Chapter 27

[Homelander's POV]

"And how is my irreplaceable boss feeling?"

I asked with interest, standing in front of the woman.

"I'm doing well, Homelander."

Maddelyn replied while smiling at me.

"Thank you for asking."

"So well that you're practically jumping for joy?"

I scoffed, glancing at her state.

"You always see right through people."

She sighed, but she couldn't hide her smile.

"Well… I've been offered something."

"And what is it? I hope it's not a secret?"

"You seemed to have the ability to see through anything."

She lifted a folded napkin to her face level.

"Take a look."

I focused on the lifted napkin, instantly seeing through it.

The ink from the pen became clearly visible, revealing numbers… very impressive numbers.

The surprise on my face seemed as apparent to her as the existence of gravity.

"A raise."

She boasted, pointing to herself.

"But you will be expected to put in corresponding efforts."

"The important thing is that you don't get too proud of these achievements."

I smirked, meeting her sly gaze.

"Don't worry, Homelander. I won't get too proud; I'll keep myself in check."

Madelyn winked at me, taking a sip from her champagne glass.

"That's good to hear."

I nodded in response, looking her in the eyes.

"I hope you're not overwhelmed by the company of these high-ranking individuals?"

"Not at all; I'll give you a more precise answer in thirty minutes."

She smiled, casting a lewd glance at several young officers.

"Just don't get carried away."

I smirked, leaving her company.

"I hope you'll give me a dance? Just one."

She grabbed my elbow, and I really didn't like it.

I didn't hide my displeasure, frowning and glaring at her.

"Remove your hand."

"Oh, don't be so grumpy."

She awkwardly smiled, quickly removing her hand.

"I was just making a suggestion."

"Know your place."

I said through gritted teeth, still heading back to Starlight, whose company was much more pleasant to me.

"So, it's a no."

There was no point in discussing how boring the event turned out to be.

It was so dull that all the important big shots had left within an hour, deciding that they had more pressing matters to attend to.

I completely agreed with them, and soon after, I bid farewell to all the members of my team who were present at the event.

Madelyn left almost at the same time but she couldn't move faster than the speed of sound.

Therefore, she would get home only an hour later, considering New York's traffic.

It took less than five minutes, and I made it home.

The light in the living room was on, and Becca and Ryan were sitting on the couch.

I flew into the guest bedroom, quickly changed into my now completely familiar clothes, and then headed down to the porch to enter through the front door.

I think most would agree that it would look highly suspicious if I descended the stairs from the second floor.

A barely audible creak of the wooden door, and I again enter the house.

Standing at the entrance to the living room, I see Ryan asleep on Becca's lap.

She's running her fingers through her son's thick hair, gazing affectionately at him.

A smile naturally appeared on my lips as I saw this lovely sight.

It was hard to stay hidden because of Becca's senses.

She couldn't physically miss the creaking sound of the door, which I had already discovered a few minutes ago.

"How was your day?"

She asked, lifting her head and meeting my gaze.

"Quite good, though it could have been better."

"What was missing?"

"You..."

I smiled, seeing how Becca's face changed.

"And Ryan. Lately, I've been away too often."

"Well, you have a lot of work. Naturally, you'll be busy."

Becca nodded, glancing at our son.

"Ryan has been waiting for you all day."

"Did you wait for me too?"

"I... waited with Ryan. That's why he fell asleep."

She yawned at the end of her sentence.

"It looks like you need it too."

"I need to take him to bed."

"I'll do it."

I picked him up in my arms under Rebecca's skeptical gaze.

"I could have carried him too."

"You could, but you're already tired. And I'm full of energy."

I responded confidently to her discontent, carrying him up the stairs under her disapproving look.

"Thank you."

She reached me from behind.

It had been a stressful but manageable day.

Now, I could relax and sleep until the next day when more tasks awaited me—at least, that's what I thought at the time.

...

Madelyn leaned her head against the car window.

She only took advantage of this privilege in the morning and evening, solely to commute to and from work.

She was an incredibly hard worker following Stan Edgar's example.

Therefore, a break couldn't last more than a few days.

She could see streetlights moving so quickly that they were hard to see.

Those thirty minutes stuck in traffic before seemed like they were over in a flash due to the champagne she had drunk. 

She couldn't boast about her ability to drink without getting drunk, but such a skill would have been very useful to her.

 Finally, they reached Stillwell's home, and she exited the car.

"Thank you."

She thanked the driver before closing the door behind her.

The driver didn't respond and simply drove away, leaving her alone by the road.

She muttered in dissatisfaction as she walked towards the house.

It didn't look luxurious or as large as the estates that rich people usually buy.

Honestly, even the entrance used keys rather than the trendy electronic locks now everywhere.

