A portly, cigar-smoking middle-aged man sneered, "What's there to discuss? Yesterday's stock plunge had one reason."
"Homelander!"
The entire conference room fell silent.
The man continued, "If he'd just shown up at the hearing, the market wouldn't have crashed."
"If that video hadn't leaked, and Homeland Security hadn't dropped the charges..."
"Gentlemen, I'm telling you, half of us would be on the roof, ready to jump, myself included!"
A bespectacled, refined-looking man with an air of academia spoke up, "Mr. Edgar, on behalf of my investors, I need to ask."
"Can Vought still control the Supes as before, especially Homelander?"
"My investors don't understand why yesterday even happened."
"If this kind of thing keeps happening, they're seriously considering pulling out."
Next to Edgar, a large, bearded man added in a low voice, "Edgar, if a product's out of control, eliminate it."
"Don't let one product compromise the entire company strategy."
"Especially when it jeopardizes our interests."
A murmur of agreement swept through the room.
The portly man stood, saying, "Exactly, Edgar."
"It's time to stop coddling him."
"You assured us there were emergency measures for situations like this."
"So, use them."
"Homelander's made us a lot of money, but look at his recent actions."
"If he's no longer profitable, deal with him."
"We don't need Homelander. We can always develop Patriot—he'll be under control, and he'll still bring in profits!"
The room nodded in unison.
Edgar was about to respond when he froze, his eyes widening in shock.
Standing outside the conference room's window was a figure.
Golden hair swept back, a face chiseled and cold, smiling without warmth.
Homelander.
In one step, he crossed into the room, shattering the window and part of the wall with a deafening crash.
Homelander entered with his hands clasped behind his back, glancing at the stunned board members with a smile that chilled their blood.
"Good morning, gentlemen."
Everyone scrambled to move closer to Edgar.
The door swung open, and a group of security guards filed in, but seeing Homelander, they hesitated, caught between loyalty and self-preservation.
Homelander cast an amused glance at the guards, then uttered a single word: "Leave."
They quickly exited, ignoring the board members' pleading glances.
Edgar, though sweating heavily, managed to steady himself. "Homelander, we're in the middle of a meeting."
"I know."
Homelander raised a hand to his ear, as if listening intently. "I believe I heard something about... dealing with an uncontrollable product?"
As he spoke, Homelander stepped up to the portly board member, plucking the cigar from his mouth and casually crumbling it to dust.
He leaned in close, locking eyes with the man, his voice soft but menacing, "And I believe I heard something about getting rid of me, then creating a new Patriot? Did I hear that right?"
The man's face went pale, and his jowls quivered as he backed away. He shot a pleading look at Edgar. "Kill him!"
"Edgar, if you want my investment, kill him!"
"He's lost it!"
"He's a madman!"
"We can't let him stay in this world!"
Edgar's hand inched toward a silent alarm button under the table, his fingers hovering mere centimeters away.
Homelander's gaze shifted to Edgar, who froze mid-reach.
Seeing Edgar hesitate, the portly man screamed, "Security! Where's security?!"
"Get in here now!"
"No, call the police!"
"Someone—"
He suddenly fell silent as Homelander clamped a hand over his mouth.
Homelander brought a finger to his lips, whispering, "Shh."
"You're too loud."
With a casual flick, he sent the man hurtling across the room, smashing through the glass. He plummeted, screaming, into the void beyond.
A stunned silence enveloped the room.
Homelander examined his hand and shrugged, chuckling. "Oops. Slipped."
He folded his hands behind his back, turning to Edgar with a polite smile. "What was that gentleman's name?"
Edgar took a shaky breath before answering. "Dunn Barger. One of our board members."
"Good."
Homelander grinned. "Just now, Mr. Barger said he wanted to donate his shares to Angelina. We all heard that, right?"
Edgar nodded slowly, understanding what was required. "Yes, that's exactly what Mr. Barger said."
The remaining board members exchanged glances, realizing what compliance meant in this room.
Reluctantly, they nodded, though humiliation was plain on their faces. Men of power reduced to silent, terrified compliance, trading dignity for survival.
Pleased, Homelander turned to the bespectacled man. "And what will you tell your investors?"
The man, now stripped of his former composure, forced a fawning smile. "I'll tell them we'll increase our investment by twenty—no, thirty percent!"
"With you here, Homelander, Vought will be the world's most profitable company. No contest!"
Homelander's gaze shifted to the burly man. "Anything else out of control that needs dealing with? I'd be happy to help."
The man shook his head frantically. "No! Nothing at all, Homelander!"
"Excellent."
"Since we're all clear…"
Homelander gestured, and Angelina entered the room.
Standing behind her, he placed his hands on her shoulders and addressed the board.
"This is Angelina."
"With your testimonies, she'll soon acquire Mr. Barger's shares."
"And from this moment on, I hereby appoint Angelina as Vought's Executive Vice President."
"Any objections?"
Under Homelander's imposing gaze, each board member, including Edgar, lowered their heads in submission. None dared to object.
Homelander nodded, pleased. "Good."
He gave Edgar a knowing look and said, "Have a pleasant day, gentlemen."
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