Sofia's pov

"Mr. Stark, could we pick up now where we left off ? Mr. Stark, please. "

Turning around, Dad looked at h im from under his glasses, "yes dear?"

I was really sleepy from the bumpy ride to DC, so sitting beside dad, listening to him joke, made me a little better, as I laughed a bit. But a quick look from Pepper shut me up.

"Can I have your attention?" Senator stern said. Ugh, I hate this guy.

"Absolutely." Dad replied with a sarcastic smile.

"Do you or do you not possess a specialized weapon?"

"We do not." I mumbled out, not caring if he heard it in my sleepy state.

"As my daughter said, I do not."

"You do not?"

"No he doesnt, don't you understand it in one time?" I spoke out, a little bit louder than before. Laughter coursed out from the room , as dad elbowed me in the ribs , although he too was sporting a tiny smirk.

"Well, it depends on how you define the word "weapon"."

"The iron man weapon. " Stern stated , as if we were children, and he was a parent.

"My device does not fit that description. " Dad said.

"Ours." I mumbled out this time. So only dad heard it.

To be honest, I feel very useless today. And bored. So, I picked myself off from the table, and ignoring the cries of the press and Pepper I walked out of the room.

I had just walked outside when I bumped into someone. I looked up and sawa blonde man wearing black glasses.

"Oh I'm sorry, I didn't see where I was going!" I apologized to him as I fixed my dress.

The man looked at me as if he recognized me. Well, I am Sofia Stark, but this was slightly different.

Oh well, I shrugged it off as I made my way to the dining hall of the building, hoping to get something to eat.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

After I finished eating I went back to the room, as the meeting was soon supposed to be finished.

"– My bond is with the people! And I will serve this great nation at he pleasure of myself. If there's one thing I have proven, its that you can count on me to pleasure myself. "

―――――――

"Was that really necessary , dad?" I said as I walked down with Pepper to the lab where he was tinkering around.

For some reason Pepper looked angry, and not just usual Tony-what-did-you-do anger, but actual rage.

"Is this a joke? What are you thinking?"

Hearing Pepper's calm yet angry voice Dad turned his head in our direction, still drinking that disgusting juice that I always see nowadays.

"What are you thinking?"

"Hey, I'm thinking, and I'm thinking that I'm busy, and you're angry about something. "

" No shit Sherlock dad, ofcourse she's angry." I rolled my eyes.

"Do you have the sniffles? I don't wanna get sick."

"Did you just donate our entire modern art collection to the Boy scouts of America?"

"Wait what?!" Is shrieked out. That collection took me and pepper years to finish!

"Yeah, it was a worthwhile organisation and I didn't physically check the crates but yes. And it's not our collection it's my collection. No offence. "

"Excuse you dad, I think we are actually taking offence to that , because we are more entitled to say our collection – consisting me and Pepper – considering the time that we – mostly she – put in." I said, annoyed by his careless attitude towards something which me and pepper have been doing for so long.

"Over ten years of it! No less."

"I needed that to be honest." He tried justifying.

"You know, there's about 8,011 things that I really need to talk to you about" she trailed off after dad as I sat down on my chair in the room, knowing what dad was about to do. Hopefully he doesn't screw up.

"Hey dummy, stop spacing up the breach porch is already machine enough." He said to dummy.

"The stark expo is a gigantic waste of time."

He clutched her shoulders lightly , " I need you to wear a surgical mask around until you are better."

"That's rude dad!"

"There's nothing more important to me than the expo, it's my primary point of concern"

"The expo is your ego gone crazy." She fired back at him.

"I second that!"

From where I can see him, I saw him picking up the art I made long ago, one when I was still recuperating from the time in the cave.

"Thats modern art, that's going up right now."

"Oh you have got to be kidding me."

"Guess who made that art dad!" I cheekily called out.

"Lemme check, did this person happen to be an annoying little girl who was too smart and cheeky for her own good?" He called out.

"Very funny dad. But, it's true."

"Then, label me a proud father honey!"

With that he started towards a corner as pepper badgered him again. "Stark industries is in complete disarray. Do you understand?"

"No! Our stocks have never been higher!"

"Yes but do you understand–" I turned out their chit chat as I got my focus on an idiotic drawing of a stick in the middle of a corner, the best place where my painting could fit.

"Dad, take down that painting!" I pointed to that direction as he gave me a thumbs up.

As they continued to chatter, I took out a can of coke from the mini fridge and started looking up designs for my own gauntlets. I didn't want a whole suit but gauntlets are boots for flying would be cool. Dad wasn't helping, saying it was not safe, so I decided to do it on my own.

"Pep, you are not listening to me! I'm trying to make you CEO!"

"Fucking finally dad!"

"Language kid!" He said without even looking in my direction. I scowled a bit but returned to my diagrams as I knew they need their time together. But curiousity got the better of me and I turned to their direction .

"Why wouldn't you let me?"

Pepper comically smelled him. " Have you been drinking?"

Dad's eyes darted to mine for a second, and if I had blinked , I would have definitely missed it. "Uh, chlorophyll."

I blinked. Chlorophyll, why does –

Now I get it. He's been dying , for months now. Palladium poisoning, and it's only counteract measure is chlorophyll.

I abruptly turned around in my seat as I tried to compose myself, and try to calmly assess my situation around here.

My dad was dying of palladium poisoning and there's nothing that I can do which wouldn't be life threatening.

That's why he's been so off lately. Why he suddenly launched the expo,and that too for the whole year. He wanted to go out with a bang.

He knew he wouldn't last for more than a year.

Tears dotted my eyes as I struggled to accept the reality. Blinking them hard, I turned around, as if nothing happened. Dad was watching me , slightly worried, as if he suspected that I would get it.

Ofcourse I would get it! My major is in biochemistry! I'm a doctor , so I have to know about poisons. But I still don't know of a cure for what he's going through.

"Pepper, be a dear and accept his proposal. He's been dying to do this since the past week." I said, as my eyes darted towards dad for a second , telling him that I knew.

He gulped a bit as he got what I meant. But thankfully he didn't say anything.

Pepper was still in shock –secretly I was too , ofcourse for different reasons – as dad directed her towards the nearest couch, and handed her a flute of champagne.

"I don't know what to think."

"Don't think, just drink."

I raised my can in the air, as a form of toast. "To the new CEO of stark industries . "

They raised their chutes as well and we drank to the toast, although I couldnt take down the lump in my throat.

How could I not know this.