We're indulging in a bit of Hollywood liberties for this one.
[][][]
Peyton pushed her shopping cart down the grocery store aisles as she tried to decide what to make for dinner. She could have the chef take care of everything, but she didn't feel settled with that idea. It was a family dinner, not a function, and it went against her memories to make such a gathering so sterile.
She put a couple bundles of asparagus in her cart, as well as a few add-ins for a salad. They still had the fresh produce from the Kent farm, so she didn't need to buy any. When she wandered over to the butcher she had to remind herself that prices didn't really matter to her and settled on steaks. It still struck her as jarring sometimes.
She was rich.
She'd always been rich, but she hadn't.
Peyton rubbed between her eyes; sometimes the clashes in what she knew hit her more obviously than others. It was always so unsettling because both truths felt so distinctly embedded in her. Inherent. Sometimes, more often now, it felt like she'd lived both.
Peyton noticed another cart heading down the aisle toward her and moved to scoot her own out of the way.
"Oh, Peyton, hello!"
She actually looked at the person pushing the cart and the man made eye contact, she instantly recognized him.
"Gabe, hi, how are you doing?"
She hadn't seen Gabe Sullivan since the incident at the plant, but Lex had only said positive things about him, if he mentioned Gabe at all.
"Great, thank you. Chloe and I are just doing our weekly shopping. She insists on coming so I don't buy anything 'unhealthy'."
He used air quotes and rolled his eyes in jest and Peyton laughed. Blonde spiky hair appeared around the aisle and Chloe crossed her arms as she gave her father an admonishing look.
"That's because if I didn't interfere we'd only have a loaf of Wonder Bread and some frozen dinners in the freezer."
Gabe huffed in petulance but Peyton grinned.
"She has a point," Peyton said. "I'm sure Chloe would prefer to have you around for a long time."
"See. Everyone else gets it."
"I'm the father," Gabe argued, "and I can get myself a box of Pop-Tarts if I want to."
"That's just sugar, dad."
"And devoid of natural ingredients," agreed Peyton.
"And now I'm really getting some. If you're so against it, I trust I won't have any issues with you stealing from my delicious blueberry stash. If you'll excuse me, Peyton."
He pushed his cart away with his back straight, chin high, and elbows locked. It was clearly a bit they'd played through before because Chloe watched his display with an unsurprised roll of her eyes.
"He's so immature," she complained. "And he knows strawberry is the best flavor." She turned to Peyton and gave her a sheepish grin. "Thanks for trying to back me up."
Chloe took a step away as if to leave, and Peyton reached out a hand to stop her. A question had been burning on the tip of her tongue since being in the Kent barn, and she had been eager to talk further with Chloe.
"Wait, Chloe, I had a question. Back when we found out about Jeff's blood type, you mentioned hacking the school computers. Have you actually done that?"
Chloe's face paled then reddened. She took a step back and adjusted her purse over her shoulder.
"Hey, look, I was joking around. Hacking into school computers would be, like, a big deal. Totally not something Principal Kwan would approve of or tolerate. Or let me keep my position on The Torch after finding out."
Peyton leaned over the handle of her cart in order to be closer and speak more quietly.
"I'm not looking to rat you out," she said. "I… I have something of my own I'm working on, and I could use some help. Digging through computers isn't exactly my forte."
Chloe raised a brow.
"Considering who you are, I'm assuming this isn't on the same level as breaking into a small high school's records."
"I know it's probably too much to ask. I'm sure you don't have experience with financial accounts and corporate share drives-"
"You're serious?" Chloe cut in. "You want me to snoop around behind the closed doors of Woods or Luthor enterprises?"
"Within parameters," Peyton specified. "For a specific purpose. Is that something you think you'd be willing to try?"
"Are you kidding? As an investigative journalist, that's the dream." At Peyton's look, she amended, "of course this could totally all be off the record if you insist. Whatever you're looking for…."
She mimed zipping her lips and Peyton sniffed as she thought.
It was a risk, asking for Chloe's help. It was one more person to know something fishy was going on between her parent's company and another party. And she couldn't one hundred percent guarantee that Chloe wouldn't share what she found, no matter what she promised. Especially if it was story worthy.
