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Corinna Beckford was a long-time foster parent with a reputation that was better than saintly. She took in the troubled children of Metropolis already in their late teens, the ones who knew they had no chance of being adopted permanently. Their rebellions were dealt with fairly and reasonably, reassurances voiced as many thousands of times as they needed to believe they weren't in just another home. She didn't give up on any child, and her older foster children were living proof for new arrivals. She didn't stop looking after them after the government support cheques stopped. There was a depth of giving from her that made it nearly impossible to question her motives.
She was an ideal candidate to take over Chloe's care during her pregnancy. Lionel stood up as she was walked into his library, her wary eyes catching on his smile.
Wow! I really liked how Nonky built up this woman as a beautiful, generous, soulful human being. One of those people that make the rest of us think there ‘might’ be hope for the human race after all… and then immediately this character was ‘tainted’ by association because she’s just on the verge of becoming an integral part of Lionel horrific scheming. Incredible use of a lovely, original character, Nonky!
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He waved her to a chair as the receptionist served tea in real china cups, a frilly custom he detested. Lionel drank a portion of the sugary slop before it got cold and even less appetizing. His guest sipped gingerly.
heh, I also liked how Lionel had to force himself to observe all these social niceties and civilities, just this ‘one time’ to get what he wanted. He’s serious out of practice when it comes to being cordial and polite… he’s practically wincing through it, and his face seems on the verge of cracking.
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“Mr. Luthor, I'm aware you're a widower, however you'll forgive me for assuming it's within your means to hire a nanny. Frankly, if we're talking about your grandchild it should be your son and his partner who speak with me.”
Lionel sighed and took another disgusting sip of tea. “If my son could be trusted adoption wouldn't be an issue. Frankly, Miss Beckford, he's a drug addict and his teenage girlfriend might be on drugs as well. I know for certain she is pregnant and I'm very concerned.”
Her sympathetic look was sharper than most and he kept his eyes on hers with faked openness. “I've covered up for my son too long and now I have to consider my grandchild above him. He's been in and out of rehab centers for years to no benefit.”
I’m glad to see that this woman wasn’t about to let Lionel intimidate or pressure her into doing something that goes against her morals and conscience. It must be hell for Lionel to deal ‘around’ something like a person’s ethics (instead of just ramming through them forcefully like usual).
But he seems be dealing magnificently well. He’s built up one VERY good and highly plausible story to completely discredit both Chloe and Lex. It would be easy to believe that Lex is still unsuccessfully recovering from his addiction problem, and that he got himself another brainless mistress who got accidentally pregnant. Poor Lex… what a horror it must be to lead a life that makes it so easy for people to believe the absolute worst about you.
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Lionel stood up and paced slowly, letting his shoulder slump as he moved like a world-weary old man. He had never tried to be pitiful and it was uncomfortable. He was used to brooding and pacing from his offspring, detested it in his partners and used it against his enemies.
I REALLY liked how Nonky stressed the differences in the way Lionel was handling this negotiation as compared to his usual mode of operation. It’s a fascinating seeing him adjusting so well into a mode that he’s completely unfamiliar with.
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“Lex has turned his back firmly upon my help and that's probably my fault for enforcing treatment on him instead of being there when he was younger. We are a public family and I thought the risks were too great. My company will ride out a scandal but I cannot risk -”
He sighed, carefully underplaying the drama. He turned back and sat down.
Oh, very, VERY nicely played, MB! He’s putting in just enough truth so make all the lies all the more believable. WOW!
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“My grandchild can be saved and raised properly. Hopefully, his mother is not beyond saving. Lex eschews help and I have to accept that.”
Lionel met her eyes, and smiled sadly. “I have come to terms and must concentrate on the future,” he said, then threw back his head self-consciously. “Thank you for letting me go on about this. I know you're very busy.”
Her smile in return was genuine, confidential.
“I'm pleased to meet a man intent on helping his family,” she replied. “You're right to protect the baby first. It's just an innocent bystander to whatever is wrong with it's parents' life. Rehab is not an option at all?”
