Milk_Is_My_Drug
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Chapter 12: The Amused CEO
🕑 Added 2025-05-14 20:39:46 +0000 UTCThe courthouse was still swarmed with reporters and flashing cameras when Ashborn Black walked out.
Unlike most public figures involved in groundbreaking legal drama, he gave no statements, no soundbites, and certainly no interviews.
To every journalist that swarmed his path, he simply said “The trial was clear. We begin work tomorrow.”
It was all he offered, but it was enough.
That single sentence sent reporters into a frenzy, rushing to draft headlines and opinion pieces. Social media boiled over with debate, praise, and outrage. The idea of a superhero being ordered into social labor wasn’t just unprecedented—it was transformative.
Ashborn didn’t linger. He returned straight to Shadow Corp HQ.
___________
Reaching his office, Ashborn stepped in, removed his suit jacket, and walked to the large, glass windows overlooking the city. He unlocked the latches and pushed them open.
Seconds later, two high-speed blurs sliced through the sky and landed inside, Superman and Supergirl.
Superman’s cape fluttered slightly behind him as he asked, “How did you know we were waiting?”
Ashborn turned with a faint, amused smile. “The two of you were glaring at me the entire trial. I figured you’d want a chat away from microphones and cameras. If you didn’t come in ten seconds, I’d have closed the windows and assumed I was wrong.”
Supergirl clenched her fists at the sight of that smug smile. She really wanted to punch him. Superman, however, stood still, studying Ashborn with sharp, calculating eyes.
“What are you planning?” he asked.
Ashborn gave a half-shrug. “To have Super Construction Girl build houses. Putting her talents to something more productive.”
Supergirl took a step forward, her eyes glowing faintly. Superman stopped her with a calm hand on her shoulder.
Ashborn raised a brow. “I’m giving you the best shot you’ll ever have at building a real life on Earth. Your anger is… unreasonable.”
“You put me through a trial like some kind of a criminal!” Supergirl snapped.
Ashborn nodded. “Because it was easier that way. The moment I met you a month ago, I saw it in your eyes, stubbornness. I figured we’d save time by forcing change rather than asking for it.”
Supergirl clenched her jaw, her whole body radiating tension.
Superman’s tone grew firmer. “Is this related to the Lex investigation?”
Ashborn’s eyes twinkled with amusement. “You could say that.”
“What are you two playing at?” Superman pressed.
Ashborn leaned casually against his desk. “Nothing, really. I asked Lex why he hated you so much. We talked. One thing led to another, and I decided to show him a different way to play the game.”
He paused for a moment then continued “But don’t worry. I’m not planning anything harmful toward you or your cousin. If anything, this social service will help her more than any hero quest will ever do.”
Superman narrowed his eyes. “If you try anything, if you commit any crime—”
Ashborn chuckled. “You and Lex… you’re a lot alike.”
“We are nothing alike,” Superman said coldly.
Ashborn tilted his head. “Perhaps. After all, you were raised by kind people… on a farm.”
Superman froze, eyes immediately glowing red. “How do you know that?”
Ashborn’s grin widened. “Told you. Like Lex, you reveal too much when you’re emotional. Your reaction to my random guess just confirmed that at least one of your adoptive parents is still alive and lives in a rural area.”
Superman’s fists tensed. His posture stiffened.
Ashborn raised a calming hand. “Relax. I have no interest in harming anyone. I don’t stalk families. I don’t commit crimes. Unlike Lex, I don’t have an ego that needs public worship.”
Superman stepped forward, voice low and threatening. “If I even hear about someone poking around my parents… if you so much as think about hurting them… you’ll regret it.”
Ashborn didn’t flinch. He turned to Supergirl instead, smile still in place.
“Tomorrow morning, report here,” he said. “We’ll assign your team and the project your going to work on.”
For a moment, the Kryptonians stood in silence, trading glances with Ashborn and each other. Then, without a word, they turned and flew off through the open window.
Ashborn walked back to his desk and stretched, cracking his neck.
“Messing with serious people is always fun,” he muttered to himself.
High above the building, Superman’s ears caught every word. His jaw tightened, and for the first time in years, he felt the urge to hit someone who hadn’t committed a single crime.