But she needed the help. All of her own attempts weren't getting her closer to an answer and she was wasting time. Time she should be investing in finding a way back.
"I'll text you to set up a time to meet. You can take a look and maybe you'll be able to get past the blockages I keep hitting."
"I'm literally frothing at the mouth," Chloe gushed. "Oh my gosh, thank you."
"I'm the one who should be thanking you," Peyton laughed lightly. "You don't even know if you'll be getting a story yet."
"Getting to scour through potentially classified files is thanks enough. Besides, it'll be good practice for the future."
Chloe grinned far too genuine in her statement and Peyton had a fleeting premonition that the teen would become formidable as she matured.
She cast a playful, warning look at Chloe before she straightened out and shifted to continue on with her shopping.
"As long as you remember that I'm only willing to try and bail you out once."
[]
She could feel Lex's stare burning through her as she pointedly ignored him to chop vegetables. He leaned with his hip against the counter and arms crossed, a disgruntled look was etched onto his face and he let out another peeved sigh. Peyton rolled her eyes and added the chopped peppers into the salad bowl.
"I said sorry already," she pouted. "He just got to me, okay? Besides, it's not like he can say too much if my parents are in the same room."
"You vastly underestimate my father," he said in return. "This dinner has the makings of a disaster."
Peyton clicked her tongue in disagreement and bumped his hip with her own as she switched to snapping the bottoms off the asparagus. Lex noticed and turned to help.
"It'll be alright. Things are a bit different now; I can think clearly enough to defend myself."
Lex's hands stilled only a moment before he picked up the next asparagus stalk.
"Your error is in assuming he's not willing to start a fight in front of your parents. No one is that special." "My mom can take it," Peyton said confidently. "I'm sure they've both gotten into it before anyway."
"Undoubtedly," Lex agreed, though his tone exposed how little he liked the idea. "Just- if he says something particularly unsavory-"
Peyton paused with the asparagus long enough to get a full look at Lex's face. He was having trouble with choosing his words suddenly, pausing too long, and that wasn't like him. He cut his eyes at her when he felt her gaze, and Peyton lightly pressed her lips together.
"Nothing he says can ever reflect on you for me; you know that, right?" He stared. "I don't associate the two of you together."
"What," said Lex. Peyton ducked her head at his clear confusion and tried to clarify.
"I mean, obviously I know you're father and son. That's obvious. But just because you're related doesn't mean I assume you both believe the same things. Whatever your father may say, and however enraging or horrible it could be, is only a reflection of his own character. Not yours."
She wondered if that's what scared him. Why he tensed up and his eyes tightened every time he saw her and his father speaking. As if Lionel might say one thing too heinous or insulting and it'd be a deal breaker for her. It wasn't like he was living with them. She only had to tolerate his visits. It wasn't like she could ever even remember a moment Lex agreed with his father.
But, oh. That's what most other people assumed, wasn't it? Jonathan Kent currently nursed a grudge against Lex solely for being Lionel's child. She was sure he wasn't the only one. For a second, she'd nearly forgotten that people did, in fact, think the father and son agreed on everything.
Lex seemed to recover from her proclamation and smoothed out the expression of surprise that leaked out.
"I appreciate that," he said with forced levity. "But I still would rather you not have to experience him in a full mood."
"Oh," she attempted to joke, "but we could do so many things to make him regret it. Just imagine, we could overtly sic my mom on him."
Lex cracked a smile.
"That would certainly be an experience. I'm not quite sure any of us would make it out unscathed."
Peyton hummed in agreement and grabbed some saran wrap to cover the lettuce until dinner; Lex finished up with the asparagus stalks next to her. She watched as he deftly snapped the stems with crisp cracks and dropped them into the waiting pan to be oiled. She wondered if he'd done this before. He wasn't lazy or inept, she was sure he could cook for himself just fine, but she couldn't remember if she'd seen him do it before. The image suited him somehow.
There was something comforting about just watching him work.
Peyton shook her head and cleared her throat.
"Speaking of, how badly did talks with your dad go?"
"About as well as all the others," he told her.
"Ah. Not well then. But not shutting down the plant quite yet?"
