Chemical Poison

Sitting down at her kitchen bench, Anneliese sipped at her morning black tea as she read over the paper work Alex had dropped at her place last night. Howard wanted Anneliese to read further into the legal documents for the upcoming court case against Mr Anderson, and to have Stark Industrials be transparent to the public about his wrongdoings. Anneliese couldn't help but be curious to wonder why she was dealing with Mr Anderson, whilst Alex had taken all the press work for the past few days. 

Honestly, it scared her slightly.

The chaos that ensued when the topic of Mr Anderson's replacement was reached, Howard cruelly decided he would personally be in charge of it. The press liked that, a CEO taking responsibility until a suitable individual is chosen. They liked him even more when he started doing deals with the press, selling 'secrets' to the press. When Anneliese was working in her own department, she was doing double time. The press absolutely obsessed with him. 

"Will you be home tonight, daughter?" Her father asked, his eyes staying on his newspaper. "You haven't been home for a meal for weeks," He turned the newspaper over as his voice drawled. "Or even visit the community homes on Sunday."

Nodding, Anneliese agreed. She wanted to have some her father's cooking and she definitely wanted to visit the community home. She missed the group of adults that became almost like family when she immigrated to America. Yet, she was stuck working longer hours, all because Mr Anderson decided to be a massive fool. 

She needed more staff, begged for more. And she always refused, every time. Claiming if he was to provide her more staff, all the other departments would want more. Until profits increased by another 62%, he would not be hiring any more staff. 

Sometimes she hated Howard the business man, he was easy to sway when he was just Howard the inventor.

Setting her teacup onto the bench, she cleared her throat. "There has been a few... legal issues at work," She responded, "I'm sure you've seen what Mr Anderson has been saying in the newspapers?"

Her father nodded his head, slowly folding up his newspaper. "Doesn't seem to like Germans does he?", his eyes raised up to meet her's. "Or women."

A smile crept onto her face, "Mr Stark says by the end of the week, the press won't be talking about Mr Anderson, but I can't seem to agree, as it's been going on for weeks..."

Before her father could respond, the phone begun to ring. Quickly, Anneliese picked herself up from the bench, and walked towards the front door where the telephone hung.

"Hello, Lorenz residence?"

The line was silent, until she heard the all too familiar cackling from Alexander.

"What do you need?", Anneliese asked annoyed, "Can this not wait until I start? It's only five in the morning!" Anneliese cried out. 

She could feel her father's eyes on her back, once Howard begun speaking. "Don't worry about the Anderson court case-"

"Why?" Anneliese responded, interrupting him.

Her fingers clenched around the telephone. "What have you done Howard?"

She could hear an engine pulling into the front of her house... the same noise coming from the phone. The dots connected far too quickly, and Anneliese realised exactly what was going on. A groan slipped past her lips and a rumble of laughter came from the phone again.

Howard Stark and Alexander Grey was just outside of her house.

The phone cut out with a low beep-beep-beep and she turned to face her father, mouth gaping as her hands still held onto the phone. She hadn't need to say a word as he raised his eyebrows when a fist knocked against the door... followed by Alexander's loud laughter.

"I'm so sorry," Anneliese mouth in german to her father. 

And then, without any warning, Alexander slammed open the door and paraded into her living room. As if he owned the house. Her mouth still gaped and hand on the door, Anneliese was in absolute disbelief as Howard followed him, a crown of arrogance above him, as he lazily walked with his pockets in his hands. Confident, but some how more respectfully compared to Alexander.

Definitely more respectful, Howard hadn't damaged her door with an elaborate entry.

Staring them both down, the two were in matching suits. An unusual sight, as they always ensured their suits were as clashing as possible. Yet, the two were dressed up in an all black suit: black tailored pants, charcoal button up and a midnight oil black blazer. Highly contrasting to Anneliese's cream blouse, green skirt and cream heels. 

"Good morning Joseph," Alexander exclaimed, as he took the seat next to Anneliese's father. "Reading the morning paper? I quite enjoyed the article on page seventeen-"

Anneliese let out a loud cough, "What are you two doing at my father's house at this time?" She asked, suspicious of both of them. "Because neither of you are welcomed-"

"Don't be rude schatzi," Her father said in German, his voice dipping lower with authority dripping from his tongue. She instantly placed the phone back onto the rack and straighten her back, out of pure instinct. "Would you gentlemen like a cup of tea?" He asked, in English this time, as he slowly got himself out of the chair. Of course, not without Anneliese aiding him from his chair and across the room - where his walking stick rested against the wall.

He had a limp, a bad one. Some days were better than others. Today wasn't a good day.

Watching him walk himself into the kitchen, she knew he was up to nothing good if he was offering to serve tea to guests. A job that always was left for Anneliese or her mother when she was young. Not so much because she was a woman, but because his hands were rather shaken for a former scientist.

"Schatzi?", Howard asked with a raised eyebrow. "Care to translate?"

Refusing to respond, she ushered the two towards the small round dining table that could only fit four people at the absolute most. Waiting until the two long and lanky men she had the displeasure to work with, she made her way to the kitchen to watch her father pour the boiled water into the mugs with teabags inside. Not even asking her father, she picked up the two mugs and carried them to the dining room, where Alex and Howard were already in a deep conversation.

