9118/Angry Gods

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Angry Gods
Date of Scene: 08 September 2019
Location: Vanessa's apartment, Lex Luthor's office, and a New York penthouse
Synopsis: Lex Luthor completes his revenge on a business rival, with Vanessa caught up in the aftermath
Cast of Characters: Copycat, Lex Luthor




Copycat has posed:
Vanessa's apartment looked much better after the contractor had finished. Paid for by a friend, the slipshod plumbing job done by the landlord's people had been fixed, and the gaping hole they left in the sheetrock patched and the whole room painted.

If only that had been the end of the problems related to the building though. Vanessa had been the one to ask some of the men in the apartment building to patch over the broken stair that elderly Mrs. Garcia had fallen through. And now the landlord was fining them for making changes to the building, and the New York City Housing Commission had upheld the fine. And Vanessa felt responsible for the fines levied on her neighbors over it.

"I'd think you'd be excited about this. I mean, rich man, more than you'd make in a week on the streets," Gloria tells Vanessa. The younger girl was new to the oldest profession, and had latched on to Vanessa for help and advice.

Vanessa gives a sigh and runs her fingers through her hair as she looks at the outfits she's considering. "You just don't get yet the truth of what we do, Gloria," Vanessa says. She pauses a moment to find a way to express it. "They don't want you. They want their ideal. For your body to become that ideal," Vanessa says.

She picks up slinky dress that would show her body to killer effect, holding it to herself as she looks in the mirror. "Devastating socialite. Meek virgin. Eager trollop. Cheerleader/teacher/mother figure, it doesn't matter. You're paid to exist to his whim. To let him be God during your time with him, to not exist beyond your body and his choice for it. Do that well and he is a happy god. But say the wrong thing, cry, laugh or smile at the wrong moment, and it can break the fantasy. And make him become a very angry god."

Vanessa settles on a choice of clothing as Gloria stands, soaking in what Vanessa said. "How long have you been at this?" she asks. Vanessa looks in the mirror. "Long enough to have seen angry gods," she replies somberly. "Why don't you go on, you need to get ready for the street yourself," Vanessa tells the younger prostitute before looking back to the mirror.

"Damn I need this money tonight," she says to herself with a sigh.

Lex Luthor has posed:
It had been a month in the making. Lex Luthor was patient... but there was being patient, and there was rolling over for absurd terms. Martin Guice had refused to see the deal LexCorp offered him as fair, despite Lex actually taking some pains to try to potentially groom the man into a CEO for a new LexCorp subsidiary. It wasn't potential he saw often... but he always made the effort to show the benefits of joining the Empire when they popped up on the radar.

Instead, Guice had not only refused to consolidate into the LexCorp network, but had actively fought tooth and nail among the shareholders of Allied Consolidated to not sell out. For whatever reason, Martin set himself up as a bitter enemy to Lex Luthor.

That was a mistake, and one that a single week of calling in favors from various places would see him pay for.

Shareholders had been given serious buyout offers. Those who wouldn't legitimately negotiate on good terms were given indirect, subtle pressures (that couldn't be traced to Lex) to do so. In the end, he managed a solid fifty one percent of the shares, effectively giving him the power to actively stonewall Martin and take control of the company.

It was a simple matter from there to bribe a judge to have Martin officially evicted from the company apartment complex.

He was on his way to the apartment now, the Limo driven by Mercy as Lex watched a holographic presentation of all the company assets coming up over the documents and 3D shapes. "This is a lot less than I thought it'd be... but it doesn't matter. This moron needs to become an example of why you don't cross LexCorp."

Copycat has posed:
The choice of clothing had been a hit, Vanessa thinks to herself as she stands in front of the mirror in a bathroom of the posh penthouse checking how dry her hair is after a refreshing shower. Amongst the other girls that work the corners and adult clubs with her in the economically depressed area of New Lots, Vanessa had always stood out for having an elegance and a bearing. A new girl had once called it a 'regal look like some Persian princess'.

It was a nice thing to hear said about you.

But there was some truth to it that it seemed to stand out. So when the limo, unusual enough to see on her streets, had pulled up, there was a good chance the man within had viewed her as a diamond in the rough. She'd even gone with an outfit with a slight bit of Persian flair, midriff left bare and fabric draping her hips suggestive of a belly dancer if still not quite that style.

