Chapter 3: Toni Stark (Edited)

After several hours, I am back in New York.

Passing through a gated community, I arrive at a huge bungalow, the gate opening automatically for my Black Tesla.

Parking the car in the garage, I approach the main door. Before I can even press the doorbell, it swings open automatically.

With a wry smile, I step inside, heading directly to where I know she will be. Passing by various paintings and intricate pieces of furniture, I climb the staircase to the second floor.

I enter the open door on the left and there she is.

The young woman with dark hair looks stunning as she sits on the bed, a book in her hand.

She is Dakota Johnson from Fifty Shades of Grey, but here she is Cassandra Webb—soon to be Madame Web.

"Don't just stand there, come sit by my side," she says, patting the space beside her without even turning towards me. Her fingers trace the pages, reading through Braille.

"You knew I was coming?" I ask as I sit beside her.

"Even without my powers, I can tell you were going to come today," she replies casually.

"Cass," I start hesitantly.

"No, call me Madame," she corrects with a mischievous smile, "or better yet, call me Dakota." Her tone is full of amusement.

Instinctively, my hand goes to the side of my neck, feeling the round object beneath my skin. I sigh in relief.

"Don't worry, I didn't read your mind. Your precious psionic shield is still working fine," she reassures me, waving a hand dismissively.

"I should have been more prepared that day," I mumble, the weight of self-blame pressing down.

"Shush. I have told you many times already, that was five years ago. You didn't know me or my powers back then. If I hadn't read your mind, with your shy nature, you wouldn't have built up the courage to talk to me," she says, laughing lightly.

I cringe, recalling my younger self. "But you never told me what and how much of my mind you read that day," I ask with a bit of an edge.

"And I never will. A girl has to keep some secrets close to her chest," she replies playfully, placing a hand over her heart.

Remembering why I came here, I look at her seriously. "Cass, please."

"Yes, yes, I know what you are here for," she sighs, setting the book aside. "You only come to me when you need me, leaving your blind and paralyzed friend behind while you are out having fun," she adds, shaking her head with mock pity.

"That's not true. I have just been… busy with everything," I respond, feeling a wave of guilt for not visiting her more often.

"Alright, I am not blaming you. You know my powers; I have ways to keep myself entertained," she reassures, placing her hand on mine.

She is so good at acting normal that I sometimes forget she is blind.

"So, what did you see in the future? Everything will be fine, right? Susan will be okay?" I ask, gripping her hands a little tighter, fear creeping in.

Cassandra Webb—Madame Web—has four main powers: Telepathy, Astral Projection, Clairvoyance, and Precognition.

She was born with them, but they started off weak, and she didn't have much control. Even five years ago, when we met, she was an amateur at best. But with my help, she has gotten much better. Her Precognition is one of the reasons my Watson Group has been so successful.

"I have told you many times, the future isn't linear. It's a prism with endless possibilities. I can only see glimpses," she says, sighing.

"Still, what did you see in most of them?" I press.

"Sigh… your Invisible girlfriend will be fine. She will come back safely, more powerful than ever," she assures.

I exhale, the weight in my chest lifting slightly. I hadn't realized just how much I had been worrying about it.

"Come here, lie down for a bit," she speaks softly, gently pushing my head downward. I let her, adjusting until my head rests on her lap. She starts massaging my forehead, and a sense of peace washes over me.

Cassandra is just 25, but she likes to act as though she is much older than me.

This lap pillow thing was her idea—saying she wanted to feel my face since she can't see me. But I suspect she sees everything around her through Astral Projection, even if she denies having such a power.

"I saw you accompany your girlfriend on this space mission in one of the futures," she says, running her fingers through my hair.

"I would never take that risk. What if I ended up like Ben, all made of rock? There are easier ways to gain power," I mutter, thinking of the Oscorp spiders and the Super Soldier Serum in the Watson Lab. Both would be ready soon enough.

"You will get your powers sooner than you think," she says softly.

"What kind of powers will I get, and how will I get them?" I ask, for what feels like the hundredth time.

