The Gala

If you want to support me check out my patréon at https://www.patréon.com/athassprkr

I tend to upload drafts of early chapters on there to get people's opinions of them so you can read up to 10 chapters ahead as a bonus.

I would like to thank my beta, Lucodarkknight G, for his help in this chapter.

Last thing, with my finals done, I have enough time to actually write more. So, every day where I have nothing in particular to do, I will upload a chapter. I will always upload the chapters on my three upload days, that will not change, but I'll try to write a chapter every day if I have the time.

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24th February 2006, New York City

(Tony Stark POV)

Tony Stark was bored out of his mind, something that shamed him immensely. He should not feel this way , especially when his company is the one hosting the event. This was, of course, the Stark Industries annual fundraiser for the Maria Stark Foundation, a non profit organization created by his mother to provide people with potential opportunities to enrich themselves. Maria Stark didn't believe in just giving people money; according to her, it did nothing but mask the problem. Apparently, it had to do with the whole 'give a man a fish' metaphor.

Instead of just giving money to homeless shelters, or orphanages, she chose to pay for their education. After that, she would give scholarships and grants to students who couldn't afford going to college. Once selected, a student only had to pass his courses with a reasonable GPA to keep his or her scholarship. Even now, thousands of students all over the country were being educated because of his mother's foundation.

Her homeless shelters were among the best in the country, offering opportunities to anyone towards completing their high school education and providing them with employment opportunities later. With that in consideration, there was no doubt in Tony's mind that his mother was an amazing woman who impacted the lives of thousands of people for the better.

But looking at the Gala, Tony was disgusted with what he was looking at. Business deals were happening, connections were made, politicians were promoting themselves. This stopped being a charity gala and started to become a yearly event for powerful individuals in suits fighting for a perceived drop of power. Stuff like that is why he left Obadiah to deal with the company politics. He would have gone crazy if he had to deal with this every day, or at least drink more, and that would not have been good.

Tony spent the past couple of hours trying to get away from the usual brown nosing morons who kept introducing themselves to him, hoping to fund some project or another that the genius didn't care about. Well, if he's gonna suffer in this god forsaken event, might as well get laid afterwards.

Tony looked around, trying to find a woman to his taste and he found one, sitting by the bar. He couldn't see her face but she had long wavy black hair and was wearing a very tasteful black dress. For some reason, no one approached her. Tony figured that she would be pretty much attacked by horny rich people all night long. Not that he was denying acting like a horny idiot, maybe idiot was a bit harsh; Tony was proud of his mind after all.

He sat next to her and listened to her order, "One Vodka Martini, extra dry, extra olives."

She had a British accent. Damn, he likes a woman with an accent. Plus, she just gave him an opportunity to speak to her. He spoke to the bartender, "I'll have the same, but make mine dirty, will you."

The bartender nodded and started mixing the drinks.

Tony looked at her and grinned, "So, what's a nice girl like you doing in a place like this?"

The mystery woman snorted at his question and turned around. Tony was met with the most magnificent emerald eyes he had ever seen. They almost seemed as if they were glowing. She looked familiar for some reason, but he mentally shook his head and focused on what she was saying, "Seriously Mr. Stark, you'll have to do better than that. Is this all it takes for the infamous Tony Stark to seduce a young maiden?"

Oh, she was a fun one. At least, she's not as boring as the others. "Nah, it's just my boyish charm and devilishly good looks," the woman snorted once more and he continued, "It seems like you have me at a disadvantage, my lady; you seem to know who I am, and yet I do not know your name."

"Curious, isn't it? The power a Name holds? Mr. Stark. Giving one's name could have irreparable consequences in the grand scheme of things."

Wait, what? What she just said made absolutely no sense. Is she some kind of whacko in a pretty dress?

The confusion must have been evident on his face because the woman burst into laughter, "You should see your face. You were so weirded out. I'm Morgan by the way, Morgan Evanshade."

That is when it all clicked in his head, this is why she seemed so familiar. The reclusive Morgan Evanshade doesn't show up to public events often, so there aren't many pictures of her online. There were pictures, of course but nowhere as many as Tony's or almost any other person attending the gala tonight. No wonder no one was going to speak to her, she must have chosen to not give herself away, preferring to not be hassled by fake personas that people enjoy being seen as.

"The mysterious Morgan Evanshade, the owner of the biggest media company in the country, perhaps even the world. Didn't expect to see you here tonight."

The famous writer smirked at him, "I have always come to this event, Mr. Stark. You just have never noticed."

Wait, what? What the hell is going on? He would have known if she was there before. Obadiah would have paraded this fact to the media to give the event more notoriety. Speaking of the media, it was weird how little information there is on her. Other than making a woman called Selene Gallio her CEO a few years back, there was barely any news about her with even fewer sightings of her out and about. This level of anonymity kinda made Tony jealous. He loved being famous, he really does, but considering how many times a day he's been hassled by paparazzi, a break would be nice.

Tony gained control over himself, "I have to say, I'm a big fan. I didn't expect something like 'The song of Ice and Fire' to be written by such an innocent looking woman. What a devious mind you have."

Evanshade giggled at that, "All women have devious minds, Mr. Stark. You just picture us as damsels in distress all the time. Princesses with the purity of saints. It's just instinctive. Trust me, Mr. Stark, there are women with minds far dirtier than even yours."

