Chapter 89: Holander Gets Chewed Out Again
"I’m so disappointed in you, John."
Benjamin looked at Holander, his voice heavy with the bitter frustration of a father whose son had failed to live up to his potential.
Yet, this hurt Holander far more than the punch from monts ago. For a Holander who desperately craved parental affection, the word "disappointed" was more lethal than ten thousand armor-piercing rounds straight to the heart. Clutching his swollen cheek, Holander didn’t know what to say.
"You think I hit you because you’re throwing a goddamn tantrum here?" Benjamin extended a finger, pointing at Stormfront with a cold sneer. "Use that brain of yours that’s packed to the brim with ratings data! You think everything she did today was simply to steal your spotlight? Just to piss you off?"
Holander froze. He wasn’t stupid. As a Supe, his rationality quickly flooded back. Synthesizing the words his father had just used to discipline Stormfront—"manipulation," "brainwashing," "Nazi ideology"—Holander’s pupils contracted instantly. He seed to grasp the true objective behind Stormfront’s manic behavior over the past few days.
"No, let explain!" Holander panicked, shouting frantically. "I swear! I absolutely haven’t been manipulated by her! How could I ever agree with her ideology? That stuff is too extre, it’s completely unhinged!"
Holander desperately tried to prove his innocence. "I’m for justice! I’m a superhero! Just now, I only... I only thought she was trying to usurp my position as leader of The Seven, I was just too angry—you know !"
Watching Holander ramble incoherently, Benjamin furrowed his brow.
"Fine, setting that bitch Stormfront aside." Benjamin advanced on Holander step by step, his powerful aura forcing Holander to back up consecutively once more. "Tell , why? Why are you losing your goddamn mind just because she stole your spotlight a few tis and snatched a couple of news headlines?"
"Look at yourself just now! Hysterical, incompetent rage!" Benjamin’s deep eyes seed to pierce straight through Holander’s soul. "You clearly wield the greatest power on this planet, you’re clearly the most powerful Supe, but what about your mind? You’re as fragile as a giant man-child! A freak with a psychological black hole that can never be filled!"
"Man-child." "Freak."
If those two words had co out of anyone else’s mouth under normal circumstances, Holander would have used his Heat Vision to incinerate them to ash without a split second of hesitation. But now, spat from his father’s mouth, Holander couldn’t find a single shred of counterargunt.
"Stormfront said one thing right when she was insulting you just now: you’re pathetic, John," Benjamin said ruthlessly. "You have a morbid craving for the entire world to love you. You only feel like you exist when you look at those approval ratings data..."
Every single word of Benjamin’s reaming slamd into Holander’s heart like a sledgehamr. Holander’s eyes turned red at a visually striking pace. Benjamin observed that Holander’s expression had beco deeply slighted, as if he were about to burst into tears the very next second. He quickly shut his mouth.
The air coagulated for a few seconds. He shook his head, his tone noticeably softening.
"Alright, maybe I was a bit too harsh just now."
"At the end of the day, John, this problem isn’t entirely on you." Benjamin looked into Holander’s eyes, speaking slowly. "It’s on Vought, who raised you like a lab rat, and it’s on that freezing, heartless laboratory."
He paused, a trace of self-reproach bleeding into his voice. "And more than that, it’s on . During your childhood, when you most needed a father’s guidance and the warmth of a family, I failed to be there by your side. My absence from your life allowed those bastards to twist you into what you are today."
These words acted like a gentle spring rain lting away the frost. To Holander, this was the most perfect redemption in the entire world. Because Benjamin hadn’t abandoned him; he was even blaming himself for Holander’s psychological flaws.
Holander let out a long, sweeping breath of relief, the massive boulder in his chest finally lifted. His father loved him.
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anwhile, Starlight, who had been hiding by the shattered door witnessing the entire sequence, felt an absolute tempest raging in her heart. Only now did she grasp the truth.
Holander, the perfect idol in the hearts of the Arican public, was actually an affection-starved giant man-child. Stormfront, the newly minted heroine whose popularity was currently exploding online, was secretly a racist who sought to pull Holander in to rule over all of humanity! Couple that with A-Train, who had nearly run over a pedestrian, and The Deep, who had almost assaulted her...
"Oh my God..." Annie couldn’t help but marvel internally.
It seed that only Queen Maeve, who kept a stone face all day and remained indifferent to everything, could barely be counted as a normal Supe. Annie took a deep breath. She stole another glance at Benjamin; fortunately, Benjamin, who managed The Seven, was also completely sane. With him running things, surely nothing catastrophic would happen with these superheroes, right?
At that thought, an unprecedented wave of relief and a profound sense of security surged within Annie’s chest. Thank god he was here!
While Annie’s mind drifted, inside the cabin, Benjamin nodded as he looked at the now-stabilized Holander. He lifted his hand, giving Holander’s broad shoulder a pat just like he always did.
"A superhero should look like a fucking superhero."
Benjamin glanced out the window at the sky, his tone as casual as an ordinary father who had just clocked off work. "Let’s go, it’s getting late. Accompany for so dinner. I just got back to New York, and I heard a pretty good tomahawk ribeye joint just opened up."
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A/N: Don’t forget to send Power Stones for more Chapters!!
Want to know what happens next? You can read up to 10 Chapters ahead on my p@tr~on:
/ForgottenDaoist (@ = a, link is in my profile).
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