Chapter 105: 105: Gimme, Gimme, Gimme, Some Time To Think

Late at night, in a villa on the outskirts of New York, light particles swirled back together and Ivan stepped out of thin air.

The second he got back, Ivan grabbed his phone and called that Michelin-starred restaurant he always hit up. "Maine seared scallops, charred ribeye... Handle the drinks yourselves. I want everything here in under an hour."

"Yes, sir. We’ll arrange it immediately. Please wait just a moment."

Ivan hung up, dropped into the chair at his computer desk, and opened his work inbox.

Not many emails.

The Doppelganger had dumped everything he wasn’t cleared to touch straight into Ivan’s lap.

He skimmed the messages. Two main jobs. First, kill the media firestorm from The Deep’s sexual harassment mess.

Second, steer the online narrative on Translucent’s death.

Both emails came directly from Vought VP Madeline. Their weight was obvious. If Ivan had to bet, these two scandals had just taken a massive shit on Vought’s stock price.

This was a make-or-break moment for Madeline’s promotion. Stan Edgar had already publicly stated he was stepping down as CEO in the second half of the year, and right now she was the top candidate to replace him.

Still, the final decision rested with the Vought board of directors.

And those greedy bastards only cared about one thing: whether their shares went up or down. The current situation was bad for Madeline. She needed to fix the stock price, and fast.

Of course, she had plenty of dirty tricks ready.

Just the USB the Doppelganger had given Ivan contained enough blackmail material on several board members to bury them.

But she couldn’t use that shit lightly. If the other directors found out she was moving behind their backs, they’d kick her out on her ass in a heartbeat.

Sending Homelander to threaten them would be even worse. It would blow up in her face completely. Knowing that fucking psycho, leaving even one or two of them breathing would count as him showing mercy.

Homelander had no patience for negotiations.

That kind of move was pure stupidity, and Madeline had never planned on using it to seize the CEO chair.

"Holy shit, it’s blowing up online," Ivan muttered.

Translucent was trending hard everywhere — YouTube, Twitter, the works. He scrolled through the chaos. The theories about how the invisible supe actually died were completely unhinged.

Some swore he wasn’t dead at all, just blacklisted by Vought for trying to break his contract.

Others claimed Homelander got tired of his shit and killed him.

That one actually sounded half-plausible to Ivan.

The two fan camps were already at each other’s throats, practically ready to throw hands in real life.

Then there were the even crazier takes.

Almost nobody bought Vought’s official story. Translucent killed by underground extremists hiding in New York? Come on. Even the dumbest fans knew the guy was bulletproof.

People felt like Vought was pissing on their intelligence.

"Heh~ No wonder Madeline’s panicking with this much noise," Ivan said.

His phone buzzed. The food had arrived.

Don’t give him that "Michelin restaurants don’t deliver" crap. In Ivan’s world, that just meant you weren’t rich or connected enough. As a Vought executive, he had that pull.

"Thanks," Ivan said, meeting the delivery guy at the villa gate. He pulled out a fat tip from his pocket.

"Providing the best service possible is always our restaurant’s philosophy," the delivery man replied with a smile. He was a middle-aged white guy. "Name’s Sheffield. I’m actually the manager. Been in Mexico learning new dishes, so I haven’t had the chance to meet you in person until now. Glad to finally fix that."

"You’re too kind. Come in."

Ivan didn’t smoke or drink much, but good food was one of his few real pleasures.

He was a regular at all the top spots in New York, and because he was such a picky bastard, plenty of head chefs knew him by name.

After some small talk, Sheffield gave a bitter laugh.

"With all this environmental activism lately, even my restaurant’s taken hits. Got spray-painted to hell. Cost us tens of thousands in damages. Called the cops, but it doesn’t do shit. They’re like flies — chase them off and they just come right back."

"Look, I feel for you," Ivan said, taking a calm sip of the whiskey the restaurant had sent over. It was actually damn good — rich and layered. "But they’re just kids. Being stupid comes with the territory. They’ll probably calm down eventually."

"You’re right, Mr. Greevs," Sheffield said, raising his glass politely. "Honestly, I’m not against environmentalism. My whole family are strong supporters. It’s just their methods that are too extreme."

He gave Ivan a hopeful look. "I heard you’re the head of Talent Management at Vought. Any chance you could put me in touch with The Deep? He’s, after all, the great ocean environmental ambassador, right?"

Sheffield, the old cunning bastard, finally let the mask slip.

Of course the Michelin manager wouldn’t play delivery boy himself unless he wanted something.

"Exactly," Ivan replied with a sly grin.

"But his schedule’s slammed right now. Might be tough to fit you in anytime soon."

Greedy little fucker, Sheffield thought, forcing a smile.

"By the way, I brought a small gift for you, Mr. Greevs. Don’t even think about refusing." He pulled a sleek black box from inside his jacket and handed it over.

"You’re too kind. Having you come all this way is already plenty."

Ivan’s mouth said the polite thing, but his hand took the box without hesitation.

"Just a little something. Consider it my way of saying nice to finally meet you," Sheffield said, still smiling like a shark.

"I think The Deep would be open to working with your restaurant. Come by Vought tomorrow — I’ll greet you personally."

"Perfect. I’ll be there on time."

They both stood and shook hands.

Ivan chuckled. "With The Deep as your new face, I’m sure your place will shoot straight to the top of those eco-friendly restaurant lists."

"I have no doubt," Sheffield replied.

The two men shared a knowing smile. No need to say the quiet part out loud.

____

[]~(￣▽￣)~*

Read 12 Advance Chapters—P@t- Captain69