Author's Note: So this is a little bit of a longer chapter and it also contains a bit of Tony's POV. I also just want to make it clear that there's not really an autographed Ernest Hemingway book that I'm aware of even though that would be cool. I just threw it in there because Mia's supposed to bid on a couple items and A Farewell to Arms is one of my favorite books. I don't care if that makes me seem like a hipster since hipsters are supposed to be obsessed with Hemingway. Hemingway was legitimately one of the great writers of all times.

Hope you enjoy the chapter and let me know what you think.

Tony Stark had just managed to get away from a group of notorious suck-ups that he really didn't want to have anything to do with. He didn't know why he had even shown up to this thing. It's not like Pepper was really making him do stuff like this anymore. Not since the break-up. But maybe it was just from the guilt he still held within himself. Or maybe he just couldn't stand to stay locked up in the tower for another minute. It just left him with too much time to be alone with his thoughts.

It had been about two months since the incident in Siberia between himself and Cap…and Barnes. Two months and Tony was still reeling from that fight. Not in a physical sense at least. Well, maybe a little bit since Tony wasn't as young as he used to be.

No, Tony was still reeling from the feel of betrayal he was feeling towards Steve. It wasn't the fact that Steve had run straight to Barnes' side without hesitation. Tony actually understood why Steve would do that. Barnes was from Steve's life from before the ice so Tony could understand how loyal Steve was to him. He honestly didn't mind that part. However, it was more of the fact that Steve knew the truth about Tony's parents all this time and he kept it to himself.

Sure, Steve had apologized in the letter and everything. Tony thought he might've even accepted the apology but the sense of betrayal was still there. It bugged him that the man who was supposed to be his friend and teammate, the very same man his father held in such high regard, had betrayed him. It wasn't even the fact that Barnes had killed his parents that bothered him so much anymore. That shouldn't have been a surprise to Tony either since Barnes had been under Hydra's control during that time. No, it was more of the fact that Steve knew all this time and lied to him. He looked him in the face every day for the past two years and lied.

That's what hurt Tony the most.

So here he was two months later. Tony who had been dumped by Pepper and left by Steve who had taken most of the Avengers with him when he left. There wasn't much he had left to do now that everyone was gone. It was only Vision and Rhodey who were left at the compound these days. Tony mostly just focused on his work in the lab while occasionally keeping a close watch on the kid in Queens which seemed to be a stressful task in itself. For a teenage boy the kid drove Tony up the wall. If that's what having a child of his own was like then Tony didn't think he wanted any part of it. He briefly considered having children with Pepper but since him and Pepper were back to being friends, he doubted that was ever going to happen.

Tony made a bee-line for the bar, wanting to push thoughts of himself and Pepper out of his head. Now wasn't the time to sulk over all the times he fucked up in his life. Tony came here to forget all that. He didn't feel like doing anymore self-pitying at the moment. Tony could do that at home.

So without any more thought towards his and Pepper's failed relationship, Tony finally arrived at the bar where a bartender stood behind and a woman stood at the opposite end of. He briefly contemplated ordering a scotch, his usual drink of choice, but he held off when he remembered the talk Rhodey gave him not so long ago.

The talk about trying to be a responsible adult because he had the kid to think of now. Going on a three day bender while the kid was out there, potentially doing something stupid, wasn't the brightest idea. So Tony just opted for a glass of water instead. God, this responsible adult thing was way harder than he thought.

It was then, however, Tony turned to curiously look at the woman at the bar. She was the only one currently there. Everyone else seemed too busy chatting amongst each other. He looked her over unapologetically as he tried to pinpoint whether or not he had seen her before. The same people always seemed to show up at events like this so Tony was sure he would've remembered seeing her before but he didn't think he had. In fact, Tony was almost certain he had never seen the woman before.

The woman was tiny which was probably the most obvious feature about her. Even in heels she still stood a few inches shorter than he did. She was dressed in a beautiful gray gown that put a lot of the other gowns at this thing to shame. Her straightened chestnut brown tresses were down from any updo women usually wore to events like this one. Her skin was pale and creamy against the gray of her dress but Tony recognized that she was probably too young for him to be checking out and for it not to be creepy.

She must've been in her early twenties…college age more than likely and probably someone's daughter or granddaughter here. Still…Tony didn't know what it was about her that seemed to capture his interest. She wasn't pretty in a way he was used to. Not that she wasn't pretty but Tony just couldn't place his finger on it.

Tony continued to watch her curiously as the bartender placed his glass of water in front of him. She didn't seem to be paying attention in the slightest to what was going on around her. Her gaze was focused primarily on her phone as she occasionally swiped left or right. In fact, the woman seemed like she was probably just as miserable to be here as he was. Tony had to admit that was really saying a lot.

