Lois & Clark Forums Forums Fan Fiction Lois & Clark Fanfic On the Long Way Down (6/65)

Chapter 6:

When Nigel St. John made his way up to Lex Luthor's main office Monday morning, he was caught off guard by the state it was left in. Papers were strewn about the room, scattered across desks and tables in a seemingly chaotic manner, despite the fact that Nigel knew Lex always had some sort of system in place. In fact, normally the man was quite the neat nick. He wondered what was going on for him to break out such chaos. Casually, he leafed through some of the papers closest to him, skimming the documents to see what they were about. Something to do with the contracts between LNN and LuthorCorp.

Seeing the name there surprised Nigel. In the twenty-some-odd years since Lex had taken over his deceased father's company, he had done absolutely everything he could to distance himself from the name that haunted him. Even went so far as to rebrand the entire company to "LexCorp" instead, which frankly had a better ring to it. The reasons behind the change was never made apparent to Nigel, nor to many others he assumed. The one time he had asked, Lex had so quickly rebuffed him that he dared not ask again. His exact words were to this day clearly ingrained in his mind.

"Nigel, you're a good man. That's why I'll give you a pass on this one. But if you ever bring up my father again, you'll be out of a job and I'll make damn sure you won't find another. All you need to know is that I was orphaned at 14 and that's that. Do we understand each other?"

Nigel had hastily agreed, surprised at the turn in character of his boss. Lex wasn't a scary man in general— which was why he did so well at business, he was quite charming— but in that moment Nigel had seen a different side to the man, and it wasn't something he wanted to see again. It was only a few months later that he was approached by Mr. Kent with his particular job offer. It had been a surprise, but his curiosity and— to be frank— greed got the better of him and he'd readily accepted. Nigel found he'd missed the spy's life, and here was Mr. Kent, offering it back to him with quite a cush income to boot. His personal feelings and alliances didn't matter— he had a job to do.

Clark Kent himself was another matter entirely. He couldn't even begin to analyze that man— his motives were unclear, but there was always one goal in mind— destroy Lex Luthor in every capacity and with any means possible. He didn't dare ask. Whatever information he could glean was good enough for Nigel. Unlike Lex, Mr. Kent was a cold, ruthless, cut-throat shark in everything he did. He could put on the veneer of the suave, charming businessman, but even then something just felt a little off at times. There were cracks in his armor, to be sure, but they were not easy to find. Nigel had known the man for a little over five years now, and yet the most personal detail he knew about Clark Kent was that his father died when he was a younger man.

A fact that the two men had in common, Nigel mused.

Regardless of Mr. Kent's feelings on the matter, Lex had single-handedly turned the company around and made it the conglomerate it was today. If nothing else, Lex Luthor was a quite impressive businessman.

Speaking of which, where was that man? "Sir? Mr. Luthor?"

"Just a minute, Nigel!" Lex knocked his head against the file drawer he was rummaging through and bit back a mild curse at the pain. He rubbed his scalp soothingly for a moment before pulling out the paper he needed. He grinned broadly as he read over the terms, and leapt to his feet to go share with Nigel the good news.

"Take a look at this!" He thrust the paper directly under his more-than-butler's nose with a grin as he went to fetch another small stack of papers from his desk and place them into a folder.

Nigel frowned as he looked over the words on the page. "I don't understand, sir. Why are you showing me the legal terms of your media contract with LNN?"

"Read the fourth paragraph from the bottom for me."

Nigel's quizzical expression only deepened as he read the words. "Something about the media outlet not being considered a conglomerate until it is evidenced that more than fifty percent of the competition is owned by the same company—"

"—Or that said one company owns the rights to multiple competitors in the same market. And, I checked with legal, and LNN is considered an entirely different market from the newspaper business."

Nigel's surprise showed easily on his face, a rare sight. "Newspaper, sir?"

Lex grinned as he walked up and took the paper from his hands and slipped it into the folder he held. "Nigel, I'm going to let you in on a little secret. The Daily Planet is going under. Advertisers have been dropping them left and right. So I've decided to purchase the establishment myself."

