Walking into the office, the door was closed.
Rick Archibald smiled as he looked at Homelander, who was sitting behind the desk.
The man was wearing casual clothes today, his blond hair casually styled, glasses on, holding a book and reading.
In the reception area of the office, Victoria Neuman put down the newspaper and smiled at him.
The President opened his mouth to say something, but saw Alex raise a hand and hold up one finger, signaling him not to speak for the moment.
The words Rick Archibald had been about to say were swallowed back down, and a trace of anger flashed through his heart.
No matter what, he was the President of the Federation. Wherever he went, he was highly respected. When he visited other countries, weren't those countries' leaders and oligarchs scrambling to get close to him?
But when he came to the Seven Towers, when he came to Alex, he was treated with complete indifference.
General Mike was equally furious and was about to step forward to argue, but the President stopped him with a look.
Rick Archibald kept telling himself.
Never give Homelander an opportunity to make trouble.
As a successful politician who had been in politics for many years, Rick Archibald had learned early on that patience was an indispensable quality for success.
So even though he wished he could shoot that man who was reading a book dead right now, he still had enough patience to stand there smiling.
Neuman in the reception area did not seem to have any intention of inviting the President over to sit down either.
So Rick Archibald and General Mike were left standing there.
For them, this was absolutely a novel experience. After all, normally, they were the ones who made others wait for them.
An experience like this, where they had no chairs to rest in and had to stand to one side and wait, was definitely a first.
Unfortunately, they would not like such an experience. All they had was the anger continuously building up and rising in their hearts.
Just when General Mike could no longer suppress his anger and was about to explode, they saw that Homelander had finally put down that damn book.
Alex put down the book, took off his glasses, and smiled, "The Prince, written by Machiavelli."
"I have to say, the unique political ideas and insight into human nature in this book are very fascinating."
"I was deeply drawn to Machiavelli's wisdom and his deep insight into human nature."
"With concise yet profound writing, he described the nature of power, as well as the ways human beings behave in the process of pursuing power."
"His views are unique and his thinking profound, making this work not only deeply instructive for political scholars, but also for ordinary readers."
"What impressed me most was that Machiavelli proposed in the book the idea that 'as long as the goal is right, you can use any means necessary.'"
"When I got to this part, I understood why, last night, Mr. President was able to so decisively put the blame on poor Ms. Mallory."
"This view was not only a criticism of the political reality of the time, but also a profound understanding of human nature."
"This idea made me think about a lot of things. I began to realize that in the process of pursuing our goals and realizing our ideals, we may need to face some less-than-perfect means."
"For example…"
"Rick Archibald unfortunately suffered a sudden illness and passed away while visiting the Seven Towers?"
The atmosphere in the office immediately became extremely tense.
General Mike's hand had already fallen onto his holster. He could draw his pistol at any moment.
Alex casually glanced at the general and laughed, "Relax, relax."
"I was just joking."
"If I wanted to make the President sick, he wouldn't even be able to make it out of his own front door today."
Rick Archibald also gestured for General Mike to take his hand away, then smiled, "Homelander, what do you want?"
Alex pretended to be surprised, "Mr. President, shouldn't I be asking you that?"
"You're the one who wanted to murder me."
"Why are you talking like you're the victim?"
"It's like some big man sexually harasses a woman, then innocently claims that the woman seduced him. That's a little… shameless, isn't it?"
General Mike breathed heavily like an enraged bull, "Homelander, the person standing in front of you now is the President of the Federation, the highest leader of this country, the representative of free will."
"You should respect him!"
"Not humiliate him!"
Alex laughed, "Wasn't what I said the truth?"
"Come on, General."
"There's no one else here. There's no need to hang out the fig leaf."
Victoria Neuman let out a soft laugh, then said, "Sorry, the joke in the newspaper is too funny. I really wasn't deliberately making fun of you."
General Mike's face turned green and then red. If he believed Neuman, that would truly be a miracle.
Rick Archibald, however, remained very composed. He could even keep smiling.
"Please forgive me for not being able to figure out what you want."
"If you want me to apologize, I already apologized in front of the entire nation last night."
Alex leaned back, "Yes, people online are even praising you, Mr. President, for recognizing your mistake and correcting it, and calling on others to give you a chance to make amends."
"Look, your reputation didn't fall; it actually improved, and your approval rating went up by three percentage points. Your apology was really sincere."
"But…"
Alex clenched one hand into a fist and propped it under his chin, making him look at the President and general through his nostrils.
"I don't accept it."
"What you did to me can't be resolved with just an apology."
Rick Archibald spread his hands, "Then what do you want?"
Alex laughed, "I believe that, as the leader of the Federation, being deceived by a mere woman and then reaching out your hand against the hero who protected the Federation and saved this planet…"
"A leader like that has already lost clear judgment. Who can say that he won't make the wrong decision on some other matter in the future, and thereby drag the Federation into an abyss of no return?"
"To prevent something like that from happening, Mr. President, don't you think you should step down while you still can and let someone more capable take on this heavy responsibility?"
"In old ages, there is a term used to describe such an event."
"Abdicate… and let the worthy take over."
General Mike shouted, "Homelander, don't get too outrageous!"
"The President has already apologized in front of the entire nation. He's given you enough face. Don't push your luck."
Alex gave a dry laugh, "General, there's no one else here."
"You really don't need to put on an act."
"If you actually dared to make a move, you would have pulled out your gun and shot me the moment you came through the door."
"You don't need to use this kind of method anymore to demonstrate your loyalty to the President."