Ashley pressed her bloodless lips together. "So you came here to lay out your arguments and tell me I'm going to spend the rest of my life in prison?"
Her sharp mind had picked up on something. From start to finish, Lucas's behavior had been far too unusual, even downright inexplicable.
He had to have some deeper purpose.
Lucas sighed. "No. Whether you spend the rest of your life in prison is up to you."
"Could you be a little clearer?" Ashley asked cautiously.
Lucas nodded. "I'm very interested in Compound V, and in Vought too."
His answer went straight to the point, taking Ashley somewhat by surprise, though on reflection, it was only to be expected.
Vought Pharmaceuticals was only a secret to ordinary people.
"You have no idea what a company like Vought means." There was something obsessive in Lucas's tone. "If I had complete control over the superheroes, I could change the world order. Do you understand?"
Ashley froze at his words, then asked in astonishment, "You want to replicate Vought?"
"More or less." Lucas nodded. "I know your superheroes all come from that little vial called Compound V. As long as you help me run a new Vought, not only will you stay out of prison, but your name will go down in history."
"Sounds good. Have you thought about what Homelander would do?" Ashley looked at him coldly.
Lucas's expression changed. "What can he do? As long as I'm still in office, he can't do a thing. Once the new Vought is established, everything will be different."
At this point in their conversation, Lucas had fully revealed his true colors.
Ashley lowered her head as though weighing her options.
She had long heard that Henderson had kept this man down throughout his vice presidency, leaving