"Not yet."
She nodded then pulled out the steaks to season them with salt and pepper. They found a rhythm around each other as they finished preparing the meal and Peyton couldn't stop her gaze from flickering back towards Lex over and over.
She just hoped he didn't notice.
[][][]
Merrill swept into the manor with arms extended and the widest smile on her face that Peyton could ever remember seeing. She wrapped Peyton in an embrace and placed a kiss on both of Peyton's cheeks before she moved onto Lex and repeated the process.
"Oh, Alexander, Peyton, this was the loveliest idea," she crooned. "I can't remember the last time we've had a little get together!"
"It was very thoughtful of you to host us," Samuel added. He awkwardly shuffled forward and Peyton cut him some slack and moved in for the hug for him.
"Of course," she said. "I thought it would be fun to have everyone together. I'm happy you both could make it on short notice."
"Darling, I wouldn't miss it for the world," Merrill said with a wave of her hand. Her eyes slid over to Lionel, who loitered down the hall, and her expression sharpened even as her smile grew. "Lionel, always a pleasure to see you! Isn't it just wonderful? Our children are all grown up, married, and hosting dinner parties of their own."
"Every parent's dream," Lionel said blandly.
Her mother appeared smug and Lionel annoyed, so at least things were normal on that end. Peyton gestured toward the formal dining room to redirect everyone's attention. Maybe she'd brought this on everyone with her own pettiness, but she could at least stave off everyone else's for as long as possible for Lex's sake.
"Dinner is about done if we all want to go sit down. I just have to grab the steaks from the oven."
Her father watched her.
"You're fetching it?" He prompted.
"Lex and I cooked it," she said through a forced smile, "so we might as well serve it for completion's sake."
All the parents exchanged surprised looks, though they tried to keep the expressions subdued. Peyton told herself it was because they weren't used to the idea of self-served food rather than the fact that she was the one cooking. Her mother gave Lex's arm a fond squeeze as she walked by.
"I'm sure it's all delicious, Alexander."
"It was Peyton's idea and planning," Lex said in her defense. "She was the one giving me instructions; I only helped a little."
"You're a pro at snapping asparagus stems," Peyton teased.
They entered the dining room and her mother's gaze softened as it lingered over her and Lex; her father pulled out her mother's chair for her in a sweet gesture and Peyton caught Lex's hand to take him with her to the kitchen for the food. He followed her quite willingly.
It was only when all the food was laid out on the table and everyone served themselves that an awkward air settled over the room. They were spared most of a forced conversation by the clinks of cutlery on fine china and sips of red wine.
Her mother mostly attempted to keep conversation flowing between the four of them, excluding Lionel. She wasn't exactly obvious about it, but since Peyton was paying attention she noticed the tightness in her mother's eyes and smile when she spoke to Lionel. It was a bit perplexing. As long as Peyton could remember, her mother was trying to be buddy-buddy with the Luthor family. Though, Lionel didn't seem to be particularly fond of her mother.
It was likely a high society requirement to stay at least in the same circles and be civil. But then, her mom had put in a lot of effort to keep their connection familiar and she'd been so committed to Peyton being close with Lex.
Her family wasn't hurting for money. That didn't make sense as a motivation for Merrill. Even her comments through the years about Lex being able to "take care of her '', as if Peyton was some invalid, were a little strange. Peyton was sure that her parents had a trust fund for her that would surely cover a comfortable life, even if she would have needed a conservatorship.
So why?
Samuel interrupted Peyton's pondering as he cleared his throat and took a sip of wine.
"Tell me, Peyton," he said, "how are you finding your position in admin?"
Peyton's eyes flickered up. He was trying to make conversation in the best way he knew how. She recognized the underlying discomfort in his expression even as he cut his steak and pretended the awkwardness wasn't there. Her heart softened more towards him. He might not be great at connecting emotionally, but he was her father. And he'd always tried to show he cared in other ways.
"It's going well, dad," she said, voice warm. "I helped Nancy develop a few new templates last week; I think they're a bit more efficient. And, not to brag, but I think switching from a courier font to a serif adds a nice crispness to the letters."
