Chapter 44
Anneliese's office was currently occupied by four unknown men. Standing in the doorway confused, she watched as they all huddled around her desk, pointing at a piece of parchment.
It was a peculiar sight. All four were dressed in black trousers and a light blue button-up with their voices steadily growing. If it was any other room, she wouldn't have questioned it. Yet, there was something undeniably fascinating about watching four men bicker in an office with random trinkets from her family home.
She remains still, standing silently as she feels Howard's presence behind her. Glancing up towards him, she catches sight of his lips curving into a grin and his eyes glowing gold.
"Mister Stark!", one of the men exclaimed.
All eight eyes were on them, or more particularly, Howard.
The man sitting in her chair was quickly shuffling the parchment together whilst the other three's posture had straightened. She couldn't help the edge of her lips from curving upwards, especially as she noticed the small beads of sweat appearing on all of their foreheads.
She felt Howard's hands rest on her shoulder as the room shivered in silence. No paper rustling, no bickering men, and not a single breath seemed to come out of anyone's mouth - given the exception of Howard. His mouth was right near her ear, hot against her skin.
"Whatever should I do to them, love"
Fear washed over the faces of the four men. She watched as they clenched their jaw, and she could only assume they anticipated the worst. Of course, they would.
They were in her office without permission. A common employee could assume confidential documents may rest in her filing cabinets due to her position as Howard's secretary. Of course, Anneliese was never foolish to leave such documents in her office, nor dense enough to leave confidential information in an office she hadn't used since the middle of June.
In fact, Alexander had informed her that many employees took to squatting in her office throughout her time in London. He hadn't seen the urgency to remove them from her office as he found the whole thing particularly funny.
At first, she found it invasive. She had reprimanded Alexander for not taking any sort of action to stop employees from using her office - then she saw an opportunity.
The office was in a terrible location and was awfully ugly. She wouldn't miss the room in the slightest.
But they didn't need to know that.
"Sorry," One of them sputtered, "We thought it was a vacant room-"
"- Did you happen to miss the sign that has Miss Lorenz engraved?", Howard snaps.
Her grin grew as the men's eyes dropped to the floor, obviously trying to avoid eye contact with their boss. It wasn't every day that Howard made himself known to the lower employees, and she assumed they were such. Their golden base of 'sales department' gave them away.
Taking a step to the side, she made room for Howard to stride past her and into the room. The sight of the now five men in her office was amusing to her. They barely had any room, and if she had to guess, Howard was only a few steps in front of the four men. Her office wasn't large, to begin with, and with five inside - it was certainly overcrowded.
She watched as their eyes filled with uncertainty, flickering between Howard and herself. They had probably heard the rumours of Howard's tendency to send Anneliese to judge whether an employee is to be fired. Perhaps they had heard one of the newer rumours, one that Miss Cotton had informed her of the second she heard it. Supposably Howard had a wicked temper, and Anneliese has no doubts his constant wrestling matches with Alexander, and loud arguments with Anneliese in the corridors didn't help.
It wasn't particularly the best reputation; her, the judge, and him, the executioner. But she knew they have both have had their fair share of cruel labels; however, it was this reputation that made the entire scene in front of her more entertaining.
The men were visibly shaking as Howard took another step towards them and she knew he was messing around with them. They had already planned to move her to a new office space when Alexander first told her, but again, that was information they didn't need to know.
"For future reference," he says, "There is a perfectly fine workspace located on level four to discuss your assignments. I expect to see you there next time."
The four of them nodded their head quickly before they hastily made their way towards the door. Her grin grew as each one of them whispered a small apology before dashing past her and into the corridor. She waited a few minutes before she entered the office herself, still staring at Howard as he turned around to face her.
His teeth were on full display as he step towards her. They were only inches apart now, and Anneliese knew she was falling.
She had been falling since day one, but the thrill of falling in Howard's presence was beyond exhilarating. If this was what marriage with Howard Stark felt like, she wished they had wed earlier.
"I think you need a new door sign for your office," He says, a level of smugness dripping from his tongue.
Tilting her head to look up at him, she arched an eyebrow.
"To what," she said, baiting him.
Howard took another step forward, pushing her towards the wall right next to the doorway. Her back was now firm against the brick wall. His fingers pushed her chin up to face him and Anneliese was staring up at him through her lashes.
His eyes were a sight she would never be able to stop staring at them. Golden and brown - a strange mixture of earth and fire. After two years of fake dating, a two-week engagement, and only one day of marriage, Anneliese had come to know his eyes as a compulsion. It was addiction - the sort a drunk has with his bottle.
A smirk slowly appeared across his face as he leaned into her ear, breath hot against her skin, and whispered, "I think Anneliese Stark would do perfectly fine."
Before she could reply, the sound of footsteps alerted them. Within a second, Howard was several paces away from her and Anneliese's cheeks were growing warmer with every moment.
There, standing at the door, was her father.
"Mr Grey was correct then," he says slowly as his gaze is directly focused on Anneliese's left hand, "How... interesting."
She had never considered her father as being particularly terrifying, but in this moment she was frozen in time, unsure how to approach the situation. Perhaps this was what fate had in store for her the second she decided to taunt the lower-level employees not even five minutes ago.
Howard pulls himself together first.
"Mr Lorenz," he says as he offers his hand. Her father does not shake it, instead, his gaze remains on her left hand. The large ring began to burn against her skin as his eyes remained on it. Anneliese was petrified, stuck in place as her eyes darted across to Howard. His eyes were softer, more cautious. The type of look a prey has when they notice a predator.
Anneliese nearly jumps as Howard clears his voice before he continues speaking, "I dare say whatever Grey has said, it certainly isn't true."
