"Cut that. We’re reshooting."

"Got it, Mr. Greevs." The staff member adjusted the camera and gave the host a thumbs-up.

The male host nodded. "Ladies, let’s try that again, shall we?"

"No problem," Starlight said, holding her perfect smile. Stormfront next to her reluctantly straightened her posture. "I’m fine with it."

"Where’s Maeve? I don’t see her," Ivan asked, scanning the room. According to the schedule, today’s interview was supposed to include Starlight, Stormfront, and Queen Maeve.

Ashley spoke quietly beside him. "Maeve took a phone call and left. We can’t reach her right now."

"Keep calling. If she doesn’t answer, text her. Tell her if I don’t see her in half an hour, she can forget about ever coming back. Prepare the breach of contract paperwork. Let’s see how much she can afford to pay!"

Ivan’s face was ice-cold. It looked like his authority still wasn’t as strong as Madeline’s in Maeve’s eyes. At least when Madeline was alive, Queen Maeve would never have dared pull this shit.

"Mr. Greevs, maybe you should reconsider?" Ashley asked carefully. Queen Maeve was a veteran supe with massive popularity and influence inside the company. She was worried Maeve might actually choose to break her contract out of anger.

Ivan didn’t reply. He turned and walked out of the interview room.

Breach her contract? Only if Maeve had the balls. Don’t forget, he still held the Flight 37 black box. Unless she wanted to be completely destroyed, she’d better come crawling to apologize.

Ivan’s move hit like a warning shot. Starlight and Stormfront both looked stunned, unable to believe he would go this hard.

"Let’s move on to the next topic," the male host quickly jumped in, sensing the tension.

"How about we talk about men? Starlight, I heard you turned down The Deep’s advances. Are you single right now, or is there someone special?"

Starlight answered firmly. "Single. Absolutely single."

"Alright, I’m sure the fans will respect your choice. What about you, Stormfront?"

"Same as her." Stormfront had started to cross her legs but, remembering Ivan’s warning, she quickly lowered her right leg again.

Seeing how smoothly the interview was flowing now — completely different from before Ivan showed up — Ashley couldn’t help but admire his methods. At least she wouldn’t have dared slap them down so openly.

"What do you ladies think about the recent hot topic of feminism?" the host asked.

Starlight spoke first, smiling gently. "I think it’s inevitable. As society evolves, women are waking up to their own power. When faced with injustice and discrimination, they no longer stay silent. They stand up and speak out. They represent the women of the new era and deserve respect and recognition."

"Pfft!" Stormfront, sitting beside her, couldn’t hold back a laugh. As an Aryan nationalist, she found the whole thing ridiculous and hilarious. But she quickly wiped the smile off her face.

"Don’t get me wrong. I just remembered something funny. As for my views, I completely agree with Starlight."

As the interview continued and drew closer to the end, Starlight kept discreetly checking her phone for new messages. On the surface she looked calm, but inside she was extremely anxious. Gecko had promised to deliver the Compound V sample to her today.

Right then, the host asked another question. "Starlight, your teammate A-Train has been out of the public eye for quite a while now. Vought says he’s on a secret overseas mission. Are you worried about him?"

Starlight, who knew the truth, understood this was just Vought’s bullshit excuse. Still, she had to play along and look concerned. "Of course. I pray for him every night. Having such a brave hero fighting for America is a blessing for all Americans. It also shows Vought’s unwavering commitment to protecting the people!"

"What if I told you he’s right behind you?"

The second the host finished speaking, A-Train burst out from a side room. He struck his signature pose for the cameras and grinned at everyone. "Hey! A-Train is back! How’s everyone doing?"

A-Train’s sudden appearance left Starlight frozen. When she recovered, she forced a happy expression and stepped forward to hug him.

After they separated, A-Train turned to Stormfront. "Stormfront, it’s an honor to meet you. I’m a huge fan."

"Me too." While the two of them exchanged pleasantries, Starlight pulled Ashley aside and asked why A-Train had shown up so suddenly.

"This was a special surprise Mr. Greevs prepared for you. After all, everyone knows A-Train is your best partner," Ashley said with a smile. But she quickly noticed Starlight didn’t look happy. "You don’t seem too thrilled?"

"Of course I am. I’m just a little surprised," Starlight forced a smile. In truth, both she and A-Train knew what had really happened that night.

She had betrayed Vought to help Hughie, while A-Train had passed out after injecting a massive amount of Compound V. Since Edgar didn’t want the Compound V leak exposed, A-Train couldn’t talk about it in front of the media. When Homelander had questioned him, he simply said he arrived too late. By the time he got there, the others had already escaped the underground prison.

...

Meanwhile.

Ivan arrived at the CEO’s office.

At the same time, Homelander and Ryan were already in the office. The moment they saw Ivan walk in, Homelander took Ryan and left the room.

"Sit." Edgar’s face was expressionless as he motioned for Ivan to take a seat.

Once Ivan sat down, Edgar spoke. "I’ve reviewed the proposal you submitted. I have no objection to forming a junior Seven team. However, this is a completely new project that Vought has never attempted before, so there are risks. I expect you to handle it with caution."

"As you know, my management style tends to be conservative. But I understand that the 21st century belongs to the young. Having ideas is good, but I care more about results. If your plan doesn’t deliver what I want, I will shut it down immediately. I hope you understand."

"Understood."

Ivan handed over the prepared documents to Edgar.

"According to market research, many people are very excited about the idea of watching supes grow up. This is a massive, untapped market. It will greatly increase fan loyalty to Vought and benefit the company’s long-term development. If — and this is a big if — the updated version of Compound V becomes stable, we could sell it as a regular product. At that point, Ryan and the others would be the perfect spokespeople for it."

___

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Read 12 Advance Chapters—P@t- Captain69