Chemical Poison . Howard Stark

Chapter 39

Anneliese begun working at Stark Industrials as an assistant to Mr Launders, the secretary to the vice-chair. As an assistant, she would do everything that no one else wanted to do: run to collect coffee; carefully fold documents into envelopes; standing around the corner with a glass of water if Mr Launders needed it for his boss.

She didn't mind her job. Although, it was often mind numbing and her father referred to it as a waste of her time and skill. Anneliese enjoyed those simple days. It was in a time where her name was not known and she was free to talk with the other women - all in a similar position. Where the only fear was what colour blouse to wear and if the coffee was too cold by the time she passed it to Mr Launders.

She stayed in that position for well over a year. The pay wasn't great but it was better than most other jobs for a woman. Even better was the lack of security clearances for the job; none questioned her forged birth certificate.

To be a women was a disadvantage already but to be German was a death sentence... especially just after a global war.

She remained hidden for only a year.

That was until her direct supervisor, Mr Launders, was fired. She could still remember sitting in a small recreational room and talking about it: of the social outcry, the gossip that filled the magazine, and how they would all change how Stark Industrials was handling the "cover up".

Just a few words changed her life. It was always only a few words.

By the end of the day, Anneliese was sent to the office on the very top of the building; the female assistants called it Icarus' tower. For the inhabitant was a man who flew too high in the sky; his smile was the sun.

Word had made its way around the company of the conversation between Anneliese and some of the other women. But it was one of her bolder statements that set her apart. It was foolish for her to speak out in such a way, but it was freeing, oh, so completely freeing.

'No one understood gossip better than a woman, yeah?'

A single sentence was all it took to seal her fate. She watched with a tight smile as Howard Stark pushed a new contract in front of her. It would be the first of many more contacts. She didn't sign straight away as she glanced at her new direct superior - no longer the strict Mr Launders from before but the vice-chair himself, Alexander Grey.

She would be trained for three months by Alexander... not that he helped with the training but the creation of gossip... and then she was to be on her own. Within a year she was permitted the ability to fire and hire staff as she sees fit.

It always only took a few words to make the mightiest fall and so, it wasn't a surprise that it only took a few words by the man across the table to make her world exploded in colour. Just as he had when she signed that first contract as the head of public relations.

Now, she's seated across from the same man. And so she studied him: His posture was slightly hunched over; his neck lead towards his sharp jawline; his cheekbones were high - as if Icarus raised them as he went to touch the sun; his eyes were glancing at some hidden dust on the table - unable to lift them a fraction higher to meet hers.

The silence persisted. She listed to the tick-tick-tick of the old grandfather clock as the arm moved from six in the morning to seven. But neither moved - Anneliese didn't dare to speak first. She was lost for words. Unable to think of a way to fix the mess the both of them ended up in. All it took was a few threatening sentences in a letter which resulted in more words.