The neighborhood was safe, and there was a police station nearby, so she wasn't worried about her security.

"Rachel?"

She called for the housekeeper or Teddy's nanny but received no response. She threw her keys into the bowl with a frown and then looked around.

It seemed too suspicious that Rachel hadn't even given any notice that she was stepping out.

She wasn't known for spontaneous decisions.

"Looking for me?"

A dark figure in a chair responded, placing a pistol on the armrest so it was clearly visible to her.

"What do you want? And where is Rachel?"

"She's sleeping soundly. I wasn't planning to harm that old woman."

The bearded man sneered in the black cloak.

"But you... that's another matter."

He got up from the chair and slowly walked towards her, savoring the moment.

Madelyn froze, staring into the visitor's deranged eyes. Suddenly, she felt a blow to the head, which quickly erased all thoughts of resistance.

It's hard to think about fighting back when your head is pounding with every movement.

She decided not to play the hero when she saw his size.

Soon, she watched in horror as explosives were strapped to her, and she was seated in a chair.

She was securely tied to the chair, and her phone was taken away.

"And here's Homelander."

Butcher smirked, quickly finding Homelander's number.

"How quickly do you think he'll rush here?"

"I have no idea."

She replied sulkily, feeling the ropes chafing her body, especially her wrists.

"He's Homelander. He couldn't care less about me. I'm nothing to him."

"Don't bullshit me! I already know you two are lovers. He'll come running here, just you wait."

After that, he dialed the number, hearing the ringing that quickly stopped.

"Hello? What's happened?"

Homelander's voice came through the phone.

"Remember me?"

"William Butcher."

Homelander responded after a moment of silence.

"That accent is hard to forget."

"Unfortunately, Stillwell can't answer you right now."

"Have you killed her?"

"We're at her house right now, and she's still alive for the moment. Hurry up if you want to keep it that way."

Butcher hung up the phone and sat down, watching her with anticipation.

Madelyn stared back in silence, both of them waiting for Homelander's arrival.

"Do you want to kill yourself over him?"

"If necessary, yes."

He gave a confident answer, leaving her with nothing more to say.

It didn't take long to wait.

After a few minutes, heavy footsteps could be heard coming from the second floor, soon reaching the stairs.

There he was, Homelander in the flesh. 

Homelander looked interestedly at the scene before him and then fixed his gaze on Butcher.

"Move again, and Stillwell will be blown to bits."

He raised his hand while holding a remote control for the detonator with his finger hovering over the red button.

"Release the button, and that's it, even with your speed, you won't make it in time."

"What do you want, Butcher?"

Homelander sighed while glancing at Madelyn.

"You set us up."

Billy scowled.

"Set us up so that suspicion would fall on us, not on you."

"I didn't have such a goal, William. This situation wouldn't have happened if you hadn't been so visible everywhere."

Homelander replied irritably, casting a disapproving look at him.

"You handed us the V drug and are also involved in all of this."

"Well, you shouldn't have said that."

Homelander rolled his eyes, looking at Madelyn's shocked expression.

"Alright, William, state your request."

Butcher fell silent, looked at the button he was holding down, and then lifted his head to meet Homelander's gaze again.

It was a chance that might not kill the bastard but could at least cause him pain.

He would be happy if that pain was even half as bad as his own after losing Becky.

Unfortunately, not everything in life is resolved so simply.

"I want all charges against my men dropped and left alone."

"In exchange for Stillwell's life?"

"Not just that."

Butcher looked at him firmly.

"In exchange for my freedom."

"Well,"

Homelander nodded, looking at him with respect.

"I agree."

An hour later, the police arrived and took Butcher away, who did not resist.

The bomb squad defused the bomb and finished the job in just about thirty minutes.

That meant that only Stillwell and Homelander were left in the house. Rachel was also taken to the hospital, leaving them alone.

"I can't take it anymore."

Madelyn whimpered, suddenly transforming into a fat, bald man with a huge nose.

"How disgusting."

Homelander grimaced in disgust.

"Sorry, sir. I didn't mean to."

Doppelganger exhaled, trying to catch his breath. He couldn't stay in another's form for too long; it caused him pain.

Furthermore, four hours most definitely qualified as "too long."

"What you heard..."

"Rest assured, I won't say a word to anyone."

He interrupted Homelander.

"Not even Miss Stillwell will hear about this, let alone Stan Edgar!"

"Yes, none of them will find out."

Homelander nodded, seeing the Doppelganger's relieved smile, but the steel grip on his neck quickly turned it into a grimace of horror.

"Because there will be no one to tell."

A loud crunch echoed as his neck broke and his eyes glazed over.

John looked with regret at the body that had fallen to the floor when realizing what he had just done.

However, he also knew with certainty that it was necessary.

...

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