Chapter Text
“Miss Luthor, Miss Danvers is here to see you,” Jess said on the intercom. A few seconds later, the door swung open, revealing a flushed CEO who looked like she had just finished crying.
“Learn to hide your disappointment better, Luthor. You almost offended me,” Alex teased.
“S-sorry, Alex. I just thought…”
“That the Miss Danvers was Kara,” Alex continued. Lena nodded and asked her to come inside her office.
“Would you like to have a drink?” Lena asked, quickly organizing the mess on her desk.
“I’m good, thanks. I’m not staying long.” Alex saw a familiar envelope at Lena’s desk beside a framed high school photo of Kara.
“You haven’t read it yet?” Alex pointed at the envelope. Lena shook her head and stared at the half-empty glass of whiskey she was holding.
“Before I spill the beans, can I ask what happened last week?”
Lena took a deep breath and drained the glass. “I- I messed up, Alex. I was so stubborn and refused to listen to what your sister had to say. I yelled hurtful things to her. I.. disrespected her.”
“So you’re the reason why she left.”
Alex heard a clink from Lena’s direction. “She left?”
“Yes. I sent Kara to the airport last week thinking that she would stay with our mom, and last Friday, I discovered that she was not in Midvale.”
“I went to her apartment, but she was not there, so I assumed she stayed with you. I haven’t seen her since the day we fought.”
Lena chugged another glass of whiskey and spun a pen in her hand.
“What happened?” Alex pointed at the light yellow bruise on Lena’s cheek.
“I accused her of leeching off money from me and Lex.”
Alex huffed at Lena. “I would smack the shit out of you, Luthor, but I guess Kara already did that.” Never in her life did she feel more proud to hear her sister slap someone so deserving.
“I'm fucking stupid. I accused Kara of fucking Lex for money, Alex. Kara tried to explain things, but I sent her away! Why did I let Nyxly get in my head?” Lena groaned.
Alex's knuckles turned white. She accused Kara of doing what?!
“I see your face still has space for another bruise.”
Surprisingly, Lena gladly offered her cheek to Alex. The ravenette closed her eyes, anticipating another slap (or punch) to land on her face. “Sure. I deserve it.”
“You know Kara didn’t befriend you because of your money, right?”
“I know. And I don't mind if she did. I'll gladly let her spend all of my money. I will even hand her L-Corp if she wants it. I just…”
“You are what?” Alex urged her to continue.
“I am jealous.”
Alex snorted. “Seriously, Lena?”
“And angry. I was angry at Kara for lying to me. I felt like she played with my feelings. Then there's Nyxly showing me photos of Kara visiting Lex and records of him sending her money. What am I supposed to make of that?”
“We needed the money, Lena.”
“If she needed money, why did she have to ask Lex? She has me.”
"She'd rather suffer alone than ask for help. She didn't even tell me. Can you believe that? I'm her sister. I almost tortured her into confession."
Alex opened the envelope Kara left and laid a page on Lena's desk.
“Also, while it's true that Kara is meeting Lex to ask for money, the money is not his. It's all Kara's.”
“What do you mean?”
Alex watched Lena's eyes widen when she saw the contents of Alex's months-long investigation.
“When Kara signed with Kaznia, she didn't know it had any connections with Lex. ”
Kaznia Records was owned by Nyxly on paper, but the capital used to build the company was Lex's embezzled money. They built the company as a front for their new shady businesses. Some may consider Kaznia as one of the richest corporations in the National City. What others don't know is that the ‘music empire’ is on the brink of death because of Nyxly's corruption and financial mismanagement.
It wasn't surprising to Lena when she saw her name as one of the owners of Kaznia Records. Of course, Nyxly would name her a co-founder of a company facing several charges of felonies such as tax fraud, qualified theft, and extortion. Until now, the woman still loathes her for testifying against Lex. If Nyxly went down, there's no doubt that she'll try to drag Lena.
Lena read further to see what mess they left her. She arrived at a page that contained the names of the victims. She scanned the list and felt the Earth stop turning when she saw a familiar name.
Supergirl (Kara Danvers)
Alex poured herself a glass of whiskey and leaned on the couch.
“Kara signed with Kaznia to save our house in Midvale. We didn't know about it. She just showed up one day and told us that our debts were paid. Of course, we're suspicious. We're scared that she sold her body to acquire that amount. I mean, how can she gather that amount of money in such a short time?”
Lena scooted beside Alex to read the other pages.
“We're right. Kara sold her body. Or should I say, soul, to Kaznia? Her contract was too good to be true. Nyxly never demanded Kara anything. They even let Kara keep her identity and affiliation with Kaznia a secret. They gave so much and asked her so little. Or so Kara thought."
Alex helped herself another glass and offered Lena a refill, which the ravenette politely declined.
"When the mobs that help Nyxly ask for their money, Kaznia also puts pressure on Kara to do things she didn't want. Kara was already exhausted at CatCo, but she was ordered to upload thrice a week and perform live to produce cash for the company. When Nyxly heard that Kara performed for you, Kara couldn’t use the ‘I don’t sing in public’ card anymore. Nyxly signed an offer that will cost Kara millions if she backs out.”