Nigel felt his mouth go dry, but tried not to let any of his fear show on his face. Mr. Kent would not be pleased if he found out that Lex had beaten him to the punch. Not at all. He swallowed. "B-But sir! If the paper's doing so poorly, then why make the purchase? Surely you can see how much of a risk that kind of investment would be."

Lex smiled patronizingly at the man. "Now Nigel, I know you know how deep my pockets are. And I'm not doing it for a return on my investment— although, I must say I'm not against the idea." he smirked before turning to walk to his desk once more. "No, I'm afraid my intentions are a bit more noble than that this time around."

It clicked in Nigel's brain what he was talking about. "Lois Lane."

The look that occupied Lex's face at the mention of her name could only be described as complete adoration. He really had it bad for that girl. "Yeah. Miss Lane. She told me at dinner on Friday that they've been worried about the Planet going under for a little while now, and I suggested to bail them out a bit. I've spent the whole weekend looking into my finances and the finer print of any contract that might get in my way. I think she'll definitely appreciate the gesture."

Nigel couldn't help but roll his eyes at that one. How could the third richest businessman in the world possibly be so naive as to believe Lois Lane had any feelings for him? Nigel had met her on many occasions, and while she was an excellent reporter, and a very beautiful woman, she was clearly not enamoured with the illustrious Lex Luthor. He wouldn't be surprised to learn if she was simply using the man this whole time, though they did seem to get along well. They were similar people, had similar interests and concerns.

But no way in hell would Lois Lane ever marry Lex Luthor.

It was just a pity that his boss couldn't see that.

Lex turned back around with a smile and offered the file to Nigel. "Here. Would you mind making the appropriate phone calls to get started on this? I already filled out most of the legal paperwork, besides the actual purchasing agreement. If I could get a copy of that sooner than later, that'd be great."

Nigel realized the ball was in his court and he smiled. "Of course. How soon would you like this done by?"

"Tonight, if possible."

The look in Lex's eyes was so eager and hopeful that it practically took ten years off his face. He almost hated having to do this to him, lying to his face. But he had a job to do, and he was being generously paid to do it. So he smiled and nodded. "Of course. I'll get right on that."

Lex dismissed him happily, and Nigel walked briskly out of his office and towards the stairwell. Once inside and a few floors down, Nigel pulled out his cell and made a call to the real Boss.

*****LnC*****

Clark's phone rang and he excused himself from the blonde secretary's side with a charming grin. She giggled and waved him off. Clark managed to keep from rolling his eyes until after he had turned away. "Hello?"

"Sir, we have a problem."

Clark sighed. There was always a problem. "What now?"

"It's Mr. Luthor. Somehow, he knows the Daily Planet is going under and he wants to breathe new life into it. He's already got me starting on the paperwork and wants me to call the owners to make them an offer."

Clark clenched his jaw and ran a hand through his hair. "Let me guess— Lois?" Nigel's lack of response confirmed the fact for him. He sighed. "All right. Do you know his number?"

"It says here that Lex is prepared to offer $1.5 million to Mr. Edge, but if he should demand to go higher, he made it clear he is willing to offer $2.5 million easily."

Clark felt a muscle in his jaw twitch in irritation. Damn. He'd been hoping to offer $2 mil flat. He breathed in deeply, trying to calm himself. It was no problem. He could go higher— he'd anticipated that he might need to, but he didn't think it would be because of Lex Luthor. Finally, he released his breath that he'd been holding and spoke in a quiet tone. "Just... hold off on your call for a little while. Stall. I'm going into this meeting with Mr. Edge in a few moments. Let me try for the contract, then you can do your thing. Tell him that it was simply too late and he had already been beaten to the punch for it. Then, even if he calls himself, he'll know it's true and you're not at fault. Understand?"

"Perfectly, sir."

"Good."

Clark immediately hung up the phone and fixed a smile on to his face before returning to follow the secretary in. "Sorry for the interruption. Someone's got to keep the company running."

She giggled again, and the sound grated on his ears. "No problem, Mr. Kent. Mr. Edge will see you now."

She led him through the mahogany double doors into the office of one Morgan Edge, who stood from his plush chair to greet him. He spoke through the cigar hanging out the side of his mouth. "The one and only Mr. Clark Kent! It's quite an honor to meet you, sir!"

