The familiar Star-Spangled Banner cape, the familiar blue and red suit and image—there was probably no one in the World who wouldn't recognize Homelander, and Becca certainly couldn't forget him.
"Oh, my son, what is your name?"
Seeing Ryan, Homelander was both surprised and delighted, completely ignoring her. He scooped Ryan up from the ground, looked into his eyes, and asked impatiently.
As soon as he learned of Becca and her son's whereabouts, he rushed over at the fastest possible speed.
"From now on, I will no longer be alone in this World. Although I have no parents, I have a son, I have a next generation."
He would have a dearest family member who would always love him and never betray him.
Looking at his son, Homelander's joy and the love that burst forth were instantly immeasurable.
"…"
But Ryan was frightened by the man who suddenly appeared and couldn't speak.
Homelander, who was intelligent, was very patient with his son. He tried to make his voice gentle, wanting to take things one step at a time.
"Do you know me?"
"Homelander."
Ryan replied blankly.
"Very good, you are actually…"
"Listen, you're scaring Ryan!"
Although she was afraid of Homelander, who had appeared after eight years, Becca, as a mother, could face anyone when it came to Ryan.
She angrily pulled away Homelander, who had suddenly appeared and wanted to continue. She told Ryan to play in the yard and led Homelander into the house, wanting to warn him not to scare Ryan.
But suddenly…
Inside the house, Homelander, who had been nonchalant, was drawn to a photo in a picture frame. He couldn't believe it and picked it up.
"Why is he here?!"
A familiar, hateful figure.
In the photo, Ron stood with a cold expression alongside Becca and her son, a man, a woman, and a child, like a family of three.
Although there was a significant age gap between Ron and Becca, Homelander, who liked older women, didn't notice anything amiss; everything seemed so harmonious.
"Who?"
Becca frowned.
"Ron, of course it's Ron!"
Clutching the photo frame, Homelander gritted his teeth and said irritably.
Ever since Ron appeared in his life, nothing had gone smoothly.
As a new member who had joined, he ignored Homelander, the Captain. After displaying his abilities, people all over the World annoyingly compared him to Homelander.
In the battle on the deserted island, Homelander was in a sorry state and failed to injure him. Afterwards, Ron caught him by the handle.
He was almost driven crazy by Ron.
"Ron?" She asked with a puzzled expression, trying to clarify.
"Yes, why is this son of a bitch here!"
His thoughts somewhat skewed, thinking he had been cuckolded, the emotional Homelander raised his head and loudly questioned Becca again.
He had always believed that Ron was a secret weapon created by Vought to deal with him if he lost control, and that Ron would even replace him if he became disobedient in the future.
But he never expected that Ron had already planned to start replacing him.
"…"
Hearing these words, Becca's face darkened.
…
A while later, in the room.
"You said Ron is my son?"
"Yes."
"He and Ryan are twins? He's the older brother, eight years old this year?"
"Yes."
Homelander was so angry he laughed. Eight years unseen, was this woman in front of him out of her mind?
"Becca, do you think I'll believe your nonsense?"
He pointed forcefully at Ron in the photo, who was a head taller than Becca.
"Look at the photo first before you speak. Is this eight years old?"
"Yes, although you might not believe it, he was as tall as me at six, and this tall at eight."
Becca replied expressionlessly, then tilted her head, feigning confusion as she sarcastically said,
"There are thousands of strange superhumans in this World. Even a monster like you, whose skin can't be penetrated by missiles, exists. Why don't you believe your freak son could be adult height at eight years old?"
Homelander's expression froze.
Becca didn't look like she was lying, but could Ron really be his son?
He found it hard to believe that the person who had recently patted his shoulder and threatened him, implying he should obediently be the other party's dog, was his son?
And only eight years old?
…
The door was closed.
Vought's CEO, Edgar, made a phone call, his tone unusually respectful, because on the other end was the true controller of Vought.
"Sir, Ron has completed that matter. Should we let him join the Board of Directors?"
"Go with your opinion. You don't need to ask me."
The low, mature voice on the other end of the phone was lazy, yet carried an air of condescending superiority, like a god speaking to mortals from above the clouds.
"Edgar, you have a clever mind and an unshakeable heart. You can handle many things for me."
On the other side, there were sounds of waves and people playing, as if it were a sunny beach. The person on the phone was leisurely enjoying life, lying on a lounge chair, taking a sip of wine, and slowly saying casually,
"I'm very confident leaving Vought for you to manage. You don't need to ask me about many things, as long as you don't let me run out of money."
"Thank you for your trust, Sir."
Edgar expressed his sincere gratitude, then remembered something and said seriously,
"Recently, the Vought family has been restless, conspiring with each other. They seem to want to send someone to join The Seven…"
"Vought was originally theirs after all. It's normal for them to be unwilling to barely survive on the Board of Directors."
The person on the other end of the phone remained completely unconcerned, as if he possessed an incredibly strong backing.
"But without your father, Sir, there would be no Vought."
Edgar listened and laughed.
"He was very grateful that Vought supported his research back then, so before he died, he didn't let me change Vought's name and always kept members of the Vought family on the Board of Directors.
However, hundreds of billions in equity, as long as I have enough money, I don't really care."
"Sir, if their goal is to win over Homelander or Ron…"
"Vogelbaum was indeed a genius, who fortunately created Homelander, but he is still far from my father."
"Homelander is nothing more than a deformed child, with one leg longer than the other.
He thinks he is a god, ridiculous!
"True gods, besides having powerful bodies, should be omnipresent, able to perceive the thoughts of every mortal, and control every person.
In this regard, he is no different from ordinary mortals."
"That Ron is the same."
"Yes, Sir."
Edgar lowered his head, even more respectful.
Because when that last sentence was spoken, the voice not only sounded on the phone but also in his mind.
…
Three days later, in the newly established office of the Honorary President of Vought.
Behind the luxurious and understated desk, Ron sat expressionless, looking out at the high-rise buildings beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows, calculating things.
"The so-called Honorary President, his authority only extends to being able to command the Vice President."
He was not pleased at all, but rather disappointed.
His power was greater than before; he could directly order Madeline, and theoretically, his status was not below Edgar.
But this was not what he wanted.
Vought's senior management and Edgar had no intention of letting him access Vought's deepest secrets.
Ability points: 246,000.
He was less than 100,000 points away from obtaining Homelander's physique.
"Two days have passed since the plane crash. Maeve's emotions have fermented enough; it's time."
"Changing her destiny will make up for the last missing piece."
A cold smile played on his lips as he slowly stood up, preparing to go find Maeve, who was being tormented by guilt.
But suddenly the door opened.
The person who entered wore a blue suit and a Star-Spangled Banner cape. Homelander walked in with complex emotions.
"Ron, do you know…"
"Call me President."
Ron interrupted him expressionlessly and unceremoniously, pointing to the nameplate on the desk.