What if we don't live forever?

CH 01

Have you ever wondered how long you are supposed to live? Have you ever wondered what your real purpose is in this life? We don't live forever; that's a fact no one can deny. But, it's also a fact that most of the time, we don't decide how to leave this world or, when...

"Miss. Luthor..."

"Where are the reports I requested, Jess?"

"In the blue file, at your right..."

Lena nods, she opens the file and digs into it. Her brain is more efficient than any computer because in a matter of minutes, she has already pictured in her mind all the spreadsheet that any other human have taken hours to create in Excel. Yes, Lena Luthor is an extraordinary human being. Maybe that's the reason why she's the youngest CEO in the entire world.

But, you should know that being the head of the family's empire was never her goal. Oh no, Lena had other plans in mind when she was doing her PhD at MIT. She wanted to be no more than a rat lab, working on her inventions, but, as Lena was planning to live her life in a lab, creating things; life itself, it had other plans for her.

'Your brother is dead to me!' Her mother, Lillian said. 'He wants to marry that corny boy, Clark Kent? Then, from now on, I don't have a son...' Lillian said with so much anger and sorrow because after all, Lex was her favorite, her golden boy who was destined to rule the world and be the head of the company. To Lillian's dismay, he chose another path when true love knocked on his door.

As with many love stories, it happened when you'd least expect it. One moment, he was Lex, the smug, arrogant, heartless heir to the Luthor legacy, and the next, he was just a boy, a boy who fell deeply in love with a farmer boy.

From the moment Clark came into the picture, Lena saw how much her brother changed. He became a complete stranger to the family. Someone with a heart, someone warm, someone who had nothing to do with the Luthor's way, so, he left... he accepted the exile imposed by Lillian when she made him choose between Clark and the family.

The entire family was sure that Lex wouldn't be able to walk away from the comfortable and luxurious life he had as a Luthor. But, they couldn't be more wrong.

Deprived of the Luthor's name, and, all the wealth that comes with such a tittle, Lex walked away 3 years ago without turning back.

Lena doesn't blame Lex for the choices he made 3 years ago. To be honest, she admired him because he had the guts to choose love, true love instead of a life filled with both luxury and responsibility. But, as he stepped back from the throne, someone had to step in. And, that someone was Lena Luthor.

So, that's how Lena found herself with no other choice than to accept the burden of being the only heir of the Luthor's family, even if she didn't want it.

Looking back in time, it feels as if it was yesterday when she became the head of the company. But, it will be already 2 years since Lionel Luthor passed away, leaving Lena as the one responsible for keeping the company afloat.

It was hard at first to be a CEO, well, it keeps being a tough job to do, but, the first months after the death of Lionel, her father, it was really hard, especially because Lena wasn't really in line with the philosophy of the company.

More than 50% of the business was linked with the manufacturing of weapons. And, Lena wasn't okay with that, at all. She didn't want to be remembered in this world as the biggest manufacturer of weapons. She didn't have a say on becoming the CEO of Luthor's Corp, but she had a say on how she would do this job. So, with a new CEO came a new philosophy for the company.

Luthor Corp would always be remembered as one of the biggest manufacturers of weapons in the world. But, Lena cut ties with that corporate image when she changed the name of the company to: L-Corp.

No one with stake in the company likes the change, especially Lillian Luthor. The old woman made sure to make the transition as hard as possible. But, Lena didn't give up, she worked hard, really hard to change the course of the company. So, against the wishes of Lillian and other members of the board, Lena shut down the business of weapons, to welcome a new era for the company when she created her brand of Health & Care.

It was a risky move that paid off really fast. Right now, there's no hospital in this world which hasn't at least one medical device of L-Corp making. Lena's brain creates the most amazing medical devices that you could imagine, they are so amazing that even before the product's launch, it's already sold out. The high order intake, the tremendous income that Lena was generating, it shut down any doubt that Lillian and some members of the board could have about the future of the company.

And, it makes Lena happy to shut Lillian's mouth. But, as much as she enjoys proving to Lillian how great she's, deep down, Lena would have loved to make all this possible, with her brother at her side.

Watching Lex leave with nothing after reading the will of their father, it has been one of the most painful things that Lena has ever experienced. Especially because at that time, she knew that Lex needed the money. The Kent's farm wasn't doing well, and he wanted to help the people who took him in, as part of their family.

Lex wasn't perfect, but he was her big brother, her companion in surviving their complicated and toxic family. And when the pressure of being the perfect Luthor was too high, he always knew the right thing to say to ease Lena's stress.

In his own way, he cared for Lena, he still cares, Lena knows that, even if Lillian has made it almost impossible for them to keep in contact. But, they find their ways to reach each other. X'mas postcards, encrypted texts that just they could figure out... yeah, they always find a way to keep in touch.

They are not as close as they were before Clark, but deep down, they know that they count on each other whenever is needed. And, that's why...

"Miss Luthor..."

"Jess, I'll need to see too, the financial reports of the Unit in Tokyo..."

"Of course. but, Miss Luthor..."

"And, make sure to add the forecast for the next year too. My mother and the members of the board will definitely ask for it, during the next meeting..."

"Yes, but, Miss Luthor..."

Jess has something very important to say. But, each time she tries to speak out, Lena shut her down with another task. Lena is a very demanding boss, she's always talking and thinking about work, but...

"MISS LUTHOR! YOU NEED TO LISTEN TO ME!"

Lena stays speechless and stares with wide eyes at her assistant. Jess lost her composure, slamming her fists on the desk and raising her voice to her boss! She would have never done that, but, she has to, because...

"You've a personal call on line 1, Miss. Luthor..."

"Personal...? Jess, if it's my mother, you know I don't take her calls, and..."

"Miss. Luthor, it's not your mother..."

Lena frowns. Besides her mother, she has no idea who could be calling, to make Jess think, it's a 'personal matter'. Lena's reluctant to take the call, as if something inside her was telling her not to pick up the phone because it would change her life forever. But, Jess insisted. She really insisted, no matter how afraid she was to piss off her boss, Jess didn't leave Lena alone till she saw her picking up the phone to take the call.

"Hello...?"

Lena never takes call of people she doesn't know, and when Jess told her that the call was from one Miss. Danvers. The name didn't ring the bell at all. Nevertheless, she took the call by request of her assistant, completely ignoring that her entire world would turn upside down from this exact moment...