"Bored too, huh?" Tony inquired suddenly, curious to actually know what the woman's face looked like when said face wasn't glued to the screen of her phone.

Millennials, right?

However, Tony wasn't disappointed as she looked up at him in surprise. Her eyes were a dark blue and he was amused to see they were very wide and innocent looking. She was way too innocent looking to be at a party like this. Tony was sure of that, at least.

Mia had spent the past fifteen minutes on her phone after dinner finished. Bridget had left to go chat amongst the rich to see if she could get a few statements from any of them so Mia decided hang around the bar until the auction started. She was mostly preoccupied by Tinder although she didn't know why she still went on there. Maybe because of morbid curiosity. The men on Tinder were usually terrible. She lost track of the amount of times a creep would randomly send her a dick pic. Still…Mia was weirdly addicted to the swiping left and swiping right fascination most of the world seemed to encompass as well.

At least she wasn't the only one.

So you could only imagine her surprise at the voice that came from beside her. She supposed she was that preoccupied with her phone that she hadn't noticed anyone at the bar. Someone who surprisingly looked a lot like Tony Stark. Wait a minute…

Mia was actually pretty sure this was Tony Stark. Mia took a minute to collect herself before answering the billionaire who Mia couldn't believe was talking to her let alone noticed her. It's not that Mia was Tony Stark's number one fan or anything but she was still unused to meeting celebrities although she was sure her Ryan Gosling encounter would forever remain her favorite.

"These kinds of things aren't really my scene." Mia told him honestly while she gave him a polite smile although she was kind freaking out mentally over the fact that she was talking to an Avenger. Anyone would've kind of freaked out, right? It's not everyday someone met a superhero.

Still…it was pretty weird that she was sitting at a bar with Tony Stark of all people. She briefly assessed his appearance now that she was up close to him. The first thing she noticed, as he stood there at the bar with her, was that he was shorter than what she thought he'd be. Mia didn't really know why she assumed he'd be tall. Maybe because people on TV always seemed taller than they were. Just look at Tom Cruise. Mia wondered if Captain America was short in real life too. Probably not.

He was Captain America. He couldn't be short.

Tony Stark was just as handsome as all the magazines made him out to be with his dark, almost perfectly styled hair although she could spot bits of gray in his hair which was a reflection of his age as well as the hardships he had obviously seen in his life. His goatee was also just as iconic as they made it seem in all the pictures too. Mia figured his facial hair would probably look ridiculous on anyone else but somehow Tony Stark made it work.

The billionaire's brown eyes were lit up with amusement as he smirked at her. Mia wasn't blind. She knew Tony Stark was very attractive. Especially in his very nice suit. Just because he was probably closer in age to her parents than her didn't mean that she couldn't secretly admire him and take it all in. She honestly felt the same way about Colin Firth and John Stamos.

"What isn't your scene? Charities that give back to the community?" Tony asked as he raised an eyebrow at her. Mia blushed.

Wow…this girl really seemed to be working the doe eyed, innocent look, Tony thought to himself. Tony knew she reminded him of someone but he didn't know who. It was right on the tip of his tongue but he couldn't place her.

"No, I just meant parties." Mia said as she exited out of Tinder and locked her screen. She didn't really want to risk Tony Stark catching her on Tinder. Mia didn't know why but there was something a little embarrassing about that.

"I know what you meant. I was just pulling your leg." Tony said before he nodded at her and introduced himself…as if Mia and everyone else didn't know who he was. "Tony."

"Mia." She said as she played along with his introduction, not bothering to mention how she was fully aware of who he was.

"Well, Mia, I don't think I've seen you around one of these things before. I would've remembered you since I have an excellent memory." Tony said as he flashed her a charming smile.

That was actually kind of a lie. Tony had a really bad memory. He could never even remember what he had for breakfast. Tony barely remembered what he had for dinner and that was less than half an hour ago. Although he did wonder what Mia was short for? Possibly Maria or Camilla? Amelia most likely. Amelia seemed like the obvious choice.

"This is actually the first time I've been to one of these." Mia admitted and Tony looked at her curiously.

"Really? So whose daughter does that make you?" Tony asked her and Mia gave him a confused look, not having a clue as to what he was talking about.

"Daughter?" Mia questioned.

"No way a college kid like you wants to be caught dead in a place like this." Tony told her which confused Mia even more. College kid? "Please tell me you're not related to Ross. I might have to pretend I didn't see you if you are. I kind of left him on an indefinite hold."

