OUR BELOVED ASSASSIN // t.s daughter ((1))

11

"Come on. Explain to me!" Tony demands loudly after he hears a click on the door, a sign that they're now safe to talk about anything so no one will hear.

Hermione glances at the file on the table. Although she never thought anyone would find it, but it's not a surprise to know Tony finds it.

Even if she's a pro at dealing with dead people and killing humans, Hermione never thought that to be facing Tony is still the hardest thing to do in her life. It takes everything in her to not to cry in front of him -- or shut her eyes and seal her hearing with pillows -- and just look at him with a look that she thought the most frightening look. At Villa, Arnold once taught her to lift up her chin and look at the person in front and never blink if you want to sacare him/her. Now she's doing it. But to compete with Tony's big eyes? She knows she's losing.

"Oh, don't look at me like that, Helen!" It's so odd but nice at the same time to be able to pronounce that name again, especially knowing that the person is not dead as he thinks. "I want you to explain to me everything. From A to Z. I want to know." Tony stands still at the end of her bed, arms crossed on his chest.

Hermione rolls her eyes and let out a scoff. She shakes her head, not believing what is happening to her right now. "There are cameras everywhere, Mr. Stark," she points out, addressing the man like how the people in TVs address him. Tony has to admit here that is breaks his heart hearing his own daughter calling him that like they never knew each other.

"Who gives you the right call me 'Mr. Stark?'" Tony's voice was cold. He then continues without waiting Hermione's answer. It was a rhetorical question anyway. "I'd disabled all the security systems so I can talk to you about this in private. I want you swear that you tell me everything."

The girl looks at him with eyebrows knitted together, angry. "To whom should I swear to? My mother?" she retorts with the sassy mouth she's got there. "You don't have anything to know about and I refuse to open up to you even if it's... you should know."

"You know I know everything already. I've collected your data as much and the techman, who you thought was doing his work perfectly, failed to conceal your identity. At least to me," Tony says, in which relaxes Hermione at his last sentence. At least, it is Tony who knows not some strangers who may plan to plan a muder on her, as much as she hates know. "So now, Helen Stark," Tony pronounces her full name like he used to when she was in trouble when she was young. His voice holds like a businessman that Hermione hated so much, "tell me everything."

"I don't care what you say but I won't tell you anything." Hermione's face is in deep shed of red for holding her anger deep inside. Her nose is now flared with invisible smoke than only a true imaginator could see. She keeps her cold gaze on Tony as Tony do the same.

The man sighs, rubbing his face with both of his hands before they land on the portable table to hold his body weight while he leans. He doesn't like to see the look on Hermione's eyes when she's looking at him -- like there's no mercy in her eyes anymore -- so he keeps his eyes on the wooden-coloured file on the table, thinking the next move.

"We both know well I won't give up, Helen," Tony finally speaks after a seconds of silence. His hand has turning the file open. "I don't want to do this but you force me to."

"I didn't force you anything," Hermione replies before Tony even finishes his sentence. "I didn't force anyone to do anything. I do and did them on myself. Because that's better than knowing I don't have anyone there with me."

"But you could've said no," Tony responds back. It's like looking at his nightmare when he reads Hermione's history especially one part that says about killing people. "You have choices but you chose to be an assassin. Why?"