Chapter 32

Stormfront sat discontentedly at the large table in the shape of a "V." She frowned, staring at the iron gates that were currently closed.

She was so irritated that purple lightning crackled over her fingers.

She had been dragged here early in the morning and now had to wait for an entire hour like an obedient little dog.

This was definitely not how she had expected her first day on the job.

Finally, the doors opened, and the Deep walked in only an hour late.

Big deal.

She looked him over from head to toe and smiled at her bad thoughts.

Deep in a green, skintight suit styled as a fish filled her with boredom and disgust.

Soldier Boy would have wiped the floor with this little peacock and pissed on it.

"Hey, you're the new one, right? You're early."

Deep greeted her with a smile, sitting in one of the chairs.

"And you're sitting in the wrong spot."

"Really?"

Stormfront feigned surprise.

"Yeah, that's Maeve's seat. You should move to avoid any problems."

Deep advised, pointing to another chair.

"It's better to sit there, it's free."

"Why not the one next to it?"

She asked while sitting in the chair at the very edge of the table.

"That's Starlight's seat, next to Maeve."

"I see."

Stormfront nodded in understanding and took her phone out of her bag to avoid any further conversation.

It had been a miserable day yesterday, and getting hit in the face was embarrassing, but it fit perfectly into her plans and was necessary.

She smiled as she thought the scandal had happened right before her eyes.

Homelander's psychological profile showed that he was completely dependent on affection from everyone and that denying him this important thing would severely depress him. 

He would certainly publicly apologize, but it wouldn't help.

He would then go to her and ask for help. She would gladly show him how to win back the people's love, making it easy for him to gain his trust.

She only had to wait.

Soon, the remaining team members arrived without A-Train and Homelander himself.

The former was likely still in rehabilitation after the battle with the "supervillain."

The absence of the latter was strange.

The next five minutes dragged on endlessly for Stormfront due to her impatience.

They didn't rush to start talking to her, and Starlight tried but failed.

"Good morning. Looks like everyone's here."

Homelander entered the room and walked to his chair.

"Let's start our meeting and with some important news right away. As you know, we have a new addition member to the Seven. Meet Stormfront. There will be time to talk later, but let's move on now."

Homelander started asking each team member about their deeds for the week and any complaints they might have had before she had a chance to respond.

This looked much duller than how she remembered the "Payback" meetings.

Soldier Boy made fun of his team with words, and there were also a lot of fights, though "beatings" would be a better word.

Stormfront glanced at Black Noir who sat to the right of their new leader.

It was interesting to think about how Black Noir felt under the patronage of the son of the man who turned his face into a mess over the years.

He couldn't know about it.

This meant that this masochist simply enjoyed licking the boots of Homelander.

He probably jerked off at night to pictures of Homelander.

Stormfront smiled as she looked at the pathetic bastards and snorted at her own thoughts.

"Wait, Starlight. Did I say something funny, Stormfront?"

Homelander asked with his tone lowered as he interrupted Starlight.

"Oh, no. I was just lost in thought. It won't happen again. Sorry, sir."

She raised her hands in a gesture of conciliation.

"Fine, if you're not interested, I'll allow you to leave until the meeting is over."

He said them in a soft voice, and it irritated her simply because she was addressed like a naive child, and those looks from everyone else only added to her anger.

"No, I'll stay."

She responded firmly, looking him straight in the eyes.

"Then I ask you not to laugh at your colleague's words. You're here not for a day but for three whole years. In that case, it's important to have good relationships with the team. Do you understand?"

"I understand."

"Excellent. Starlight, you can continue."

"I wanted to discuss what role I'll be playing in... the army?"

She continued uncertainly with her question.

"If you're asking whether you'll be involved in military operations, the answer is no. At least not for now. If you want, I can discuss it with Madelyn."

Homelander replied.

"No, quite the opposite. I would prefer not to be involved or to participate in the military. It doesn't align with the message I'm promoting."

Starlight responded.

'She might as well just admit she's scared. That would be more honest.'

Stormfront thought but kept to herself.

It was better to avoid such comments so as not to estrange the entire team.

These weren't the losers from "Payback"; they could very well make her life difficult.

"Understood. Don't worry about it; nothing like that is planned for now."