"I'm not a college student and I'm also definitely not related to anyone named Ross." Mia told him, becoming immensely confused by the billionaire's weird rambling. Tony sighed in relief.

"Great. That's a huge relief. I was really holding my breath there for a minute." Tony said before going over what she just said. "Are you taking a gap year then? Backpacking across Europe or whatever it is that kids do these days."

"I graduated college a long time ago." Mia told him, sounding really bewildered and overwhelmed by how fast he was talking. Mia didn't think she had ever been this confused in any sort of conversation before. She was starting to think Tony Stark was a bit eccentric. "Wait…how young do you think I am?"

"Twenty." Tony guessed as he squinted his eyes at her like he was trying to get a better look at her or something. Mia just stared at him in astonishment. "No. Twenty one. Wait…nineteen? No offense, but you're probably the oldest looking nineteen year old I've ever seen."

"No, Mr. Stark. I'm not a teenager. I'm a fully grown woman." Mia said, sounding every bit as bewildered as she looked. She wasn't weirded out that he thought she was really young. People always mistook Mia for being younger than she actually was. Even when she was in the second grade kids thought she was in Pre-School. She assumed it had something to do with her shortness. Mia hadn't stopped wearing clothes from the children's section until she was in her freshmen year of high school, after all. In all honesty though, Mia was just bewildered by Tony Stark's behavior. She heard he was a bit…unique in the past but she never imagined it would be to this extent.

"I get the fully grown woman thing. Believe me. But no way are you over twenty five." Tony remarked and Mia was starting to get a little offended by his inquiries about her age. Not because she was sensitive about her age because she had a feeling it would lead to her height which was something she was actually a bit sensitive about.

"It's kind of rude to constantly goad a woman about her age. Hasn't anyone ever told you that?" Mia finally said and Tony was delightfully surprised by her feistiness. And to think he thought she was the push over type. Well, Tony had been wrong before but he liked the challenging look in the woman's blue eyes as she looked back at him.

"What about your age? How old are you?" Mia threw back at him. The corners of Tony's mouth lifted up before he forced himself not to smile and maintained a nonchalant look on his face.

"Forty six." Tony told her confidently, a smirk coming over his face. "I know it's really shocking. I look really young for my age, don't I?"

Mia actually didn't think he looked that young for his age. The years of witnessing things that Mia probably couldn't even begin to contemplate clearly showed on his face in the form of small, tired wrinkles. Even though Tony was really showing his age, an annoying well-known fact about men was that they aged really well. Most of the time, at least. There were some men that probably didn't age well but Tony Stark didn't seem to be in that category even though he was a little bit older than Mia thought he was.

"I'm not going to answer that." Mia retorted and Tony was really enjoying the seemingly polite and cordial woman's newfound feistiness. He feigned a hurt look as he looked back at her.

"I'm really hurt, Mia. Really." Tony quipped while Mia just rolled her eyes but couldn't help but smile at the man's antics.

For someone seventeen years older than her, he sure didn't act like it. God…seventeen years. Mia felt a tiny bit weird for checking him out earlier. She thought he was close in age with her parents before but he was even closer than she thought. Her parents were fifty two and now Mia felt like a weirdo for "admiring" him. What was wrong with her?

"Oh my god. Are you really A.N. Kazan?" A blonde haired woman said as she suddenly appeared next to Mia. Mia looked away from Tony in surprise, not expecting anyone to recognize her at the event. "My friend mentioned you were here but I didn't believe her."

"Um…yes. I decided to come here on Random House Publishing's behalf." Mia said cordially and she knew she had Tony Stark's complete attention at this point. She could feel his gaze on her. Mia blushed from the attention. It's not like she was used to being recognized, after all. Mia didn't put a picture of herself on the back of her book like most authors did. She'd rather let her work speak for itself.

"I can't even begin to tell you how much of a fan I am of yours." The blonde woman boasted much to Mia's embarrassment.

There was a reason that she was a writer. It allowed her to have her work published and let her writing do the talking. Mia had always been uncomfortable with attention. She had spent her years in high school locking herself inside her bedroom to read and write rather than going to all the parties her friends seemed to enjoy going to.

Mia still didn't regret doing that over ten years later. Her sister had been way more into the party scene than she had. Holly, being the captain of the volleyball team and a huge jock, had gone to parties every single weekend. Mia had never been interested in the crowds of people like Holly. They were complete opposites.

"The Brilliant Stupor of Madeline Adams is one of my all-time favorite books. I can't get over it." The woman continued to ramble on as Tony slowly started to realize that maybe Mia wasn't a young college student, after all. He was curious about what made Mia so famous that he was easily ignored. Tony wasn't used to being ignored. He could only assume she was a writer given the way this blonde woman was talking about Mia's book.

