ᴄʜᴇʀʀʏ ʙᴏᴍʙ: ᴀɴɴᴀ ꜱᴛᴀʀᴋ ①

prologue

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summer of 1999

anthony stark and genesis ramirez swore they were going to keep their relationship strictly business. 

well, genesis swore. tony did not. he couldn't deny that the woman was beautiful, she had a decent sense of humor, and wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty, which tony admired in a woman. but, whenever tony brought up their relationship, genesis shut down and ignored him, which annoyed the billionaire. he loved her, and she probably loved him, right? why not just get together already? tony had been with a lot of women in the past, but something about genesis was different. she reminded him of his mother, who had died eight years ago. her smile could light up the darkest room, and she always had a clever reply to tony's sarcastic remarks. she was delicate, but hated being treated as such, which made it very hard for tony to flirt with her. 

genesis, on the other hand, had definitely fallen for tony, although she definitely didn't want to. how could she not, he was handsome, funny, and smart, if a bit annoying at times. genesis came from a long line of abusive relationships, so having someone as caring as tony around was very beneficial for her and her health. at first, tony seemed like your typical bad boy. ignorant, stupid, and careless, but when she got to know him, she found that he was quite the opposite. he cared, he genuinely cared for genesis, and whether she liked it or not, he made sure she slept, ate, and drank, even when he didn't always do those things himself. it was nice having someone like him, but genesis knew that getting in a relationship with the world's most known inventor would not end well for her. 

but, here she was, after three years of working with the billionaire, pregnant with his child. 

it had happened at her birthday party, they were both drunk out of their minds, and didn't really remember that night, or the morning for that matter. 

and now she was not even two months pregnant and tony was gone. he'd left. 

well, not really. he was offered a job in the dominican republic and had to take it. genesis understood, she would've taken the job too. it wasn't like tony was completely out of the picture though, he called genesis every day to check up on her and the baby growing in her stomach. and he promised to hop on his private jet and fly back to california as soon as she went into labor. genesis always laughed, since it was a long flight from santo domingo to los angeles and he would never make it in time, but tony always said he would make it work. that was something genesis loved about tony, he was so persistent. when he had an idea, you better believe he was going to plan it, build it, and test it within a week of coming up with it. 

tony was as thrilled as genesis when she found out she was having a baby girl, genesis was looking forward to teaching her about science and the practicality of life, while tony was more than ready to teach her how to blow things up. 

genesis couldn't help but worry though. would the baby be cursed with the same powers as she was? the thought haunted the woman, of her child having to suffer the way she did growing up. as the baby grew, so did her worry. 

the new year came and went, it was 2000 now, a new decade and a new start. tony was still in santo domingo, though he had said the job was ending early may. genesis was due late may. the tension kept up as january, feburary, march, and april passed in a blur. 

early morning on may 17, the day tony was due back, genesis's water broke. two whole weeks before her due date. she rushed to the hospital on a frantic phone call with tony, who was still three hours out on his flight. 

the birth was not easy. the baby was two weeks early and underdeveloped, and genesis feared for the life of her child. 

what she really should have feared was the loss of her own life. less than an hour after giving birth, genesis ramirez died. and tony didn't even make it back to say goodbye. 

he rushed in an hour later, hair in a tussle and suit askew, only to be met by the solemn faces of the delivery nurses. at first, he thought it was the baby, but was more devastated when he found out it was genesis. 

on the cradle containing their newborn, who was hooked up to many machines to keep her breathing, was a little note next to the birth certificate. 

dear tony, the note read. i'm afraid this is the end for me. you know how the stories go, you give a soul for a soul. i'm so sorry to do this to you, but you have the baby now. i named her anna maria genesis. after me and your mother, so you have a piece of each of us with her. please take care of her tony, please. she was my world and now she's yours. give her my necklace when she's of age, make sure she keeps it, for it will protect her. i'm so sorry tony.
love you forever.
signed,
genesis anne ramirez 

tony's heart broke then and there, and he swore to protect his daughter with everything he had. through his grief and tears, he promised both anna and genesis that he would do anything to protect her. 

when anna started to cry in her cradle, tony reached through one of the little holes and rubbed her small arm.

"you're alright." he said through tears. "i've got you. daddy's here. nothing's gonna hurt you. ever. i swear it."

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