Chapter eleven – All the glitter and lights

Expensive champagne, talking people in the best suits and dresses, photographs in every corner of the room – this was typical Gala. A small orchestra was playing on a small stage in the main hall. The soft music of violins and flutes was spreading in the ballroom. Many people were dancing; the others were just sitting at their tables, drinking and chatting. Everything was fancy and sparkly. The whole occasion was spectacular. The waitresses and waiters were working hard, serving the food and drinks. Anyone who got the job was lucky. The salary was very high and they could meet many famous people or even the creator of this event – Tony Stark.

Tony was wearing a black tuxedo with a black bow. His hair was combed, however, it did look messy. He was holding a glass of expensive whisky in his right hand while he was standing on the upper floor’s balcony and looking at all the dancing, happy people. Sometimes he took a sip, held the liquor for a while in his mouth and then swallowed. He was prepared if any danger was threatening. The Iron Man suit was ready in a special suitcase, which was located in a safe place. The brown eyes seemed to be tired. For over an hour he was there all alone, not talking to anyone. The best thing he could do for the last couple of days was to just drink and not think. The quarrel between him and Adeline made him feel terrible. His ego didn’t let him call her and apologise for his behaviour. Yes, he was avoiding her because he had a reason – several reasons.

“Well, look at you,” a voice said behind his back. “How are you, Tony?” Rhodey asked him right when the orchestra received an applause for the song. Another one immediately started after the clapping ended. “You look sad.”

“Oh, that is just an appearance,” he gave him a smirk when the man stepped closer to his side and leant his elbows against the balcony bannister. “I’m a little bit tired. I’m working on a new, much better suit. You’ll be jealous when you’ll see it, believe me,” he took another sip. “What about you?” The whole time he had his eyes locked on the crowd of people.

“I’m fine, did some work for the military as usual,” and then he turned to his friend. “Tony, did you call her?”

“No.”

“Why? Evidently you acted like a total dick. Why didn’t you call her? She could be here with us just in case something would happen. And I do believe your mood would be much better,” he smiled a little.

Tony changed the direction of his look and focused on his friend. His eyes were squinted. “What makes you think so?”

“Oh, come on, Tony, admit you feel bad,” he nudged to his shoulder. “I can see the sadness in your eyes. I know you like the back of my hand. This is the first fight ever that made you really upset. Just admit it. Don’t worry; you’ll be the same man like before.”

Tony drank the rest of the drink. “Okay, fine, I admit it, Rhodey. It sucks. I regret she isn’t here. I believe she would love this – fancy gala where women can wear beautiful dresses and expensive jewellery. Rhodey, you can’t imagine our pizza conversations. That is why I know she would love this. Did you know she has never been to a prom?”

“Tony?” James started to laugh. “I can see your eyes are finally sparkling again. You must really like her,” he patted his shoulder. “Why don’t you call her? I believe she would talk to you. Just don’t act like an asshole.”

A waiter passed by them with many glasses of champagne. Both of the men took the drink and once again turned to the view to see all the dancing people. “She is a good friend,” Tony added after few seconds of silence. “She’s sweet, intelligent, sexy…”

“Are you in love with her?”

“No,” Tony said immediately. “I’m just saying what I see. Besides, you know I was never in love – high school love doesn’t count,” he warned him with an index finger. “Let’s raise our glass to this nice evening, my friend,” he smiled.

Before he could even put the glass to his lips, Tony saw something moving in the crowd - a woman with a beautiful glittery, long purple strapless dress. Her once long straight hair was combed into a curly hairstyle thrown over the right shoulder, which was specially made for this occasion. Was it really her? How did she get inside? She was making her way through the crowd like she was looking for someone. It had to be her. “Tony?” his friend was once again talking to him.

“I have to go,” he put the glass to his friend’s hand and as quickly as he could, he went down to find the woman. James was shocked by his sudden decision. What caught his attention? When he tried to find the answer in the crowd of people, he failed. Just in case, he followed Tony to the lower level of the ballroom.

The man with the hidden arc reactor was trying to find the woman. There were way too many people dancing. Where could she go? It was difficult to find her in the crowd. “Come on,” he murmured under his nose. The chocolate eyes were scanning the surroundings, hoping he would find her very soon. After another minute, he found her and it was definitely Adeline. She was standing near a group of ladies, pretending she was with them. “Nice try,” he laughed quietly. Tony went straight to her. His face was very serious and the way of his walk signalised confidence.

When the green eyes met with the chocolate one, Adeline stopped smiling. There was immediately an evil glance, which he didn’t like. “How did you get inside?” that was the first thing he asked her.

