This Rollercoaster of a Career is Too Exciting

Ashley only just realized there was someone else in the room.

And when she saw who it was, her first reaction was...

I'm dead! I'm absolutely dead!

I'm done for this time, not even Jesus can save me!

Because she knew all too well what Ryan represented to Homelander; he was an existence she personally classified as a taboo, something that could never be ignored.

And yet...

Ashley, what kind of stupid thing did you just do?

You actually played a video of Homelander killing someone right in front of Ryan?!!

Fear struck suddenly, sweeping through her entire body.

At this moment, Ashley was on the verge of a mental breakdown, and the urge to urinate was skyrocketing.

But strangely, at this critical juncture, her consciousness seemed to split in two.

On one side, she was so terrified that she wished she could faint on the spot.

On the other, she was somehow able to maintain a serious, professional expression and reply, "Yes, sir."

Homie relaxed, as if that were truly the case: "Then hurry up and get back to work!"

"Yes, I'll go right—"

Saved!

Ashley's nerves relaxed for a split second, and just as she was about to agree, she remembered the instructions Stan Edgar had given her before she rushed back.

She was scared to death of Homelander, that was the truth, no lies mixed in.

But Mr. Stan Edgar, the man who had helmed Vought International for decades, was no pushover either.

If others didn't understand how terrifying Mr. Edgar was, how could she, having served as Madelyn's assistant, not know?

Are you kidding? That was a cold-blooded man who would use precious supes for human experimentation.

With a mournful face, Ashley dragged her feet, and finally, as Homelander grew increasingly impatient, she squeaked, "Mr. Edgar gave instructions... he, he wants you to... apologize to the public!"

The word "apologize" was the equivalent of a hard slap across Homie's face.

It was an undeniable declaration that the excuse he had just fabricated didn't hold water.

Homie laughed in anger: "Apologize?"

"Don't even think about it! You want me to apologize to those mortals?"

"Ha!! Ashley, tell me, do these ungrateful people even know that I only accidentally killed that idiot for their sake?"

"Or do they think saving America is done by those damn condemnations of theirs on the internet? If those voices worked, supervillains wouldn't be setting foot in America."

Ashley hesitated: "The PR department is discussing countermeasures—admitting fault, apologizing, taking action..."

"No, no, no!"

Homie was clearly losing his cool.

He temporarily forgot about his son, preoccupied only by his righteous indignation and burning rage.

He felt offended; what was the point of him working so hard and running off to that hellhole in the Middle East if not for this country and the people living in it?

Yet, these people didn't understand him.

It was just an accidental killing of an insignificant ant, why make such a big deal out of it?

Homie felt aggrieved, and Homie was firm: "Tell Edgar not to think about telling me what to do! Get back to work, Ashley, and stop bothering me!"

Ashley looked at the already volatile Homelander, and only one thought remained in her mind.

Disaster was coming.

And she was going to lose more hair.

"Dad..."

Suddenly, just as Ashley was in despair, a voice like music to her ears rang out.

Behind the large conference table, Ryan, who had witnessed the entire exchange between Homie and Ashley, kept his inner thoughts to himself. His face remained impassive, though he spoke his mind with sadness and disappointment.

"Dad, I can apologize on your behalf."

Ashley, who had been cowering like a quail, felt her eyes brighten significantly.

Homie also snapped back to reality, remembering that his son Ryan was still there. He went rigid, turning back to look at his son in a daze.

His mind went blank; he was truly stunned.

Ryan pursed his lips slightly, giving a different kind of reason that was very considerate of Homie's feelings: "After I learned to fly, I accidentally hit a bird while landing once. I, I really didn't mean to; I just didn't control my body well."

"I know that terrible feeling; it's not good."

"But I was afraid Mom would be disappointed in me, afraid she would never let me fly again, so I just quietly buried the bird and didn't dare tell anyone."

After Ryan finished his improvised little story, he looked at Homelander earnestly. "Dad, I want to admit this mistake to you."

"I shouldn't have hidden the mistakes I made just because I was afraid of disappointing you."

"I also know that admitting a mistake is a very, very difficult thing to do, but I am Homelander's son, so Dad, I can admit the mistake for you."

Homelander just stared blankly, without any reaction.

He didn't know what was wrong with him, but the emotions surging in his heart were telling him that someone was understanding him, someone was feeling for him, instead of the way it was before...

Understanding on the surface, but loathing in private.

He was Homelander with super hearing, after all; how could he not know how those people gossiped about him behind his back?

It was only because he was magnanimous and kept the big picture in mind that no one in this Seven Tower could survive.

"Son..."

Homie's eyes were wet again, and again, and again.

Ashley, standing to the side, didn't even dare to breathe.

Holding her breath tightly, she screamed frantically in her mind: Agree to him! Agree to him!

Thank goodness for Ryan, thank goodness Ryan was so sensible. Ms. Becca, you truly are a great mother; look at how outstanding your son is.

"Ashley, can I... can I apologize to that person on Dad's behalf?"

Ryan softly changed the subject.

He knew very well what kind of psychological impact his recent actions and words would have on Homelander, and he wanted to keep this emotion at the bottom of Homelander's heart.

Being moved isn't something you just say; it has to be etched in.

"Of... course?"

Ashley replied tentatively.

Then, seeing that Homelander seemed to have tacitly agreed, she immediately added with renewed vigor, "Ryan... er, little master Ryan, the outside world has never known of your existence. As long as you take the initiative to appear, and do so by coming forward to apologize, you will instantly ignite all the heat on the entire internet."

"No, global heat!"

"All the public opinion trends will shift immediately, and everyone's eyes will be focused on you. No one will harp on this accident anymore."

The more Ashley spoke, the clearer her thoughts became, and her emotions rose along with them. She paced back and forth in the conference room in excitement.

"I need to warm it up. I've got it—when the video was exposed last night, a false rumor popped up online saying that Homelander had a son."

"The whistleblower is just a small fry; she doesn't have any real photos as evidence, but I can give her a blurry one."

"I want her to let this matter ferment first. A day is enough time for the topic to spread. When prime time arrives in the evening, we will go directly as guests on The Cameron Coleman Hour."

"A formal public debut!"

Smack—

After finishing, Ashley slammed her palm down.

Then, she turned around and saw Homelander's face, deeply moved and at a loss for what to do.