"I have told you, your future is messier than anyone else's. Every time I look, it's different," she replies with a wry smile.

"But you know how I will get them, right? You could at least tell me that," I continue pressing.

"You will find out soon, and you will definitely enjoy it," she says, tapping my forehead playfully. "Pervert," she mumbles under her breath.

"You should go now, or your kitty will get mad," she adds with a slightly bitter expression.

Before I can ask what she means, my watch vibrates. Felicia's name appears on the screen.

I look up at her apologetically.

"Go, don't keep the birthday girl waiting," she speaks softly, bending down to plant a kiss on my forehead.

I stand up, giving her a kiss on the cheek, and head towards the door.

"Cass… we are very close. You won't have to suffer like this much longer," I say, looking back at her.

She was born not only with these powers but also blind and with a rare neural disease, Myasthenia gravis, causing her to lose control of most of her limbs.

"It's fine, Luke. You don't have to hurry. These mechanical leg supports and the medicines you have been providing have made my life a lot better," she says with a sweet smile.

"No, really. You know I have some of the best minds in biology and medicine in my labs. The treatment is already in the testing phase, and soon you will be fully cured. I will definitely keep my promise," I say with conviction.

"I know," her smile widens a bit. "Now go, or else you will be late," she says with a smirk.

"Bye, and take care," I say, shaking my head and heading out. I don't ask what I will be late for as she loves to play mysterious, giving me cryptic answers.

"D.A.I.S.Y., close the doors behind Luke, will you?" she speaks aloud as I leave her room.

"Yes, Madame," a sweet voice responds in her room.

Unknown to me, as the door closes, Cassandra faces ahead, looking into the air. Slowly, her cheeks start to redden, and her face fills with happiness. What she's seeing with her powers, only she knows.

Reaching the penthouse of Watson Tower, I am glad I took Cassandra's advice and hurried home, as there was a Nude Cat show waiting for me!

-----

"I am Christine Everhart from Vanity Fair magazine, and we are in front of Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, where the Epegee Awards are being hosted tonight. We've just received word that Antonia Stark is here in the building."

"We will see if we can get a word from the daughter of the legendary Howard Stark and CEO of Stark Industries."

"Look, there she is."

"Miss Stark, Miss Stark! I am Christine Everhart from Vanity Fair magazine, and I would like to ask you a couple of questions," Christine shouts aloud from afar, as there is a line of bodyguards surrounding the celebrity.

"Well, you are cute. Sure, why not?" Toni checks her out and approaches with a smile.

"So, Toni, can I call you that?" Christine asks while presenting the mic to her.

"You can call me whatever you want, darling," Toni answers, already quite drunk.

"People have been calling you the 'Merchant of Death.' What do you think about that?" Christine starts with a sharp question.

"My father had a philosophy that peace can only be achieved by someone who has the bigger stick, so I plan to sell the biggest sticks," Toni says, giving a small laugh.

"How can you sleep soundly at night, knowing all the destruction happening because of your weapons?" Christine looks at Toni accusatorially.

"We have also helped millions by researching new medicines. All that is from military funding, baby," Toni lets go of her smile and answers seriously.

"Toni," before Christine could retort, someone else steals Toni's attention.

"Oh, Pepper, how have you been?" Toni spreads her hands, welcoming the blonde woman walking towards them with bodyguards of her own.

"We have to talk, Toni," Pepper said to Toni strictly.

Ignoring her, Toni turns towards Christine. "You know Pepper, don't you? She used to be my assistant, then went and abandoned me for a cute boy and became the CEO of a company. Well, she is not the CEO anymore, is she? Did that boy kick you out of the company?" Toni looks back at her with a smirk.

"Miss Potts, I am Christine Everhart from Vanity Fair Magazine. How do you feel after being demoted from your CEO position of the Watson Group?" Not letting such a chance go by, Christine starts asking questions.

"I was not demoted by anyone. When he turned 18, I gave the position back to Luke on my own, which he deserved. And for your information, Toni, I am now the COO of the Watson Group," Pepper clarifies clearly to Christine, and then says the last line to Toni with a bite.