Clark kept up his smile in spite of the man's somewhat greasy handshake. "The pleasure is all mine, I can assure you."

The short man guffawed, and Clark could not keep from wrinkling his nose slightly in distaste, before ultimately returning to his smooth expression. Morgan Edge was about as skeevy as they came. He was a low man on the totem pole who thought he could play with the big dogs— with all his inherited money. He probably spent more on his small-time parties and drugs than he ever put into the Planet— a testament to the Daily Planet's ability to stand on its own two feet. Hell, if it weren't for the fact that Clark himself had been messing with their numbers and advertisers, he was certain the business would continue to do very well for itself. A good sign for his investment, if nothing else.

"Please, please— have a seat. Relax." He puttered around to the other side of his desk as Clark sat and pulled out a second cigar to offer to his guest. "Cigar?"

Clark declined. "I never smoke before a contract is drawn up. I might take up your offer later, if all goes well."

Edge laughed loudly again, before realizing the man before him was dead serious. He quickly clamped it down and swallowed, putting out his own smoke. "So, uh, Mr. Kent. Let's get down to business, shall we? What exactly is it that you're here for?"

Clark did not hesitate with his answer. "I'm not going to beat around the bush, Mr. Edge. I'm here to purchase the Daily Planet from you. I know it's in trouble, I know your advertisers are dropping like flies. Circulation has been at a low— nothing's been going right for you there. I have deep pockets, I'm looking to establish more of a public presence, and frankly, I think I could do a better job running it."

The owner laughed nervously and tugged at his collar. "Wha-what makes you think all that?"

"Because I know business, Mr. Edge," Clark leaned slightly forward, using his height and build to slightly intimidate the smaller man across the desk from him. "I may not know everything there is to know about newspapers, but I know enough about how to stay out of the media in order to figure out what ends up in it. I'm a businessman. I know that for everything to start slipping through the cracks like this with your hands on it is bad news. I respect the Daily Planet. Letting it fail is not an option, and in spite of your seeming incompetence, you know that if you don't sell now, you won't get a cent for it. You'll lose money on it. And you have to be a smarter man than that."

The look on Morgan Edge's face was a mixture of offense and fear. He looked ready to speak when Clark jumped in again.

"Let me just finish. Now, I know that isn't what you want. It's not what I want either. All I want is to make a good, solid purchase that's not undermined by the fact that it almost went under. And all you want is to get out of it with some money. I think I'm prepared to make an offer that would suit us both."

The outrage on the man's face was slowly replaced with curiosity and a sort of hesitance. "What sort of offer?"

"Three point five," Clark spoke coolly, leaning back in his seat in a casual manner— or as casual as was possible when one was talking in millions.

He looked on as the number seemed to sink in with the current Daily Planet owner. It was quite a large chunk of change, but he knew it was still a low-ball offer. He was prepared to go up, if he had to, but Clark knew he controlled the game here. He just needed the paperwork all done and ready to go.

He refused to lose out to Luthor on this.

Morgan suddenly looked weary and defeated. He looked up at Clark, who gave him a quick smile but seemed to be waiting patiently. "I can't possibly accept less than four."

Clark clicked his tongue. "You are aware that my offer is the best you are going to get? I have it on good authority that whatever offer might come your way after mine is not going to be as good."

"Mr. Kent— I'm already taking on a loss. Four million is my number, and that's final."

Clark stonily stared Morgan down and the man squirmed in his seat. He knew he would break and take his offer as-is if he just held out long enough. But he wasn't there to make an enemy today. So finally, deciding, Clark grinned and outstretched his hand. "Four it is then. Draw me up the paperwork and I'll have it signed here and now. I'd like this deal over with as quickly as possible."

Almost disbelieving, Morgan Edge shook the elusive Clark Kent's hand loosely. "Thank you, sir. I'll get legal on it right away, if you wouldn't mind waiting a little?"

Clark threw his hands up. "Don't mind me. I've got to make a few phone calls myself. I'll be back around one this afternoon?"

"Sounds perfect," Edge smiled a fake smile, eyes widening at the rush of a deadline upon him.

"Swell. I'll see you then."

*****LnC*****

Lex pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. It was a rare occasion when Nigel St. John got under his skin so badly, but today was definitely one of those days. He didn't think he could handle another thing going wrong.