She grinned teasingly and watched as her dad's mustache lifted at the corners slightly, though the rest of his face remained fairly stoic.
"I didn't realize that you had opinions on fonts."
"It's the little touches that show you really care. What was it you always said?" Peyton tapped her chin as she recalled. "Ah, that's right; 'if we don't care about our own work, why should anyone else?'"
He looked almost surprised by that.
"That's right," he agreed.
Peyton smiled, pleased with herself, until she turned and noticed that Lex eyed her from under his brow. She tried to figure out what she'd said wrong.
"Please," her mother cut in, "no business at the table. It's incredibly rude. And I'm sure we'd all like to think of other things right now."
"Right," Peyton acquiesced. "Sorry, I forgot we had two different empires at the table."
She attempted it as a joke and mild compliment to both sides, but no one laughed. Lex finished chewing a bite just as Lionel let slip a sardonic half-smile.
"Of course," he said, "you know that our families have never truly been in competition. We've always fostered… close connections yielding… mutually beneficial results."
His sharp gaze landed on Merrill and she went still under the attention.
Usually Merrill met Lionel and all his prodding with a poised deflection or, after the news of the wedding, smug dismissal. This time, whatever history he referred to caused her to nearly look pale.
Peyton didn't understand the unspoken communication, though she was smart enough to recognize it, and her hand clenched around her fork as she read Lionel's demeanor as threatening in some way. Warmth on the back of her hand immediately caused her to loosen her grip and Lex wrapped his fingers around the back of her hand. She forced the stiffness out of her shoulders, at least until it didn't outwardly show.
Her father eyed Lionel in return, his appearance was disturbed and shadowed; but the expression broke quickly for his more stoic disposition
"Yes," he said evenly. "We did have a couple good deals in the past."
"Merrill, have you gotten anything back from the photographer yet?" Lex did the equivalent of pulling the emergency brake on the conversation, but his tone was casual enough that he could play it off as disinterest in whatever their parents had going on. Merrill blinked then snatched at the lifeline.
"Oh, Samuel, I knew I forgot something! The photographer sent me a packet and it's sitting in my office as we speak. I'll have to mail it express once we get back home."
"As long as they have your stamp of approval," Lex teased.
"They're perfect, of course," Merrill reassured.
"Can't you just email us the link?" Peyton's question was met with confused stares.
"Link to what, darling?"
"To their cloud. We could just download….them."
Lex's grip tightened over her hand, not to the point of pain but enough to register that she'd just messed up. Her face flushed and she kept her eyes on her mother; she didn't dare look at Lionel.
"Cloud?" Her mother repeated. "What do you mean? Do you believe they have them on their website? Darling, the storage they'd need to hold all those photos would be momentous."
Peyton pasted on a horribly forced smile and let her eyes glaze over. It wasn't too difficult since she would rather have phased through the floor and been anywhere else.
"Oh," she said as she kept her voice purposefully light. Ditzy. "I just thought they could all do that. Like the admin files."
"We have an extensive network setup," her father explained. Like she was foolish. Peyton pressed her tongue against the backs of her teeth as she grit through it. "I doubt that a photography studio, no matter how renowned, has anything built like that right now."
"Right," she chirped again. Then, pulling from her memory with Annalise, she echoed him, "nothing right now."
She might as well have cursed them, given the bleak, stricken way they suddenly looked at her. They didn't talk business or photos after that.
By the time they got to after dinner drinks, Lex had helped to pull her parents out of most of the funk. He was familiar enough with them to know how to charm them and put them at ease. Peyton trailed a little behind as they entered the study and watched their interactions. She was still mad at herself for her slip up. After all her effort to adjust, to blend in, to gain respect, she'd managed to fumble it and lose it all in one dinner. With one small slip of the tongue.
Lex said something that made her mother laugh and some part of Peyton ached.
Lionel hung back near her in the study; Peyton could practically feel his gaze every time it landed on her. And despite the fact that maybe she should have continued with the ditzy character, she simply couldn't. Not with Lionel. She couldn't humiliate herself any more than she already had.
He clasped his hands behind his back and watched as Lex gave them a fretful glance, however conversing with her parents prevented him from interceding. Peyton spoke first in an attempt to control the conversation.
