Chapter Text
Lena’s head was pounding, and the aspirin she’d taken an hour earlier had done nothing to quell the pain. And the worst part was, the reason for her migraine was ever persistent and ruthless.
Kara Danvers. CEO and powerhouse behind Kryptonite Capsule. Her biggest business and social rival.
Both KC and her own company, Lubox Inc. were family businesses, started in the late eighties. Unknowingly sowing the seeds of an epic saga of a rivalry, Lionel Luthor started Lubox, and a joint effort was made to start KC between childhood friends Jeremiah Danvers and Jonathan Kent. In the late nineties each had handed the companies down to the prodigal sons Lex Luthor and Clark Kent who ran their respective companies rather successfully and amicably for 10 or so years before some sort of drama popped up and ended any sort of business relationship or level of professionalism between the companies. Lena didn’t know the details beyond what affected the company as she didn’t care to be involved in personal drama. Following that ordeal and Lex’s subsequent arrest for embezzlement and stealing trade secrets, Lena was appointed CEO by a disgruntled board who were hungry for new blood from the Luthor line. That was five years ago now.
And as of recently, Kara Danvers had taken over KC when Clark distanced himself to start a family with his new wife. She was fresh faced and sweet, but had a steel to her which never failed to surprise those who dealt with her. She ruthlessly cut deals and had a shrewd eye for what would appeal to market audiences. The blonde had her finger on the proverbial pulse of gamer culture and continually proved to be ahead of the curve. Especially ahead of Lena herself who wasn’t as aware of the culture of her target audience but rather was the consummate business woman. Graduated top of her class at Yale, and could recite statistics and market research findings for any respective demographic at the top of a hat. She was the perfect choice as the CEO and was proving to be the best leadership Lubox Inc. had seen since it’s inception.
So her current state was especially irate after reading the new front page article highlighting the young and intrepid CEO Kara Danvers where she revealed her business model to be ‘asking what people want and making it.’ Intuition was well and good, but it wasn’t enough to run a successful company, or at least it shouldn’t have been. However the current sales numbers for their respective consoles proved that intuition seemed to be working for the blonde. And Lena was fuming.
With a flick of her wrist Lena lifted the headset from her desk phone, and called in her assistant who was standing in front of her desk not 30 seconds later. “Jess, get me a meeting with Kara Danvers.”
The assistant looked mildly shocked, but nonetheless she nodded her head and turned on her heel, doubtless to make a deluge of phone calls in order to follow through on Lena’s request.
Throughout the rest of her afternoon, Lena tried her best to put the other woman- company from her mind. She had share holders to reassure and a planning meeting to discuss options on their next generation console to prepare for, she couldn’t afford distractions.
By the end of the day Lena had not heard from Jess about a meeting with Ms Danvers and was preparing to call on her assistant once more for an update when the *ding* of an incoming email caused her to pause.
The raven haired woman was sure it would be another of her share holders contacting her in a panic over their plummeting numbers, but she was shocked to see that Ms Danvers had emailed her directly rather than contacting her through her assistant. The direct approach was unconventional but most certainly left the Luthor curious.
Ms Luthor
I got a message from my assistant that you’d like to arrange a meeting. While we could meet in a dingy boardroom and stare at each other across a ten foot table in the company of suits who seem to think it’s their job to stifle our respective visions, I much prefer a less intense atmosphere. And it’s my professional opinion that food always improves an awkward situation, as ours is likely to be due to our familial history. So I’m offering an alternative.
I am headed to my favourite bar, Noonan’s tonight for dinner around 7. Feel free to join me. If you don’t, I’ll enjoy my potstickers and night off by myself.
The invitation is there, do with it what you will.
Kara Danvers
CEO and President
Kryptonite Capsule
Well then. To say Lena was stunned would be to put it mildly. She wasn’t sure if she was amused or offended by the casual tone. And that last sentence was slightly off putting in it’s total lack of interest. It was an olive branch of a sort but with the promise of thorns.
With that in the back of her mind, Lena continued to tie up a few loose ends and ready herself to leave the office. It wasn’t until she had bid goodnight to Jess and found herself sitting in her car in the parkade that she realized she intended to follow through on the invitation.
Humming to herself, Lena started her car and with the help of her gps, drove to Noonan’s bar to meet the elusive and in demand CEO of Kryptonite Capsule for the very first time. They had brushed shoulders at industry events here, made eye contact across a crowded press conference there, and generally ran in the same social circles however they had never properly met. If you asked Lena, their lawyers and ‘handlers’ as it were had made every effort to make sure that remained the case. They assumed there would be drama and the subsequent end of their empire in store if they ever made contact due to their family’s history. Which was in part why she thinks she agreed to this meeting, she was irate at the woman’s business tactics but mystified as to who she actually was beyond the business realm. Call it professional curiosity.