Her client had been impressed, and his amour had hardly waited to get her back to his penthouse before being unleashed.

Told to freshen up, she'd taken time to soak in the heat of the shower in the luxuriously appointed bathroom before dressing again, to become the ideal woman he sought. Vanessa wondered if tonight would be a night Martin Guice would never forget.

Lex Luthor has posed:
Lex stepped out of the Limo (Mercy and Hope right behind him) and went right into the apartment complex. Effectively owning the building just under an hour ago, the front desk buzzes him in... and then gives him the key for Martin's penthouse button in the elevator. The Amazonians behind him give the man behind the counter a glance over before they join their boss in the elevator.

It takes less than ten seconds for the 'ding' to be heard as the elevator opens into the penthouse, and the voice of Lex can be heard speaking up into the main room.

"Mr. Guice. We have business to discuss." Lex stays in the elevator while Mercy and Hope begin to walk out into the room, doing a sweep of their own.

The man would no doubt be hostile, given he'll probably think there's a trespasser in his home.

Copycat has posed:
Martin Guice is reclining on a couch, having put on a plush white robe and pulled out a tablet to check his email and look in on the foreign markets. His email lacking any warnings of the shift in power going on at Allied Consolidated suggested just how efficient Lex Luthor's maneuvering had been. Martin's thoughts were just beginning to drift back towards how he planned to spend the rest of his night - the woman should be done with her shower soon, he thought - when the voice calling out caused Martin to sit upright and bolt to his feet.

"What are you doing coming in here," he says as he manages a barefooted stomp towards the entryway to the luxuriously decorated penthouse. Little was spared in decorating it, all at the company's expense of course. The sight of Hope and Mercy entering and confirming there is no security present gets a slightly confused look that for a moment starts to turn suggestive at the sight of the two women. But then he catches sight of Lex Luthor in the elevator.

"Luthor, this is trespassing. You'd better have a damn good reason for being here or I'll love seeing in the Bugle tomorrow how you had to be forcibly removed by the police," Martin says, crossing his arms over his chest.

Lex Luthor has posed:
"To think I once considered you for subsidiary personnel. It's amusing, how little you keep track of your resources." Lex muses a bit as he steps into the penthouse proper. Mercy and Hope both get directly in the way of Martin silently; an unsubtle warning to not try to intercept Lex as he starts toward a chair, and sits.

His hands go to his lap and fold on themselves as he looks to Martin. "If you were as savvy at business as you should be, you'd know that actively /crossing/ me is a universally bad idea." Lex gestures around with a hand, before it slips back into his lap. "This is mine now. Your shareholders have been convinced to throw in with me, and the board has voted you out. You no longer have controlling shares over the company. I do."

Lex leans forward, "Now... if you were any other opponent, this is where I'd offer to buy you out or fold you into LexCorp in some fashion... but you're going to need to become an example of how not to negotiate with me."

Copycat has posed:
Martin's face gets red, livid with anger as Lex casually takes a seat in Martin's home. And worse, as two women prevent him from bodily confronting Lex over it. The two female bodyguards are surprisingly effective at keeping Martin back, until he stops trying rather than have it make him look worse than he does.

He stands with an expression of disbelief. "You're full of it," he says, going over to his tablet and pulling it up. The notifications, timed to reinforce Lex's arrival, are waiting there in Martin's inbox.

The CEO, or former CEO, stands in stunned disbelief. "You... you can't do this," he contests while his mind stumbles to try to catch up with events. "This isn't, you couldn't have. Martha wouldn't have sold. Jonathan wouldn't have sold," he says angrily as he mentally does a headcount of where the stocks would have to have come from for Lex to obtain a majority.

Meanwhile, within the bathroom, Vanessa Carlysle has finished making her appearance just right. She pauses with her hand on the door as he hears men's voices. It gives her pause. Did Martin invite friends over? It wouldn't be the first time that had happened to her without notice. Well, if he did, Vanessa would make sure to get paid more than they'd agreed to. Though tonight would go a long way towards the fines, it still wouldn't be enough.

Putting on an expression of serene calm, Vanessa emerges into the room where Lex is sitting and Martin is looking back and forth between his tablet and Lex. "Good evening," she says in a soft, pleasant voice. Her large, sloe eyes take in the sight of Mercy and Hope, then Lex, lingering there a moment, before finally looking to Martin. "Company?" she asks him as she walks forward with a beauty and an elegance capable of drawing eyes in the best of times.

