California, Malibu
At the airport, as soon as the plane landed, two people stepped out – one dressed casually, while the other looked professional and formal. Without wasting any time, they headed toward the car waiting not far from the plane.
Standing in front of the vehicle was a big man in a suit, with his characteristic expression – Happy Hogan. Morgana smiled as soon as she saw him, while Sofia, with her usual cold expression, walked a step behind her.
"It's been a while, Happy."
"Yeah, it's been a long time, Morgana." – he responded with a friendly smile, before heading toward the driver's seat.
Morgana and Sofia sat in the backseat, and as soon as they started moving, Morgana spoke in a quiet but loud enough voice for Happy to hear:
"I assume Pepper had a hard time with my brother's disappearance."
Happy briefly confirmed. "Yeah."
"I hope the board members didn't trouble her."
"They didn't. Your uncle took care of them."
Morgana crossed her arms and slightly raised an eyebrow, her smile fading.
"Uncle, huh…" – her tone clearly conveyed disdain.
An uncomfortable silence fell in the car. No one spoke after her comment about her uncle. The atmosphere grew tense, and Happy just continued driving, giving Morgana space to deal with her thoughts.
A few minutes of driving later, they arrived in front of the villa by the coast with a view of the sea. Morgana got out of the car and entered the villa, with Sofia quietly following her.
"Welcome, Miss Morgana."
"Yo, J.A.R.V.I.S.,"
"Where's Pepper?"
As soon as she entered, she was greeted by the cold, mechanical voice – the artificial intelligence created by Tony, J.A.R.V.I.S.
"She's in the living room, Miss Morgana."
"Alright."
Morgana quickly walked toward the living room, only to find a woman with slumped shoulders, dizzily watching the news on the TV.
"The latest news: Tony Stark has gone missing in Afghanistan during a weapons test..."
"J.A.R.V.I.S., turn off the TV."
Morgana said as she sat next to Pepper, who flinched as soon as she heard her voice.
"Okay, Miss."
Silence filled the room, except for the soft sobs. Morgana gently hugged Pepper, who was quietly crying.
"Who would've thought the secretary would secretly fall in love with the boss known as a playboy." – Morgana said playfully, trying to lighten the mood.
Pepper gave a small smile at her attempt, then sat up, embarrassed, her face slightly reddened. Morgana laughed loudly.
"Don't tease me anymore, Morgana." – Pepper said mockingly, her face even more flushed.
"Hahaha, okay, okay, I won't anymore." – Morgana said, trying to suppress her smile.
After a while, when they had calmed down, Morgana suddenly became serious, and Pepper immediately noticed the change in her expression.
"Now, sister, tell me everything that happened."
Morgana said in a serious tone as she looked at Pepper, who slowly lowered her shoulders, then quietly began to recount everything she knew about the attack on Tony.
After a few minutes, Morgana had a thoughtful expression as she gently stroked her chin, and Pepper watched her quietly and patiently.
"Hmm... The exact date of the trip to Afghanistan was known only to me, you, and James..."
Before she could continue, Pepper interrupted her.
"Also your uncle... Obadiah." – she suddenly stopped, saying his name formally when she noticed the dark and scowling expression on Morgana's face.
"Obadiah..." – Morgana said his name in a quiet but cold voice.
A few seconds of tense silence passed before Morgana sighed and gave a tired smile.
"Alright. Thank you for telling me everything, sister. I'm going to rest for a bit, the flight exhausted me."
"Nothing, I'll always help you, Morgana."
Morgana smiled cheerfully as she stretched lazily, then headed toward her room, while Pepper watched her with a concerned expression.
In the dark room, where the only source of light was the sun shining in the sky, Morgana stood by the window.
With a cold expression, she watched the sea wave, while an icy, murderous aura formed around her before vanishing – as if she had never existed.
"Sofia."
The door quietly opened, and through it entered Sofia, now dressed in servant attire instead of her professional outfit, with a practiced movement.
"Yes, Miss." – she replied in a monotone voice.
Morgana took the golden coin with a lion's mane and the inscription Ex Unitae Vires that was on the table beside her, and slowly extended her hand behind her – without turning towards Sofia, who was now standing right behind her.
"Information." – she said briefly and coldly.
Sofia stared at the coin Morgana had offered her for a moment, recognizing it. Then she took it, as Morgana slowly pulled her hand back.