"While I'd never claim to be an accomplished chef, I do hope dinner was satisfying enough."
Lionel let out a small laugh.
"The meal was perfectly adequate," he said. It was the closest thing to a compliment she ever expected. He cut his eyes at her as he remained facing the room. "This was a… cute attempt to annoy me," he commented bluntly. Peyton blinked, doe-eyed.
"Annoy you? I just thought it'd be nice to have both sides of the family together. Do my parents annoy you, Lionel?"
He smiled, close lipped and prim, at her and Peyton didn't drop her act. Lionel let out another humorless chuckle and finally turned his head toward her.
"I have the feeling you understand tolerating individuals to reach a goal."
"You're being very candid with them only feet away."
"Your parents seem to have gotten everything they wanted," he said. "Your mother especially."
Peyton stared at him, uncaring now if he noticed or how he interpreted it. There was something there. Some lurking history that felt important every time they interacted.
"And what did you get?"
He flashed another shark smile at her and from the corner of her eye, she could see Lex finally breaking away to hurry over to her.
"I have learned in life," said Lionel, "that there is often more reward for those who are patient."
Lex's hand on her hip was hot, her skin felt flushed, she wanted to knock the stupid little glasses off Lionel's face and demand he explain himself. Instead she turned to Lex and gave him a smile while he evaluated the tension.
"Are you two ready for that nightcap before everyone heads out," he asked. Peyton appreciated the not so subtle implication that the visit should be ending sooner rather than later. She slid her own arm around his waist and gave him a squeeze.
"Of course."
Lionel waved his hand to signal for Lex to lead the way.
"I believe the host pours."
[]
If she were being honest, she wasn't entirely being honest. Peyton slipped away to the Smallville library to meet up with Chloe partially so that there was less of a chance of Lex asking questions. Not that she would lie to him if he asked, but it did feel a little underhanded to use a teenager to snoop into her parents' business and she'd rather save any admonishments over it for after she got her answers.
The other reason for meeting at the library was to try and keep the snooping, if detected, from being traced directly back to her home.
"Not that they couldn't figure out who's company laptop the intrusion came from," Chloe said offhandedly, "but we'll do what we can to mask ourselves. Hopefully they'd have to dig. And if they do dig, hopefully you being the owner's daughter helps."
"I think I could weasel my way out if anything happens," Peyton said confidently.
They were huddled in the back of the library, in a corner where they'd be out of the way and people would be less likely to traffic. Chloe had Peyton's laptop plugged into another device that she claimed would help add a buffer to their prying, and she'd also plugged in a thumb drive to copy over anything particularly compelling. That part made Peyton a little nervous, given Chloe's career goals, but at this point she didn't have much of a choice if she wanted answers.
Chloe sipped at the large coffee Peyton bought her as she clacked away at the keys, her eyes flickered rapidly over the screen. Peyton noticed a familiar file and pointed it out.
"I was able to trace the trail to there," she said. "It seems to disappear pretty well after that and I can't figure it out. I'm sure there must be an account, or somewhere, where the money is going. Why do so much digitally only to switch to paper after you've already left some evidence?"
"It can't just stop," Chloe confirmed. "They're essentially trying to do the magician's cup trick with the numbers. And it's a lot of numbers by the way. If this has been a regular transfer as long as it looks like it has, then someone doesn't have to work anymore."
"That's not always how things work in these kinds of circles, but I agree with the sentiment."
Peyton couldn't keep up with what Chloe was doing, and she wondered how a girl her age was so skilled and familiar with such delicate and complex work. Some kids were naturally gifted, though. If there could be ten year old musical prodigies, then it couldn't be a stretch for someone to intuitively understand software programs. At least that's how she made sense of it.
"It's going to an offshore account," Chloe finally discovered. Peyton perked up from her own cup of coffee and paid attention. "To an L.L.V.; got any idea who that could be?"
"I saw the initials, but I don't know, no. Can you tell where the offshore account is located?"
"Uh, let me see. It could be dicey."
"I'm fine with that."
"Groovy," Chloe quipped. "Just remember you gave me one "Get Out of Jail Free" card."