Lex Luthor has posed:
Lex doesn't even look at Vanessa. One hand goes up in a 'silence' gesture. The man is apparently used to having control of the situation. "I'll be right with you." Lex informs Vanessa.

As Martin finishes checking his notifications, "It's been in the works for a while now. When you contested me actively, you sealed your fate." Lex informs him. "I'm going to give you to the end of tomorrow night to get your affairs in order to leave... but this penthouse is mine. Completely." Lex smirks to Martin, a hint of vengeful pleasure there, "This was /all/ on company funds... nothing personally bought... which means nothing in here is yours anymore." With that, Lex stands, his business suit straightened, and Lex brings his hands behind his back as he walks over to Vanessa.

He makes no attempt to hide his ogling as he looks her up and down, "Greetings. My name is Lex Luthor. You must be Ms. Carlysle."

Copycat has posed:
The brunette falls silent readily enough, and pauses where she is, out of the way of the two men. Martin is futilely thumbing through his tablet, looking for some respite. Only finding more confirmation, before finally he just sets the tablet down heavily on the coffee table.

"Lex, you can't do this to me. I built this company up. I... I'm sorry I opposed LexCorp's involvement on those contracts. Surely we can work this out?" Martin asks.

Vanessa's eyes are drawn back to Lex the moment he rises and walks over to her. The briefest glance towards Martin is enough for the young woman to confirm the dynamic in the room.

The revealing outfit that before gave Vanessa a feeling of control in how it affected Martin, now only leaves her feeling exposed. Aware of just how much of her navel, shoulders, cleavage and legs the garment bares. Nothing personally bought. Vanessa can guess that statement extends to herself.

Though her demeanor maintains that elegant calm even if she feels butterflies. "Yes, I am, Mr. Luthor," Vanessa replies to Lex. There is a brief lowering of her eyes before him before her gaze lifts back up to him.

Lex Luthor has posed:
"I can, and I have." Lex informs Martin as he watches Vanessa. Vanessa, for her part, can easily tell Lex is studying her as he stands there, speaking to Martin as he looks at her. "You have two options. Sell your shares to me and be bought completely out of the company and start over with the wisdom to never cross Lex Luthor again... or you can hold onto your shares and wait for hell to freeze over to get any money back, since I shut down all operations immediately and have extended offers to the remaining shareholders for buyouts. You will never do business with Allied Consolidated, ever again."

Then, his tone changes as he smiles; the subtle shift implies Lex is speaking to Vanessa, now. "You being here makes this easier." Lex looks Vanessa over once more, his eyes lingering briefly on her breasts, before Lex looks to her eyes. "Interesting." Lex offhandedly states, as if some fact was confirmed for him. "Martin here will obviously not be able to take advantage of his night."

Lex turns his head to Hope. "Get him out of here. He doesn't own anything in here now, anyway." That said, Lex turns his head back to Vanessa, "You're all dressed up... but you haven't even begun to realize your potential." Lex smiles to her, "Such a waste. Eddie didn't have a clue how to navigate these waters... but I do." Lex offers his hand, "I will pay you twice what Martin was going to give you, and show you the real world, if you're interested."

Copycat has posed:
Martin Guice's body language is one of defeat, though tension and anger as well. But he has enough sense to keep his anger restrained, realizing what was done to him, likely suspecting what worse could be done. He'll end up taking the buyout, though will first will try to reconcile, expressing his admiration for how Lex played him. After all, Lex did see something in the man.

But that will happen later as the bodyguard begins to usher Martin out of the penthouse that now belongs to Lex, along with all it contains.

Vanessa stands before him, eyes lowered slightly as the man takes the measure of her. His initial words bring a flushed pleasure to her cheeks and she lifts her eyes back to Lex. It turns out to be a deeper reckoning than Vanessa would have ever suspected. The mention of Eddie makes Vanessa's beautifully serene look give way to shocked surprise.

She is quick to recover though, looking from Lex to the offered hand. Her exotic eyes lift back to Lex's as she responds. Her gesture places far more of herself in Lex's hand than just her fingers that curl about his palm.