A trickle of humour seemed to glide from Howard's tongue, but her father seemed to be immune from it. He was still staring at her left hand, unblinking - until it wasn't
Within an instant, his gaze snapped to meet her own.
Her father's eyes were so unlike her own. Where she was cursed with the dark brown that most of her mother's family inherited, her father's eyes were a deep green. She remembered how vivid his eyes were in all their family portraits back home; where her dark eyes were a reminder of the cruelty passed on from each generation of Schmidt, he was a breath of fresh air.
And Anneliese could not breathe as he continued to stare at her, his green. Her lungs burned, her chest aflame, and a creeping ache of dread filled her insides. She had anticipated that her father may not be particularly impressed with both an engagement and a marriage, and she knew her father was livid that she decided to leave for London after Abraham's death.
But nothing seemed to prepare her for the slight waver in his frown and the glassiness of his eyes as they met hers.
"Is it true," he asks, this time in Herman. "Have you married him?"
The question was an easy one, yes, but how was she meant to tell her father she went ahead and got married to a man that was actively fighting against her Uncle? How was she meant to confirm his worst fears that she technically married for power and not love, although the latter did follow quickly behind?
Slowly, Anneliese nodded her head and she watched her father's rigid posture crumble.
To her surprise, her father's tight lips curved into a smile as he took a step forward, pulled her towards him and wrapped his arms around her body. Shocked, it took Anneliese a few seconds to wrap her arms around him.
When she was younger, she felt invincible in his arms - now, each hug reminded her how old her father was. He felt delicate to the touch, and if she was to squeeze too tightly he would break. It was a reminder of the life that they had lived - mostly in fear, and recently remembering their shared horror.
Her father's lip was next to her ear, a much different feeling compared to when Howard had his mouth inches away from the skin of her neck. With Howard, it was romance and bliss; her father could only promise secrets better left unsaid.
"Will you be strong enough," he whispers, words unknown to anyone but Anneliese, "Will you be able to survive the fallout?"
The fallout.
The consequence of her action.
The certain repercussions of knitting her soul with Howard Stark of all people.
These were questions she had been asking herself ever since all of this started. When Alexander started suggesting they fake date, when Howard announced they were dating without her knowledge, their argument turned engagement. There would be ramifications for all the decisions she has had, no matter how calculated or reckless they have been.
But hasn't her life always been one big chess game anyway? Constantly sacrificing her pawns and knights to keep the king alive? First, her childhood, followed by Jenna, subsequently her relationship with her cousins, and lastly her mother. She had survived the fallout then, how could it be any different now?
Letting go of her father, she turns to face Howard and her heart stops.
His face is carved with concern: eyebrows knitted together, lips tight, and his eyes concentrated on her. Tracing down the scars of his worry, she notices his fingers flexing - a regular tell sign of when Howard is feeling particularly vulnerable. Yet it's his eyes, always his eyes, that make her realise an impossible truth.
She would die for her family, but she would kill for Howard.
To keep him living. To get to see his golden eyes shine as bright as the sun. To watch him tinker with a scrap piece of metal. She would go against all her morals and all her beliefs to make sure he survives this war. He had to.
There was no life without Howard in it.
A glance back at her father and a silent understanding is made.
She would survive the fallout, just like the other women in her family. There was a fire growing within, one not of her creation but certainly, something she did not inherit from her father. It could only be explained as a timeless burn, a flame passed on from one generation to the next. It was a torch that never seemed to dull and Anneliese couldn't agree more.
The woman in her family, if it be her mother or her Aunt, always had some sort of fire to them. Not in the way Agent Carter held herself in a room full of men, or how Maria commanded silence when she sang. It was different for Schmidts, regardless if they were blood, like her mother, or married into it, like her Aunt.
The fire was not used to dilute the voice and power of men, nor was it used to sway them. It was protection, used spontaneously. To remind the predators they dined with that they were not prey to hunt. It was through planned words, calculated actions, and a deep understanding that no matter what, the flame must stay alive.
As to live without the fire is to fall against the prevailing darkness that surrounds her family legacy. Even with an ocean separation, Anneliese knew no matter how far away was, she would never escape it.
Taking a deep breath, Anneliese stepped away from her father and stood next to Howard. Gently placing her palm on his arm, she looked up at Howard. Curiosity slowly overtook the concern in his eye, his tight lips slowly relaxing into his usual grin, and slowly, he snaked his arm around her waist.
"Father," she says steadily as her eyes flicker to meet her father's green eyes again. A new sense of confidence began to radiate from her as her father slowly nodded his head. It was acceptance. A secret between the two of them. As much as she was a Lorenz at birth, she was still a Schmidt - and she would protect what she considers hers.
"This is my husband, Howard Stark"
OKAY WOW, THIS IS MUCH BETTER WHAT THE HECK! IGNORE LITERALLY EVERYTHING I WROTE THE OTHER DAY!
I have no clue why I wrote what I did yesterday cuz it doesn't match the plot which is lowkey, not helpful in the slightest! I also lied like massively in it, so like completely ignore everything I wrote in it!
Also pls tell me you love Josef, cuz he is one of my favourite characters (but that's probably because I know more about him than y'all)!
A big thank you for staying with me for all these years and my inconsistent updating schedule! I bet Howard Stark would maybe applaud your dedication (tbh wouldn't know cuz he is fictional lol)!
ANYWAY! I am going to retag Unicanti to show off her artwork again because I am deleting the other chapter!! I also froth the art piece, so you all should too. Like can we appreciate the attention to detail? Anneliese's pearls, Howard dressed in light blue, and the book! I cannot emphasise how in love with this artwork I am in!