Disclaimer: I do not own Smallville. Sad, I know.

Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews, guys. Here's the second chapter. Hope you enjoy it. Keep those reviews coming. On with the story…

Two: Three Months Ago I

To my Biology teacher…

Sorry cos I'm writing this when I'm supposed to do my Biology paper…

Darn!

She cursed under her breath when she saw the two pairs of eyes looking directly at her hiding spot behind the boxes. Chloe glared at her heels for causing too much noise.

She immediately calculated all the consequences. She has two thugs coming directly at her, another four thugs outside the warehouse, two thugs at the entrance, and another six upstairs accompanying the two businessmen that she was spying on.

Oh, right, Sullivan! Don't forget the guns.

Chloe winced at the sigh of the black gun they each carried behind them, all of it equipped with silencer.

Pfft! Typical thugs.

She could hear Lex's familiar laugh from upstairs, as if mocking her. He was so faking it. Knowing the Luthor he is, he was not likely to laugh unless it benefits him.

Stupid, evil maniac obsessed with psychologically-challenged meteor-freaks!

She cursed him none less. She bit her lips as she weighed her options.

What to do? What to do? Ah! To hell with it.

Lex's two well-built security guard were about to reach for the boxes when Chloe pushed it at them. The boxes crashed on top of them, gaining cries of pain from the two hooligans, now lying flat on the ground, and also gaining the attention of the rest of 'The Luthor Bunch'.

She heard footsteps coming after her as she headed outside as fast as she could. Then, there it was.

BANG!

About time, boys.

Chloe attempted to calm herself. It was their first attempt to shoot her down. And, it was followed by several others, all which she had clumsily evaded.

"Don't shoot her, damnit!" Lex's angry voice was heard among the shots and silence enveloped the night again.

All she could hear now was her footsteps and her annoyingly loud heartbeat. Then, it hit her. It was her footsteps only. She threw a look over her shoulder and saw no one. She froze in her tracks and panted.

"Thank you God." Chloe muttered as she gasped for air.

She turned around and started to jog again, heading for her car, before a pair of very strong hands grabbed her waist and her body crashed into another body; solid, rigid, and familiarly tense.

"Hello, Sullivan."

Chloe choked as her eyes went wide.

"ARKH!! Lemme go, lemme go!" She screamed and kicked as Lex pushed her back towards the warehouse.

She continued to kick and scream, as usual, as Lex's boys tied her up against a pole. Just to show their stupidity, the last thing they did was duct-taped her mouth. They should have done that earlier, considering the 'noise pollution' she was producing.

"Ah… That's better." Lex muttered as he massaged his temple lightly.

Chloe said something under the triple-layered duct tape.

"Sorry, what was that again?" Lex teased and his men broke into a laugh.

Lex shot them the typical Luthor death glare and their laughter came to a sudden halt.

Two well-built men appeared out of nowhere carrying a bag and a stack of papers.

Isn't that my…

Chloe's mind raced with worried thoughts when she recognized her laptop bag and her research papers on this case.

"We found her car at the junction, sir. I've asked some of the men to take care of the car. And these are some things that I thought you might be interested in." The taller of the two men handed over the papers to him.

Now, how was she going to explain to Perry that she lost another company car?

Chloe continued to scream and curse audibly under the duct-tape.

"Looks like Miss Sullivan here did her homework, A+. Destroy the papers," Lex glanced at her mischievously, "And the laptop." And he earned more cursing from her.

"Make sure you clean up after that." Lex ordered and the two men walked away.

Lex turned to her and placed his hands in his pockets. There was a smirk and a sign of amusement in his eyes.

Bastard.

"You know Chloe. I've always admired your ability to snoop around and discover things you're not supposed to discover. Those kinds of traits are highly desired in my business." Lex began.

Chloe continued to glare.

"Look, Sullivan. I'm doing what I should have done years ago."

And with that, he took off, wait, scratch that, he tore off the duct tape from her mouth.

"ARKH!" Her scream broke the silence of the night.

"We made a great team, Sullivan. You and I."

She knew what he was referring to.

"Bite my ass, Luthor." She said in mock amusement.

"Now, now. Don't be rude. Look, Chloe. We both knew you never got what you deserved. Lois got that spot at work that you thought you'd get,"

He paused before he continued in disgust, "Lana got Clark, the boy of your fantasies for over a decade."

"Jimmy is cheating on you..." He was cut off by a glare from her.

"Oh, yes I knew. Wasn't hard to find out when there was a blonde going in and out of his building, and it's not you." Lex continued in a teasing tone.

"Come work with me, Chloe. And you will get everything you deserve. You want the Daily Planet, you'll get it. You want Jimmy, you'll get it. You want Clark… Now that one is excluded." Lex made his offer.

Lex closed the distance between her and leaned forward until their faces were inches apart. He looked into her eyes, daring her. Chloe closed and turned her head sideway.

"Everything, Sullivan. Everything you want in life." He whispered into her ears.

When he straightened himself, Chloe opened her eyes and looked at him again.

"And all you need to do is to be by my side." Lex finished his offer and waited for a response.

He waited, and waited. She was weighing his offer, he knew it. He knew it the moment she broke eye contact with him. She was torn. And she knew he was right.

"As tempting as that sounds, Luthor,"

Ah, here comes the snarky reporter. Lex mentally remarked.

"I will never betray Clark, Lana, Lois, Jimmy, and even Kara. They've been with me longer than you did, Lex. And they treat me way better than you do. Take now for example." She started.

"You, and your egocentric psycho-ass, can rot in Hell, as far as I'm concerned." She finished with the usual mockery.

Good going, Sullivan. Verbally smackdown the man that will decide whether you live or die.

Lex frowned at her remarks. The girl has absolutely no respect for him and completely disregards his authority over her life at that particular period.

And she shall pay for that.

Lex turned around and walked a few steps before he froze in his track.

"Dump her into the river. Destroy all evidence." He gave the final ultimatum and Chloe bit her lips.

Dead, she is so dead.