"You've changed, Miss."
Morgana flinched slightly, barely perceptible, before once again assuming her usual cold expression. She spoke softly, a trace of unknown emotions in her voice.
"Maybe... maybe I have. Who knows."
"However, this is not about me..." – Morgana slowly turned around, her golden gaze piercing Sofia, who was tense. "... Now go and do what I've assigned you."
Sofia flinched, then bowed slightly and quietly left the room, leaving Morgana with a thoughtful expression on her face.
POV Sofia
As soon as I left the room, I took a few steps, and then unconsciously leaned against the wall. Cold sweat began to form on my forehead, while fear was clearly etched on my face.
What... what was that...?
Memories of Morgana's cold face flashed through my mind. That look... eyes without any emotion. Like a black hole threatening to swallow me as soon as I looked into them.
I couldn't stop the shiver that ran through my body.
I raised my gaze to the door I had just walked out of, now with a serious expression on my face.
No matter what has changed in you... – I clenched my fists.
And whatever happens to you...
I will always follow you and become the person you can rely on – anytime, Morgana.
POV 3
In the silence of the room, the person Sofia had promised to always stay by her side sat in front of a computer, her fingers flying over the keyboard at an incredible speed, fast enough that even the most experienced gamers would be left embarrassed. On the screen, complex and intricate codes scrolled by, like unintelligible ciphers hidden from the uninitiated.
After a few minutes, the background on the screen suddenly changed to the initial desktop, with only a few applications visible. At the same time, at another location, in a spacious and luxurious office, a computer on the desk powered on by itself – even though the room was empty.
Without hesitation, Morgana clicked on the only file dominating the screen. A window appeared asking for a password. Without hesitation, she typed a series of complex characters and numbers, then pressed enter.
The file opened, revealing a multitude of information. Morgana carefully browsed the data, and as her eyes moved over the lines of the documents, a cold, cruel smile slowly formed on her face.
"I really don't know if you're a fool or just pretending to be smart, uncle..." she said the last word in a tone filled with murderous intent.
It didn't take her long to gather all the important clues. She inserted the USB into the computer and quickly transferred all the data. Once finished, she carefully wiped away all traces of her intrusion, then shut down the computer.
Afterward, she approached the window and stared at the sunset.
Without hurry, she grabbed a glass filled with the finest wine and emptied its contents in one gulp. She quietly placed the glass back in its place, then headed toward the bed, allowing exhaustion to take over her.
Knowing that tomorrow would be a busy day.
The next afternoon
In the living room of the luxurious villa, the television blared loudly with the news. They were talking about the disappearance of Tony Stark, the sudden return of Morgana Stark, and the mutant attacks—especially the activities of the X-Men and the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. Along with that, the news was flooded with other global topics.
Amid all of this, Morgana lay in an armchair, completely indifferent, eating snacks with a bored expression. She was unusually dressed—a wrinkled red shirt and white shorts with food stains, while her hair was messy, as if she had just woken up.
If anyone from the public had seen Morgana like this, it would be hard to believe she was the same person who usually radiated innocence and kindness.
"Haa, how boring..." Morgana muttered, lazily flipping through channels on the remote. "When is Sofiya coming back?"
She didn't even notice that Sofiya was already standing behind her, with a dark expression and clenched teeth, clearly annoyed by the tone in which Morgana had mentioned her.
Cough, cough.
Sofiya cleared her throat, hoping Morgana would finally pay attention. However, Morgana continued carelessly flipping through the channels, ignoring Sofiya's presence behind her.
COUGH!
This time, Sofiya loudly cleared her throat, which made Morgana suddenly jump out of the armchair, spilling snacks all over the floor.
With a nervous, but innocently cheeky smile, Morgana slowly turned to Sofiya, who was staring at her with a cold look, obviously displeased with the messy scene before her.
"Y... Yo?" Morgana stammered, raising two fingers in the familiar V sign, one often seen on TV.
Sofiya stared at her expressionlessly, watching her silly smile that she'd seen countless times.
"Miss," she said in a cold tone, "you have ten minutes to get ready."
"NOOO! That's not enough time! At least give me—"
"Five minutes."
Sofiya coldly interrupted her, with no room for negotiation. For a moment, Morgana looked like a defeated cat, but she knew she couldn't argue with her.
