Benjamin sat in his office, took a sip of coffee, and looked at a newly created file on his tablet.
It was about Hughie Campbell, Butcher, Frenchie, and Mother’s Milk.
None of these four men should be missing.
To be honest.
Benjamin had originally thought that since Robin wasn’t dead, Hughie Campbell wouldn’t have embarked on that path.
But he still got involved, which didn’t make much sense.
Now Translucent had disappeared; there was no trace of him, alive or dead, and no one at Vought was investigating or asking questions.
And as for whether Translucent was alive or dead, honestly, that had nothing to do with him.
Forget it, Benjamin had no intention of getting involved in this matter.
For him, Translucent’s life or death wasn’t as important as those female characters.
On the ground floor of Vought Tower, in Stan Edgar’s private conference room.
There were no windows, the walls were covered with soundproof panels, and all electronic devices were kept in a shielded cabinet outside the door.
Here they could ensure that Homelander wouldn’t overhear their conversation.
Several key members of the board of directors sat at the long table, with Madelyn Stillwell seated to Stan Edgar’s right.
The lighting was dim.
“State the conclusion directly.”
Stan Edgar’s voice lacked any emotion.
“The losses since Soldier Boy joined the group.”
Madelyn Stillwell opened her tablet.
“The black market for Compound V has been shut down, and projected profits have fallen by twenty-three percent.
The Deep has been fired, and revenue from merchandise related to his intellectual property has dropped to zero, resulting in a loss of at least eight hundred million.
Additionally, due to that incident, three of A-Train’s sponsors are negotiating contract terminations.”
She paused and continued: “Soldier Boy has no weaknesses.
He doesn’t care about money, and perhaps he isn’t a lecher either.
He has no personality flaws, and unlike Homelander, he doesn’t care about his reputation.
We can’t find any leverage…
Silence fell over the conference table.
An elderly director, with graying hair, took off his glasses.
“What about Homelander?
If Madelyn Stillwell can keep him under control, at least some balance can be established.
This might be better than Homelander’s absolute dominance, as in the past.”
Madelyn Stillwell put down her glass of water.
Her movements were half a beat slower than usual.
Stan Edgar spoke on her behalf: “In the past two days, Homelander hasn’t gone to Madelyn Stillwell for milk.
Their relationship seems to have deteriorated since Soldier Boy’s arrival.”
“Why?”
“Because Soldier Boy is his father,” Madelyn Stillwell said in a dry voice.
“For someone who has lacked love his entire life, to suddenly have a biological father fall from the sky…
who do you think he will choose?”
“Perhaps, Madelyn Stillwell, you can give Homelander more love than Soldier Boy.
Soldier Boy doesn’t have milk.”
Madelyn Stillwell rubbed her head.
She didn’t know what would be the best thing she could say.
Silence fell again.
The second hand of the wall clock made three full rotations before someone finally spoke.
“Soldier Boy can’t be killed, but he can be locked up.
The Russians managed it back then.”
“You mean-”
“Eventually, he will leave Vought Tower.
The remaining members of Payback are still around, except for Black Noir.
They, along with some obedient Supers, can choose a time when he’s alone to surround him, subdue him, and imprison him.
Just like back then.” This chapter was copied from g.com without permission.
Several gazes turned to Stan Edgar simultaneously.
Stan Edgar didn’t respond immediately.
He looked at the table and, after a long while, looked up.
“Prepare for two scenarios.” His voice had no inflection.
“Madelyn Stillwell, satisfy Homelander as much as possible and make him back off.
No matter what he wants, give it to him, appease him.
As for the other side…”
He looked at the director who had made the suggestion.
“Contact Payback.
They will follow Vought’s instructions.
They hold a grudge against Soldier Boy; keep them on alert.”
Madelyn Stillwell nodded.
She knew perfectly well that in the past, winning over Homelander only required a look, or perhaps lowering the collar of his shirt, but now it had become a task that demanded “satisfying all his demands as much as possible.”
But she had no other options.
However, Madelyn Stillwell didn’t know what to do; apart from using some of her own resources, what else could she do?
However, soon Madelyn Stillwell thought of Soldier Boy.
Could she use the same method she used to seduce Homelander to seduce…?
The meeting ended.
The directors filed out, and in the end, only Stan Edgar remained, sitting at the end of the long table.
He sighed.
Soldier Boy’s return had indeed caused quite a few problems, and…
he seemed to want to be a real superhero.
Vought didn’t need a real superhero; Vought…
only needed products that could obey.