Orlga Company merged into Vought Group?
Orlga Company controlled by Homelander?
What happened these past two days?
Wait, that can't be right. I'm at the Seven Tower every day. How could such a huge event happen without me knowing in advance?
One question after another popped up in Ashley's mind.
She began to suspect that she might be working a fake job.
Vought Group had once again become the focus of the nation, and she was at the very center of it all.
Yet, she hadn't noticed a thing?
This was downright unbelievable.
*Ding dong.*
The door opened.
Ashley hurried out of the elevator, gulping down several mouthfuls of coffee.
Then she tossed the unfinished coffee and the newspaper into a nearby trash bin.
She straightened her clothes, took out her makeup compact, and adjusted her smile using the mirror inside.
Finally, wearing her most satisfied smile, Ashley stepped into the command hall.
Inside the command hall, sunlight streamed in as Homelander stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking the steel jungle of New York.
Without turning around, he knew Ashley had arrived.
Fresh from securing controlling shares in Orlga Company, he turned around with a smile.
Ashley immediately greeted him: "Good morning, sir."
"Good morning, Miss Ashley," Homelander replied, hands clasped behind his back as he walked toward her.
Flattered, Ashley beamed and said, "I heard you were looking for me?"
"Yes."
Homelander walked past her, unhurried, and asked, "Miss Ashley, how do you think I've treated you?"
Hearing this question, Ashley's heart skipped a beat.
No longer a workplace rookie, she knew all too well that when a superior asked such a question, it usually meant she had done something to displease him.
That was the typical prelude.
But the problem was, Ashley couldn't recall doing anything to upset Homelander.
Lately, she had been busy with matters unrelated to him.
As the current shadow boss of Vought, anything involving Homelander would have required her to seek his opinion first.
So this question left her utterly baffled.
She cautiously replied, "Extremely well, sir."
"I take great pride in working by your side."
Then she added, "Have I… done something wrong?"
Homelander chuckled and turned around. "Nothing. I'm just checking in on an employee."
"After all, the work you handle is so important. I'm worried you might be overworked."
"If you ever feel too tired, let me know."
"I'll assign you an assistant."
Ashley relaxed and nodded. "Thank you for your concern, sir."
"If I ever feel overworked, I'll let you know."
But internally, she thought otherwise.
No matter how exhausted she was, she would never ask Homelander for an assistant.
Having an assistant by her side would inevitably dilute some of her authority.
Ashley was very satisfied with her current role, especially the "privileges" that came with being Homelander's assistant.
Naturally, she didn't want to share any of that power.
Homelander sat down in a chair. "Is that so? Seems my worry was unnecessary."
"You're truly full of energy, Ashley."
"I heard you also contributed to the selection process for the Seven's reserve team."
Ashley maintained her smile. "The working group came to me for input, so I helped them out within my capacity."
"Hmm. Supersonic was your recommendation, right?"
"Yes, he's fantastic, isn't he?" Ashley replied with a bright smile.
Homelander nodded. "Arnold gave you quite a bit of money, didn't he?"
"No, he just offered his house in Hawaii and a yacht—" Suddenly, Ashley stopped.
Her smile vanished in an instant.
She quickly added, "Sir, I did meet with Mr. Arnold."
"But I swear, before that meeting, I had no idea he would be there."
"He originally wanted me to recommend Supersonic for the Seven."
"But I refused outright."
"I told him—and emphasized—that the members of the Seven must be decided by you."
"I didn't think Supersonic was qualified to join the Seven, so I recommended him for the reserve team instead."
"While I did suggest Supersonic to the working group, I swear I had no involvement in the actual selection process."
"His admission into the reserve team was entirely his own achievement."
Homelander looked up at this woman, who was practically oozing desperation to survive.
He didn't need to use his "True Sight" to know Ashley wasn't lying.
Her heart rate had already soared past 100—she was clearly terrified and wouldn't dare lie at a time like this.
"Miss Ashley, I believe you didn't interfere with the selection process."
"But you're my assistant. Even a casual remark or the mere act of recommending Supersonic would send a strong signal to the working group."
"Do you understand what I mean?"
"So don't try to play games with me."
Homelander lightly tapped the table with his fingers. With each tap, Ashley's legs grew weaker.
"You're my assistant. Your words and actions represent my will."
"I'll let it slide this time, but I don't want a repeat."
"You just need to focus on your job as an assistant."
"Don't abuse your authority for personal gain."
"Otherwise, next time, I won't be so lenient."
Ashley quickly replied, "Understood, sir."
"I promise you, there won't be a next time."
Only then did Homelander wave his hand. "You may leave."
Ashley secretly sighed in relief, then leaned against the wall as she made her way to the door.
She was utterly terrified.
Her entire body felt weak, as if she'd been exhausted by a night with her younger boyfriend.
But just as she was about to step out, Homelander spoke again.
"Oh, one more thing."
"Your bonus for this year is canceled."
"You don't have any objections, do you?"
Ashley shuddered, a wave of grievance washing over her. But she forced a smile and said, "No objections, sir."
Then she finally left the command hall.
In the hallway, she maintained her composure, keeping her smile intact.
Only after entering her office and closing the door did she explode, screaming and sweeping everything off her desk.
That same morning.
Florida.
Grace Mallory, a former CIA operative now on the run, was having breakfast.
The TV played a news segment:
"Just yesterday afternoon, Orlga Company announced shocking news."
"The company's spokesperson declared that they have merged into Vought Group and are now under Homelander's control."
"Although Orlga's stocks plummeted after the Manhattan incident, they recently rebounded after securing several major contracts with the Department of Defense."
"Orlga's future seemed bright, so no one expected them to merge into Vought at this time…"
Mallory took a sip of coffee, staring at Homelander's photo on the screen, and muttered, "That bastard."
Just then, the ceiling above her shattered as a figure dropped down, landing right in front of her.
The person slowly straightened up—a petite woman with an asymmetrical haircut and a faint smile.
"Good morning, Mrs. Mallory. Took me a while to find you."
The Seven's Stormfront!
Seeing Stormfront, Mallory immediately reached under the table.
There was a pistol hidden there!
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