Without further delay, she dashed to her room to change.
Five minutes later
Morgana returned to the living room, now neatly dressed with her hair done, while the room looked impeccably clean—like it hadn't been in complete chaos just a few minutes ago.
She sat back in the armchair, and Sofiya approached, elegantly offering a cup of tea. Morgana took it with a skilled motion, as if she came from an old aristocratic family.
"Haa... No matter how many times I see this, I'm always amazed at how you managed to clean everything up so quickly," Morgana said as she enjoyed the tea, even though she wasn't usually a fan of the drink.
"Thank you for the compliment, miss," Sofiya responded with a gentle smile, leaning slightly.
"Two years have passed since I met you," Morgana said thoughtfully, reminiscing about the past.
"Yes, two years and three months," Sofiya quietly confirmed. For a moment, the room was filled with a brief silence.
Morgana then asked in a serious tone: "And? What did you find out?"
Without a word, Sofiya opened the suitcase she had brought with her. She took out some papers, flipped through them, and began reading the information she had gathered.
"Those who attacked Tony belong to an organization called the Ten Rings, founded by a man named Xu Wenwu..."
Morgana quietly enjoyed her tea, listening to the familiar information.
"...But what worries me most is the presence of an unknown organization that is also tracking Tony's disappearance."
At these words, Morgana's expression changed. Her interest was clearly piqued.
"What are they called?" she asked seriously.
"Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division."
Morgana raised an eyebrow. "That's too long. Are you sure that's their name?"
"Yes, miss."
"Hmm... And what do we know about them?"
"Nothing."
Morgana looked at Sofiya suspiciously. "What do you mean—nothing?"
"These are all the details provided by Continental."
Morgana was silent for a moment, thinking, then shrugged casually.
"Hmm... Well, we shouldn't expect too much. Continental is a network of assassins, but they aren't specialized in intelligence work."
She then gazed into the distance, as if trying to recall something.
"Wait..." she murmured softly, "...Why do I feel like I've heard that name before?"
After a few moments of thought, her golden eyes suddenly flashed in recognition.
"Aha! I remember now!" she suddenly said. "I saw that name on an old picture of my father. He was standing next to some woman..."
Morgana then turned abruptly to Sofiya. "The crest looks like an eagle with spread wings, right?"
Sofiya looked at the information again, then nodded, pulling out a photograph.
"Yes, exactly," she said with mild surprise as she handed Morgana the picture. It showed a black eagle inside a circle, with a date in the corner—taken in 2001.
Morgana stared at the photograph thoughtfully.
"How is it possible that we have no information on this organization, yet we have proof they existed and had an official building?" she asked aloud, turning the picture in her hands.
The room fell into an uncomfortable silence.
Sofiya broke it with a quiet voice. "What should we do now, miss? Do you want me to continue the investigation?"
Morgana looked at her and calmly replied:
"No, there's no need."
Sofiya raised an eyebrow in doubt, but Morgana immediately clarified:
"There's no point in exposing them. If they want to stay hidden, an investigation would just attract their attention. And besides..." Morgana paused briefly before continuing, "...It seems my father was part of this organization."
Sofiya silently observed her, carefully absorbing every word.
"Burn all this information."
"Understood, miss," Sofiya replied without hesitation, collecting all the papers and returning them to the suitcase.
Morgana quietly stared at the ceiling with a thoughtful look as she listened to Sofiya slowly leave. Until the mechanical voice interrupted her.
"Miss, Mr. Obadiah is outside. Do you want to let him in?" Jarvis said in a cold and monotonous tone.
"Oohh, let him in," Morgana replied coldly, her disdain clearly visible in her eyes.
After a few minutes, Morgana heard footsteps behind her, but she didn't turn around. She just logically greeted him, not hiding her disdain.
"Welcome, Uncle."
"What brings you here today? Shouldn't you be at a meeting?" Morgana asked, still with contempt in her voice.
Behind her, Obadiah flinched at her disdain, clenched his fist, and with an ugly expression on his face, which was briefly visible, quickly replaced it with a polite smile. He walked toward Morgana.
"I'm glad to see you again, niece," he said, trying to sound courteous.
"I'm sorry about what happened to your brother," he added with sorrow on his face.
Morgana looked at him with growing contempt, although she didn't show it on her face.