Un-believable! He’s completely won this woman over. She truly believes him to be the stalwart rock that’s holding his disintegrating family together. A model father and grandfather who’s first concern is family and his children. Horrors!
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“I know my son and his history with drugs and women. He's made a number of almost criminally poor choices. I can't help but feel responsible.”
“All children have their own minds. I'm sure you did your best,” she soothed.
yack! :eek: She’s ‘comforting’ him, she goddamned COMFORTING the bastard. If only she had the slightest inkling on what was really going on in that tiny black heart of his.
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A drink in his hand would really work with the next bit of acting, and Lionel settled for hamming it up with his facial expression. “He's been wearing her down. I'm worried that he'll lose patience and simply put money in her hand and demand she have an abortion. I've never seen her stand up for herself.”
Restrained anger was starting to form in the woman's jaw as she asked, “Is there physical abuse?”
“I don't think so. I'm not aware of any. To be honest I could never have imagined my son as he is today. It's as if he's no longer the boy I raised.”
ouch! He’s not only won her trust that he’s a good, decent and honest person, but he’s ALSO made sure that she would view Lex as a horrible, violent, semi-abusive, manipulative bastard. There is no way she would listen to any word against Lionel Luthor… especially when the opposing argument is about Lex’s ‘goodness and decency’.
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Lex was established as the worst person to see to Chloe's wellbeing. All that was left was to rule out Gabe Sullivan.
“Mr. Luthor, your son's girlfriend must have parents or a guardian. I feel they should be included in our discussion,” Corinna said sincerely.
Like leading a duckling with bread crumbs, he marveled. How has she managed several generations of teenagers?
I cringed at the sheer contempt he felt for this fine, trusting and gentle lady. Granted, she IS being rather gullible, but Lionel is just revelling and gloating at the way he’s playing her.
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“Her mother is gone. She abandoned the poor girl when she was a toddler. I suspect it's common ground that has kept Chloe's relationship with my son going. Her father is an employee of LuthorCorp. Frankly, a lot of reports I get about the man tell me he gets drunk at every opportunity on business trips. He is out of town much of the time and he prefers it – comes looking for the conferences if I don't assign them to him. His daughter is about to turn 18 but she has been raising herself for years.”
I was expecting lightning to strike him down at any second for this blasphemy. So far, he’s painted Lex, Chloe AND Gabe as untrustworthy, unsavoury addicts and lushes, and presented himself as the immaculate saint amongst all the sinners. I was choking at his unmitigated GALL!
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She told him he had her support and left in a hurry to return to her current foster children. Lionel smirked at the closing door. He would borrow Miss Beckford's good reputation and put it on his plans for Chloe and their child. Lex had forced an alteration that meant waiting a little longer for her to conceive, but the main aspects of the plan would work fine. He was assured as he poured himself the drink he'd wanted earlier.
Lionel’s plan seems fascinating, interesting, and it seems to working itself on schedule… Of course, I don’t understand WHAT he’s up to… there are a couple of points that need clarification…
He said that he would have to wait a little longer for her to conceive? Does this mean he doesn’t plan to try and impregnate Chloe by her 18th birthday? Why not? Hmmm, my guess is that he wants to wait to make sure she hasn’t been impregnated by Lex first?
I’m curious about why he’s using a woman who just cannot be bought by Lionel’s standard coin of bribery and/or blackmail. Why does he need a woman of ‘good reputation’ over here? What’s the wily old bastard planning? Hmmm, he probably plans do use publicity in this somehow…? I can’t wait to see how he plans to put a favourable spin on the situation that involves abducting and raping an 18 year old.
Does Lionel truly think that Mrs. Beckford would ignore EVERYTHING that Chloe says as ‘delusional ravings of an addict’? Chloe will insist that she’s been given hormone treatments, kidnapped and raped by Lionel and then sequestered in Mrs. Beckford’s custody until she gives birth to Lionel male heir… Actually, it all sounds quite INSANE… no wonder Lionel thinks Mrs. Beckford would ignore everything Chloe said.