“I have my ways,” she replied ungraciously. “You don’t have to worry. I just came to check on the people, so when this thing ends, I’ll be gone,” and she tried to walk away from him. Tony didn’t let her go that easily. He grabbed her slim wrist. “Let me go, Stark.”

“No,” he refused to let her wrist. Instead of it, Tony took her in the middle of the dancing people, pulled her body closer to his and they slowly started to sway together. He had a short opportunity to check her one more time. The dress fitted her – long, tight, purple colour, very sparkly, strapless, the neckline had the shape of a heart, and on her right leg was a long cut to the middle of her thigh. She was now as high as him because she wore silver high-heels. His eyes once again locked on hers. “You look beautiful.”

“Is this your way of apologising to me?” her perfectly fixed eyebrows went up.

“Come on, Adeline, I’m being serious now. Look, I know you are mad at me and you have every right to be,” he began his speech. Tony didn’t let her speak when she wanted to interrupt him. “I’m glad that you came.”

There was a silence between them. “That’s it? Wow, that was pretty lame,” Adeline said annoyed.

“Ad, please, stop. I’m being serious here. I am really sorry,” he said with sadness in his voice. The brown eyes were a little darker and he couldn’t move them anywhere else. He was still looking at her. “I acted like an idiot.”

“Yes, you did,” she agreed. “I don’t know what came to your mind and why did you started to avoid me, but you could at least picked up one of my fucking calls and say something. Believe me, I would understand. Obviously, it was very difficult for you. But yeah, having sex with some twenty-year-old girls was much more important.”

“Now seriously, were you or are you still jealous?” he had to ask.

Adeline took a deep breath. “No,” she hesitated a little. “No, I am not. We had plans; we had to work on our mission. While I tried to create something and focused on it, you were screwing some… young girls,” she gulped the rude word. “And avoiding me without, probably, any reason? What, are we in high school?”

“Okay, you are right. I am sorry. How can I make it up to you?”

Her eyes were wide open and her jaw almost dropped on the floor. “Oh my god, I can’t believe you said sorry. Did it hurt?” she had a smirk on her face.

The orchestra changed the sound of the music once again. A new song was heard in the ballroom – it was slower, sweeter and more intimate. Tony’s grip on her waist was stronger. Their bodies were even closer and both of them could feel each other’s breath on faces. “Ad, I’m being very serious now. How can I make it up to you? How about you, me and the bed tonight?” he teased her.

The brunette had to roll her eyes. “And the moment is gone,” she sighed with a smile. “Just stop being a fool and act normal. We have to work together. We have to protect the people in this city. Those explosions were only the beginning of something big. We haven’t heard of him for over a month. What if that’s his strategy?”

“I know,” Tony sighed. “I will do my best and act normal, okay? It’s just, things have got a little hasty, you know? I had to deal with some complications in my company. I went to New York for two days. It happened so quickly.”

“But when you came back, you could call me. I would have understood, Tony. I’m not an idiot. However, you had other and better plans to do,” she rolled her eyes. “That wasn’t nice from you.”

“I know.”

“You know? Then why did you do it? Why didn’t you call me back? I just want to know, that’s all I want now. And, um,” she stopped speaking. The remembrance of their quarrel made her upset. “Did you mean it?”

“Mean what?”

“That it is my entire fault?” she said very carefully.

Before Tony could reply, a man came to the dancing couple. “Mr Stark, in a few minutes we will need you up on the stage with your traditional speech,” he informed him. It was an older gentleman with grey hair. He looked like one of the staff and not like a guest.

The man with a perfectly fixed goatee nodded. “Oh, before you go I need one more thing. Put one more seat to my table for this beautiful lady. Her chair must be right next to mine.” He winked at Adeline while he was talking to the man. The woman was surprised with his action. Sadly, he didn’t answer her question. Was it all true? Did he really mean all those things? “Come,” he interrupted her from thinking. “Let’s take a seat.”

“I don’t think…”

“Please, Adeline. I’m glad you are here and it would make me happy if you enjoy this night like you wanted to enjoy prom,” he smiled a little. He remembered what she said to him during one pizza night. His forearm was awaiting her. As a sign of acceptance, she gently took his arm and together they walked to the Stark table.

“Adeline!” Rhodey gave a bright smile once he saw her.

“Hey, man,” she waved with her free hand. “You look nice,” she was suddenly brightly smiling. Tony noticed the change and he wasn’t enthusiastic about it. When she let his forearm go, he felt empty, like something was missing in his life. He watched her hugging his best friend and chatting with him. Was there a sparkle between them? Was he jealous?

“Mr Stark,” a soft voice interrupted him. “It’s time for your speech,” this time, a woman reminded him the activity. Before Adeline could notice it, Tony was gone, heading to the small stage with champagne in his right hand.