Some windows opened that Peyton didn't think were part of her parents' network, it reminded her of the old DOS systems, the ones with dark screens and green script. That did make her a little nervous.
"How do you know how to do all this?"
Chloe looked away from the screen long enough to flash a mischievous smile at her; she rapidly sifted through several different windows and something blinked like a warning.
"It won't be long before everything is on computers, so it's prudent of me to know how to use them. Especially since they can't lie the same way people can in an interview."
"You're being very coy," Peyton commented. "My parents' system has to be different than a high school's grade roster."
"There's some similarities actually, the main difference is in how hard you have to work to get to the information. How many hoops is the system going to make me jump through? And anyway, a girl has to have some secrets."
It took a few more minutes of Chloe working against whatever blocks were in place before she made any progress. A string of code ran across the screen and she nearly crowed in delight, but remembered they were in a library at the last second.
"Looks like it's an offshore account in Switzerland," she said. "Typical. It's under some business called Truth Enterprises? I've never heard of them."
"Truth," Peyton murmured.
The computer screen flickered, screens popped up despite Chloe not touching the keyboard. She let out a mild curse and tried to close the new programs down.
"Someone noticed," she announced, concern lilting in her tone. She cast an apologetic look back at Peyton.
"Can they tell who's looking?"
"If not right now they'll know in a second."
"Are you able to copy over what you found?"
"Trying."
The fight happening on the computer screen wasn't something Peyton fully understood, but she was able to comprehend the loading bar. It felt like it moved at a snail's pace, between the internet connection at the library and the burden of the download. Chloe frantically used every trick she knew to try and mask any identifying information about their location or specific system, but she was fighting a losing battle.
At eighty percent downloaded, her skin started to look flushed.
"I'm pretty good, but I've never tried my hand at a system as advanced as this," she said. "Whoever is on the other end is cutting through all my blocks like a knife through butter."
"We're so close." Peyton gripped the back of Chloe's chair as she leaned over her shoulder to watch the loading bar. "I need that information."
The download jumped along. Eighty-two percent, Eighty-seven. Ninety-two.
At ninety-five percent, Chloe shook her head.
"They're moving too fast. I'm going to have to do a hard shutdown when it's done and hope for the best. Unless you want to back out now."
Peyton didn't actually know what would happen if it was found out that she was snooping. She still hadn't figured out what it meant that someone had noticed. Was she drawing her parents' attention to the fact that someone was embezzling funds? Or was the guilty party the one who'd noticed them? If that were the case, with how much they'd taken over the years, essentially her entire life, what would they be compelled to do to avoid being caught?
But they'd already come too far to end it before they'd completed the file transfer. She shook her head and Chloe kept on.
The download hit one-hundred percent. A new window appeared, unprompted, and seemed to be running through strings of numbers. It looked like IP addresses. Chloe hit the power button until the screen went black, then ripped out the power cord for good measure. Both women breathed heavily despite being seated.
"Did they get it?" Peyton asked quietly. "Did they identify my laptop?"
"I don't know." Chloe let out a breath in a whoosh and held up the thumb drive for Peyton to take. "But if every movie about computer 'hacking' has taught me anything, it's you should always assume that answer is 'yes'."
[]
Lex wasn't in his office and he wasn't in the kitchen. Peyton gripped the thumb drive in her hand as she searched their house.
L.L.V.
Truth Enterprises.
It made her feel nauseous. Perhaps she was planning to just skim by without mentioning her little hacking adventure to him, but now it felt like she couldn't do that. She had to consult with him. She needed him to either confirm her theory or tell her she was overthinking it.
She wanted to be overthinking it. Because if she was right, she had no idea what it meant.
He hadn't told her that he was going to the plant today, but that didn't mean they couldn't have called with some sort of issue that required his attention. Peyton pulled out her phone and dialed him; it rang a few times before he answered.
"Peyton, what's up?" He sounded a little distracted, but she wasn't in the frame of mind to hope she wasn't interrupting him.
"Are you at the plant right now?"
"No, I'm at the manor. Is something wrong?"
"Not exactly. I just need to talk to you about something. Which room are you in?"