Taking a seat opposite Howard, and next to Alexander, she could watch her father limp back to his armchair and begin reading the newspaper. She suspects he had flipped a few pages ahead to read the article Alexander had mentioned.

"Explain the meaning of this?" Anneliese asked, forgetting about her own teacup resting on the kitchen bench. "What happened to the Anderson case?"

A loose grin appeared onto Alexander's face. "The judge refused a trial and Mr Anderson has been accused of all his crimes-"

"-What?", Anneliese exclaimed as her eyes widen.

"That was my reaction exactly," Alexander laughed. She did not miss her father's flickering eyes over to the table from Alexander's sudden loud voice, it seemed some habits were harder to kill... and the sudden alertness of loud noises never left either of them. "But it gets better-"

Howard let a small cough through his lipsbefore finishing Alexander's sentence. "The SSR wants to begin the operation today, of course with you being in charge. I wanted to inform you that I have already replaced you with Miss Cotton, she'll have access to Alexander if she requires any assistance. She  will still require a signature from yourself or Alexander on larger press and communication issues-"

Interrupting, Anneliese's lips grew thin. "What if I don't want to lead the operation?", she challenged, "And it's barely fair to make Miss Cotton my replacement, she's an amazing secretary to me... but she is no head press secretary."

Her objection seemed to fall onto deaf ears as Alexander and Howard glanced at one another before landing back onto Anneliese. She couldn't call them close work friends if she knew exactly what that specific boyish grin was.

They knew she would do the operation. Even if it killed her with paperwork and extra hours, she loved a good challenge.

Howard, again, coughed before he proudly announced her new position, "From today, you're Starks representative for the SSR and American Government-"

The sound of the newspaper falling to the ground alerted Anneliese, but not her co-workers. Her eyes lighting up as she witness her father's face grow distort from shock, and yet, Howard and Alexander seemed none the wiser.

"I will be working on the Manhattan project with Grey as discussed at last Monday's meeting, whilst you work on Project Rebirth with the SSR and Abraham Erskine-"

Her eyes instantly caught the face all blood left her father's face, his lips tremble and eyes narrow at her. Out of pure instinct, she straighten her back as her mind was offered one answer from many.

Josef Lorenz knew Abraham Erskine.

And she wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing.

She didn't plan to inform her father of Abraham, believing the secret was better kept away from his ears. To her, this meant she hadn't informed him of any of her recent intel of Hydra or her part in the growing war. How was she meant to know that Howard and Alexander would rock up and quite literally throw the bomb into her father's face.

"What is the meaning of this, Anneliese?" His voice loud, as he spoke in fluent in German.

Both men turned from staring at Anneliese to her father. His voice wasn't kind nor nice, it was a terrifying tone, one he hadn't used since Germany or the random harbor in France she fled from. It screamed danger.

"Papa-"

Without missing a beat, her father was already standing from the chair, his beady brown eyes - much like Anneliese's - was staring her down. In an awfully calm voice, he unleashed what she had never experienced. Unrelenting rage. She had made it her personal mission to avoid the wrath of her father, and it seemed, she had ran out of luck.

"We left Germany for a reason," he started and she could see his chest rapidly moving up and down, and down and up. "For numerous reasons, in fact."

Shrinking into her chair, she avoided the glances from both men next to her as she waited for the onslaught. 

His voice grew louder, "Do you take me a fool, Anneliese?" He questioned, and with every word it grew even more louder, "We escaped from Germany- You're mother sacrificed herself for the opportunity to avoid men like him... from projects like that - and you? My flesh and blood, willingly decided to rob your mother's dying wish to remain safe? Shame on you."

He took a step towards her, a shaky one at that, but a single step forward was enough to terrify her. She had seen how ruthless he could be to others throughout her life, but never was he like this to her.

"Shame on you."

That was said in English.

With her eyes already watering, her fingers bundled tightly into fists as she tried to control her voice - trying her best to keep it from breaking. She spoke, perfectly in english. "I don't want to do this, I've asked not to do that-"

"-And yet you still do and do and do. I can't even look at you," he spat out, "War is more than weapons and money, it is both luxury and danger. Choose which side you want to be on."

Gritting her teeth, Anneliese pulled at the backbone she had sheltered for many years - never full utilized since the day she witnessed her mother's death. It was a trait daughter and mother seemed to share, the ability to somehow stand strong when all they wanted to do was hide in a corner.

"If I do nothing, they win", she exclaimed loudly. Her voice pitching higher and higher as she spoke, "And if I do something, we have a better chance of winning."

Daring to bring her eyes to meet her fathers, she took a deep breath before hissing, "And my mother would want me to be the reason he lives through a gruesome death, nothing more or less. A painting for his wall of blood and knifes," breathing in and out, she continued, "I'm no longer a little girl, Papa. What don't you understand? We need a super soldier before he has it, before he can find us."

