CHAPTER 12

JANUARY 7, 2014

"Merci beaucoup! I'll see you next time in Paris," Allie exclaimed before she put down her smartphone.

"Good news from Mr. Pierre?" Renata, the household maid, asked.

The younger woman bounced excitedly. "Everything is falling into place. Tonight must be absolutely perfect. Did you call the caterers yet?"

"Yes, Ms. Allie," Renata nodded with a smile. "I also called the florist to make sure they come on time."

"Excellent," Allie smiled widely. "Now no more talking and more working. I have a few errands to run." She grabbed her black handbag and put on a pair of sunglasses. "I'll be back in two hours," She gave Renata a kiss on the cheek before she headed out the door.

Alexander Pierce stood outside of his home and shook hands with Steve Rogers. Nick Fury stood beside him with his arms behind his back. Allie watched the men talk amongst each other as she approached them.

"-good to finally meet you, Captain America," she heard her father praise. Pierce turned his head to the side and made eye contact with his daughter. "This is my daughter, Alexandra." He motioned for her to come forward with his hand.

Allie smiled at the gentlemen and stood next to her father, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Captain." She offered her hand for him to shake.

Steve took her small hand and shook it gently. "Ma'am," he smiled at her.

"Are you going somewhere?" Pierce asked his daughter.

"I have to stop by the office and also get my dress for tonight," she answered as she inched herself away from the men.

"What's tonight?" Steve asked.

"Allie is hosting a fundraiser for Clean Energy," Fury spoke out.

"It would have never happened without Mr. Stark's help. He got the perfect venue at The Jefferson hotel for me," she said with excitement. "Well, anyway, it was lovely to meet you, Captain."

"Actually," Pierce interjected. "I was hoping you would show Rogers around."

Allie glanced at Fury, who was smiling at her. She looked back at her father, "That's not a problem." She turned back to Steve and smiled, "You don't mind if I stop by at the office first, do you?"

"Not at all," he answered politely.

She and Steve said their goodbyes and went into the black town car that waited for them. When she settled herself in, she took out a water bottle from her purse. "So, what are you doing here in D.C.?" She opened the bottle and took a sip.

Steve sat next to her and buckled his seat belt. "I just wanted to see the place, never been in town before."

'That's the first lie,' she thought to herself. "I see, well, you will love it here. Everyone is nice enough and the grass is always green," she stated. "Of course, you should visit the Lincoln Memorial sometime. It's beautiful."

He nodded, "I'll keep that in mind."

When she reached her first destination, she opened the door and told Steve it would only take her fifteen minutes. She walked into the building and rushed into the elevator. When she reached her floor, Allie stepped into Pierce's office. She quickly took out a flash drive and connected it into her father's laptop. She entered his password and went into his files on his desktop. She found the folder that said "Verstand Serum" and clicked on it. She dragged the folder onto the flash drive icon and waited for it to download. She kept her eyes on the door to make sure no one would walk in on her. When the the downloading was finished, she logged out of the laptop and put the flash drive in her purse. She walked out of the office. She migrated to her desk next to her father's office

Steve stood outside of the car as he waited for Allie to return. He leaned against the car with his arms crossed against his chest. Allie finally exited the building and walked up to the car.

"Sorry, I took so long. I had to use the lady's room," she said innocently as she walked to the opposite side of the car of him. "We'll pick up my dress and if we have time, I'll buy you a cup of coffee."