And then… once the male heir is born… Chloe will ‘unfortunately die during childbirth’, and then Lionel will present this new child as his ‘grandchild heir’, telling the public that it’s the result of an affair between his drug addict son and his abused mistress. He will discredit and blackball Lex from all business dealings, and settle down to raise his ‘new suitable heir’ to his liking.
That evil, EVIL bastard!!! I actually think I’ve got a handle on what his plan is… Am I right, Nonky?
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Gabe Sullivan looked at his soon-to-be eighteen year old daughter and shook his head. He wanted to give her some of the spare time she was missing since taking her newspaper jobs. It was her choice and he was proud of her ambition but he didn't like her schedule.
It was worse than his own, and he worried about her. In a few years he'd get the promotion that would mean a more normal life and time he could spend with Chloe. Unfortunately it would come about the same time she would be graduating from college and either getting a master's degree or a permanent job. He was lucky to have seen a lot of his little girl during her first years but when his wife left them he had to give up that quality time. The bond was still strong but it made him sad.
He felt like he was missing large parts of her life and wondered if she did anything simply for fun. Drinking and flirting weren't his favourite ideas of what she could be doing but she deserved to have her share of youthful mischief.
Then we leave twisted Luthor-family dynamics for something sweeter and more wholesome. It was quite a contrast seeing the differences between the two fathers. And it only made the difference between the Luthors and the Sullivans parental patterns all the more stark and heart-breaking.
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“I think I know what's going on with you,” he said decisively. “You've been quiet and you haven't even joked about my herringbone suit and tie combinations. I've noticed I'm getting some old man ear hairs that you haven't made fun of, young lady. I know what's going on.”
LOL! He’s really such an ADORABLE dad. I loved that he wasn’t afraid of seeming silly or undignified to bring a smile to his daughter’s face.
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He pointed at her with his fork and she knew he was kidding around – no father other than Lex's could comprehend her situation with anything like humour. Her smile was forced as she muttered a denial. If she could play the hormonal teenager it would make him stop.
I'm even legitimately hormonal, she thought. As a 17 year old fertility experiment I'm probably breaking hormone records.
Heh, quite a black and dark sense of humour Chloe has developed over here. But it makes sense that, given her circumstances, it would be the ONLY kind of humour she’d be able to indulge in.
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She'd stopped sleeping completely except for half hour naps and the fits of exhaustion after she and Lex finished. Her limbs were dragging her slowly to the ground and she still managed to fill out scholarship forms and mail them out in symbols of hope. She might as well be making a thousand paper cranes and crossing her eyes, fingers and toes while she wished really hard.
ouch! Poor Chloe! I remember in the last update how it was described that she was edging on the outskirts of a nervous breakdown. Her state seems to have deteriorated even more since then.
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“You're getting mature and dignified in preparation for your birthday and I won't have it. If I wanted a polite, respectful child I'd have adopted one. Make a rude face. I demand it. Ruin my appetite by flashing half chewed food. Like this.”
By setting a disgusting example her father got her laughing and her good mood lasted until he hugged her and left for work. She didn't want to go to school. Learning world history and math wasn't going to help her. She was cut off from any further information since Lionel had stopped calling on her. All her valuable leads were in Lex's hands and his investigators were people he trusted conditionally. She had to act out normal life and wait for him to save her.
LOL! I’m seriously loving Gabe. I liked how Nonky gave him ‘some’ flaws as a parent… like the fact that he doesn’t (or cannot) spend as much time with his daughter as she needs, but he’s still a loving, attentive father despite the lack of time he gets to share with her. I loved how he so skilfully managed to chase away her burdens, just for a little while. Lovely!
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The only thing she had to look forward to was the short time when her insomnia was no match for their post fuck nap. She was seeing Lex that night. Maybe she'd stay passed out for a few hours.