"Miss Potts, what abo—" Christine goes for another question.

"No further questions. And Toni, I am waiting for you." Fed up with the questions already, Pepper shuts down the reporter, and telling Toni what she wanted, she goes inside Toni's car.

"Ooh, spicy. Sorry, sweetheart, will you wait here for a moment? I will be back in a quick second," Toni gives Christine an apologetic wink.

"Toni, is it true that Lucas was your protege at one point? Are you behind his success in finance and academics?" Christine fires off a question before Toni can leave.

"Lucas is a brilliant boy. I may have just pointed him in the right direction," Toni speaks with a smirk.

"But why aren't you two seen together in public ever?" Seeing her leaving, Christine shouts out the question.

"I just don't like greedy boys," Toni replies with a wave.

Getting inside the car, Toni can hear Pepper and her driver, Happy, talking about today's rocket launch where Luke was seen.

"So, get to the point," Toni closes the door and speaks, staring out of the window.

"Luke asked—" Pepper starts.

"If this is about Afghanistan, then forget it. I told him on the phone that I will not be canceling it. It is a major deal for Stark Industries, and I need to be present there for the demonstration," Toni shuts her down before she can continue.

"Luke knew you wouldn't budge," Pepper sighs, then takes out a small box from her bag. "This is for you, from him," Pepper places the box in Toni's lap.

"What is it?" Toni asks, not touching the box.

"Just open it," Pepper speaks, exasperated.

Toni opens the box and finds a red and gold bracelet inside. She takes it in her hand.

"The colours are a bit too bright, and I would have preferred if he had gifted me a watch instead of a piece of jewellery," Toni says, weighing the bracelet in her hand.

"It's not just a piece of jewellery, Toni. It's a Personal Force Field Generator," Pepper tells her seriously.

"Is he showing off in front of me? Where did he steal this technology from, huh?" Toni's face changes instantly, and she throws the bracelet back in the box.

"Toni, it's for your protection," Pepper voices out pleadingly.

"I don't need it, take it away," Toni closes the box and tries to hand it back to Pepper.

"He said that if you ever cared about him, then you will wear this all the time, especially when you are in Afghanistan," Pepper refuses to take it and speaks loudly.

Toni's hand stops mid-air. She clutches the box with both her hands, her face getting cloudy.

"Toni, he is very worried about you," Pepper places her hand on her shoulder. "You know he loves you," she says softly to Toni.

Toni shows no emotion on her face but opens the box again.

"Is it made from Vibranium?" Toni asks as she studies the bracelet carefully this time.

"Yes, not fully, but there are trace amounts of it inside," Pepper smiles a bit and explains.

"Hmm, then it makes sense of how he made it work, but still, red and gold is still too bright for me," Toni muses to herself but still felt red and gold a bit too showy.

"There is a stealth mode so that it will become transparent," Pepper shows her own bracelet to Toni, making it go from visible to invisible with a swipe of her hand.

"Alright, I will keep it, okay," Toni relents, keeping the bracelet back in the box.

"Wear it right now, he repeatedly stressed to make sure you are wearing it in front of me," Pepper's voice turns strict.

"Fine, fine," Toni sighs and takes the bracelet in her hand.

"See, I am wearing it," Toni wears it on her right arm and shows it off to her.

Pepper smiles and then proceeds to show Toni how to register her biometrics so it cannot be removed by anyone else.

"He also said he was sorry," Pepper said softly.

"There is no way he said that," Toni huffs, not believing her for a second.

"No, he didn't, but he does miss you a lot," Pepper replies emotionally.

"Well, I don't," Toni says with a pout.

"How is he?" Looking out of the window, Toni asks quietly.

"I … I don't know, he is unusually stressed these days," Pepper replies unsurely.

"Must be because his little girlfriend is going on a space trip with four guys," Toni replies with a smirk.

"No, it was that, but he was also very worried about you going on your trip," Pepper says hesitantly.

"Well, tell him not to worry that much, I will be fine. There are military escorts too there, it's just another day for me," Toni smiles reassuringly.

"I hope so," Pepper murmurs silently.