Often, things don't develop in the direction you expect; they are constantly derailed for various reasons.
Luke's purpose in sending Charlie to woo Melissa was to control that connection, paving the way for the future. Yet, while Charlie succeeded in getting the girl, he also got himself tied down.
Was this a gain or a loss? It was hard to say.
"Are you serious?" Luke asked.
Charlie nodded solemnly.
"I truly love her and want to be with her forever."
"Alright, then!"
What else could Luke say? He raised his glass.
"I wish you both happiness."
"Thank you, boss."
Charlie drank half his red wine. After a moment's hesitation, and at his girlfriend's urging, he whispered,
"Uh, I'd like to ask for a few more days off. It's Lisa's first time in Metropolis, and I want to show her around."
Luke: "..."
As the boss, when your subordinate and best friend asks for time off right in front of his girlfriend, can you refuse? Of course not. Not only can you not refuse, but you must appear generous.
"Is ten days enough? If not, take twenty."
"No, no need."
Charlie quickly waved his hands. "Seven days is plenty."
"Seven days! Isn't that too little?"
Luke lifted his empty glass, his smile full of hidden meaning.
"No, not little. Not little at all."
Charlie gave a wry smile. When his girlfriend wasn't looking, he shot Luke a pleading look, but Luke just shook his head and said no more.
The meal was incredibly awkward.
Luke spoke very little, and Linda Danvers was silent as gold; anyone who didn't know her might have thought she was mute.
The Job Interview
After they finished eating and drinking, Melissa nudged Charlie with her foot. Charlie grimaced and said awkwardly,
"Boss, have you found a suitable candidate for the Executive Assistant position yet?"
Luke put down his napkin and said flatly, "Why do you ask?"
Charlie stammered, unsure how to explain, so Melissa stepped in.
"It's like this: my good friend, Linda Danvers, the lady sitting across from you, is a top student from Stanford University. She's fluent in many languages and has outstanding abilities. She's on a break from school for personal reasons and is temporarily living in Metropolis. I just wanted to ask Mr. Shaw for a favor and give her a job."
Linda Danvers hadn't expected her friend to apply for a job on her behalf. Her face was slightly embarrassed, but her heart was touched.
To be honest, she didn't care about the Executive Assistant position at all. She had only applied for jobs initially because her life was too boring.
Metropolis had tens of millions of people, yet she didn't know a single person. In a place that felt foreign, she was living like a ghost.
When her money ran out, she would go "borrow" from thugs and lowlifes. She didn't borrow much, just enough to sustain herself.
She had lived aimlessly for over ten days, still unable to find her cousin, Kal-El. Several times, she even entertained the evil idea of committing a crime to draw out Superman.
Melissa continued,
"Mr. Shaw..."
"Just call me Luke."
"Okay, Luke."
"Please seriously consider this. Linda absolutely won't disappoint you."
Luke remained silent. He truly needed to consider this carefully.
As a boss, who wouldn't want a secretary who was talented, good-looking, and capable of fighting? Someone who could be a nanny in normal times, a bodyguard in critical moments, and even warm his bed in special circumstances. The problem was that Linda Danvers was too tough.
Super strength, super speed, super hearing, super vision...
She was the ultimate evolution of a She-Hulk. It would be impossible to do anything shady in front of her.
As for warming his bed, forget it. She was a heap of steel, not a person. Who would want to sleep hugging a lump of iron?
Charlie nudged his boss nervously.
"I think she has the ability to handle it."
Luke ignored him. His eyes swept over the indifferent face of Linda Danvers. After a few seconds of silence, he spoke.
"The Executive Assistant position is very important. It's the bridge for communication. It requires not only powerful personal ability but also a certain level of communication skill. I'm sorry, I don't see that in you."
Hearing this, Melissa's eyes instantly dimmed.
Charlie shrugged. He had done all he could; there was nothing he could do if the boss didn't agree.
Linda Danvers lifted her head, gave Luke a cold stare, picked up a table knife, and casually tossed it.
BANG!
A sound like a sonic boom exploded in their ears. A flash of light passed, and the wall looked as if it had been struck by an artillery shell. There was an arm-sized circular hole, surrounded by cracks.
Charlie gasped, utterly stunned.
Melissa also had her mouth wide open.
Only Luke remained relatively composed. Teenage girls in their rebellious phase couldn't be understood with normal thinking.
The commotion drew a lot of attention. Unable to continue their meal, Luke stood up and invited,
"Miss Danvers, are you interested in enjoying the night view of Metropolis with me?"
"Sure."
Linda didn't refuse, accepting readily.
The two left the restaurant one after the other and strolled casually down the street.
The restaurant wasn't far from the coastline. The sea, reflecting the city lights, had a unique beauty, but Linda wasn't interested. She glanced at it twice and withdrew her gaze.
She didn't like Earth at all. Its civilization was too "low." It lacked even the most basic projection technology, let alone advanced mass-energy conversion.
Earthlings were strange, too. They practiced supposed democratic politics, advocated civil rights, and promoted civil rule, yet they refused to fix the inherent flaws in their system. And things like racism, terrorism, feminism, and religious beliefs were unnecessary.
The only thing in the entire world that held her interest was food.
On Krypton, food was rationed—a black liquid that provided all the nutrients the body needed but had no taste. In her decade-plus life on Krypton, she had never experienced the taste of "sweetness."
Everything changed when she came to Earth.
Sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, salty—various magical flavors combined to create the ultimate culinary experience for her taste buds.
As they walked, the two came to a Spanish barbecue shop.
She loved food and wanted to taste everything on Earth.
Tender lamb legs, roasted to a golden brown over charcoal, were paired with spicy sauce and pepper, emitting an irresistible aroma.
Luke smiled. "Want to order something?"
"I don't have any money."
"My treat."
"Thank you."
Linda walked into the restaurant first and ordered two plates of roasted lamb legs and two servings of Spanish gazpacho.
The atmosphere in the restaurant was lively, but Linda felt bored. She glanced left and right, finally settling her gaze on Luke.
"You've been secretly observing me this whole time. Are you interested in me?"
Luke paused, then shook his head with a laugh.
"You're thinking too much. I was just considering whether or not to give you the Executive Assistant job."
Linda shrugged. "Honestly, I don't want that job."
"I can tell. You're not interested in the job, and you're not interested in anything around you. Your power is immense, but your eyes are empty, and you occasionally look lost, like a soulless shell."
Linda narrowed her eyes.
"I don't like the word 'shell.'"
"The facts are right there; it has nothing to do with whether you like it or not."
The girl's breathing became ragged. Crunch! She crumpled her dinner fork into a noodle shape.
Violent and rebellious. A human-shaped She-Hulk!
Luke sighed internally and said,
"You want to hit me."
Linda curled her lips into a smile, her eyes full of malice. "Are you ready to beg for mercy?"
Luke lifted his head and said expressionlessly,
"When it comes to fighting, a thousand of me wouldn't be your match. But, I can kill you."
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