Chapter 90: Three Agents, One Table and The Rumor's Truth

[ Restaurant ]

Daisy thought it was just a regular dinner invitation. She agreed instantly—after all, it was Sharon Carter. Probably a casual night out, maybe some shared gossip, and hopefully dessert that didn't come with emotional trauma.

What she didn't expect was to walk into the warmly lit restaurant and see Sharon seated across from Maria Hill.

The moment Hill came into view, Daisy's heels clicked to a halt mid-step. The air shifted; the cozy ambiance chilled instantly—not because of the A/C, but because friction had just been served as the appetizer. The two of them didn't exactly exchange Christmas cards in public.

Sharon offered a tentative smile that said please-don't-kill-each-other. "Let's sit down and talk, okay?"

Daisy was momentarily speechless. If you weren't here, Sharon, I would've been halfway through the wine list by now.

But the world still thought she and Hill were two women one sarcastic eyebrow raise away from full-blown Cold War. Daisy glided to the table and sat opposite Hill, her expression unreadable save for the tiniest smirk.

"I don't know what's wrong with you two, but I hope you can sit down and talk. We once had a very precious friendship, and I don't want to see you like this now." Sharon said, sincerity practically dripping from her voice as her eyes bounced anxiously between them.

Daisy studied her friend. After everything, she'd figured out that Sharon wasn't reporting back to Peggy, or monitoring her for signs of sedition. Aside from a mildly concerning Oedipus complex, Sharon Carter was—unfortunately—genuine.

So what now? Spill or smile?

Daisy flicked her gaze to the woman across from her. Maria Hill—composed, elegant, unreadable. But under the table? A soft nudge. No, a deliberate nudge. A barely-there kick against her ankle.

The topic of depth between them was not suitable to be discussed now, so she could only explain it from another direction.

Daisy coughed dramatically. "Ahem. Actually... there's no real issue between us."

Sharon lifted a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. "Really?"

Her tone screamed: Try again, and this time with less bullsht.*

Daisy sighed, slipping into a believable version of the truth. "Okay, fine. It started as a minor disagreement. Then rumors started flying around faster than Agent Rumlow after five espressos. We decided to keep the fire burning and see who was stoking it."

Hill played along, reaching across the table to take Daisy's hand in what looked like a gesture of reconciliation.

Except her nails dug into Daisy's palm hard enough to trigger flashbacks to their in-depth training in bedroom.

Daisy bit her tongue, smiled through the pain, and thought: Romance is pain. Literally.

Thankfully, Sharon didn't notice. Her expression had shifted into a more thoughtful one.

"Actually... I think I know who started the rumors," she said.

That pulled both women up short.

Hill leaned forward slightly. "Who?"

Sharon hesitated, her voice dipping. "Nick Fury."

Daisy blinked. Then blinked again. "Wait. Who?"

Daisy was completely stunned. The first thing she thought of was, could it be that the Fury was Hydra? Or was Pierce the loyal and courageous backbone of S.H.I.E.L.D.?

The next second she realized that she was just imagining things. Nick Fury's moral integrity is a bit questionable, but he is not Hydra.

Hill didn't budge, but her eyes sharpened to surgical precision. "What evidence do you have?"

Unlike Daisy who simply believed that Nick Fury was not a bad guy, Hill still had her own persistence and bottom line, even though she had worked with the Director for a period of time. She believed in evidence in everything. If Nick Fury really betrayed SHIELD or did some small tricks, Daisy would turn a blind eye to it, but Hill would not. She would get to the bottom of it.

Sharon raised both hands in a placating gesture. "No hard evidence. Just... logic. Analysis. And a few things my aunt pointed out."

That made Daisy lean back and prepare for a conspiracy pie—served cold.

"The World Security Council told Fury to start preparing a successor," Sharon explained, her voice low and precise. "You, and of course me, are on the reserve list." She pointed to Hill and Daisy first.

Finally she pointed at herself.

"Their dissatisfaction with Nick Fury has reached its peak. They are eager for someone to replace him, but at the same time there cannot be a major change in power. Therefore, this candidate must be recognized by both the Board of Directors and Nick Fury."

Sharon pointed at herself and said, "I was eliminated in the first round. The board was afraid that my aunt's influence would overwhelm them. Now the candidates are you two."

She turned her gaze to Hill. "You are more valued by Nick Fury, but he only wants you to be his commander. He has no intention of letting you lead S.H.I.E.L.D. He doesn't even trust you as much as he trust Coulson."

After that, Sharon looked at Daisy again: "Daisy's advantage is that she doesn't have any extraordinary background. The Council doesn't like someone already powerful to be in charge of such a large organization. At the same time, Daisy has only few connections, so she will feel powerless to do many things, which makes it easier for the Council to remotely control S.H.I.E.L.D. This is my aunt's analysis."

Daisy snorted. "So I'm their diversity pawn."

Sharon winced. "Aunt Peggy's words, not mine."

Sharon put Daisy and Hill's hands together: "I don't know what the result will be, but I hope you won't hate each other because of this, and limit the competition to just a competition, okay?"

Daisy closed her eyes slightly, thinking about the meaning of this. She knew most of the things, but she had chosen to ignore them before. Now that Sharon put it in front of her, she had to pretend that she didn't know, and on the other hand, she was waiting for Hill's response.

"I will take this matter seriously, but it will not affect our relationship." Hill made the assurance with a double meaning.

Sharon looked at Daisy again, and she also said that she would compete in a healthy manner within the rules.

Sharon beamed, thinking she'd solved the diplomatic crisis of the month. She waved the waiter over, and soon enough, the table filled with plates, clinking glasses, and food that actually looked edible.

Midway through the meal, Daisy turned to Sharon. "So what's next for you?"

Sharon sighed, stabbing her steak with the enthusiasm of someone picturing Fury's head. "What else? I'm not a genius. Can't build tech like Hank Pym or run a Data company. I'm not launching a streaming war. And I'm definitely not filming 'Saving Private Ryan'"

Daisy nearly choked on her wine.

Sharon gave her a dry look. Then she muttered around a mouthful of steak, "Just a field agent. That's it. Whoever ends up in the hot seat—take care of me, alright?"

Daisy tilted her head, mock-sympathetic. "You're overthinking it. Fury's not giving up that chair unless someone surgically detaches him from it. The Council's puppet show? Bound to implode."

She turned to Hill, eyes gleaming. "But if, if, they do succeed—I'd bet on our dear Commander Hill reclaiming the throne."

Hill arched an eyebrow. "Not you?"

Daisy exhaled dramatically, eyes twinkling with faux tragedy. "Me? Please. I'll be exiled for crimes against uniform code and excessive sarcasm. I've accepted my fate as SHIELD's scandalous scapegoat-slash-style-icon."

She played the role so well, even Hill seemed to buy it… for about five seconds.

Then realization dawned.

"You're playing the sympathy card to deflect."

Hill rolled her eyes and tried not to smile.

She failed.

Then she frowned and said, "Everyone knows you were in command this time when catching the Nazis. Your chances of winning are very high."

To Be Continued...

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