She knew that both Howard and Alex were most likely uncomfortable, however, she needed to express that the stakes were so much bigger than before, "It's no longer a war within families, it's global. Why shouldn't I do my part?" 

Her father picked up his cane slowly walked towards the table, ignoring her entire counterargument. "How could you not inform me of Abraham, that he was in America?" He suddenly questioned in English, "You don't understand what type of man he is to me..."

Silence pulled it's weight across the room, heavier than lead. It seemed, secrets were both digging a deeper grave and presenting them to unwilling ears.

"He seems to be a good man," Anneliese replied cautiously, watching her father's face falter into a sad smile.

Her father nodded his head, "Abraham sacrificed himself to get caught, so we could leave," Her father whispered, in German, so Anneliese could only hear. "Is it... possible... for me to meet him again?"

A small smile appeared on her face, glad he was finished with his temper tantrum. "Come with me to work today... I'm sure Howard has enough room in his car for all four of us."

Howard nodded his head slowly, before whispering, "Can you say the last part in English? What did I just agree too?"

"Papa is coming into work today, he needs to meet an old friend."

"Hurry up Anneliese!", Alexander yelled from the door, "We are going to be late to the SSR meeting - it starts at six-twenty!"

Groaning, Anneliese replied, "None of us would have been late if you had decided against the spontaneous urge of rocking up unannounced at my home. That would have allowed me plenty of time to pack my papers-", she paused as she caught sight of the mug on the kitchen bench, "And I would have been able to finish my morning tea."."

With her bag resting on her right arm, she waited for her father to slowly exit the entrance with his walking cane, locking the door behind him. She guided him towards the car, ensuring he was comfortably sitting in the back seat. Alexander already already in a deep conversation with her father about the ever-so-interesting article on page seventeen .

Never had she seen Alexander so willing to seat in the backseat, she almost felt sorry for her father. Almost.  

Taking the seat next to Howard, the two sat in silence before he whispered, inaudible to both Alexander's and her father's ears.

"Is he sick?" He asked, and Anneliese caught on quickly. Ensuring her eyes remained on the traffic and not on how effortlessly he drove the vehicle, he had to be good at driving them if he was so damn good at building them. So she responded, "An injury from our escape, and American doctors aren't that kind to germans in the 30's."

He nodded, as he glanced over at Anneliese. Fear prickling across her face as she watched his grin reappear. "Care to explain what Schatzi means?".

Without missing a beat, Anneliese replied cooly, "Watch the road." Turning, daring a glance at Howard, she couldn't but help stare at his slightly curled black hair, shining in the morning sunrise. "Care to explain how you convinced the judge on the Anderson case?"

Howard let a loud laugh, somehow not interrupting the conversation between her father and Alexander. "That's a conversation you don't want to have around your father."

Feeling her cheeks flush, she asked a different question. "Why did you come to my house?"

He bit his tongue, as he pulled up in front of Stark Industrial tower, hailing a man to wait outside his door to park his car.

"You should have read the article on page seventeen."

Opening her door, she was suddenly surrounded by the press, and her instinct was to be at her father's side. This wasn't an option as she watched Alexander quickly rush her elderly father into the building, but that wasn't what prohibited her movement. It was the hand that came to rest around her waist, and the warm body that was against her's. She couldn't but help her cheeks flush a pink shade.

What on earth was Howard doing.

"What is the meaning on this?" Anneliese whispered harshly through a smile. "What was in that article."

Howard turned to face her, eyes glowing a dangerous gold and hazel. "Took a page from Grey's book, and it turned to be a terrific idea."

Her eyes widen, as Howard passed her the morning paper from within the car.

STARK CEO ANNOUNCES HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH ANNELIESE LORENZ

Howard Stark, CEO of Stark Industrials, has announced his relationship with his Head Press Secretary this morning. Admitting that the two kept it private out of respect for Anneliese Lorenz's career, and the reputation of his own company. However, due to the series of incorrect rumours spread by Mr Anderson that she was seducing the company's president, Alexander Grey... Stark believed it was time to be honest to the public about his relationship status. Providing numerous jokes about no longer being Americans most beloved bachelor and playboy. 

Stark did not inform us when the relationship with Lorenz begun, but we are certainly very interested to find more about this new news within the next few days. However, Stark did informed us, New York Press, that a press address will be made to introduce a new and very exciting project Stark Industrial is working on.

Widening her eyes, she couldn't even bring herself to lecture Howard on the inappropriateness of his un-called for laughter.

"Alexander calls it fake dating... I'll let you explain that to her father... and the two will be waiting for us in the board room on floor five," His mouth moved to behind her ear, "But for now, we need to pretend to be the so-called couple we are, and act the part... would you be against a kiss on the cheek for the weekends newspaper front cover?"

Anneliese couldn't register anything, so she slowly nodded her head. His lips burnt her skin as he pressed them to her cheek, it was addicting but it felt so damn dangerous. It all a matter of seconds, he was walking her into Stark Industrials. One of his hands held her handbag, and his other remained resting on her waist, never letting go. No one spoke as they watched the two. 

Howard had just let loose a time bomb, and Anneliese wasn't sure if she would survive the blow.