Not yet, at least.
___________
Back in the office, Ashborn sat alone at his desk, leisurely sipping a cup of black tea he just ordered when the call notification blinked on the screen.
It was Lex.
He pressed a key, and the video call opened, revealing the sharp, focused eyes of Lex Luthor on the other end.
Ashborn didn’t miss a beat. “Hope you enjoyed the trial,” he said casually, the smile already forming on his face.
Lex didn’t bother with pleasantries. “What are you planning?” he asked bluntly. “Why go through the effort of putting Supergirl on trial, only to request community service at the end?”
Ashborn leaned back in his chair, the smile on his face unshaken. “She’s doing too much damage, that much is true. But she’s not beyond redemption. With time, she’ll learn. She’ll adapt. All I did was spend a bit of money to make this public… and get her to work for me.”
Lex narrowed his eyes, still unconvinced.
Ashborn continued, “She’ll help me with construction, speed up my development projects for practically nothing. Meanwhile, the public will believe any heroism she shows later was thanks to me. That I gave them a superhero instead of a reckless alien.”
He lifted his cup for another sip, voice calm and confident. “I only stand to gain from this. It’s completely legal.”
Lex remained silent, his expression unreadable.
Then Ashborn’s smile widened, his tone shifting slightly, still light, but with a sharper edge. “I do a few more stunts like this, and you’ll find people trusting my word as much as they trust Superman’s. Maybe more. Even Superman will be on my side eventually as he realizes that he misjudged me. What do you think?”
For a moment, Lex said nothing. He saw the brilliance in the strategy. It was clean, clever… and insidious. It didn’t challenge Superman head-on, didn’t scream war—it whispered influence. And that made it dangerous.
Still, Lex’s pride refused to be impressed.
“I’m not interested in matching Superman’s image or becoming his friend,” Lex said coldly. “I want to crush him. I want the world to look at him the way they look at insects. Small. Weak.”
Ashborn’s smile didn’t fade, but his eyes gleamed with interest as Lex added, “But for now, let's see how things go for you.”
With that, Lex ended the call. The screen went dark.
Ashborn stared at it for a few seconds longer, then leaned back in his chair, chuckling softly to himself.
He was enjoying every second of this.
___________
Flying just above the clouds, Superman and Supergirl soared in silence, the sun casting a golden glow over the distant cityscape below. The wind roared past them, but between the two Kryptonians, the tension was louder.
Kara finally broke the silence, crossing her arms mid-flight and muttering, “You should’ve punched that annoying smile off his face.”
Kal-El sighed, his eyes fixed on the horizon. “Trust me,” he said, “I felt like doing that. But… Ashborn Black hasn’t committed any crimes.”
The words hung in the air for a moment. Kara glanced at her cousin, surprised by the weight in his voice. There was something else there—concern.
Kal-El was silent for another moment, then added, “Kara… be careful around Ashborn. He’s intelligent. Sly. More so than Lex Luthor.”
Kara blinked, visibly startled. “Wait, more than Lex? Come on, he’s a jerk, sure, but that’s a high praise.”
“I’m not praising him,” Kal replied grimly. “I’m warning you.”
Kara’s eyes narrowed slightly, her curiosity piqued. “Why do you think that?”
Superman’s jaw tensed, the memory fresh in his mind. “He knows how to read people, how to manipulate them, he plays several steps ahead. During our talk, I looked at his heart rate… and it didn’t change once. Not even when I threatened him. No fear, no worry.”
Kara looked troubled, but Kal wasn’t finished.
“Same thing happened during his meeting with Joker,” he said, turning to her. “The Joker’s goon had a gun to his head, and Ashborn just sipped his drink with an amused look. Like it was nothing.”
Kara’s expression turned serious. There were few who could remain composed under the Joker’s insanity. That kind of detachment, that smile… was more than unnerving.
Superman gave her a deep look, his voice firm. “He’s dangerous, Kara. Be careful what you say around him, what you do, and what information you share. He sees more than he lets on.”
Kara nodded slowly, her earlier frustration with Ashborn now mixed with a heavy unease. She wasn’t looking forward to the future, and now, more than ever, she knew she had to tread carefully.
