Chapter 60 : Reject
In front of Stillwell’s office, Homelander was already waiting. The moment they appeared his attention shifted toward them, the smile on his face warm and welcoming, exactly like the smile millions of people saw on television every day.
"Ashley, Starlight, you can leave. I’ll take the newcomer to Madelyn myself."
Ashley didn’t question it — nobody at Vought liked questioning Homelander. She simply nodded and started walking away.
Annie stayed where she was. Homelander noticed immediately.
"Go on. I won’t steal your boyfriend." His tone was light, almost teasing, but Annie still didn’t move.
Mark noticed the hesitation and lightly nudged her.
"You can go."
"It’s not like anything is going to happen."
Homelander’s smile widened slightly. "See? He trusts me."
After a few seconds, Annie finally nodded and left. The hallway became noticeably quieter.
Mark looked toward Homelander. "So, I take it you missed me, because last time we didn’t exactly have an honest conversation."
"Last time was unfortunate. You caught me at a bad moment. Everyone has bad moments." Homelander spoke casually as they walked toward Stillwell’s office.
"I think you saw a side of me that wasn’t really who I am."
"Sure." Mark’s tone remained polite enough that Homelander couldn’t immediately tell if he was being sincere or sarcastic. For a brief moment he wondered if Mark had actually bought the image Vought sold to the public.
Inside, Mark was trying very hard not to laugh. Listening to Homelander talk about being misunderstood felt like listening to a shark explain that the blood in the water was just a misunderstanding.
Fortunately he had years of experience pretending to be polite. Unfortunately Homelander seemed to think it was working, which somehow made the conversation even harder.
They entered the office together. Madelyn Stillwell immediately stood and walked forward. Unlike Homelander, her smile felt carefully practiced — every movement professional, controlled, deliberate.
"It’s finally good to meet you, Madelyn Stillwell." She extended her hand.
Mark shook it. "Likewise, Mark."
"Please, sit." Stillwell gestured toward the chairs.
Mark sat while Homelander moved to the side and remained standing beside her. He could have sat anywhere in the room, but instead positioned himself next to her like a loyal partner.
Stillwell waited until everyone was settled. "So, I take it Starlight explained why we invited you here?"
"Nope."
Stillwell blinked. Homelander looked amused.
"She just said there was an annoying situation involving the Seven and told me to come."
"That sounds like Starlight." Stillwell folded her hands. "Then let me explain." Her tone turned professional.
"Over the last few days you’ve attracted an incredible amount of public attention. The rescue on Flight 37, the incidents afterward, and now your relationship with Starlight."
Mark noticed how smoothly she moved from one topic to another — less a conversation, more a presentation.
"The public likes you. More importantly, they trust you. That isn’t something we ignore."
Mark already knew where this was going.
"The Seven are the most recognizable superhero team in the world. They protect America, represent Vought International, and serve as the gold standard for modern heroes." Homelander smiled proudly beside her. Stillwell looked directly at Mark.
"We would like you to consider joining the Seven."
The office went quiet. Mark looked at Stillwell, then at Homelander, then back at Stillwell.
"Oh."
That was his entire response. Stillwell waited.
"That’s it?" Homelander finally asked.
"What do you want me to say? It’s a big offer."
"It is."
"Most people would probably faint." Homelander looked pleased by that. "Unfortunately, I’m not most people." Mark leaned back slightly. "So, I reject it."
For the first time, Madelyn looked genuinely surprised.
"I really don’t want to wake up every morning, put on some fancy costume with a stupid name attached to it, smile at cameras, read prepared scripts, and do a bunch of corporate bullshit." He shrugged.
"Sounds annoying."
The office went quiet again. Most supes spent their entire careers trying to get into the Seven — one of the most desired positions in the country. Yet Mark was turning it down without even thinking about it.
Madelyn recovered first. "The position comes with substantial compensation."
"Money isn’t really the problem." He glanced between her and Homelander. "I just don’t like big corporations."
He pointed casually at both of them.
"And I definitely don’t like those plastic smiles you’re both wearing right now."
Homelander’s smile remained exactly where it was.
"I don’t know what you mean."
"Yeah, I don’t really care." Mark waved his hand dismissively. "I’m not interested in joining the Seven, but thanks for the offer."
Inside, Homelander was practically celebrating. He had disliked Mark from the moment they met, and the only reason he’d tolerated the idea of recruiting him was because Stillwell wanted it. Now the problem was solving itself.
Madelyn looked disappointed but not defeated. People like her rarely gave up after the first answer.
"That’s unfortunate." She paused, then smoothly changed direction. "However, perhaps we can still work together."
"How?"
"This week is Believe Expo."
Mark already knew what that meant — one of Vought’s largest public events, organized alongside Samaritan’s Embrace and attended by thousands of people.
"We would like you to appear as a guest." Madelyn folded her hands. "You don’t need to join the Seven. Simply attend the event, greet the public, and participate in a few appearances." She smiled. "The public wants to see you."
Mark thought about it for roughly two seconds. Free publicity. Free popularity points.
"Yep."
Madelyn blinked. "Yep?"
"I can do that." A small smile appeared on his face. "That sounds easy."
Madelyn relaxed slightly. At least the meeting hadn’t been a complete failure. Homelander was fine with it too — as long as Mark wasn’t joining the Seven, he could tolerate seeing him at an event for a few hours.
*****
A/N: Advanced Chapters are available on Patreon.
👉 /Mark841
Currently, 21 advanced Chapters are available