Stark laughed at this, and wasn't that the truth? Tony had slept with enough women to know how kinky some of them actually are. A couple of his one night stands actually made him uncomfortable. "So, you're almost never seen in any public function. Why do you come here every year, then?"

"Your mother," she simply answers.

Stark jerked at this, but before he could speak she continued, "I come here to honor your mother."

"How did you know her? She would have mentioned you to me if she had actually met you."

"I met your mother a few years before she died. Very rarely have I seen someone with so much passion retain her integrity and sense of selflessness. . She wanted to change the world. She was particularly proud of you, although she didn't like your lifestyle. She always said that eventually you'll find someone to keep you in line, similarly to how she kept your father in line. The world darkened with her passing. I come here every year to remember what could have been. Your mother was a dear friend of mine, Anthony, so I tend to check up on you, when I can."

Tony was stunned at that. People always spoke about his father, about how great a man he was. That always pissed him off; his father was a great genius,t CEO, and inventor but he wasn't a great father. He was absentee, at best, and dismissive at worst. So much of Tony's issues stemmed from the man. His father's acceptance, recognition was something he craved. When it became clear that his father was never going to give it to him, he acted out. The drinking, the gambling, the sleeping around was something that Tony did to piss off his father and it just slowly became his lifestyle.

"Tell me more about her," he pretty much begged the woman.

"Well, after the Gala, your mother and I would meet every other week. I would give her early drafts of my books and she would give me her opinions. I have to say, she was very critical of my sex scenes. Your mother was quite a closet pervert, it seems."

Tony grimaced; he didn't want to know about that of all things. Is this the infamous 'girl talk'? No wonder guys try to avoid it as much as possible.

The famous writer continued, "When I met your father though, I have to say that he was a dickhead," Tony burst into laughter at this, "I'm not kidding. He was so condescending; it wasn't even funny. I liked to mess with him. It was simple stuff, really, shouting about his sexual prowess over dinner, giving him a Hitler moustache when he was sleeping. He actually went to a board meeting wearing that. Your mother was a bit of a prankster too. I still remember when she put red dye in his shampoo and said that his soul was forever lost to her. I never laughed as hard as I did, that day."

The genius didn't think that the woman in front of him was actually this close to his mother. Now that he thought about it, he didn't know much about his mother's personal life. She was always this angelic image in his head. She was always so kind and understanding, a voice of reason to his father's one-track mind. An unmovable rock trying to balance their family. Tony never thought of her as a person, just as his mother. He was so obsessed with his father's approval that never took the opportunity to get to know his own mother. This was something that he had to acknowledge after her death, and it became one of his biggest regrets in life.

Tony felt himself tearing up at the memory but he steeled himself. This room was full of sharks that would tear him apart at the smallest sign of weakness.

They both received their drinks and they stayed silent while drinking their martinis, Tony lost in his thoughts.

When he finally mustered enough courage to speak up, he asked in a vulnerable tone, "Do you think she would be proud of me?"

Evanshade smiled sadly, "Maria would have been proud of you no matter what. Don't get me wrong, she wouldn't approve of a lot of things, but she would still be proud of you. Myself, on the other hand, can't help but be disappointed."

"What?"

"Yes, I am. I can see Maria in you, but it's been buried in so much. You have always wanted to surpass your father. The truth is, your potential dwarfs his. You wanted to beat your father at his own game and congratulations, you are. You made Stark Industries the name for high tech weaponry. You wanted to be greater than your father, and guess what? You did. You're a great man, Anthony Stark, but then again so was your father. You have suppressed the Maria side of you to achieve your dream. And deep down, you're still the boy that wanted his father's approval. Your life is empty, with no meaning. Stop being the great man everyone wants you to be, and start becoming the man that your mother saw in you. Kill the boy, Stark, and let the man be born."

Tony protested, his fury rising, ready to explode, "I am not a pale imitation of my father!"

"If you remove the money, the privilege, the suits. All I see is a lost genius living his life with no goals and no ambition. Your entire being is centered on Howard Stark. That's all the world sees you as. Howard Stark's son. You have done absolutely nothing to prove to them otherwise."

These words felt like knives in his heart, touching on sensitive topics that he had buried deep in his psyche. Tony acted like he always does when he's hurt, he lashes out at those around him, "I'm not going to stand for this. You can't come to my party and insult me like this. I can handle a few meaningless words, but bringing up my parents like this is stepping over the line."

"Alright, Mr. Stark, I will take my leave. I have already said what I came here to say anyway. Do not expect to see me next year. But remember, young Stark, one day, you will find yourself truly alone, without your money or your toys. You will be stripped bare of your lies and illusions you tell yourself and, on that day, you will have to find out what you're really made of and the man you want to be. The question is, will you thrive and become the man your mother saw in you, or will you fall further into the web of your own lies. Farewell, Anthony Stark."

The woman walked away and slowly exited the room, leaving a shaken billionaire lost in his thoughts. That woman had looked through his mask and saw everything he wanted to hide even from himself. The last Stark decided to deal with it the way he does best, with a bottle in hand. The following morning, he could not remember what happened after the woman left.

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If you want to support me check out my patréon at https://www.patréon.com/athassprkr

I tend to upload drafts of early chapters on there to get people's opinions of them so you can read up to 10 chapters ahead as a bonus.

Thank you guys for your support in these hard times.