"I can meet you in the study."
Peyton paused in surprise and she felt an uncomfortable niggle at his deflection. It didn't have to mean anything, he might have assumed that was where she already was, given her track record of past searches. But still. He could have told her where he was coming from.
He met her a few minutes later and didn't look particularly ruffled or out of sorts; she studied him for any sign of irregularity and couldn't pinpoint any de-synchronization. Lex had promised not to break her trust. She swallowed and let the unfounded suspicion go.
"What's wrong?" He asked.
Lex approached her and his hand encased her clenched fist, the one with the thumb drive in it. The plastic had warmed in her grip and it felt slick against her skin.
"I'm not sure," she admitted. It would be stupid to try and convince him nothing was wrong, especially with what conclusion she planned to propose. "I guess it starts with a sort of confession."
Lex stilled and his expression flattened at that, smoothed over until she couldn't hope to guess any thought that was racing through his head.
"A confession?"
She decided not to leave him in painful suspense.
"I asked Chloe Sullivan to help me look through some of my parents' financial files. To try and figure out who's committing the embezzlement or where it's going."
Funnily enough, the confession brought Lex more immediate relief than stress. His shoulders loosened and he let out a sigh before her words properly sunk in. Then he squinted his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose. He hadn't let go of her hand yet.
"You conspired with a teenager who has journalistic aspirations against your own company," he said.
"We had an agreement and I needed her help. She's good, okay? She was actually able to find something."
His gray eyes locked onto her.
"What did she find?"
Peyton licked her lips and shifted her hand out of his hold to reveal the thumb drive; Lex looked at it but didn't reach for it.
"The transfer is being done under the initials L.L.V. to an offshore account in Switzerland, to some supposed business called Truth Enterprises."
It hadn't taken her long to formulate assumptions on the who and what, so she knew it wouldn't take him long either. She fiddled with the thumb drive, flicking the protective covering off the end then snapping it back on a few times.
"You have a theory," Lex said slowly as he observed her.
"It's out there. It has to be out there, because- Or a coincidence," she amended. She sighed and clutched the drive again. "Lionel Luthor, Veritas."
Lex didn't look surprised over her pronouncement, only like the idea filled him with just as much confusion and discomfort.
"You said you didn't think my parents were part of your dad's club."
"I never saw them at the meetings," he said again, like he was trying to convince her that he wasn't lying.
"I only wanted to figure who was- I thought someone was stealing funds. But this? I don't know what to do with this. I can't be right, right? You can tell me I'm being ridiculous. I'm jumping to easy conclusions, aren't I?"
He didn't tell her she was ridiculous. Instead he said,
"I don't know. But what I do know is we don't have all the answers."
Lex rested his hands on her shoulders and Peyton didn't think as she curled herself into his arms. His fingers tensed before he quickly strengthened his hold.
"Why would my parents be giving your dad money? Let alone for whatever secret cause they're not even part of? It doesn't make sense."
"I can look at what you found, if you like," he offered. "We still don't know what the exact situation is, and given that, I think it'd be best if we kept whatever we find out from here between us."
Peyton tipped her head up to look at him in question; Lex explained,
"My father was always extremely protective of Veritas' purpose and accomplishments. He didn't even want-" he briefly paused as if he disliked what he was about to share, "my mother knowing about it. And if this is at all connected to that, I don't imagine he'd be very appreciative of us looking into it."
She shouldn't be wasting her time on this. Precious time that ticked away the longer she was here, in this world, and not the other. It shouldn't matter that there was a possibility, however unfathomable, that her parents may have been colluding with Lionel since she was born. None of this concerned her, and yet it did.
She didn't tell Lex to ignore it. To let it go. Instead she shifted enough to press the thumb drive into his hand.
"We do this together," she said. "I don't care how dangerous your dad is, if it's Veritas and it's my parents, I don't want you trying to keep me out of the loop 'for my protection'."
He let out a huff, not quite a laugh but in a similar vein.
"Somehow I don't think I could, even if I wanted to."
That put a soft smile on her face.
"No. I don't think you could either."
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What do you think? Is Peyton jumping to conclusions? Is she on the mark? ~~~