"Thank you." Mia said awkwardly, not knowing how else to react to the woman's praise. She was grateful but she was also uncomfortable.

"I've never read a book that's more accurate about high school and adolescence. It's really amazing the way you presented that in the book through Madeline. Madeline has to be one of my favorite characters ever." The woman said before giving Mia an apologetic look. "Sorry…I'm rambling."

"No, it's alright." Mia said as she smiled kindly at the woman. "I'm glad you love the book."

"Don't even get me started on your other book. Upon the Moors We Go is another favorite of mine." The woman informed her before giving her a curious look. "When is your next book coming out by the way? I heard that you were working on one."

"It's still a work in progress. Um…I'm just taking my time with it." Mia said as vaguely as possible. It was the same answer she gave to most people because she really had no clue when it was going to be finished.

"Well, I'm willing to wait for it because I know it'll be amazing once it's finished." The woman said happily and Mia forced herself to smile. Right…as if she didn't feel even more pressured than before about the book. "Anyways…it was nice meeting you. I'm Mary by the way."

"Mia." She introduced and the woman gave her one last smile before walking away.

Mia stared after her with an unreadable look on her face. She suddenly felt anxious as she watched the woman go because the woman was yet another reminder of Mia's failure in completing the book. Mia felt like she might never finish the book. Before she could think any more on the subject, she was then once again reminded of Tony Stark's presence.

"I have a feeling that I should know who you are." Tony said as he broke the silence. Mia turned back to look at him. She had almost forgotten he was there. Mia shrugged as she noticed the curious look on his face.

"I wouldn't expect you to, Mr. Stark." Mia said politely and Tony just shook his head.

"Don't call me Mr. Stark. Mr. Stark was my father and he was a cold bastard. I'd like to think I'm different." Tony quipped before continuing to try and figure this woman out. A woman that was quite famous as it would turn out. "So a writer, huh?"

"Something like that." Mia replied as she looked down at her drink.

"What kind of books do you write then? Twilight? Fifty Shades?" Tony inquired, trying to get a reaction out of her.

He wasn't disappointed either as the polite look fell off her face and she gave him a pissed look. Tony wasn't scared though. She was actually kind of cute when she looked mad. Yes…cute. That's what she looked like to him. She was cute which Tony didn't think a grown woman could be. Mia even reminded him of Snow White with that innocent, wide eyed look she had about her. Snow White was who she reminded him of earlier, he realized.

"You have no idea how insulting that is to a writer like me, Mr. Stark." Mia told him as she tried to be intimidating but miserably failed. She knew she was probably the least intimidating person he had ever met.

"That's like me asking if your work bares any similarity to Justin Hammer." She told him pointedly. The amused look quickly fell off Tony's face and was replaced with an annoyed one.

"Hey, don't ever say-" Tony started to say but fell short when he saw the small smirk on the brunette's face. He was left a little surprised that she could be that quick and witty despite her polite and kind exterior. Maybe she was like Snow White if Snow White was also surprisingly witty and quick with a comeback.

"Well, it was nice meeting you, Mr. Stark. Good luck at the auction." Mia said as she politely bid him goodbye before taking her drink and leaving the bar without another glance in Tony's direction. Tony watched her leave in intrigue, still not having a clue as to who the woman named Mia really was.

A writer?

An adorable brunette in an exquisite dress?

Tony really didn't know. She seemed to possess the wide eyed innocence of Snow White but the mysteriousness of Cinderella. Tony just needed a glass slipper to throw this whole thing together and find out who "Mia the Writer" actually was. Wow…Tony was only now realizing how much he apparently knew about Disney princesses. He spent way too much time with the nanny growing up.

This was just sad.

The story behind the auction was that some rich old man had died and left his possessions to be auctioned off in the name of charity. Mia could tell that his family members didn't seem that thrilled since they had sour looks on their faces during the auction. She sat next to an old couple towards the front of the room as she did what was requested of her and represented Random House Publishing in the auction. She had already won the bid on the first edition of Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte and the first edition of Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote but there was an Ernest Hemingway novel that the publishing company wanted her to bid on as well.

"Autographed first edition and first issue of A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway." The auctioneer announced as Mia leaned forward in her seat in anticipation. A part of Mia really wished that she could nab the book for herself since A Farewell to Arms was her favorite novel. However, Mia was supposed to bid on it for Random House and not herself. Mia also doubted she could ever afford an autographed first edition copy of an Ernest Hemingway novel. She'd have to turn into Ernest Hemingway himself just to afford something like that.

