Chapter 119: Chapter 119: The Gala

Chapter 119: The Gala

24^th 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 in an event like this, especially when his company is the one hosting it. This was, of course, the annual Stark Industries annual fundraiser for the Maria Stark foundation, a non profit organization created by his mother to provide people with opportunities to make their lives better. 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.

So instead of just giving money to homeless shelters, or orphanages, she chose to paying for their education. And then, 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 one of the best in the countries, offering the opportunity to anyone to finish their high school education and provide 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 changed the lives of thousands of people.

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 meeting for power hungry idiots in suits fighting for a 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.

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 a 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 a long and 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 idiots all night long. Not that he was denying being a horny idiot, maybe except the idiot part; 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 like 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 this. 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 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. Names have power, Mr. Stark. Giving one’s name could have irreparable consequence 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?

His confusion was 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.”

It all clicked in his head. This is why she was so familiar. The reclusive Morgan Evanshade, she doesn’t show up in public events much, so there aren’t a lot of pictures of her online. There were, of course, picture but nowhere as many as Tony’s or pretty much 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 brown nosers like he was.

“The mysterious Morgan Evanshade, the owner of the biggest media company in the country, maybe 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 they hell is going on? He would have known if she was there before. Obadiah would have paraded this fact to the media. 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. There were even fewer sightings of her. This anonymity kinda made Tony jealous. He loved being famous, he really does, but considering how many times a day he’s being 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’ being 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.”

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The last Stark laughed at this, 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, really, you’re almost never seen in any public function. Why do you come here every year, then?”

“Your mother,” she simply answers.

Stark startled 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 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 but also so much goodness. She wanted to change the world. She was particularly proud of you, although she didn’t like your lifestyle. She always said, that 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 much of a great man he was. This always pissed him off; his father was a great genius, a great CEO, but he wasn’t a great father. He absentee, at best, and dismissive at worst. So much of Tony’s issues stemmed from that man. His father’s acceptance, recognition was something he craved. And when it became clear that his father was never going to give them to him, he acted out. The drinking, the gambling, the sleeping around was something that Tony did to piss off his father.

“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 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 actually 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 board meeting wearing that. Your mother was a bit of a prankster too. I still remember when she put red dye in his shampoo. 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 good a friend of his mother. Now that he thought about it, he didn’t know much about his mother’s personal life. She was always this angelic person. She was so kind, understanding, a voice of reason to his father’s obsession. 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 acknowledged after her death, and 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 spoke 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. Me, on the other hand, can’t help but be disappointed.”

“What?”

“Yes, I am. I can see Maria in you, but it’s buried in so much. You have always wanted to surpass your father. The truth is, your potential dwarfs his. You wanted to beat his father at his own game and congratulation, you are. You made Stark Industries the name for high tech weaponry. You wanted to be greater than your father, and 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 good 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, no ambition. Your entire being is centered on Howard Stark. That’s all the world sees you as. Howard Stark’s son. And you have done nothing to prove to them otherwise.”

These words felt like knives in his heart, touching sensitive thoughts that he buried deep in his psyche. And so, like he always acts when he’s hurt, he get angry, “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 fill find yourself truly alone, without your money or your toys. You will be stripped bare of your lies and illusions and on that day, you will have to find out who you really are and the man you want to be. The question is, will you thrive and become the man your mother saw you as, or will you fall further in the web of your own lies. Farewell, Anthony Stark.”

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

 

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