Luthor Castle.
Now that was impressive.
A medieval European castle sitting in the middle of the Kansas prairie.
After finding a spaceship in my basement, though, I was almost getting used to things like this.
Almost.
What was much stranger was the complete lack of security around the gates.
And inside the castle.
I spent twenty minutes calling out for someone.
Nobody answered.
So I simply climbed over the gate and walked inside.
A couple of corridors later, I followed the sound of some kind of ringing noise and stepped into a large hall.
I nearly got stabbed with a fencing sword.
It slammed into the wall beside the doorway.
Maybe an inch from my shoulder.
There were two people in the room, both wearing protective fencing gear.
One of them was missing his sword.
He removed his protective helmet.
Lex Luthor.
“Nice welcome.”
I reached out and tapped the sword’s handle with one finger: It was embedded pretty deeply in the wall.
“Clark?”
Lex stared at me.
“Sorry.
I didn’t see you.”
“I was shouting.”
I shrugged.
“But you two were pretty focused.
Apparently you couldn’t hear me.”
“How did you get in?”
Lex sounded more curious than concerned.
“I climbed over the gate.”
I shrugged.
“There was no security, and nobody answered when I called.”
“Interesting.”
Lex smirked.
“How do you like the new car?”
“You know, Lex…”
I smiled.
“That’s actually why I’m here.” This chapter was taken from novelping.com without permission.
I paused.
“Could you take it back?”
His eyebrows shot up.
“Is something wrong with it?”
I wasn’t entirely sure whether Lex’s father was a millionaire or a billionaire.
I’d never bothered counting Lionel’s zeros, and I’d certainly never seen his bank statements.
“Everything’s fine.”
I smiled.
“How could anything be wrong with a brand-new car?”
“Then what’s the problem?”
Lex placed his helmet on a nearby table.
“The problem is psychological.”
I sighed.
“I don’t feel comfortable accepting a gift from someone whose life I saved.”
I looked him directly in the eyes.
“It makes me feel greedy and calculating.”
I shook my head.
“I don’t want to offend you, but I’d rather be honest.”
“I see.”
Lex thought about it.
“But if I don’t somehow repay the person who saved my life, then I’m going to feel uncomfortable.”
He smiled.
“So what do we do?”
“Bit of a problem.”
I grinned.
“Maybe you could just keep the car.”
“No.”
I shook my head.
“I value peace of mind and balance in my life too much.”
I gestured toward the car outside.
“The car isn’t worth disturbing that.”
Lex smiled and dropped onto a couch.
“You talk like an old man.”
“Maybe I am.”
I didn’t deny it.
“But there are worse things you can learn from old people.”
I sat down beside him.
“After all, they’ve already lived through their youth.
They’ve experienced losses and discoveries, but most importantly, they’ve gained experience.”
I paused.
Lex listened.
“Old people say that a car will grow old, break down, and eventually end up in a scrapyard.”
I looked at him.
“But if you disturb your peace of mind, that feeling can remain with you for years after the last piece of metal from that car has been recycled into something new.”
Lex smiled.
“You’re a philosopher.”
“Maybe.”
I shrugged.
“I’m just a selfish man trying to live at peace with himself.”
I looked around.
“My peace would have been disturbed if I hadn’t jumped off that bridge after you.”
I smiled.
“And it’ll be disturbed if I accept a gift for doing it.”
“That’s an interesting philosophy.”
Lex leaned back.
“I’ve never met anyone with that kind of outlook before.”
He studied me.
“I respect your values, even if they’re unusual.”
He smiled.
“Although, you’re becoming interesting to me as a person, completely separate from the fact that you saved my life.”
He paused.
“I’d like to spend more time with you, if you’re interested.”
“Why not?”
I thought about it.
“I’m heading to Metropolis to buy a computer.”
I smiled.
“You can give me a ride if you want.”
“Deal.”
Lex smiled and held out his hand.
I shook it.
But I didn’t let go immediately.
“One condition.”
Lex raised an eyebrow.
“What condition?”
“We arrive alive.”
I grinned.
“And without visiting a hospital.”
Lex laughed.
“Deal.”