Free Web NovelChapter 17: 17: Ashley, Look At Me!
Men are so simple and so much inclined to obey immediate needs that a deceiver will never lack victims for his deceptions.
~ Niccolò Machiavelli
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Madelyn’s hand still rested on the back of Homelander’s. She could feel his knuckles tightening under her fingers.
"This is what your handling gets you? The same tired PR bullshit with zero originality!" Hillel handed the phone back to Annie January. "The public isn’t dumb. Your little tricks have a shorter shelf life every time."
"Last time you spent three days cooking up a story and it only fooled some of the people. Gonna whip up another one next round?"
"Same old shit, different label. The foundation’s rotten. You can plug one hole, but what about the next?"
Annie January, listening from the side, couldn’t hold back.
"He’s right!"
Madelyn turned to the newcomer who’d only been on the team a few days.
Annie January sounded nervous but firm.
"I joined The Seven because I thought this place actually stood for justice. If we’re just covering up problems instead of fixing them, then that justice is fake."
"I fully support Homelander’s decision!"
Homelander glanced at Annie January and nodded hard.
This fresh-faced girl was actually the second person to back him up.
If you counted Hillel as the first.
Madelyn kept her smile locked in place, but her heart rate had climbed to 110.
She was losing her grip on the room.
"Annie, you’re new. There are things you don’t fully understand..."
Madelyn tried to signal Annie January to stay out of it, but...
"She understands plenty."
This time it was Queen Maeve who spoke.
Nobody saw that coming.
She’d been drinking the whole time, acting like none of this concerned her.
Now she set her glass down, leaned back in her chair, and stared Madelyn dead in the eyes.
"Madelyn, every time you show up it’s the same game. You don’t give a damn about our reputations, and nothing ever actually changes."
"The Deep fucking fish is ugh.. his own life, but him harassing women—you’re gonna tell me you didn’t know? You personally pulled him out of the Supe Academy!"
"The drugs A-Train’s pumping shouldn’t even be on the street. Don’t tell me Vought couldn’t trace where those bottles came from!"
"As a Vought executive, you know everything. You just don’t care!"
Queen Maeve’s voice dripped with resentment. "Because they’re big brand names for Vought. As long as the logo stays up, who gives a fuck about the cockroaches crawling around backstage? As long as it makes money and keeps your seat warm..."
"Heh!"
Madelyn’s smile finally cracked.
Annie January was one thing—she was new and easy to sway.
But Queen Maeve, a veteran who knew how things really run inside Vought, actually had the balls to talk back?
The atmosphere in the conference room turned razor sharp.
Homelander, Annie January, Queen Maeve, and The Guardian all lined up against Madelyn?
If the senior shareholders got wind of this, Madelyn’s position wouldn’t feel so secure anymore.
Ashley shrank into the corner, wishing she could vanish like Translucent.
She knew brute force wouldn’t work here.
Homelander was already fired up, Annie January and Queen Maeve were pouring gas on it, and the guy who started the fire sat there with his legs crossed, enjoying the show.
Madelyn switched tactics.
"Fine."
She stood up, smoothed her cuffs, and pulled her composed mask back on. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
"Since everyone wants a cleanup, we’ll do a cleanup."
She looked at Homelander.
"But I will handle the press conference. Timing, wording, the whole process.. PR department controls it. You just show up and play the responsible captain."
"That’s my bottom line."
Homelander didn’t fight it this time.
He wanted the outcome: A-Train and The Deep gone, his image improved or at least stabilized.
How the press conference went didn’t matter to him.
"Within three days." Homelander added.
"Three days is too tight, we—"
"Three days. If it goes over, I’ll handle it myself."
Homelander’s tone left zero room for argument.
Madelyn pressed her lips into a thin line and finally nodded.
She headed for the door. As she passed Hillel, her steps faltered.
"You’re playing with fire."
Hillel couldn’t be bothered to answer.
What he wanted were emotional points. That was why he joined Vought in the first place.
Did she really think he was doing any of this out of love?
...
[Key Character: Madelyn]
[Emotional Change: Compromise, Loss of Control, Escalated Hostility]
[Ability Points Gained: +2,134]
...
[Key Character: Annie January — Justice, Deepened Trust]
[Ability Points Gained: +967]
...
[Key Character: Queen Maeve — Release, Venting]
[Ability Points Gained: +1,544]
...
Current Ability Points: 76,371 / 100,000
After the meeting wrapped, Hillel was the last one out of the conference room.
In the hallway, Queen Maeve leaned against the wall waiting for him.
"You directed today’s whole fucking show, didn’t you!"
"With Homelander’s tiny brain, he could never piece together logic like that. He doesn’t have the vision."
"I only dropped a small suggestion."
"Suggestion?" Queen Maeve chuckled. "You’re using Homelander as your personal gun, pointing him at Vought while you sit back and watch the tigers tear each other apart."
Hillel leaned against the opposite wall, facing her across the hallway.
"Heh.. Since you saw through it, why did you back me up?"
"Because I also wanted to see Madelyn take an L, and besides, I don’t like Homelander anymore."
Queen Maeve’s answer came out clean and direct.
...
[Key Character: Queen Maeve — Emotional Change: Appreciation]
[Ability Points Gained: +1,203]
Current Ability Points: 77,574 / 100,000
...
Hillel got back to his office.
He called the PR department and specifically asked for Ashley to come up.
When Ashley knocked and walked in, she looked like a wrung-out rag.
A few strands of hair stuck to her temples, and a bright red handprint marked her face.
No need to ask who slapped her.
"Sit!"
Hillel acted like he didn’t notice.
Ashley sat down stiffly, back straight, eyes fixed on her shoes.
"So? What do you think about the whole fiasco?"
Ashley didn’t answer; she just looked at her shoes like Picasso had drawn on them.
"Ashley? Ashley! Look at me."
"Y-Yes! Sorry sir.. I was just.."
"Sigh.. Relax, I don’t bite."
Hillel poured her a glass of water and slid it over.
"You saw what went down in the conference room today," Hillel leaned back in his chair, voice easy and casual. "Madelyn finally caved and will set up a press conference within three days."
"...Yes."
"How do you think she’ll play it?"
Ashley stayed quiet for a second, then laid out Vought PR’s standard playbook.
"She’ll try to keep losses low. Probably have A-Train and The Deep step down for ’personal reasons,’ avoid any real scandal details, and keep the whole narrative inside ’team optimization and upgrades.’"
"And then?"
"Then... the whole thing gets buried. Vought’s stock might dip short-term but stabilizes long-term."
"And what about you?"
Ashley blinked.
"Me?"
"Yeah!" Hillel looked straight at her. "From start to finish, you were the one they called in to clean up the mess. You buried A-Train’s video, you coordinated damage control for The Deep’s fuckups."
"Even when Homelander lost his shit, you were the first one rushing in. In my book, if there’s no credit, there’s at least effort."
"But she doesn’t seem too happy with you."
Hillel paused, his eyes dropping to the handprint on her face.
Ashley’s expression shifted instantly.
Madelyn.. Vought.. you all.. Stop fucking with me!!
How could she not see it now? Hillel had just finished working Homelander, and now he had his sights set on her!
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