Rhodey helped her sat down like a true gentleman. She was sitting between the best friends. The seat on her right was empty – it belonged to Tony. “How did you get here? I am surprised!” Rhodey was only friendly and they stayed in touch after the fight she had with Tony. “I honestly wasn’t expecting you here tonight. Neither did Tony.”

“Well, I found this occasion two days ago. I came here mainly because of the innocent people. You never know what can happen here,” she winked at him and took a glass of champagne between the fingers. “Luckily, I found a dress in my closet and here I am, sitting next to you,” she made a grimace.

“Did Tony apologise to you?” James changed the topic a little bit.

“He did,” she sighed, put one elbow on the table and leant her head against her hand. “When I asked him if he really means all those things he said, he didn’t reply. Yes, we were interrupted but… still.”

-Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome on the stage Mr Tony Stark. –

The people started to clap with hands and both Adeline and James focused their eyes on Tony, who came up on the stage and smiled. There he was, the confident man with a perfectly fixed goatee, expensive tux and an arc reactor in his chest, which was hidden under his white chemise. Adeline was scanning his moves and gestures. She had the time to check him from afar. He was attractive as hell. And even when he said those things to her and blamed her for everything, she still liked him a lot. How was that possible? Was it really love?

His speech was powerful and not at all boring. His words were wise, strong and supportive. Tony was a professional. Sometimes, his eyes went from side to side when they stopped on the woman in a purple dress. He took a deep breath, made a small pause. His mouth said the words for the occasion but his mind was focusing on her. She was listening, looking at him and her face remained neutral. She was the perfection, the woman he was looking for his whole life. So, was this love?

“I wish you a beautiful evening and enjoy this magical night with us on this gala. Thank you,” those were the last words for the crowd. He deserved a massive applause, which was followed by the orchestra and a new song. His current goal was to take Adeline for a dance. Unfortunately, his plan was interrupted by a group of important people and business partners.
Adeline’s ears overheard a familiar song. “Isn’t that Lacrimosa by Mozart?”

“I guess,” James wasn’t sure. “Would you like to dance?” he stood up, set his hand to the woman and smiled.

“Uh, okay,” the brunette accepted and took his hand. While Tony was having an important conversation, she wanted to have some fun and also keep an eye on the people in the ballroom. Together, they went into the middle of the dance floor and started to dance a slow waltz.

“Hey, did you figure something out with your abilities?” he asked politely, trying to have a small talk.

She shook her head. “No. I can still do the only thing – create a shield around me, which can protect me and some people near me. The only thing I realised is that it can change the size a little but not much.”

“Do you think it will widen after some practice?” he took a deep breath and looked around them, checking the situation.

“Maybe, I don’t know. I haven’t spoken to my father in a while, plus I have this ability for about thirty years. I don’t think something would change in a snap. Of course, I wasn’t using my ability for about twenty years.” While they were talking together, her green orbs saw Tony. He was also talking with some people but his eyes were locked on her.

“Mr Stark I think you should visit New York, let’s say next Sunday. Your building is being finished,” said one of the men. “There are some issues that need to be solved as soon as possible.”

Tony stopped the man with his hand. “You know what?” he was still looking at his friend and the woman in the purple dress. “I’ll call you tomorrow evening and we will talk about this in peace, okay? Now, if you excuse me, I have another matter that is awaiting me,” he gave him a smirk, drank the last drops of the champagne and gave the glass to the man. After that, he made his way through the crowd to take Adeline from Rhodey.

The billionaire was very close but he was stopped by one of the guests. “Mr Stark,” a deep masculine voice addressed him. Tony stopped, looked for the voice and he saw an older man in a dark brown tux with a devilish smirk on his face. His left arm was supported by a bandage. “May we have a word?” The Iron Man himself was surprised by an unexpected guest he saw. Grey combed hair, wrinkles on the face and deep dark eyes were looking into his brown. His hand reached out to him. “I’m glad we met once again. As you may already know, I am Peter Tunderbalt.”

They shook their hands, so nothing would be suspicious. “What are you doing here?” his voice was deeper, angrier and irritating.

“Don’t worry, Mr Stark, I only came her for a talk, nothing else,” he confidently smiled. “But if you try to do something, believe me, you’ll regret it. I also have some people on my side. Only one order and this whole place could be under rocks and ashes.”

“Tell me what do you want and then leave. This is between me and you. Leave these people alone,” Tony gritted his teeth.

Adeline was once again talking to Rhodey when she saw Tony having a conversation with another man. When the guest turned a little and showed his face, Adeline’s eyes went wide open and she dryly swallowed. "Is everything…” James didn’t even finish his question. When he looked at the same direction, his face was in shock.

