitely came from her mother. Her nose was pointed, similar to Anneliese, her eyes a beautiful brown and her cheeks rosy. 

Pulling Maria's hand towards the table, and forcing her to take a seat next to her. The two played catch up- ignoring the current conversation on whether it was social acceptable to eat beef when there was a shortage on it. Turning in her chair to face Maria, keeping each other hands enclosed in the other; together.

"So Mister Stark?", Maria whispered, cocking her eyebrows.

It wasn't that her relationship was a secret, after all half of America had seen the photographs of the both of them interacting in numerous scandalous acts. Yet, it still caused Anneliese to blush profoundly. As a former master at redirecting press, she had always found a way to avoid the question.

But with Maria, that was an impossible feat.

Nodding her head slightly, Maria's lip curved curiously, "And has papa met him?"

A growing smile appeared on Anneliese's lips at the sound of 'papa' from her lips. It had been years since she heard someone else call her father that name. A name only the children on the ship she escaped on from France used - Maria and her family had escaped France at the same time as Anneliese.

There was no greater bond than one made on a small boat that should've have fit the sheer number of families. And here they were: Maria, an accomplished opera singer and Anneliese, a high official in Stark Industrials. No one would've pinned the two to get so high up and well-off, at least not for an immigrant... let alone a woman.

"And I haven't?!?" her screech caused the table to halt, both men and women alike interested in the conversation, "I'm meeting him tonight, yeah?"

Eyes growing larger by each second, Anneliese begun shaking her head profoundly, "The expo begins today, and he will be too busy-"

"-You basically manage the man, empty a time in his schedule."

Before Anneliese could reply, one of her other friends, Guinevere and her husband Maxwell, decided they wanted all the gossip from the expo.