LOL! You think Lex would be flattered in knowing that he’s basically CHloe’s only guarantee for a good night’s sleep nowadays? Heh, he’d probably find some way to twist it into feeding his guilt-complex.
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The display showed Lex's name and she decided to pull over before she answered. He made her too nervous to drive while she was talking to him.
How pathetic am I, that I squeeed happily over the fact that I was about to see a Chlex conversation… even if it WAS only via phone-call. I’m desperate for Lo2E Lex and Chloe action…
*sniff* And it seems like I’m not going to be getting any of that for a whole now :( Please have her rescued soon and in Lex’s arms ASAP?
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She hesitated over a goodbye and was glad when he hung up first. She felt flushed with gratitude and was crying so hard she had to take off her seatbelt and let it happen.
It worked. I don't understand how. I'm safe. Lionel can't get me.
The thoughts mixed in her head and she couldn't say she was happy yet. It would take a while but she had time.
Yayyy for Lex… he saved her!!! Woo hoo! I KNEW he’s find a way! That dear bald darling!
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She didn't think to struggle until his help getting out of the car became wordlessly manhandling her toward a group of other men. They were all wearing suits, and seeing her as if she was a large bug. They worked for Lionel.
I'll never see my father again, she realized.
I have to hand it to Nonky for maximizing the angst… Chloe had not even gotten a chance to have even a ‘moment’ of happiness about the good news before she was suddenly thrown into Lionel’s brand of chaos and despair again.
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She did everything she could to save herself. She screamed as loud and as long as she could, and tried to run though it hurt her arm when she jerked away. She kicked wildly when she was picked up and she threw her possessions to leave some sign behind that she had been taken against her will. People would see her car and know who the driver was. They would call her father and a search would begin. It was still daylight for a few more hours and the road was used often. Someone would come by and they would get help.
Loved this part… I really enjoyed seeing Chloe giving it all she got and biting, screaming, kicking and struggling like a madwoman for freedom. She put up quite an impressive struggle considering how exhausted she is.
Ugh! Where’s Clark when you need him?
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Her legs hit a hard metal surface and she cried out in pain. Two of the men had her hoisted up between their bodies and they were handing her into a van. A third man pushed her into crouch on the floor, her legs cramping within seconds of being folded up. In her last glimpse of her normal life, Chloe saw the fields and barns of Smallville. They bore witness as no one else could in the sparsely populated outskirts of town.
Chloe’s frenzied, hysterical struggles only made this part all the more tragic poignant. She tried so HARD to defend herself, but still saw her freedom being snatched away. Poor Chloe… and the nastiness has only begun.
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Synchronized to show up minutes after her car was stopped, an unmarked truck pulled up and the driver opened the trailer door. Positioning the ramp that formed when the door was tilted down to the street, the men rolled Chloe's idling car into the trailer and closed it. They picked up her scattered wallet, keys and other small items from her purse. In the late afternoon light they scanned the ground and were satisfied. There was nothing left of her in the unassuming spot, nor would anything be found.
Yikes… and I thought it was bad enough seeing Chloe overpowered and manhandled into the truck… she ALSO saw her last bit of hope for an investigation being swept off. This is terrible, Nonky… it’s just horrible, terrible… and I. Want. More!!!
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The sickening movement of the van caused the first of many tears to fall as she huddled into herself and bit back more screams. She had to save her voice for a time when someone might hear.
excellent! Despite the horrible setback, she hasn’t given up hope yet. AND Lionel still doesn’t know about how far along Team Chlex has gotten in setting him up and putting him away. I imagine he has NO idea about Chlex Teams involvement with the Feds. He doesn’t have a chance in hell in getting away with any of his plans. But Chloe’s still in great danger… he could still kill her, and while he would go to jail for it, she’s still end up tortured and dead.
Scary times ahead… You ended this on a deliberate cliffhanger, Nonky… Now you have absolutely NO right to complain about people asking for an update. Next chapter NOW!!!
(please?)