"Sir?" Nigel's voice broke the silence that had descended upon the room after he broke the news in the first place.

Lex sighed heavily before speaking. "How? How could someone have bought it already?"

"I'm sorry, sir, but as soon as I called the secretary informed me that the new owner was signing over the paperwork at that exact moment. I even asked to speak with Mr. Edge himself— but he was unavailable."

"How could he be unavailable?" Lex cried out, launching from his seat to pace back and forth across the room. "He owns the place! When someone with a name like Lex Luthor calls, you don't just let the secretary get it!"

"Apparently, he was doing, ah, paperwork as well."

Lex bit his tongue to keep any further angry words from escaping his mouth. He hated himself when he got angry like this— like his father. Lex had done his best throughout his whole life to do the opposite of what Lionel Luthor would have done, but some things were just hereditary. Overreacting in stressful situations had to be one of them. Fortunately, he managed to control himself ninety percent of the time. Lex took a few calming breaths before asking another question. "Who bought it? For how much?"

Nigel hesitated to answer a moment to collect himself. "I don't know what the total was, but I know when I offered our numbers up, they practically laughed me off the phone line."

That irked him. Lex felt his right eye start to twitch and brought his fingers up to press gently against his lower eyelid. It was a quirk he'd had ever since he was a kid, probably from the trauma of his father's drinking problems and abuse. He couldn't remember quite when it started, but every time it started up again it was an irritating reminder of the past. He pressed his lips together in a tight line. "Who was it, Nigel?"

He hesitated again and Lex had to fight to keep his blood pressure down. "A Mr. Clark Kent, sir."

Lex thought about that name long and hard for a while. He knew it, but he couldn't for the life of him figure out how. "And who is this Mr. Kent?"

"You've heard of a company called CK Enterprises?"

Lex froze. They were LexCorp's biggest competition— owned about a third of Metropolis real estate, running several large companies and subsidiaries, always seeming just a step or two behind.

Apparently they weren't so behind anymore.

So that must have been where he knew the name Clark Kent. Huh. Strange. He hadn't thought so, but then again—

"Wait a minute, Nigel. This, uh, CK guy. I thought he liked to stay out of the spotlight. Nobody's ever even gotten a good glimpse of him besides his glasses. You're sure this is the same guy?"

Nigel shrugged his shoulders slightly. "Who else could afford to pretend to be someone like Clark Kent?"

Lex bit his lip and returned to his earlier pacing. What did Clark Kent want with the Daily Planet? It did little for him— besides, if he wanted to stay out of the media so badly, buying a media outlet was not step number one. Perhaps he thought he could control it some? Personally, Lex didn't understand the move.

Unless he was sick of the anonymity.

Lex considered it, before quickly disregarding it. No, if the recluse of a billionaire decided to come out hiding, it was not just on a whim. There was something more he wanted to accomplish with this reveal. Men like them didn't just do things without having some sort of motive.

"Sir, if I may, isn't this still good news? I thought the goal was to keep the Daily Planet in business for Miss Lane?"

Nigel's statement gave him pause. Was her happiness his only motive? No, he supposed not. He wanted the chance to impress her, come storming into the bullpen and announcing his newest acquisition— like a knight in shining armor, coming to her rescue. Of course, he'd also get to spend more time with her in this period of transition. That was another plus.

But those were things he couldn't acknowledge, least of which to Nigel. So instead Lex smiled and nodded. "You're right. I'm just happy that they stay in business for her. She'd go crazy if she didn't have the Planet." He felt his eye start twitching again and quickly dismissed him. "That'll be all, Nigel, thank you for all your work on this one."

"Of course, sir," Nigel nodded and made his exit.

Once he left, Lex slumped down into his chair and pressed two fingers against his eye socket once again. He then pushed a button that called for Asabi. The man entered almost instantaneously. "Asabi, I think it's time for my tea. And maybe a banana too, for today."

Asabi inclined his head, and returned quickly with the requested items. "Stressful day today, sir?"

Lex nodded as he stirred his ginger honey tea gently. "Exceptionally so, Asabi. And I have a bad feeling that's not going to change any time soon."