I haven't seen my father since Julian left town. I have to admit, the peace and quiet has been quite refreshing. I had been wondering when he was going to pay me a visit.

Once it was rumored that an undercover Luthorcorp shipment was hijacked, I knew my wait was over.

My father called it a social call. There's no such thing as a social call between us. There never has been, there never will be. Until the end of time, hidden agendas and plots of backstabbing and undercutting will be the reason for every visit.

Small talk of my engagement is how he began. Claiming to be hurt that I hadn't told him personally. The fact that he didn't even know Helen's name proved my theory. This wasn't a social call.

My father had arranged a special shipment of some top secret cargo in the middle of the night. To his disappointment, the cargo was stolen. The real reason for his visit? He said I had something to do with it.

I almost wish I had.

If my father went out of his way to ship something in unmarked vehicles in the middle of the night, I had to know what it was.

Quarter of a million dollars later, I had my answer. An anonymous tip led the police to some kid who was now in custody for the robbery. I paid him a visit, offered my financial support in return for some information. He was more than willing to cooperate.

Little did I know releasing the kid would lead to a very upsetting visit from Clark. He stormed into the mansion demanding to know why I had posted bail, and told me that he was the anonymous tipper. In return, his parents were almost killed, and Clark almost blamed that on me. I told him the truth; all I was after was information. I also warned Clark that the missing cargo was refined meteor rocks.

I wonder if he appreciated that information. Who am I kidding, of course he did.

Clark came up with a plan to set up a fake shipment to be robbed again. Only this time, the trucks would be empty, and we could take down the guy that tried to hurt his parents. Clark wanted to be there when the setup went down, but I was firm. I told him that I would not risk him or his parents lives like this, and that my security team would take care of everything.

I felt responsible for the Kents being in danger. I had to fix this.

Everything was going according to plan. The fake shipment was on it's way, my security team was in place. I'm not sure exactly what happened next, but I'm guessing from the headache I had that someone wanted me out of the picture temporarily.

Another blow to my already over-bruised skull.

The meteor rocks are still missing. The ones responsible for the missing shipment are behind bars. My security team doesn't know what happened that night, and no one else will say. All's well that end's well I suppose.

Clark came by to tell me that his parents were safe and sound back in good old Smallville. He congratulated me on a plan well executed, but I admitted to him I had nothing to do with it. When he asked me if I knew who had the missing meteor rocks, I told him I had my suspicions.

Then I smiled at him.

For some reason, the game Clark and I have been playing for almost two years still entertains me. He continues to believe that I know nothing. I allow him to keep those beliefs.

I wonder what he would think about the locked room?

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