Lena found a parking spot with little trouble, and she swung out of the sleek black car with purpose. Striding into the bar she swept her eyes across the chic interior and her eyes landed on her quarry as though they were drawn to a magnet. She wasn’t sure if it was her sharp senses or the blonde woman’s intense and powerful aura which caused the effect and she was slightly thrown for it. Lena didn’t like not knowing.
Sleeking her hand down her blouse, Lena pulled herself to her full height before she stalked towards the other CEO. As she grew closer to the blonde, those blue eyes she had only ever seen on glossy magazine pages or across a crowded room suddenly lifted and without faltering, speared Lena’s own gaze. Lena was immediately filled with the impression that the woman held power, and she knew it. This ‘meeting’ could prove challenging she realized.
The raven haired woman loved nothing if not a challenge.
Drawing up to the tall table where Kara sat, Lena stood with her weight held to one side, arms crossed and chin held high. “Ms Danvers. Your invitation was most unusual.”
The blonde simply smirked as she slowly unfolded herself and raised to her taller height to stand before the raven haired CEO, greeting her dinner guest properly. Tilting her head to the side in what would have been an endearing fashion were it not for the sharp eyes and entirely too toothy smile, Kara Danvers extended a hand. “I like to keep people on their toes Ms Luthor. I’m sure you’ll agree that the moment you become predictable, is the moment you lose your advantage.”
Lena swallowed, slightly shaken by the alluring appearance of the woman before her. Kara wore a tight fitting dress, the skirt was black with grey tweed like patterns and the top was stark black with a high neck, but cutting off at her shoulders to show her impressive arms. A pair of dark framed glasses perched on her nose, and her hair was swept back into an artfully tousled updo. The woman cut an imposing figure, both as a powerhouse of industry and as a physical specimen. Considering this, Lena found her footing again when she noticed the blonde’s eyes trace her own form in a black pencil skirt, white blouse and black blazer. She knew she was a beautiful woman and she used that to her advantage on more than one occasion, though it would be a mistake to assume that was the only weapon in her arsenal. She had the feeling that neither she nor Ms Danvers would make the mistake of underestimating the other.
Accepting the proffered hand, the CEOs shook firmly before drawing back in order to seat themselves. “I will give you that Ms Danvers. That is a sound tactic. Of which you seem to have many.”
Kara lifted a brow as she regarded her dinner partner. “I’ll be honest with you Ms Luthor, I didn’t expect you to show up. It seems to me your days are always planned to the minute and you wouldn’t deign to spend time in such a common place as this.”
There was that casual tone she’d noticed in the email that served to both offer something and promise judgment once again. Lena narrowed her eyes and tapped her fingers on the table top, debating internally whether to rise to the bait or to try and maintain a level of civility. However this most definitely felt like a test, like if she simply brushed the comment off she’d lose a level of esteem with the other woman. Same as if she simply called her out. This required a level of finesse which would then prove she is capable. She would have to tread carefully, but it was a task Lena was up to. She would not be shown to be unmatched in their verbal sparring.
“And how could I refuse such an invitation? When it’s sender so effortlessly straddles that line between accomplished business mogul and lucky heiress with a run of beginners luck. You’re an enigma Ms Danvers, I simply had to see for myself if what they say is true.” Lena sat with her legs crossed and she moved her hands to clasp over her knee. “Besides, it’s good for me to mingle with people I wouldn’t otherwise have contact with. Keeps me human.”
Kara had her head tilted to the side again, eyes pining Lena in her seat. “And what do they say about me Ms Luthor?”
The raven haired CEO grinned. “They call you the girl of steel. Fresh faced, brand new to her position, but unwavering in her vision and drive to bring it to fruition.”
Her face once again alighting with a smirk, Kara regards the raven haired woman with a sparkle in her eyes. “Oh I assure you Ms Luthor. I may be new to this particular, position. But I have a great deal of experience in other avenues and am more than capable of putting them to work for me here. I’m versatile.” The blonde had leaned forward, arms laying across the table in front of her and putting her weight on them. The head tilt and intense eyes were in full force and for the first time in any ‘meeting’, Lena felt like she had met someone she was on an even playing field with.
Oh, this is going to be fun.