"Excellent condition and a favorite of the late Mr. Robert Daniels." The auctioneer continued to say as Mia paid close attention. "Bidding will start at ten thousand dollars." Mia as well as numerous other people in the room raised their paddles in the air.

"Eleven thousand." The man said but everyone's hands remained firm in the air. In fact, no one's hands really seemed to go down until they reached the twenty thousand dollar mark. Mia had a specific budget set for the auction. She wasn't to spend anything more than forty thousand dollars. Mia had already spent about seven thousand on the Jane Eyre novel and the rest on the Breakfast at Tiffany's one so that left about thirty thousand for the autographed Ernest Hemingway novel. Mia knew how bad Random House wanted those books so that they could display them in the lobby of their building.

"Twenty five thousand." The auctioneer said and Mia's hand remained in the air. She was confident that she was about to win the bid. Everyone else seemed to be backing down at this point. She didn't understand why. An autographed first edition of an Ernest Hemingway novel was worth far more than twenty five thousand dollars. Mia personally thought it was priceless.

"Well, it seems like we have a new bidder. Twenty six thousand." The auctioneer announced and a confused look came over Mia's face at this.

New bidder?

Mia immediately craned her neck around to see who this new bidder was. However, a look of disbelief crossed her face as she spotted none other than Tony Stark with his paddle in the air and a smug look on his face. Mia swallowed hard as she then turned back around to face the front of the room.

Was he seriously bidding on an Ernest Hemingway novel? Mia honestly doubted Tony Stark was a fan of Ernest Hemingway's work. She couldn't exactly picture him sitting there by the fire reading an Ernest Hemingway novel. Damn it. Now she was picturing him as Mr. Rochester in Jane Eyre…sitting there by the fire in an armchair while reading a book. Mr. Rochester who was basically Mia's number one literary crush. No, she refused to think of Tony Stark as Mr. Rochester. Michael Fassbender should be the only one who came to mind when she thought of Mr. Rochester.

"Twenty seven thousand." The auctioneer said loudly yet Mia refused to yield yet it seemed like Tony Stark refused to yield as well. She could hear hush whispering around the room as people gossiped about Tony Stark bidding on an Ernest Hemingway novel. They seemed curious for his reasoning but Mia didn't think he had a clear reason. She didn't want to assume this was about her but she had a feeling he was getting her back for that offhanded comment she made about him and Justin Hammer. Although…she felt like bidding tens of thousands of dollars was a little extreme but he was Tony Stark. He seemed to have a flare for the dramatics.

"Twenty eight thousand."

"Let's double it! Sixty thousand!" Tony Stark called out and there was a collective array of gasps around the room. Mia looked back at him, her eyes wide with disbelief but he looked just as smug as ever. The auctioneer laughed nervously.

"I'm afraid the auction doesn't work like that, Mr. Stark." The auctioneer informed the billionaire, not bothering to refer to him by his assigned number for the auction. Everyone knew who Tony Stark was anyways.

"Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars for Mr. Hemingway's autographed novel." Tony said arrogantly and more people gasped. Even Mia was shocked as she looked at the very confident look on his face. The auctioneer seemed a bit speechless as his mouth opened and closed several times before he finally found it within himself to speak.

"I-I uh…Miss? Do you wish to challenge Mr. Stark's bid?" The auctioneer said as he finally gathered his bearings and looked at Mia. The brunette clenched her jaw as she tore her gaze away from the arrogant billionaire. She shook her head as she quietly put her hand down.

"Then the autographed first edition and first issue of Ernest Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms goes to Mr. Stark for…two hundred and fifty thousand dollars." The auctioneer finally said, seemingly in disbelief over the fact that someone had paid two hundred and fifty thousand dollars for a novel that was worth less in his opinion. Ernest Hemingway or not.

Numerous people in the room whispered quietly to each other as they tried to find a reason as to why Tony Stark would bid on an Ernest Hemingway novel. He usually didn't bid on anything at these events. He just donated a large amount of money then left.

Mia was just disappointed that she hadn't been able to get the novel for Random House like she was supposed to. At least she managed to Jane Eyre and Breakfast at Tiffany's although they weren't autographed like A Farewell to Arms was. Random House was just going to have to be happy with what they got. Especially since Mia hadn't even wanted to come here in the first place.

The auctioneer then moved on to another item of Mr. Daniels as he announced the starting bid for that item. Everyone's attention moved away from Tony Stark as they focused on a painting up for auction. Except for Mia. The small brunette turned around to look at Tony questioningly and the billionaire only smirked arrogantly at her before waving. Mia just rolled her eyes and turned back around.

Rich people were a pain in the ass.