“He’s here,” she whispered.

“Keep dancing,” he required her.

“You know, Tony,” Goth started to walk around him, checking his tux. “You know very well it is not just between us. Now, let’s talk business. I came here to make a deal with you,” he said calmly. His evil glance wasn’t focusing on the genius anymore but they saw the nearest dancing couple. They were looking at them. He smiled. “You will give me the cure and I promise you to leave this town alone. I think it is a very advantageous offer, don’t you think?”

Tony was irritated by him. “For the last time – I don’t have your fucking cure.”

Goth squinted his eyes. “Let me tell you something,” he put his healthy arm over his shoulder. “This man you already know, Martin Montana, was and still is a very resourceful man. He created this amazing thing, which can change people’s DNA and they can gain abilities – once again, you already know that. Nevertheless, I know that you do have the cure.” When he was speaking, his voice was softer, bewitching. Tony’s eyes were immediately on Adeline. “The Montana family was always unusual. A scientist as the head of the family,” he took a deep breath, “a mother who was always accepting the consequences and an older daughter who was forced to not use the special abilities,” he laughed. “Don’t forget about her younger sister.”
There was a massive silence between the men. Those words made Tony insecure. He was afraid that Goth may hurt Adeline anytime soon. “Do not touch her!” Tony threatened him with a voice of a tiger.

“Why? Give me one reason, Stark?” Goth was a maniac and even his smile was a proof of it. “Do you like her that much? Is the famous Tony Stark in love with a woman? She’s unique and very beautiful. I see why you like her. Don’t you worry, I won’t take her now. Unfortunately, you never know when I’ll be back,” he patted his right shoulder. Those were his last words. Goth slowly made his way through the crowd of people. Before he left the gala, he gave Adeline and James a devilish smile and a wink with one eye.

Tony came to the confused dancing couple. “What did he want?!” Adeline asked him with a fear in her voice. She was looking into his eyes. If she could, she would grab his blazer and shake with him.

“Is he planning something?” James asked another question.

“We have to go,” the genius said breathlessly.

The brunette was even more confused. “Why? What is going on?”

Tony looked at his best friend. “He knows about Adeline.”

“What?” she almost screamed. “How is that possible? What did he tell you?”

“Can we just go? The people are safe, however, you are not, Ad,” he looked into her face. “I’ll tell you everything. Now we have to go to my place and we will talk about this – privately. Rhodes, you got a car here?”

The man with dark chocolate skin nodded. “You guys go ahead. I have to do one more thing before I leave. I must speak with the General. It won’t take long. I’ll be right behind you,” he gave Tony a small smile, patted Adeline’s shoulder and immediately lost in the crowd of people.

The two of them were alone, standing in the middle of the dance floor, looking into each other’s eyes. Tony was enchanted by her beauty. She looked terrific. “I wanted to dance with you. It’s a pity we have much more important things to do now.”

“Oh, suddenly,” she mocked him with a grin on her face. “By the way, nice speech back there, Stark.”

“You were listening?” She nodded. “And were you listening to me like few seconds ago when I said, we have to leave?” his eyebrows went up. There was a huge smirk on his face. “Now, come,” he took her hand and gently squeezed it. Her breath immediately disappeared. The touch was powerful and she could feel the spark. Both of them could feel it.

The way out was harder than it seemed to be. Tony held her hand and didn’t let go until they were near the entrance door. Before they left, she quickly grabbed her big purse. It was hidden in one of the rooms for staff. “I’ll explain that later,” she giggled when she got back to him and once again their hands connected.

“I need my car,” Tony gave a command to one young man.

“Right away, sir,” he replied politely.

“Please, ignore the flash and photographers,” he warned the brunette in the purple dress.

“Okay?” she said it unsurely. In front of the building, there were a lot of photographers waiting for any famous person. They needed pictures for new gossips and stories to write. This was the thing Tony was talking about. The paparazzi were taking pictures of them, capturing every detail and screaming Tony’s name. Adeline held her breath for a while. Now her face will be on every newspaper or social media. She will be another of Tony’s one-night stands.

“Come,” he said gently and pulled her hand. There was no stopping. They had to leave the gala. Adeline followed him quietly. Together, they were walking town the red carpet, heading to the main road. A car was waiting there for them and the young man stepped out from it. Once they were close to the car, he gave the keys to Tony and opened the door for Adeline.

The flashing lights were everywhere, following them to the car. They were still screaming Tony’s name, asking for another picture. The billionaire sat down on the driver’s seat. The engine was on in a second and they both went away.

Notes