Homelander assured her, then turned his attention to the newcomer.

"Now, let's move on to you, Stormfront."

"I'm all ears."

She replied eagerly.

"You need to publicly apologize to me and Vought for your inappropriate behavior."

Homelander stated.

"Why?"

Stormfront asked, genuinely surprised by his audacity.

"I found out there was no directive from the higher-ups, and you acted on your personal interests."

Homelander continued, undisturbed by her question.

"You infiltrated the filming set, undermining a marketing campaign that cost over a hundred million dollars. You provoked me into testing your abilities which the public perceived as me assaulting a woman. Which, of course, didn't happen."

Stormfront couldn't believe his words.

This was an even bigger shock for her, but she quickly calmed down.

"It didn't happen? I get that you can spin words, but the camera doesn't lie."

Stormfront retorted boldly.

"If you refuse this generous offer that would resolve all the issues you caused, you will be fired."

Homelander replied without reacting to her words.

"I'll gladly escort you out, and then you'll be accountable for your actions in court."

"And how do you imagine this? I sit in front of the camera and apologize for getting beaten up?"

She asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Yes, that's exactly how I imagine it."

Homelander smirked, finally dropping his expressionless facade.

Stormfront clenched her jaw with an emotion she hadn't experienced in decades—helplessness.

This problem would undoubtedly kill the fire she intended to light under Homelander, forcing him to respect her and refusing to do so wasn't an option.

This wasn't Stan Edgar that she could visit at home and "entertain."

Homelander could easily orchestrate something similar for her.

She had seen the aftermath of his "fun."

"When do we start?"

Stormfront replied resignedly while accepting the terms laid out by the team leader.

"Today, in about an hour."

Homelander responded promptly, his tone conveying that he never doubted her compliance.

...

[Homelander's POV]

I look at the cameras, raising my head and striking one of the standard poses.

A flash, another one, a few more with another pose, and more flashes.

Stormfront is also busy nearby, turning to the photographers and showcasing the lightning she can emit from her fingers.

Then there are gasps of amazement and the sound of more camera flashes.

This is something I can't entirely imitate.

I look dangerous with my red eyes that are ready to burn anything. It would be different if they were at least golden.

Stormfront's hand rests on my shoulder as she moves closer for together photos.

I automatically smile at the cameras, not resisting her actions. In fact, supporting them with my hand drops to her waist, pulling her slightly closer, and the photographers eagerly capture the moment.

This will be on the covers of the most popular magazines tomorrow, further solidifying my position.

However, I have no intention of apologizing because apologies are for losers, and I don't think I'm a loser.

Homelander can do whatever he wants, and no one can tell him otherwise.

Why should I be any different?

I'm going to break some rules for once and not get in trouble for it.

After finishing the photoshoot, we sit down in front of one of the interviewers—there are about ten of them.

Their questions are usually boring, especially since they tend to repeat the same questions repeatedly.

It's torture to answer the same question dozens of times, but hoping for a miracle here is futile.

"Before the interview begins, I would like to make an announcement, if I may."

Stormfront said.

The interviewer nodded and let her talk.

"I, Stormfront, want to apologize to Vought Corporation and to Homelander personally for my inappropriate behavior during the important filming. I acknowledge that I deliberately provoked Homelander into retaliating. I thank him for being much gentler with me than he could have been."

She said all this while I looked at her with a sympathetic gaze that could be perceived as pity towards her still immature heroine.

I smiled gently at her and placed a hand on her shoulder to show support.

"Everyone has bad days and makes bad decisions, Stormfront. But the most important thing is that you can learn from them."

I showed a sincere face in close-up so that everyone could see the sincerity in my bright blue eyes.

She looked back at me and smiled timidly.

"Thank you, Homelander. Your support helps me a lot, even though I haven't been in the Seven for long."

"Remember, Stormfront, the Seven never abandons its own."

I continued the act with the most serious expression.

"And you can always count on us."

Then, the interview began and ended fairly quickly, lasting no more than ten minutes.

Afterward, another worker from the next TV channel on the list sat across from us, and it all started again.

I found it pretty boring for the fifth time. However, Stormfront's sour expression almost compensated for this inconvenience.

...

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