A few days later, Hughie watched A-Train’s bullshit interview on TV.
"Fuck you, she was three ters away from the middle of the damn road and she wasn’t even crossing!" Hughie exploded, face red with rage as A-Train kept lying through his teeth.
His dad, Simon, tried to calm him down. "Yeah, they all know the truth. That’s why they paid Robin’s family a fat stack of cash."
"It’s just a traffic accident, son. Unless you’ve got solid proof that speed freak killed her on purpose, this is the best outco you’re gonna get."
Compared to hot-headed Hughie, his old man had clearly been beaten down by life for years.
But Hughie couldn’t swallow a single word of it. He stared at A-Train’s smug face on the screen, eyes burning with pure revenge.
Later, Fast showed up trying to get Hughie to sign an NDA.
Hughie told him to shove it.
...
One week later, Vought held its annual shareholder eting right on schedule.
Outside Vought Tower, news crews from all over the world and tens of thousands of screaming supe fans packed the area. After Ivan finished handing out orders to his team, he followed Ashley to welco the newest mber of The Seven: Starlight.
She had ordered a custom white-and-gold costu with a flowing cape just for today.
The second she stepped out of the car, the whole crowd lost their minds and erupted in cheers.
"Welco to New York!"
Starlight looked around, eyes wide with shock and pure joy. She’d actually done it. She was now a real mber of The Seven. Just a regular girl from Des Moines, Iowa, and now this. She soaked in every scream, every cara flash, loving every second of it.
"I’m Ashley Barrett, head of Talent and Public Relations," Ashley said, stepping forward and shaking her hand.
With the roar of the crowd in her ears, Starlight felt like she was dreaming. This exact mont was sothing she had only ever seen in her head before.
"These people... they’re all here for ?" Starlight whispered, leaning toward Ashley.
Ashley grinned without missing a beat. "Sweetie, who the hell else would they be here for?"
Ivan Greevs walked up beside them in a sharp black suit. At nearly six foot three with a solid, muscular build and sharp features, he looked like a well-dressed, rich hitman ready to break legs.
"I’m Ivan Greevs, deputy head of Security. I’ll be showing you and your mom around Vought Tower and getting you ready for the main event."
"Nice to et you. Thanks for doing this," Starlight said with a bright, genuine smile.
Ivan led the two won inside. They did a quick loop around the first floor before he brought them to the massive shareholder eting hall. Plenty of important-looking people nodded and greeted him along the way.
Ivan returned the smiles casually, then handed a card to Starlight’s mother. "This is your seat number. Go ahead and sit tight. Starlight needs to head backstage for a quick touch-up."
After that, he guided Starlight toward the second floor.
"Don’t be too nervous. Just treat it like your own house," Ivan said with a small smile, noticing how tense she looked.
"I’m good now. Really," Starlight replied, taking a deep breath and smiling back.
"So, what do you think of superheroes?" Ivan asked suddenly.
Starlight answered without hesitation. "They’re amazing. They fight evil, do charity work, and they’re true heroes to everyone."
Ivan stopped walking and turned to face her, his lips curving into a knowing, slightly dark smile.
"What if I told you they’re nothing like what you imagine? Think about it. When an ordinary person suddenly gets god-like power, what do you think happens? Trust , human nature is rotten at the core. Laws and morals are the only things that keep the evil in check. Most supes don’t give a shit about either."
"I... don’t really understand what you an," Starlight said, looking genuinely confused.
Of course she didn’t. She’d been brainwashed by the Vought fairy tale her whole life.
"No need to understand right now. Just rember this: in Vought, only the board mbers decide who stays in The Seven. As long as you prove you’ve got real comrcial value, you won’t have to worry about getting kicked out."
Starlight saw the handso man with a little French accent, giving the most diabolical warning in an almost casual edge as he kept on walking.
Ivan secretly wanted to see it for himself. After everything he’d just told her, would Starlight still bend over and take it when The Deep tried to blackmail her with that sex tape? If she caved, she was nothing but worthless mud that couldn’t be shaped.
Starlight clearly understood he was feeding her the ugly unspoken rules of Vought.
"Ehm.. Thanks for the heads-up. I’ll buy you a coffee soti," she said.
"Sounds good. Here’s my card." Ivan pulled one out and handed it to her.
When they reached the makeup room, he stopped. "Go on in. I’m looking forward to your big mont out there."
"Thank you." Starlight nodded and stepped inside.
Thanks to his new position as deputy head of Security, Ivan got a seat in the second row of the main hall. The first row was reserved for the real big shots — board mbers, VPs, and the President herself.
Sitting right next to him was his direct superior, head of Security Erich Shack.
The lights in the entire hall dimd. A single spotlight hit the stage.
The shareholder eting had officially begun.
"Ladies and gentlen, welco to Vought International’s annual shareholder eting."
Madeline Stillwell stood at the podium as host.
"There’s no doubt about it — this is the best ti to be in the superhero business. Our net revenue is up fourteen percent..."
Down in the audience, Ivan stared at the invisible panel only he could see. The fusion progress for Ultimate Control jumped from 99% to a clean 100%.
"Finally," he muttered, the corner of his mouth curling up.
For a split second, fish-scale-like tallic plates rippled across the backs of his hands where they rested on his lap, then vanished completely. Nobody noticed a thing.
Madeline wrapped up her speech soon after. The mont everyone had been waiting for arrived.
"And now, please welco The Seven! A-Train, the crown jewel of Vought, The Deep, Translucent, Black Noir, and the most powerful superhero on the planet — Holander!"
Obviously, not everyone ca in person, but as each na was called, the massive screen behind the stage flashed a giant portrait of the corresponding supe.
"I have a very special surprise for all of you," Madeline said, her voice rising with excitent. "The King of the Seven Seas himself is here in person. Please welco The Deep!"
Under a bright spotlight, The Deep strutted onto the stage looking shiny and smug.
"King of the Seven Seas," Ivan muttered with a mocking little smirk. He seriously doubted the idiot would even beat him in a fight once he was out of the water. The Deep’s powers held zero appeal for him anyway.
The Deep waved at the cheering crowd, then gave Madeline a quick hug.
He stepped up to the microphone and flashed his best fake-humble smile. "Thank you. Thank you all so much for your support."
Ivan leaned back in his seat, arms crossed, watching the performance with cold amusent.
___
[]~(￣▽￣)~*
Read 12 Advance Chapters—P@t- Captain69
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