"A lawyer would definitely help her. Why didn't you guys find one?"
Alex sighed. “The thing is, we don't have the resources to fight Kaznia. There was a hidden clause in her contract that prevented Kara from accessing her money. When Eliza had an accident, Nyxly refused to give Kara anything."
"I will fucking kill that bitch," Lena muttered. Alex just shrugged and continued.
"Kara practically begged for her money. Then I discovered that she already paid for her debt and the interest a year ago. So basically, your brother and Nyxly are the ones who gold-dig on Kara.”
"And I called her a leech?" Lena whispered.
Alex gave Lena a few moments to recover, then slid a catalog envelope onto the table. “Then there's your photos.”
Lena carefully opened it and saw several printed copies of her nude pictures.
“Nyxly threatened to release those if we tell anyone, especially you, fearing that you'll help Kara. You're also the reason why they let Kara run around without Kaznia's name plastered on her forehead. ”
“How?”
“If you knew that Kara was in Kaznia, which was owned by Nyxly, your brother's lap dog, you'd definitely convince her to leave. By agreeing to some of Kara's terms, they can keep their cash cow.”
“These photos…. These are deep-fakes. I never took photos like these,” Lena said, inspecting every piece from the envelope.
“Well, it looked real to us. There's no way we would have known. What do you think Kara will do, ask you?”
Alex quietly chuckled at the idea of Kara asking Lena if she had any nude photos. Nah, Kara would definitely die before she can actually ask the question.
“Anyways, she accepted Nyxly's demands to protect you. She even met up with Lex, begging him to convince Nyxly to leave you out of this mess. Kara gave everything she had so the world wouldn't see your nudes.”
“Damn it, Kara,” Lena whispered and broke down crying.
Alex pulled in Lena for a hug and gave her small pats on her back. The young woman didn't stop apologizing profusely for wetting Alex's shirt despite being told multiple times that it was okay.
"Let me help, Alex,” Lena said when she caught her breath.
Alex smiled and gently squeezed Lena's shoulder.
"Let’s burn down Kaznia."
*****
The following week, all National City could talk about was Nyxly’s arrest and Kaznia’s dissolution. The citizens voiced their disbelief that the authorities let Nyxly get away with her crimes for so long. Some even accused the mayor and NCPD of accepting bribes.
NCPD took all of the credit without even mentioning Alex, and Alex doesn’t seem concerned about it. When Lena asked if she was okay, she replied, ‘I don’t care about that. I just want Nyxly in prison.” That cemented Alex as the most badass person Lena knew.
“Can I skip work tomorrow? I can barely open my eyes and I think if I close it, it will remain shut for the next 42 hours,” Sam greeted when Lena opened her door and dived at Lena’s couch.
“You can always file for a vacation leave, babe,” Andrea followed.
“I’m saving it for Ruby’s birthday.”
“I’m sure Lena would give you more days if you ask.”
Sam groaned and buried her face in a throw pillow. “Shhhh. Sleeping.”
Lena tiptoed to her kitchen and opened her fridge. “Scotch?” she whispered. Andrea nodded and sat in the armchair near Sam. She chuckled when she heard her friend's soft snore.
“Poor girl. She’s been running around non-stop for a week.”
“So do you,” Andrea replied, sipping her glass of scotch.
They stayed silent for a while, but their silence was interrupted by the ringing of Andrea’s phone. She watched Andrea grimace when she picked up the call.
“Why is Snapper yelling at me?”
“What did he say?”
“Something about him not wanting to replace his favorite reporter. Whatever that means.” Andrea clicked the link Snapper sent her and handed her phone to Lena. “I think this will answer our questions.”
The link opened a fresh upload on Supergirl's channel, titled Announcements. She clicked play and saw a beautiful blonde woman in front of the screen.
Hi, everyone. This is Kara Danvers, a reporter from CatCo Worldwide Media.
Maybe you’re wondering , where is Supergirl ? She has an announcement to make, doesn’t she? What is a reporter doing on her channel?
Well, you don’t have to look for her, because Supergirl is in front of you.
I'm scared of how you'll react to his video, guys. So please give me a break. I know you guys imagined a prettier face behind the voice, so I'm sorry if I disappointed you.
“No part of that face can be categorized as disappointing,” Lena muttered.
“Simp.”
My greatest anxiety was that people wouldn't take my articles seriously once they found out that I am Supergirl.
Then I realized that some people already think of me as unworthy without knowing me, so I don’t care anymore.
Do they have a Pulitzer and five million subscribers? I don't think so! Those haters can lick my awards and Play Buttons. Well, if they can find me, haha!
Now, your next question could be, what’s next for Supergirl? And Kara?
After deep contemplation, I decided to leave CatCo and focus on my music career.
“Now I understand Snapper’s tantrum,” Andrea whispered. "Damn, it will be hard to replace her."
Will I finally release an album? Maybe? Will I go on tours? Again, maybe?
Will I come back to National City?
No. At least not in the foreseeable future.